Blog Post #4

Dear Senator Larry Obhof,

It has come to my attention that there has been a continuous conflict in regards to the conditions of school buildings throughout Ohio. In 2003, the Ohio Supreme Court even deemed, “that the system of school finance must undergo a complete systematic overhaul in order to remedy the unconstitutional educational system.” Even today in 2016 this still holds to be true in certain areas. The economic and political power in the locations of schools can lead to detrimental policies and practices. I think I speak for the majority of the population in Ohio when I say that these problems need to be addressed.

I am an alumni of the Brecksville-Broadview Heights School District, which is a predominantly wealthier area with good schooling. Even so, during my senior year of high school there were two incidences in which the school flooded due to problems with the plumbing, and there was even an occasion of the power going out for over an hour during lunch periods. That was only throughout the course of one year, and there have been many other incidences throughout my entire time as a student in the district. If these types of things are happening in a wealthier school district, it makes it hard to imagine some of the conditions that those must face in a more inner-city school type setting. Inner-city schools have lower economic and political power, and I think that special attention should be drawn to this. The students and staff both deserve to come to a safe and efficient working environment everyday and they should not have to worry about the conditions of the buildings. I feel that if extra money went in to fix these conditions, it would make for a better, safer education system.

I hope that you see my point and that this problem will be addressed, since it has gone on long enough.

Thank you for your time,

Chloe Backman

Field Post 1

Interpretations:

1) Kids seemed very eager to get involved with the class discussion overall

2) Two boys were in trouble
3) One boy seemed to need special help

4) Predominantly African American Students

5) One of the boys in trouble was disrupting another student
6)Lessons were kept brief
7) Kids sat in tables of 4

Description: (Based off of Interpretations)

1. They raised their hands, said their input, answered/asked questions, paid attention to lesson
2. Sat in desks facing the wall away from other students and on opposite sides of the room as each other
3. Seemed to be working with a specialist and were having individual discussions
4. Mainly black students, one asian, two white
5. Kept pulling her chair out after she repeatedly asked him to stop
6. Went from phonics in the reading corner to working with whiteboards to reading from the textbook to a restroom break
7. Tables of 4 all facing or sitting next to one another
   
   
   Parking Lot: (Thoughts based off of Interpretations and Descriptions)
   1. The younger the student, the more involved they are
   2. They might be acting out due to something going on at home
   3. Perhaps he has a learning disorder
   4. It is more of an inner city school
   5. Again, maybe something is happening in his home life
   6. Possibly due to shorter attention spans a lot of work that needs to be done
   7. To interact with one another

On Thursday my Introduction to Education class took a field trip to Noble Elementary School, an elementary school in Cleveland Heights. It truly was an eye opening experience for me and my partner, Maddy McBride. Maddy and I both attended the same school from the time we were in kindergarden in the Brecksville-Broadview Heights School District. Brecksville is a predominantly white, catholic, wealthier, and competitive school district. The kids who go there are typically well prepared for their futures. Noble Elementary School seemed to be a different atmosphere then what we were used to. This school was predominantly African American, something that Maddy and I were not used to observing. Despite the difference in general atmosphere, the students still seemed very eager to learn and be involved with the lessons. The teacher was able to use creativity in the classroom to get the kids involved with the lesson. Although the students were involved overall, the teacher still had to remind them to behave from time to time, since they still are young kids with an active mind. Maddy and I observed the same things and had similar notes and had our eyes opened to a different atmosphere.

Blog Post 3

This past week we read out of the comic book over education. I found that the book made some great points about teaching. Something that stuck out to me was that you never know what a student is going through in their home life. If a child is acting out in class, it is important to talk to them and not just jump to conclusions about them. It's possible that they are going through a rough spot at home or just in general. In class today (September 15th), four groups made their own skits, two of which focused on a child acting out and how to go about it. The students that showed bad behaviors were being disruptive in class, interrupting the teacher/other students, pulling hair, poking, and so on. This is obviously not appropriate in the classroom setting, or in any setting for that matter. 

I suppose a question I would like to ask about this happening would be, how exactly would a teacher go about it? If I were in this situation in a real classroom setting, I would not want to make the student feel embarrassed or ashamed. A follow up question I would have is, if there actually is a problem going on in a child's life, how would a teacher go about handling that? Would they talk to parents? Administration? Paying special attention to the child? I feel like it would be a very tricky situation to handle that would need to properly be taken care of.

Blogpost #2

Becoming a teacher was something that has always been a passion of mine. Since the time that I was in kindergarden I had my mind set on it. All throughout elementary school, my teachers used to tell me that I would teach the class if I could. Now here I am in college and nothing has changed-I still would love to become a teacher. “Educational Foundations” helped me reflect what it would be like to become one.

