Alexis and New Student Issue

 How would you integrate a new student into your class? A student can be new to the school at any point during the year. What if this student came into your class after winter break? After spring break? How can you help this student without slowing down the rate of other students learning? How could you help this student learn all the classroom rules and routines?  

Retention and Grade Inflation: Do you agree with the author of this blog post?

 Curving Grades 

Should we follow what many school boards advocate and pass students on in order to keep them moving forward, or should we hold the students accountable for their work and effort and hold them back? Unfortunately, as time has progressed, it is my opinion that many students have not honed the skills that they were supposed to master in that year. Even though they have not met the grade standards, however, they move on..............putting them even more behind and making it harder for them to make connections and understand even new material.  

In middle school math (specifically 7th grade)  I have come face to face with students who do not even understand the concept of isolating a variable, and opposite operations which should’ve been a skill honed in 6th grade. Unfortunately, these students don’t have the math skills for 6th and 7th grade and they are now being  pushed into 8th grade.  I suggest that these students are being failed by the system. Parents and the school board are afraid of what it means to be "held back" or "to go to summer school" when indeed, I suggest, that there is no harm in holding a child back or having them go to summer school.   I suggest that all this means is that the student needs more time to understand all the concepts and math material being taught to them. 

As an educator what would you do? Stand your ground and have the student repeat the year to understand the material for their  grade or be a part of the system that keeps pushing them on? 

What are your thoughts? 

Let us talk a little bit about science

1. What is your most pleasurable memory with regard to science while you were in elementary school?    What did you learn as a result of these science lessons that have stayed with you until today?   How much time do you think should be dedicated to the teaching of science in elementary school?   

2. Now..........think about your experience with science classes in high school.   What was your favorite science course?  Why?   Is it necessary for science to be incorporated into our K-12 curriculum and to make it a high school requirement?   Why?        

Dr. Ries and a question about student observation experience

 Please take the time to think about what you have learned as a result of your student observation experience this semester. What three things have you learned that you never knew before...............ideas, strategies, rules, and /or interactions that you will remember and take with you as you embark on your student teaching journey?   

Amanda is asking a question about teacher-parent relationships

 As teachers, we have a job to communicate with parents about their child’s academic achievements and struggles. How can teachers effectively communicate with parents to establish a positive relationship that promotes a healthy learning environment both in the classroom and at home? What strategies have you seen or experienced that have been successful in creating this type of partnership between educators and families? Why is this relationship important for the success of students, and what benefits can be gained from working collaboratively with parents?

ReplyForward

 Do you believe the questions that students ask can tell you how well they are understanding a topic? It is normal for children to ask questions when you are teaching. How can you tell from a question if a student is requesting more information on a topic they already have some knowledge about, or if they aren't understanding a topic completely? How can you help students ask helpful questions? 

Amanda is asking us to "search our souls."

 Working in a service field, such as teaching,  is one tough job! As teachers, we tend to fill our plates with a lot of things. We can get caught up in the mix of things— curriculum assessments, "state of the art" instructional strategies, professional development opportunities. The list goes on. While we have a million thoughts racing in our minds, I believe that we sometimes lose sight of the reason why we really went into the teaching field. In your own words, tell us................why did you decide to become an educator? Why is this "thee profession for you?" In a few words describe what you want to become in the world of teaching.  How do you want to be remembered? Really dive into what you genuinely want to accomplish as an educator.