Home visits

I am writig this after a presentation in class last week. A classmate researched and presented on home visits in her school. I feel home visits are an excellent way to build good relationships between families and teachers. In conducting home visits, the teachers are abe to see, firsthand, the environment in which their students live. Also, in conducting home visits, the teachers are able to show the students that they care and are concerned about their learning.



Having home visits, families feel their children's school are really concerned about their children as well as are taking steps to assure their children are valued members of the school. Also, families are able to ask questions or have concerns addressed by their children's teachers. Families can be directed to services they may need and the teacher can have a hand in making sure the families are benefitting from the services provided.



Children feel empowered and important if their teachers are taking the time and effort to come to their homes and sit with them. Teachers are doing such a service to their families when they are conducting home visits.



When researching this topic, I found one school that conducts their home visits prior to the start of school. Each of students are visits and the teachers are able to conduct interviews with the parents as well as plan for the upcoming school year. I think it is fantastic that this school initiates extending their hand even before the students enter the classroom. In doing, so I think they are starting the year off in much better position. In many cases, students will perform better if they know their teacher and/or parents really care about their school. Also, parents and teacher get more involved if they know they have a partner in educating the chidren.



I visited another website that was focused on advocacy of home visits. The guide went on to talk about many benefits of home visits. Listed below are a few of the points made by the article. They included, but were not limited to:



- Prevention of child abuse. There may be a lower chance of child abuse if parents know that there will be home visits during which child abuse can detected.



- Less children lacking medical attention. Research had shown that children that have home visits are less likely to medically neglected.



- Higher school performance. Children who receive home visits score higher in reading and math nationally than children who do not receive home visits.



-Increased school readiness. It had been shown that children that received home visits were better prepared to enter school.


The data above was retrieved from:
http://preventchildabuseny.org/pdf/AdvocacyParents.pdf

Additional resources

http://www.nga.org/cda/files/BENEFITSFINANCINGHOME.pdf

http://www.nea.org/tools/16935.htm

Where have the all the men gone?

In today's classroom, you will rarely see a male teacher, especially in an elementary classroom. You may see a male gym teacher or a male Math or Science teacher, but it is unlikely to see a male teacher in the classroom. I know in all of my years of schools, including college. I have had more female teachers than male teachers. In elementary school, I think I only had 3, two of which were gym teachers and one was my science teacher. I didn't think about the sex of teachers at the time, but now as an adult, I look back on it and I think. Even in my education classes, we always laugh if we see just one male because we are happy. We are laughing at him, we are happy to see him.

I truly believe the classroom will be better if there were more teachers in place. I believe children to have the experience of both male and female teachers. As children develop, sometimes boys will identify more with male teachers as girls with female teachers. I think there is a definite place for males in teaching (and not just PE or secondary schools). I can understand their uninterest in teaching because they feel it will not pay the bills or will not be accepted by their peers. True, some teachers do not make as much as a doctor, lawyer, and so forth, but with education and time salaries do increase.

In 2006, only 24% of the teachers nationally were male teachers according to Denise Sinclair. She continues on to say that since 1981, there has been a decline in male teachers in elementary classrooms which was an all-time high of 18%. What has deterred males from the classroom? (1) Some believe because society thinks of teaching as woman's work, others feel teaching is not good support a family, others feel they are looked at as disciplinaries and not teachers.

A quote in an article by Jodi Foster, makes an excellent point:

"Children are missing out on different teaching approaches, alternative authority figures, and male role models because there are so few male teachers," he says. "Children are also getting a powerful message that teaching is something men just do not do." (2)

In her article, her subject makes a point of men shy away from because they are afraid of unjustified accusations of sexual misconduct by students. Unfortunately, males in many careers have been unfairly accused of sexual misconduct. Teachers may have a high probablity if they are in a position to be a target of a infactuated student or an angry student.

It is difficult enough to retain teachers: male and female. Many leave the profession after five years. So, keeping this in mind, there needs to be a push keep male teachers on board. The system needs to be set up to where male teachers are respected for their work and their ability to discipline students or do certain jobs around the school. Males that enter the education field are often promoted to administrative (quicker than their female counterparts). According to Peha in an article by Dan Brown, "Even if men start out in the classroom, they often don't stay there for long"(3). They venture off into administrative roles than are more lucrative and accepted by society.

Society needs to respect males teachers and get rid of the misconception that teaching is female job. It is not and should never be. Children will benefit from positive male teachers in the classroom, especially since many youth do not have a positive male role model at home.


Websites:

(1) http://www.dailyhome.com/news/2006/dh-localnews-0820-dsinclair-6h19v3957.htm

(2) http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0315/p11s01-legn.html

(3) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-brown/why-so-few-male-teachers-_b_87562.html

Does play have a role in education?

