A Return to Action

Greetings everyone!
 It has been a long while since I posted something. Let me get up to speed of what happened since then.
 I will be doing student teaching this fall semester to complete my masters. I will be in Paterson but as of now, I have no idea what school I will be in Paterson. I am looking forward to an urban school over the suburban/small town schools. I feel there has been various movies set within urban schools but each has been different due to what kind of movie it is. Two movies that come to mind for me are Freedom Writers and Finding Forrester. Any place you go to teach will be different regardless. It can be challenging but the acceptance of the challenge makes it fun.
 You might be wondering, wait a minute, he was in student teaching last semester. What happened? I would give you details but I rather not talk nor write about it because it is not necessary and unprofessional of me to write down what happened. All I can say is it did not work out. That's all. If you want more, you can ask me personally. We all make mistakes.
 With that in mind, I had to get away for a bit and went out to California for the summer. I went to work for my aunt at her doctor's office. It does not mean I am changing professions again. I went there to assist my aunt in her practice by means of organization and computer skills that I could possibly use within the confines of the classroom. It is skills necessary to push forward her own practice as well. Besides that, I got to work with people but in the means of medically and just talking to them. I feel that those skills are useful within a classroom setting.
 With a doctor's office on the side, I got in tune with myself. I went through a mental and spiritual journey. I picked up yoga once again after a long hiatus along with various other work outs like free weights, hiking, cross fit (which is insane on the beach), and Zumba. These exercises got me in tune and grounded myself more. It took all the negativity and garbage I had in my body and mind. I found forgiveness and being one with myself. It took me a while to make these discoveries but with trial and error, I found to be one and moved on. There will be negativity wherever I go but I will not let it consume me like it did before. I created a balance in my life and found happiness of what is in front and around me. I am happy once again.
 After I was done work in California, my friends from NJ and I took a 5 day cross country road trip from CA to NJ. If you have any free time on your hands and you want to explore, do a cross country road trip. It will open your minds to a world you are not used to seeing and on top of that, you go through areas that you only see in magazines and online. We went through California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey. Each state has something to offer for better or for worse. For me, it made me embrace my inner Jack Kerouac. It was rereading On The Road at points. Each state had an identity in terms of the atmosphere and people. When you drive through America, everything is picturesque. Always use your camera! Being on the road created a connection to what is around me and everything is going on. I felt more peace with myself and to take on what the world has to offer. I hope someday you can take a road trip and discover worlds different from your own.
  This is what happened since the last post. I will be posting more blogs as we go through the fall semester. All I can say is that I felt like a Phoenix. If there is a quote to fit perfectly of what I went through, Carl Sandburg said it on the spot. He said "I tell you the past is a bucket of ashes, so live not in your yesterdays, no just for tomorrow, but in the here and now. Keep moving and forget the post- mortems; and remember, no one can get the jump on the future." 

An overview of Fall 2013

As I look back at the fall semester 2013, I felt that I learned so much in how to become a teacher. At first it was a shocker to see the different side of the classroom because I was so used to being the student on one side of the classroom. To see it from where the teacher stands and walks around is quite interesting. The teacher is the rock. They create the motion to inspire and motivate the students. There is indeed some aspects that I would not want to do in the classroom but I will find ways to enhance the classroom experience. Education must be hands on like what John Dewey said. The teacher I observed showed me all the various handouts and paperwork to use for the classroom. It covered her entire wall. It is like the book collection I have in my room but longer and bigger. So I have other references to utilize when it comes to my turn to teach. She even told me that majority of work can be accessed online. However, not everything will be online. 

Besides those concepts within the classroom, I felt that I learned a little bit about myself. It was a reality that set in. Is this what I really want to go to do for the rest of my life? I realized there are challenges and paperwork to keep but I feel that I ready to take that step. We will see what happens in the spring!

