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The discussion of Issues

We as educators often face a dilemma of what we can show are students in terms of content that will not only provide an introspective look upon the subject of instruction but also open up discussion that will be productive. Speaking about things that are controversial or even just not frequently talked about like queer rights and black lives seems like it might be a hand grenade ready to blow in your hand with students taking the pin out when they discuss what they learned at school that day with their parents. But I think an effective way to handle speaking on these issues ,that not only matter but broaden perspective and bring awareness to issues that students previously might not have heard of , is to try and present the information from a unbias perspective firstly. Then also have a class lead discussion about these issues with some probing and guiding questions to examine the background of this issues as well as the context. This way students can be introduced to issues that do ma...
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Teaching + Public

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 Teaching and its public view have always been skewed in my opinion as much of what is popularized by media is a gross exaggeration of the field. Many wonder if their teacher is an effective educator for their students as it is hard to determine outside of assessing whether a student is doing well or failing to comprehend the content. Teachers also face this perception that being regular means your undercut or not doing enough in your career as a teacher. Being this super teacher that is on a mission to save a class of underprivileged kids and have them succeed at a greater academic level is kinda a myth. The reality of the situation is that good teachers are the ones that work long hours and are consistent. And with that parents and media might see that as educators underperforming. Rather than this model that if they aren't completely changing the attitude of their students they aren't great or successful teachers. Along with this, there has been a vast shift in teacher and s...
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What is Worth Teaching

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 Content and curriculum is an interesting thing , what should a teacher focus on when reaching out to their students to try and make sure they understand what is going on in their class. While one of the more obvious answers would be focusing on content retention and providing students with the know how to develop skills related to your subject manner. I'd argue that making sure your lessons is some way ,even if it is small , culturally relevant is important when teaching any subject. In terms of the module we would call this the explicit curriculum although I think adding modifications to express deeper understanding of the content is paramount. In this I'd like to bring up the point that most of what is taught in any classroom now, thanks to the internet ,can be found in a matter of seconds and can be easily repeated ,regurgitated, and memorized. When it comes to connecting happenings in history or connecting events in books to relevant events today is something that cannot b...
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Reflection

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  As we have been given some time to reflect on things, I’d like to tell you all about how I became more aware of the impact we as teachers have on our students specifically making  sure we teach from a culturally responsive perspective. Coming into this class I did have a notion to how I wanted to run a classroom. But considering it was math, I did not think at all about trying to reach students especially ethnically diverse students in my instruction through lessons and activities. Having learned about how we can reach these students and have them more deeply connect to the content instead of trying to teach a one size fits all curriculum, I have seen how important and rewarding it is to make the effort to modify my instruction as a teacher to make sure all my students are getting the most they can get out of my lessons. Likewise, I deeply related to the discussion about teachers and students’ rights as I felt strongly on the issue of teachers and their salary. As many teach...
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What rights should be protected for students and teachers?

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 When it comes to a classroom , an environment that needs rules to function as a space for learning we look to the teacher and the administration to follow the school's regulations to make sure students have the best chance to learn. But by doing so often times a thing that is overlooked is the rights of not only students but also the rights of Teachers. Consider this ,Teachers are restricted in what they can teach or talk about in the classroom. While I do believe in some restrictions to this rule not being able to open up certain discourse about content or topics feels like a disservice to students. Students would have much to gain from being able to discuss openly with their peers and educators in a space were it wasn't taboo to talk about difficult subjects. Likewise , another area Teachers need to be protected more is in our salaries. Teaching is such important work and for the stigma to be that people shy away from teaching because it doesn't pay enough is a shame. Mo...
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Differentiated Instruction

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 One of the interesting things about teaching is that you will encounter students from different places and countries with various schooling backgrounds. While some learners might take to our system of education here in the United States many of these students might not excel with the current structure of teaching as it be. To remedy this I think there are some ways to include not only students that are used to are American way of instruction but give these Diverse students a way to conceptualize the content and learn it to the best of their ability. There are multiple intelligences and within that a way to group our students so they can utilize their strengths and work on their weaknesses  I think a good way to start and find out where your students are at skill wise in whatever content field you are teaching is to question your students and establish their levels by asking prior knowledge questions. Figuring out if they have some background in let’s say in a math classroom s...
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Purpose of Public Schools

  I think the purpose of public schools is to enrich the lives of all who attend. Teachers especially in public schools hold a responsibility to nurture and grow the minds of the next generation. Without the public schools a lot of people regardless of creed, race, or wealth status would be at a distinct disadvantage in this country. I feel that not only is public school the great equalizer in that it gives everyone a chance to invest and build in a future for themselves, but it also greatly helps kids and people experience a variety of backgrounds and cultures allowing all who attend to soak up some diversity as they get prepared to live in a diverse multicultural society. To expand on that a great deal of the purpose of public schools is to mold young minds to achieve their goals moving towards the future. Yet I would say that while there should be a focus on reviewing content and teaching skills that’s not all there is to it. While teachers do focus on subject areas, I thin...
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