Curriculum and Instruction
I believe that a student should have access to 21st century curriculum and instruction as it is the foundation for learning. A standard driven organization should implement and support student learning to enhance a student’s potential at succeeding not just in school, but in life. I believe this because standards are everywhere. They guide the instructor and student on what needs to happen next. In the work force, we must meet or exceed in certain skills to maintain a job. For instance, as a mathematics teacher, I must know the content material and be able to deliver it in various methods to ensure that all students grasp the material. If a student does not grasp the material, I need to know what to do next, intervene. If I do not posses the knowledge or skills, then I should not be a mathematics teacher. There are aspects that some may disagree on whereas others may agree. According to various studies, the Education in the United States is not keeping up with the rest of the world. Students in countries like China are outperforming our students. Therefore, we have established a new set of standards called Common Core. Students shall possess skills by the end of their education that will benefit and be useful to them in the real world. They will have the knowledge and skills to succeed in college and in life. I’d like to talk about the curriculum and instruction in the charter school system I have been a charter school teacher for more than three years. For mathematics courses, we use Renaissance Learning. It is a web based curriculum. Each student has an account. They log in, complete and submit their work online. They obtained immediate feedback after they submitted it. They work at their own pace. Now with the implementation of Common Core, I do not see this program as being Common Core aligned as it does not meet the Common Core mathematics standards nor 21st century skills. Students answer multiple choice questions after working out the problem on paper. However, not all students practice this skill as there are some who guess the answers or do not put the effort in learning. So, this curriculum should be replaced with curriculum that is align with Common Core standards. As a result, students will be college and career ready. They will also be acquiring the same knowledge that other students in the state are acquiring. Technology I believe technology is a skill that everyone should know, not just students as it is expanding to areas that we have never thought of. Technology is a skill that is used everyday by millions of people worldwide. Students should be technology proficient. I believe this because technology has changed and it continues to change the way we live. Technology is part of our everyday lives. We use it daily. It is part of our daily routines. We share, connect, and communicate with others who are located miles or inches away. This is a tool that has evolved over time and it is best that we ensure our students are given opportunities to become proficient and stay up to date on technology. There are issues with technology as if it is not used properly it can damaged or hurt the world. For instance, the Sony Pictures Studios were hacked last year. The business data was then published to the public. This is an issue that one must be aware of. We need to know how to protect data from malicious individuals. Another issue is cyberbullying. Students are bullied through social media and text messages. Students must learn how to share, respect, and communicate through technology. I’d like to talk about the use of technology in the classroom. As a teacher, I instruct, supervise, model, encourage, and guide students. However, at the end of the day it is up to the student to take the tools I provided him with and use them on whatever he wishes to. I am currently one of two teachers who teaches a course in technology. Our students lack basic computer skills as they are low income. Some of them have never used a device other than a smart cell phone. This semester, I introduced them to Google Drive. More than 95% of the student have never used this tool. I am teaching them how to create a powerpoint. They are learning about inserting pictures, videos, and text boxes, formatting text and background. This presentation is 20 slides. It is a personal powerpoint presentation. Once they complete it, they will be selecting 10 slides and download them as JPEG images. They will create a video in Animoto by adding these 10 slides onto it. They will upload this Animoto video on their Weebly site where students will be able to view it, share it, and provide feedback to peers. Through this activity they are enhancing their technology skills. Highly Qualified Staff I believe every school should employ highly qualified staff. Staff who are not qualified for the job result in poor student academic performance. As a result, the school’s expectations are not met and students are not challenge. I believe this because students are the future. One day, they will represent this country. They deserve access to a qualified teacher who will motivate, support, guide, and challenge them. If we do not provide students with this type of staff, then our students will continued to be outperformed by other students in the the state and world. I have been in a school where “teachers” do not possess the required skills nor education to be in the classroom. This was shocking to find out. If I were a parent, I would want my child to attend a school where the staff is qualified for the job. There are aspects about having qualified staff in an organization. In a school system, it makes a difference in student’s academic performance. For example, a students who has a qualified teacher will be academically challenge. The student will most likely acquire, retain, and use the tools learned in the classroom. As a whole, the school’s mission and vision will be met. If I were a business owner, I would want to employed qualified staff for the job. I’d like to talk about my experience with teachers while I was in high school. They were all qualified for the job as most of them had master’s degrees and everyone was credentialed. These teachers made a difference in my education. I always felt challenged. The skills learned in high school were part of the foundation of my success. I admired them for their passion and being able to make me feel important. They were devoted teachers who inspired me to become a teacher. Stakeholders Involved in Decision-Making I believe ALL stakeholders should be involved in decision makings. They should all be given the opportunity to share their input on decisions made related to the school. I believe this because a school is a place where students obtained skills and knowledge. There