As a early education student, I had to learn the purpose of play and the role it has in education. Prior to my courses, I had not really thought of the connection between play and learning. The power of play is enormous in the how children learn and develop. Through play children learn social skills, math, science, and a host of other material. Play is a way for children to freely explore their environment and manipulate the things in their environment.

If given the right material, a great deal of learning can take place at any given time through play. One of the greatest parts of play, in my opinion, is the peer play. In peer play, the children are talking to each other and helping spark each others' interest in the "game" or whatever they are engaged in. Also, they learn to work together to accomplish their goals. The dialogue that may take place during play is an excellent way to improve and express communication skills. In many cases, the children are working off each other and in some cases, there will the instance when children are helping each other. Peers can be our best teachers. Children learning from their partners can surely improve the learning of the skills in which they are engaged at that time.

Play is not just a time for children to play with dolls, trucks, or what have you. In close observation, a great deal can learned from the play children. Children are learning and practicing many skills that are important to their academic success and their lives.

In looking for resources on this topic, I came across an article
Back-to-Basics: Play in Early Childhood by Jill Englebright Fox, Ph.D. at http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=240. In which she discusses some theories on play, the role of the teacher in play, and the value of play in early childhood. I found this quote to be very pertinent in the role of play: Frost (1992) concurred, stating that "play is the chief vehicle for the development of imagination and intelligence, language, social skills, and perceptual-motor abilities in infants and young children" (p. 48). I believe Frost position on education is similar to my opinion of play.

On the other hand, I do not believe play is only important in early childhood. Adults play, teenagers play, and it allows us to release our energy. I think play belongs in many aspects of life. A form of play in a classroom other than an early childhood classroom can be science experiments in which students are taking parts of the environments and experimenting with them. Recess is an excellent form of play for older children in middle school. School age children still need down time. Play should not just be limited to early childhood classroom. Of course, there may be the thought of how would play fit into a middle classroom or a high school classroom? Well, the answer is that it can fit quite easily. As I stated, play can be scientific exploration; it can also be trying to solve a mathematical equation as a group. There are many opportunities to incorporate "play" in the curriculum.


I read another article on play: The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds by Kenneth R. Ginsburg, MD, MSEd and the Committee on Communications and the Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health at http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;119/1/182#SEC2. One point the article made was that "as they master their world, play helps children develop new competencies that lead to enhanced confidence and the resiliency they will need to face future challenges." This statement reflects an important role of play. Through trial and error as well as mastery of new skills, children gain confidence in their abilities as well as competency and are able to adapt and succeed in various situations. Play is more than just a time to run loose and get dirty, it can be a time to increase skill, learn material and gain confidence. Play in itself can add to all the content areas.

A little can go a long way

Many schools in America have adopted the belief that if their curriculum covers more material, it is better; however in my opinion it is quite the opposite. As beliefly discussed in my class, we tend to put more stock on covering material as opposed to making sure children understand material. I do not see the logi in piling tons of work on children and then expecting them to do well in everything. Children need time to develop an interest and understanding of material before they are able to move on. Far too often in schools, teachers are focused to "cover" material instead of having the students "understand" material. I believe in some cases less is best. Students, especially those that struggle, need time to digest material. Teachers need time to really set up for the lessons and do diverse activities and discussions in order to really bhave students get a good feel for the topic at head. I believe if students are given opportunities to dissect topics in depth, they will in deed get a greater understanding of the information as well as they will cover more than just one content area. For example, a study on family in a primary class can encompass many ideas. For example, they are covering social science because they are learning about different familiy dynamics. Math can be covered as the class graphs family size or what have you. Art can be be included as the student create a family tree would can add to the lesson because it can involve the family trying to construct their family tree. There are many other activities that can meet the guidelines of diverse content areas.

In just covering material, the schools are not helping our children in the least. We have tried so hard to include everything that we, in some cases, are teaching nothing. We are trying to get everyone to get an introduction to a little bit of everything and hopefully something will stick. This idea is not beneficial to anyone involved. Children are being expected to be know things that a.) are not relevant to their everyday lives in the present or the future (in many cases) and b.) are not being taught in appropriate manner to meet their needs. Teachers are expected to cover an entire book, which are sometimes pretty thick, in just nine months. No wonder the interest isn't there in many students. Students can not really get into a subject before they are to move on to the next topic.

