Education is like a flower

Education is like a flower. The seed of a flower represents the beginning of the child’s educational journey. It represents all the endless possibilities that child has laying ahead in their future.  As the seed grows it forms a stem. The stem supports the weight of the flower. The stem attaches the roots to the rest of the flower. Each part of the flower carefully relying on the other parts. This reminds me of how a teacher’s task is to connect present content with past content the children have been taught. Education is cumulative it builds off itself. An education is a good foundation for life much like the stem of a flower. As the flower grows further the petals begin to open. This reminds me of the openness of a child’s mind. Children posses an amazing ability to learn about themselves and their world faster than adults to. Through education children gain openness and acceptance of themselves and others around them. Flowers come in many colors reminding me of the uniqueness and differences among children. In the fall the petals of the flowers fall off. This reminds me of what the teacher teaches the children spreading and being passed on to others throughout the child’s life.

Realism In Education

Realism was started by Aristotle. He was a student of Plato. His ideas were different than Plato in the sense that Aristotle’s ideas were to find out about the world through real life experiences. Aristotle’s work went beyond the concrete and talked about how these things are still there in existence even if a person is not there with them. Another important concept of Realism is the balance of things in life. Aristotle believed that learning happened best through this balance and life experiences.

There are many examples of Aristotle and his beliefs in modern day education. Many subjects taught in school have examples of this. Science in particular is one that was affected by this. Students are encouraged to explore what they are studying in many ways. One example of this could be planting seeds to monitor and observe how they grow and the parts of a plant.  Aristotle’s Realism added other important things to science as well. Including the scientific method and the beginning of Darwin’s theory on evolution.

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-ethics/

http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP2.html

Eligibility for Special Education Services

In my observations this semester I have seen several children who have been evaluated and /or qualify for special education services. Because of my observations I have wondered what the state of Massachusetts sets for guidelines and eligibility for special education services. The link http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/iep/forms/pdf/ed1.pdf shows a brief picture of what questions the schools or evaluators need to ask to determine if an evaluation is needed. The first step in deciding this brings up the question does the child have a disability? The next step asks about the progress the child is making in school. Then it is asked if this progress is being stopped in some way by the disability? The last part of this is the question about if the child needs specialized accommodations to get through the regular education curriculum? If the answer is yes to all these the child will be evaluated and probably given special education services. If the answer to any of these questions is no the child will not probably qualify for these services. However they might still qualify for a 504 plan. A 504 plan is a plan that is put together to help a child be successful at school. This child does not qualify for special education services according to the link http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eohhs2terminal&L=7&L0=Home&L1=Consumer&L2=Community+Health+and+Safety&L3=Family+and+Community+Health&L4=Children+and+Youth+with+Special+Health+Needs&L5=Directions%3A+Resources+for+Your+Child's+Care&L6=Chapter+8%3A+Making+Education+Work+for+Your+Child&sid=Eeohhs2&b=terminalcontent&f=dph_populations_special_needs_directions_c_chap8.09_504_plan&csid=Eeohhs2 . A 504 plan gives the child what he/she needs to be successful at school without receiving special education services. One example of this might be that the child is allowed more time to take a test than other children. 504 plans are backed by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, specifically section 504 of this act.

What can teachers do to lessen the effects of gender discrimination in their classrooms?

I think that it’s extremely important to be mindful of discrimination and differences among people to be the best teacher you can be. This comes across in how you might treat your students or understand their individual situations. To lessen this in yourself it would be good to get exposure to things or communities you have not experienced before, as well as being reflective about where you might have your own discriminations or biases. To me, reflection and exposure are just starting points. What else can be done to lessen effects of gender discrimination in classrooms today? One thing I read about that can really help in a classroom is self-esteem. Specifically more opportunities for pre-teen and teen girls to see and hear that they are doing a good job. Studies have found that there is a huge drop in self – esteem for girls and not nearly as much of a drop for boys. http://www.maec.org/beyond.html#esteem.  Teachers can create these kinds of opportunities for girls in terms of planning how you might teach a lesson. According to the article mentioned above, in terms of gender discrimination girls who don’t have these chances take a hit to their self- esteem by seeing the ways that boys are positively treated by school as well as society. So if the teacher is being conscious of and planning activities that promote self-esteem than this is one way she/he can lessen the effects of gender discrimination. Another idea that can help in the classroom is by really making sure they are including everyone in their teaching and discussions. According to http://www2.edutech.nodak.edu/ndsta/dsellnow1.htm one example of this is the teacher making sure that everyone is given the chance to talk in a class discussion who wants to. Doing this can sometimes challenge gender roles for some people. Another way to challenge gender roles with smaller children can be done in play by giving children equal access to toys or situations that might be considered something one sex would do. One example of this could be having a girl play with the trucks in the classroom. I feel gender equality is extremely important inside and outside of the classroom. I wish that as a society we could take some more steps towards gender equality.