are those who do not come into contact with students and those who do. Those who do shall always be included in decision makings as they may share input that others may have never thought of. At my school, there were 120 iPads purchased. Teachers were not involved in this purchased process. I was never involved in this decision. I was aware of this decision when the devices were purchased. This was not a smart decision as we replaced these devices for Chromebooks. The iPads were useless. They were not effective in the classroom. There are lots of aspects of incorporating stakeholders in decision making. For example, in education, the term stakeholder typically refers to anyone who is invested in the welfare and success of a school and its students, including administrators, teachers, staff members, students, parents, families, community members, local business leaders, and elected officials such as school board members, city councilors, and state representatives. Stakeholders may also be collective entities, such as local businesses, organizations, advocacy groups, committees, media outlets, and cultural institutions, in addition to organizations that represent specific groups, such as teachers unions, parent-teacher organizations, and associations representing superintendents, principals, school boards, or teachers in specific academic disciplines . I’d like to talk about the importance of incorporating stakeholders in the decision making process. Generally speaking, the growing use of stakeholder in public education is based on the recognition that schools, as public institutions supported by state and local tax revenues, are not only part of and responsible to the communities they serve, but they are also obligated to involve the broader community in important decisions related to the governance, operation, or improvement of the school. Increasingly, schools are being more intentional and proactive about involving a greater diversity of stakeholders, particularly stakeholders from disadvantaged communities and backgrounds or from groups that have historically been underserved by schools or that have underperformed academically, including English-language learners, students of color, immigrant students, and special-education students. In some cases, federal or state programs and foundation grants may encourage or require the involvement of multiple stakeholder groups in a school-improvement effort as a condition of funding. This week’s reading reminded me of Steve Jobs. He was an exuberant individual who possessed a unique vision rarely understood by others. However, he was quite an oppressive and highly critical leader. At times, he would even use profanity to get his point across. In his biography by Isaacson, there are plenty of examples of him not choosing his words properly when communicating with employees. This is my first non-negotiable. Treat everyone with respect--students and colleagues. Choose my words wisely when communicating with people.
Many times individuals do not meet deadlines, and it continues to baffle me. Furthermore, it tends to be the same individuals that consistently miss deadlines. This is my second non-negotiable. Everyone should meet deadlines, and they should communicate their progress. If they cannot make the deadline, then they should submit a written narrative of why they cannot meet the deadline. If this continues, and they do not improve on meeting deadlines then, they will be assigned a coach. The coach will assist the individual in meeting deadlines. The coach may have to teach the individual how to manage time, be proactive, and/or modify his/her schedule. I believe that communication plays an important role in any organization. Communication may be in various forms and should be constant. When there’s lack of it, the organization suffers. Individuals and leaders may not be aware of important dates and events. Communication needs to be dependable and accurate. At my school, there are employees who do not communicate their absence. We are required to submit a leave of absence form. However, not everyone does it. Consequently, some hear that one did not do it, and as a result others repeat this poor behavior. Also, there have been a few times that teachers have not communicated their absence to their leaders. As a prospective leader, communication is a skill that everyone should have mastered or is working on it. This is my third non-negotiable. Everyone must communicate to their leaders and colleagues when they are absent, have ideas, concerns, questions, or complaints. Reference Isaacson, Walter. Steve Jobs. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011. Print.
Group members feel engaged. They participate and collaborate. They feel that they are part of a community where they feel comfortable, respected, and cared for. They feel that they are as important as anyone else, including the leader. This is the type of environment with which I have come to surround myself.
Lewin’s leadership styles describes democratic as the most effective. I believe that I am a very effective individual at work and outside of work. I have excellent habits that make me effective; I am proactive, I put prioritize, and I begin with the end in mind. Lastly, I demonstrate instrumental leadership skills because I always want to ensure that I complete the task. If I don’t complete it, then I feel very disappointed with myself, and I feel a bit depressed. I worry too much when this happens. I focus on the task to ensure that it gets done, especially on the details. As a general manager, I had to pay close attention to detail. Every detail was as important as the “next best thing”. References "Leadership Styles and Types: Authoritarian, Laissez-Faire ..." 2013. 16 Feb. 2015 <http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/leadership-styles-and-types-authoritarian-laissez-faire-democratic.html> "Leadership Styles | About Psychology." 2006. 16 Feb. 2015 <http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/a/leadstyles.htm> "Week 4 Platform - YouTube." 2015. 17 Feb. 2015 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq_h7sbOMec> I have been in education for three and a half years. I have taught Life Science, Reading Comprehension, English Language Development, Algebra, Basic Math, Geometry, Earth Science, Health, and Physical Education in high school. My students come from very diverse backgrounds--gang members, single parents, low income, homeless, addicts to one or more substances, convicts, and refugees. Students have a wide range of academic levels, and the majority of them are illiterate, typically refugees from Iraq. Student academic levels range from kindergarten to eighth grade, and the students are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-six.