In a perfect world, students and teachers will be able to really dissect topics and really gain a greater understanding and value for them. To be frank, when we feel good about something we put more effort in learning about it and we retain information about it better and longer. A little can go a long way in education. If we stop trying top make " good test takers" and "well-rounded individuals", our education system may improve tremendously. The road we are currently on, is not working for the majority of our students. Our students are going from grade to grade with just enough information to make the grade. In order to better serve our children we need to trim down the material needed to be "covered" in an academic year and go from there. Besides, I think that if we can spend more time on fewer subjects, we would not have to prep for tests because the skills will be there anyway. Students will be more accomplished and teacher satisfaction may increase.

I believe in just covering material, we are doing nothing more than teasing our children's intellect and we are not giving them the time and opportunity to truly appreciate the information. In the chapter Understanding understanding at
http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/103055/chapters/Understanding_Understanding.aspx, they discuss the fact that is difference between knowing about something and really understanding it. For instance, a child can know a lot of math, but do they truly understand it. Do they understand the different applications and so forth. Also, I think this quote sums up my view on covering topics versus understanding.

Education. That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding.

—Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary, 1881–1906


In the article Qu, Est: Questioning understanding, Empowering student thinking by
Marylou Dantonio and Paul C. Beisenherz at http://www.ed.uno.edu/Faculty/MDantonio/quest.htm, they state that memorizing is not equivalent to understanding material. Which is a valid point. In many instances, children are expected to memorize information as opposed to understand it.

In order to get students involved in their learning as well as get them to understand information, we need to be advocates for understanding and not memorization.

What role does parents have in education?

Parents are their children's first teachers. It is from parents that children learn about their culture, certain values, gain language acquisition, and so forth. Parents play a very valuable role in their children's education: in and out of the classroom. Because of the reason, parents need to take on the challenge and provide their children the tools they will need in order to be successful in school and life. Education does not only involve knowing the content areas in school. Education involves learning how to be a productive member of society, it involves how to behave in social settings, it involves learning how to figure everyday problems, and so much more. By talking to their children, parents can help them increase their vocabulary, they help their children in their receptive and expressive language, and they help their children feel empowered. Also, parents that talk with their children build lasting. positive, and strong relationships.

A basic role of parents is to provide physical security for their children. Medical attention is one of the components of a physically secure environment. Being free from sickness is vital in a child's academic career. Children that are constantly sick tend to miss days of school, they can not concentrate on material, and they do not perform well. A proper diet is another component of a physically secure environment. Children with proper diets are more physically fit than those without a proper diet. Diet can help in brain development. Also, children will sometimes try to hide food for future consumption; this can lead to a lower esteem. Housing is another component of a physically secure environment. Children without good solid living situation tend to change schools often as their families move about the city. This interrrupts gaining long term relationships with peers or teachers. This also interrupts learning because every school covers materials differently and at different times.

Another role of the parent is to provide intellectually stimualting environments. According to the article "How can I make my child smarter?" at http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/speech_language_disorders/40176, there are two things parents can do to help their children. The first is to read to their children everyday and the second is to expose their children to many different things. Parents can provide great experience for their children. For instance, reading with or to their children is an excellent activity. Reading increases vocabulary, reading with older children can help with their comprehension, reading at home can help children learn to enjoy reading and increase reading ability. A trip to the library can be very productive. The library usually has free activities for children and families. Parents can take trips to museums in order to increase interest knowledge and interest of children. A simple trip to grocery store can be a great time for learning. Parents can have their children help with the shopping list (writing for a purpose). Children can go search for the items on the list (reading for a purpose). Parents can talk about the prices and have their children try to figure out the better deal, etc. A simple trip to the store can involve children engaging in reading, writing, math, and learning life skills. Parents can put their children in programs afterschool. Academic programs can help improve skills or just keep students engaged. One other thing parents can do is have dinner with their children. It has been shown that children that eat with the family are less likely to get involved in negative activities. Also, these children have higher self esteem and the bond is stronger. Talking during dinner can lead to thought provoking conversations.

According to the article, Can you really make your child smarter? at
http://health.discovery.com/centers/kids/genius.html, parents need to set good examples for their children. This point is correct on so many levels. Children learn a great deal from what they see their parents do. Knowing this fact, parents should practice behaviors they would like their children to demonstrate. Parents should read in front of their children,they should engage in positive activities,they should consume a healthy diet, and so forth. Children, especially young children, may take on the beliefs and actions of their parents. It is necessary to set good examples for children because they need good foundations as a whole.

Parents have a great deal of responsibilty. They are their children's first teacher. It is from parents, children can learn their culture, social skills, life skills, and get exposed to many experiences. Parents must be willing to take on the challenge of exposing their children to things other than their local surroundings. Activities can be very simple in nature, but have lasting effects. School is never the only option for educating children.Because of this, parents need to embrace their roles as teachers and do the best they can with the resoures they have.