Response to Randy Turner's article from Huffington Post

My sister send me an article earlier that had to do with education. It was written by an individual, Randy Turner, who is an educator and has been working as a teacher for 14 years. His article was titled, "A Warning to Young People: Don't Become a Teacher".
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randy-turner/a-warning-to-young-people_b_3033304.html
He brings up with some of the realities that are going on within the public school systems of America. At times, I feel he was being biased but there are somethings I picked up from being in the field and other people who are currently in the field. What he said is true but there are things that people should take action on to be honest here.
One thing that is being illustrated here is the fact that it has to do with greed and politics. These are the two problems that run this world esp. in America. Politics in how and who you know to get ahead. You have to suck up to people to get ahead. It is not only that but I am talking here. I am talking about the politics that happen in the capital buildings. These politicians needs to wake up and smell the coffee. They pass all these ridiculous laws and bills that hurt the public education and belittle the educators who are within those buildings day in and day out. They need to step in a public education classroom. They are getting the same education as any other form of education either being in a charter school or a private school. These are the same morons who force these ridiculous state exams on these students. They need to learn, not forced to just test all the time. These politicians need to know what are they doing to these students. Besides these politicians, the politics in the schools themselves are unbelievable. Times change and certain educators need to adjust to these changes. New teachers need to step in and take control of the classroom. What is boils down is the money. When it comes to money, greed is involved. Greed will imprison anyone. Certain teachers do not want to leave and they made their focus to the money side of things versus the educational value. Teachers need to have a passion when teaching.
Randy Turner, I agree with what you point out in terms of the public education system. But I have a problem with you telling readers such as myself to not go into the field because of this situation. What you have written, it will not stop me from becoming the best educator. I seek progressive changes in education and that everything will change as time goes on. I seek to change the perspective on education.

Beginnings of Fieldwork

Fieldwork or observation within the classroom has begun. One week has been completed and a new week approaches. I am within a K-8 school in Hudson county, NJ where I am observing a Special Education classroom. It is a 6th grade class with 8-9 students. They come from various backgrounds of the working class community. With that in mind, they were classified. I cannot go into further detail because it is classified information and private. What I will talk about is what I observed and what my cooperating teacher worked with these students. 

My cooperating teacher is Ms. B. Ms. B has a extensive background in special education and has been teaching this and elementary education for 10 years. She was assisted by three aids who help out the students and some are assigned to a particular student based on their IEP. She holds onto her class for the whole day except for the last period where the students go to another classroom for a different subject being gym, health or Italian. When the students are in her class, Ms. B teaches English (Language Arts), math, science and social studies/history. Ms. B presents herself a straight forward, honest teacher. It is something to have in that kind of classroom. She helps the students in their learning process and guides them to the answers. Ms. B brings the students to her level when it comes to the learning process. She doesn't want to lecture at them but wants them to succeed by any means. 

I don't know how much more information I can talk about with what I say. There was nothing out of the ordinary and the students she has are great students and this is a great stepladder for me for when I go out and teach. 

My Pedagogic Creed

When I had to think about my pedagogic creed or a mission statement about my thoughts and beliefs on pedagogy and education, it took me two weeks to think about it. I read over John Dewey's pedagogic creed and I would agree with what he wrote down. However, if I had to create my own, I would modernize it. There are points within Dewey's creed that I agree but what it needs is a small update. His creed was written in 1897 and it was focusing on the white middle class of that time. Now I will give my take on my own Pedagogic Creed.

As human beings, we need to learn. Learn how to talk, learn how to read, learn to respect others. It is engraved in us since we were born. We take steps to learn what the world has for us. Education is a step to enhance the mind and body. Education brings the learning into a deeper level. It introduces and brings out senses that we would not use at home. However, the learning from education does come home in assignments, projects and discussions. 

Education can travel all over. It does not be confined into a small classroom but out in the open. As an individual, you can bring the education with you as you walk or drive into the unknown. Some of the best learning comes from being hands on outside of the school building. People can pick up a trade from being in the open air. 

Education is universal. Anyone can learn. From color to disabilities, anyone can learn. Education is accepting for anyone who walks into the classroom. It is where that you can access to what you want to know, from other students and teachers to technology and documents. 

What I point out are what I believe education is. In terms of what I plan to do when I teach, I will utilize everything that I can. 

