Purpose in being a teacher Robert Anaya

I hope to convey information and knowledge by activating critical thought in the minds of students.  This sounds  like BS so i will simply say i want kids to think and learn and question perceived and assumed truths.  I believe i have life experiences that can help form an interest in the young minds of our youth. Growing up i had teachers that made an impact in my life that was strong enough to carry me through many of life's challenges.  Core concepts, simple statements, encouragement, discipline, humor, work these are all characteristics that a handful of teachers really helped me understand and refine through my school years.  My aim is to try and replicate some of what was given to me.  I will try and create a classroom that is respectful and structured.  Structure that is positive and discipline but also safe for kids to learn and openly express their thought.  A class that doesn't teach a lesson for the sake of the lesson but rather how that lesson correlates to the world we live in.  I believe all people have the capacity to learn and work together.  I believe respect for people is fundamental to a high quality of life.  I believe malice has no place in society.  I believe we must continually recognize the limits of our own knowledge and bias. I believe i can fly, i believe i can touch the sky (its getting late please stop me).

I take the NY Giants by 6

Education Weekly Blog link and comments Robert Anaya

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2010/10/what_do_social_studies_teacher.html This link will take you to the blog for Education Weekly that has a wide array of courses and subject areas.  The blog contains feedback about a recent poll of high school social studies teachers in both public and private schools.  The core questions about "what is important about social studies?" and "what topic areas are important for social studies?" resulted in very similar responses.  Teachers in both circumstances agreed that it is important for people to understand and respect the foundation of our country.  However, there was also agreement that the negative aspects of our country should also be presented to the students.  In the blogs the teachers represented that it is important to not underestimate the capacity of the students and that we (as adults) often don't recognize this fact.  Teachers generally agreed that social studies should be a higher priority in the educational system but it was interesting to discover that in the survey 66% of private schools said it should be a high priority as compared to 45% of public school teachers.  It was disappointing to read that a majority of the teachers lacked the confidence that the students were grasping the content.
    I found the article and the blogs interesting and definitely a place to get and give feedback.  When i tried to read another article i was prompted to pay for the article and subscribe to the blog.  Next time i will look for free blogs.

Gorski, Perkins, Gomez Class Reflection

Robert Anaya
1-20-12

Gorski's article reminds me quickly that what i believe and what is reality are many times different.  As a future teacher i must constantly reflect about what i am to teach and more importantly how i teach and convey the information.  Understanding that there is bias and some form of prejudice in all people that is a product of their upbringing.  I find myself wanting to explain the term prejudice because the standard or common use of the word is in the text of racial prejudice.  This is in itself a product of what has been defined in a culture or environment.  Prejudice has no boundaries and rather is probably better defined as the limits each of us have based on our exposures.  This article made me think and recognize, once again, as i have many times in my life, the more i know, the less i really know. (paraphrase from Socrates, I think, or was it?)  The more i question what is presented as fact and encourage and help guide students to this end the closer we will get to critical thought and learning.  From conflict and crossroads we can find new knowledge or a new understanding of a previous known truth.

The Perkins/Gomez article ties into the realty that as teachers we must first analyze ourselves.  This analysis has to be critical and truthful so that we can do justice to diverse and multicultural populations.  Simply put if we don't understand ourselves or we try and impose our reality on our students we will struggle.  The ego and single minded thinking of our own background needs to be checked at the door.  Easier said then done.  In my professional career i have worked in New Mexico with people across the country.  Early on i struggled because i couldn't see past my own reality but with time and through some trial and error, embracing and understanding differences is a lot better then beating your head on a wall or forcing a square peg in a round hole.

This course and going back to school in general is reminding me how diverse we all are.  I feel the optimism in the class's, but i also hear the frustration of the experienced teacher.  This frustration is not individual to education its everywhere in every field.  I feel myself being idealistic and very optimistic but i also have the recognition that disappointment will be present as well and how i deal with that will be directly reflected to the students.  The articles, the theory and the course discussion thus far, are reminders that as a teacher i need to adapt, be open, be flexible to deflect the reality of disappointment in the interests of the young adults.

Use the tools available to me, learn from the experienced, question realities, persist, understand the foundations and build upon them.

Alfie Kohn Reading: " Grading: the issue is not how but why?"
The first thought of reflection that comes to mind is have i cross referenced the notes to the syllabus to obtain the necessary points for the blog (philogging assignment).  In reviewing the rules, after i set the blog up on the notes, i discovered the fact that i believe these comments were to be done Friday not tonight.

None the less, the point of Kohn grades and their intent are more counter productive than beneficial and caution should be used. In my attempt to not summarize as traditionally trained i see the point and reality of the article.  In my own experience i recalled the reading instruments known as SRA's that segregated students based on their ability to read, comprehend and then appropriately answer a series of questions correctly to advance to the next color.  The intention was to learn while establishing a motivational tool to advance to the next color. The problem, this exercise definitely sent a message in the class about who was perceived smart and dumb respectively.  I think early on there was some motivation to advance to the next color but as time passed i recall some students moving forward so far and fast that others became disconnected and content with mediocrity.  Standardization of teaching and assessment is the norm that i see and hear from the general public and those not connected to education.  The reality that i am discovering in the few days connected to this class is standardization probably cripples education as opposed to helping it.  Conventional wisdom of what works in education (and most other issues) is faulty when analyzed scientifically for effect.

The general theme that i speculate is going to come up again and again is that creativity, thinking beyond the bubble and the recognition of individual needs of students is crucial to learning.  I remember a geometry class in  high school and that the teacher graded on a curve.  Now that i think about it i remember being more concerned about the curve and where i would fall than how i could actually learn geometry.  There again class was segregated into the smart, dumb and mediocre and once individuals were set there, i don't recall a burning desire to move to higher level.  I recall mostly one way dialogue between the teacher and higher performing students and the rest (me included) trying to figure out a score to make a grade to get through it.  In a work setting not a school setting i concur with the point raised by the author about expectations, effort and skill attainment.  Just because an individual gets a raise doesn't mean they earned it or will work hard for it.  Many many times i experienced and worked along side people who were the most productive and were actually overlooked for financial gain or attainment of high performance measures. Doing the task or job right is the operative objective not necessarily the prize at the end of the race.  Grades used as a measurement of progress as opposed to a the feeling of punishment always made me work harder.  A student support structure that allowed me to think as an individual and that set up norms and expectations in a shared way are the classes teachers and environments that i have used mirrored in my working and personal life.  The teachers that did not afford or allow this i can hardly remember their names.

New Challenges and Opportunities In Chenven's 2250

This is my first entry and in my first ever blog and it took me way too long to finish a simple task.  I am looking forward to the challenges and opportunity ahead, however it is a massive change from my norm over the last two decades.  There are many things to learn and in the beginning i will be less inclined to speak and strive towards active listening.  The discussion in the first class was dynamic and positive and filled with a broad range of diversity.  The creativity employed to get through the Syllabus was refreshing and helpful in getting a feel for what is to come.  The use of small group discussions and healthy dialogue is far more preferable than standard lectures.  I look forward to the work to come and obtaining a better understanding of the foundations of education that will be essential in the classroom if i am fortunate enough to progress to that point.