Stanadardized tests

Standardized tests are being utilized in schools throughout the country to evaluate student performance at different points in their academic careers. A standardized test is a test administered and scored in a consistent manner. The tests are designed in such a way that the questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner according to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standardized_test. Standardized tests are used to basically compare students to each other in order to try to evaluate what students are learning in school to say the least. Standardized tests have been used in different aspects of education, such as school funding and school status.

There are several beliefs about standardized tests. Some believe these tests have many positive attributes. For example, they can help in improving education or adding services for students. According to www.brighthub.com standardized tests can help teachers in their preparation of lessons as they use the results of the tests to see students' potential strengths and weaknesses. Also, it allows parents to see how their children are performing in school and see if there are areas in which their children need additional help. Another point, is that the results of the tests can be used to compare the performance of students of diverse groups. According to the article, there have been improvements of standardized tests to make them less bias. Lastly, results of standardized tests can be used to track student performance over years.

On the other hand, there are those who believe standardized tests are not good ways of assessing student performance. For example, many schools are forced to raise scores which puts a tremendous amount of stress on the teachers, principals, and students. Curriculum can be narrowed so much to get as much test prep in the daily schedule as possible. Teachers are forced to minimize creativity in the classroom. Also, teachers have to leave out social science, science, etc in order to make more time for test prep. Students are stressed to the max to perform well or better htan they did previously. In many cases students are aware that they scores can make or break their school. That is a tremendous amount of pressure for anyone. Students can develop test anxiety.

If standardized tests are going to be used in schools, they should be used responsibly. There needs to be more emphasis place on the true purpose of tests: to assess student learning. The results of tests should not be used to determine if a school will remain open. The students should not be pressured to "make the score" on the tests. Curriculum should not be narrowed or adjusted to overly included test prep. Standardized tests need to help identify strengths and weaknesses of the student body as well as possible flaws in the curriculum. Also, test prep skills should be included in the curriculum already. It should not be a seperate lesson. Teachers and students should be put at much ease about the tests. Tests can be a great asset to learning, but as long as they are used responsibly and conducive for learning more about the students and not for politics.

School funding can greatly affect the quality of education students receive

Currently, Illinois schools are funded, in part, by local property taxes. Well, this current system is not serving all the students in Illinois equally. Familes that reside in more affluent neighborhoods have higher taxes and therefore the schools are getting more funds. Families in poorer neighborhoods pay lower taxes; therefore the schools are getting less funds. The funds schools receive has a great impact on the quality of education students may receive. The funds schools receive can determine many factors such as the equipment the schools purchase, the resources the schools have, the teachers and supporting staff of the schools. Of course, the more money a school has, the more resources and so forth the school will have for students. On the other hand, if a school does not have adequate funding, it may be difficult to purchase appropriate and sufficient amounts of materials for students. There may be a lower number of highly qualified teachers as well.

Students need to have learning experiences that are pertinent and meaningful. There needs to be equipment available to suppport lessons. There needs to be qualified staff to teach in the classes. We need to have teachers with math degrees or math backgrounds teaching math, teachers with science backgrounds teaching science, and so forth. There needs to be buildings that have safe structures. Some schools are falling apart from the inside out. Students have to look at peeling paint, stained walls, and broken equipment as supported at http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php?title=School_Funding&action=edit. According to Wikipedia, buildings are in such bad conditions, they are not conducive to learning. Funding or lack thereof can impact all of these items. Everything cost money and schools need to have access to money.

As a whole, we as a society have a responsiblity to our children. We are responsible to making sure all our children are having access to equal learning experiences. All children are entitled to have books to read, computers to utilize, and qualified teachers to learn from in their classrooms. The resources available should not depend on zip codes. There is no doubt there needs to be some type of reform that ensures all of our children are learning and are getting an quality education in school.

One option could be equally distributing property taxes to schools. This may not be appealing to everyone, but it could eliminate many of the strains schools are currently facing. Because there is such a gap in the funding schools receive, it seems logical to use some of the excess money to support struggling schools. In Illinoism there is such a disparity in the amount of money schools spends per student. According to A+ Illinois at www.aplusillinois.org/media/articles.asp?pressReleaseID=467, some districts could afford to spend up to $23, 000 dollars per student whereas other districts could only afford less than $5, 000 per student. Now, being reasonable, there would be quite a difference between a $23,000 education and a $5,000 education. In other words, students in low income neighborhoods are getting the shorter end of the stick.

If schools are given equal funds, they will be able to afford many of the same equipment, resources, staff, and so forth. Students will be able to have the same opportunities in education regardless of their socioeconomic status. Education needs to equal to all and therefore, the funding should reflect this notion.