I want the students to really learn. They will not be bored of what material is placed in front of them. Students will appreciate what is to be learned and find ways to incorporate it into their own lives. Students will be engaged in each activity and discussion within my class. The material presented in class will be relatable. They will find connections and if they cannot find the connections, the other students and myself will seek out connections for them to see. 

I want the students to bring the lessons and activities with them as they go through life. They will be motivated and inspired to move forward and to not move backwards. They need to have a firm foot in the directions they will go in life. They will take the lessons, activities and stories with them to seek their own answers in life. They will learn more as they move forward in their profession. 

I want a democratic classroom. Everyone is equal in my eyes. There will be no discrimination of what an individual is. We are all human beings. Everyone has a right to learn. We will have open discussions and learn about each other's backgrounds and histories. We will have lesson around a common theme and share our cultures. Everyone is different but they are uniquely different. We will evaluate each other of who we are and not what we are. 

This is the basis of my pedagogic creed. I will educate, motivate and inspire students of all ages. 

Presence

In my Teaching for Learning class, we had to read an article by Carol R. Rodgers and Miriam D. Raider-Roth on the presence in teaching (the name of the article). The majority of the article hits upon what it says in the title, having a presence in the classroom as a teacher. It talked about having passion for the material and bring forth excitement. With that in mind, make yourself known within the classroom and be in the present moment. We live in a society that is too far in the past or too far in the future. What I found to be interesting was the fact that they used a quote by Henry David Thoreau. The quote was "To be awake is to be alive. I have never yet met a man who was quite awake. How could I have looked him in the face." Thoreau knows how to get some ideas across in his writing but this quote I have a hard time trying to wrap my mind around. What I can gather from the quote is that we, as humans, are not alive. We claim to be awake but are we truly alive? That is something that we must find out ourselves. Personally, I am alive and awake each day. I try to live in the present but what is ahead and behind ties me down. That needs to stop. That is where stress begins. What I try to do to get out of those thoughts is to free my mind. Meditation and acknowledging the present is what I try to do each day. That will be something that I would carry over when I go into the field.
 Another part to today's blog has to do with what should the learning community that I would be teaching in would think and say about me. When I mean learning community, I mean students, parents, colleagues, administrators and other individuals.  I never gave a close thought to this. I believe that they should all have high respect for me along with sense of reliance when it comes to various situations. I want to be the go to person. My philosophy in life is to lead by example. They need someone to look up to and acknowledge whenever things go the other way. What the learning community should think of me is the same kind of question of why I am in this field. I want to inspire, motivate and educate everyone who steps into my classroom. I want a safe learning environment that everyone can access to. There will be no discrimination. Everyone is equal in my eyes. What needs to change in the education field is a progression of better, smarter learning. I consider myself progressive in my approach to education, not a rebel. I want to change the face of education in America and bring it up to the ranks of educational systems in Scandinavia and other parts of the world. I might be preaching to the crowds on this but this is what I believe in education. What others should think is up to them but to know that I am here to educate, motivate and inspire them with what they want to do with their lives.

Tutoring

What does it mean to tutor? We tutor people in explaining a specific skill or concept. We can tutor in math, science, reading, world languages, writing, etc. I have tutored various students in different concepts within the English realm. Examples would be dramatic speech, writing and now reading. For a class I am taking in Graduate School, I have to tutor or mentor a student in his/her reading and any other literacy skill. I got an opportunity, with the help of people within the public education field, to tutor and observe a student within an ESL classroom. I met with the ESL teacher and I am excited for the opportunity. This student has been in this country for a year and has to take the New Jersey High School examination (HSPA's) in March. What I need to work with this student is to improve his reading when it comes to big passages on exams such as the HSPA's and possibly the college entry exams such as the SAT and ACT. With talking the teacher, she gave me the lowdown of this student and what she has observed from the student's progress. So it will be my job to try to help this student get rid of bad habits and create new, better habits when it comes to reading. What was fascinating with the student was that he does not like reading his native language. I wonder what I can do to help him out. However, I only have 5-6 sessions with the student. Hopefully there will be a turn around in his performance and that there will be confidence in his reading abilities. I will keep posting of my tutoring session with this student along with fieldwork which will happen soon.