I have many responsibilities in my school. I administer the California English Language Development Test and California High School Exit Exam. I ensure that answer documents are “bubbled” correctly, and that students who need to be tested take the tests. I am responsible for enrolling students to various web-based learning programs; Lexia, Renaissance, and Study Island. I also step in at times to enroll students on other programs. Every month, I have to provide a Study Island progress report to every teacher and the principal. The report includes time spent, topics mastered, and grade of student. Another of my responsibilities is to administer make-up days when a student is absent. Make-up is a daily responsibility. When students are absent on their educational days, they are added to “make-up”. They have to make-up that educational day prior to being allowed to work. My school is part of a non-profit organization where students work three days and attend school two days. When they are on make-up, they do not work until they are released from the make-up list. When someone is not doing a good job on a task and everyone else is affected by the poor work, I tend to take over because I feel that I know what needs to get done. I am a person who wants to make the working environment a pleasant place for everyone, even if it means taking additional tasks while others do may have none. I also take additional responsibilities because I want to gain experience and eventually become a leader within my organization. Three years ago my school applied to be an accredited school. I was asked to be one of five WASC committee members, and I continue to be part of the committee. Recently, I was the employee of the quarter for my department. I believe that every child deserves and should have the same opportunities for an education. As a child, I never went to kindergarten or middle school. When I came to the United States, I was at Del Dios Middle School for one month, and then I enrolled at San Pasqual High School. As a result, I did not attend school for three years, and the three years that I lost in education were due to the lack of resources of my home country. I have always enjoyed attending school. I remembered going to elementary school with my oldest sister who is six years older than I. I started going with her when she was in third grade. Initially, my mom and sister did not want me to go to school. I wanted to go though, so I would follow my sister and leave the house without telling anyone. My sister would noticed that I was in school when she would see me on campus. Because I was already there, she would have no choice but to allow me to be in school with her because she would not have enough time to take me back home without missing school. By the time I enrolled in elementary school, my three older brothers were enrolled as well. Two of the three were held back couple of times. They were never as interested in school as I was. The school and my parents did not have the resources to assist them in ensuring that they were getting the help they needed to complete elementary school. Thinking back about this journey makes me upset because my brothers were not the only ones who did not receive a proper education. My oldest brother decided to dropped out when he was in third grade. He was about twelve years of age at that time. As a result of the lack of support by teachers, parents, and his home country, he lacks knowledge in reading and writing, and is unfortunately illiterate. The elementary school was located three miles away from my parents house. It consisted of two classrooms and two teachers only. The teachers would come from the city and stay at a near by house during the week. Each teacher taught three grade levels at a time. One would teach first through third grade, and the other would teach fourth through sixth grade. Each teacher would have about fifty or so students. As mentioned, the school only had two staff--the teachers. There was no principal. The six years that I was at the elementary school taught me a lesson that I greatly appreciate, and I believe that I witnessed many events that made me who I am now. I think this school significantly influenced me to become a teacher. It is a custom in my hometown, which is roughly forty miles from the nearest city, to work in the field of agriculture full time right after completing elementary school. This is what I did after I completed my elementary studies. I wished I had gone to middle school, but I couldn’t because my parents could not afford it since we had to pay to go to middle school. Moreover, I would have had to pay for transportation, as well as walk ten miles to the bus stop one way. I was out of school for three years working in the fields until my father brought our family to the United States. I asked my mother enroll me in school. Had I not, I do not think she would have done it. My parents always told me to “just work, don’t go to school”. My brothers or older sister did not received an American education. I am quite glad I did. My first year in high school was scary for many reasons. I was in a new country where I did not speak the language or have the typical resources for education. I wore the same clothes twice or more per week. I lived with my family of eight in a one bedroom apartment. My parents couldn’t afford to purchased school supplies. To help fund my educational needs, I began working by mowing lawns with an uncle who would pay me $20 dollars per day. I used that money very wisely. I bought school supplies and new clothes throughout the years. Years later, my mother told me that she and dad did not want me to go to school because they could not afford my education. I had a horrible time adjusting the first year, but then I started enjoying my education. I ensured that I was always engaged in classes even if they were very difficult to comprehend. One day, I began writing down words and phrases that caught my attention or that I did not understand. I would write them phonetically in spanish and then, I would read it to my ELD teacher who would tell me the meaning. I would also carry an English-to-Spanish dictionary with me to translate unknown vocabulary words that I would encounter in textbooks. I believe that every student should have equal access to an education. They should be giving the tools that are necessary for success. As trite as it may sound, children are indeed the future. We should make it a top priority to support, guide, nourish, and educate them. What I believe about children and their education. I believe that every children is capable of learning given adequate resources and support. Education is a gift that once earned, it cannot be taken away. One may lose money, valuables, and/or a love one; however, education is never lost. It is a skill and knowledge that stays with you forever. In addition, every child deserves an equal opportunity to pursue education. Through education, children are aware of their surroundings and the world. They acquire skills throughout time that once learned, are second nature. They may become a postive “habit”. Is education a preparatory nature and purpose of their education? Education is an environment where students learn skills that prepare them for their future. It is a field that challenges them, yet nurtures at the same time. As stated by Fisher, Frey, and Pumpian in How to Create a Culture of Achievement, a school community is like a tree that needs nurturing. As a result, the tree grows. It contains different parts that are unique. Each part comes from a different source that influences the tree. A child who attends school grows up and becomes his/her own person. He/she is different than the rest because he/she is unique. The child has been nurtured and influenced by his/her surroundings; family, teachers, friends, education, etc… Reference Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Pumpian. I. (2012). How to Create a Culture of Achievement In Your Schools and Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. |
Author: Jose MendozaEducation is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Archives
March 2015
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