Chapter One, Letters to a Young Teacher, depicted upon inner-city school teachers and the challenges that they face. I believe that to teach in this type of school district it takes someone with a distinct personality. Many of the problems that these teachers face are that the are unable to relate successfully to the children of minorities. Becoming an inner-city teacher was never something that I envisioned myself becoming. I have always pictured myself working at a suburban school, like the one I attended when I was younger. I feel as if I would have an easier time relating to this students in that type of classroom setting.

Chapter 2 mentioned a specific story from a substitute teacher, Mr. Gatto and a student, Milagros. Mr. Gatto saw something special in her, since she was learning at a much faster pace than the rest of her class. He fought for her to be moved into a more advanced class and succeeded. He served as an inspiration to this young girl. If it wasn’t for him, Milagros probably would not have ended up becoming a teacher herself. I hope to serve as this type of inspiration to students some day. Part of the reason why I want to be a teacher is because I want to be looked at as a good role model, and someone that kids can look up to. It would bring me great joy to know that I impacted someone’s life in a positive way.

Chapter 3 asked the question “why teach?” Well, that is a very good question with the way that you pretty much teach to help students pass yet another standardized test. I believe that adding creativity into the classroom is essential. Learning should be fun! Besides, I would really love to work with younger kids at the elementary age. These students are still forming in their personalities and behaviors and I would hope that I could impact their formation positively. I look forward to my future occupation and I can’t wait to make a difference.

Webpost 1: Class Survey

Hello! My name is Chloe Backman and I am from Broadview Heights, Ohio. I plan on going into the field of early childhood education and I would like to specifically teach 3rd grade. I also plan on potentially getting my 4th and 5th grade endorsement along with a minor in leadership.
So, here's a little bit of information about myself. I have been a cheerleader since the age of 9 and I am excited to continue on my passion here at JCU since I made the cheer squad. I have been playing the oboe for the past 9 years as well. I was in my high school's wind ensemble and chamber orchestra, I performed with many different groups, and I also joined JCU's Wind Ensemble. In my free time I love to workout, listen to music or hang out with my friends. Along with my different hobbies I also have some unique talents. I am double jointed in all of my joints and I can even lick my elbow! This is a real attention-grabber at parties! This semester I plan on making a name for myself here at John Carroll University. I do not hesitate to put myself out there or to ask questions in class no matter how ridiculous they may sound. I will try to get involved with many different organizations. I am already on the cheer squad and in the wind ensemble, but I am also in the Leadership Scholarship Program, I plan on joining a sorority, and I even just joined an intramural soccer team with some friends. I also set a goal for myself to try my hardest and do well in all of my classes. I would like to stay on top of my work and pay attention in class.

A quote by Ray Bradbury that describes me is “Love what you do and do what you love. Don't listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it. You do what you want, what you love. Imagination should be the center of your life.” I feel that this quote depicts my passion for becoming a teacher. Since I was in kindergarten I had my mind set on becoming a teacher some day. However my grandma, who was a teacher herself, tried to convince me not to become one. Since I consider teaching to be something that I love, I won't listen to anyone who tries to discourage it. I also feel that being a teacher involves a lot of creativity and imagination, which is also stated in the quote above. 

In order to feel comfortable taking intellectual and creative risks in a college classroom, a few things have to be in order. I consider myself to be a social person and like to get to know the people that I am working with. I like the smaller class sizes here at JCU because I feel as if I can really get to know the people that I am working with. That makes me more comfortable when it comes to asking questions and getting involved with the class discussions. I would feel very uncomfortable sitting in a big lecture hall surrounded by unfamiliar faces while barely even getting to personally know my professor. I feel that John Carroll gives me the right resources to feel comfortable in class.

All throughout high school, english was my favorite class. I always had straight A's and always set the curve on all of the tests in my classes. I begged my freshman and sophomore teachers to move me into advanced english, however they both felt that I would be too far behind. Finally, my junior year teacher saw my passion for english and agreed to let me move into AP Literature. I was very nervous about joining the class considering that I was jumping from an academic level to an advanced level. My literature teacher, Mr. Mulhall, made me feel very comfortable in the classroom setting. He pushed me to become a better writer, and my skills increased drastically throughout the course. I feel that thanks to Mr. Mulhall, my fire for english didn't die out and because of him, I was able to prove my freshman and sophomore teachers wrong. I was proud to say that I took the AP test at the end of the year and easily passed it. Mr. Mulhall had a significant impact on my life and we still keep in touch to this day.

Although I have wanted to become a teacher since a very young age, I have had some concerns of going into the field. I am nervous about job placement, since it isn't always easy to find a job in education.

To Professor Shutkin I ask, what is your advice on how to get a job? How hard is it to get into a good school district? What can I do to get my name out there?