Who Are Today's Students

Sonia Nieto made an excellent point in her passage, “Racism, Discrimination, and Expectations on Students’ Achievement” that individuals of lower economic status should not blame their educational problems on the dominate cultural or race. It is more difficult for people of low socio-economic backgrounds to succeed due to their limited resources, but it is still possible. When someone is determined to succeed he/she will not be deterred by anyone.  A determined goal-oriented person is unstoppable.  

Every human being is discriminated against in some manner.  For instance, my hometown is Ashtabula, Ohio, where there is little to no economic development.  About a year ago, I was introduced to Dan,   my boyfriend’s friend.  Dan asked where I was from and so I said, “Ashtabula, Ohio.”  To my shock, he immediately laughed.  I did not feel it was appropriate for me to ask him why he laughed.  A few weeks later, we meet again, and I made a comment referring to Ashtabula and he laughed again. This time I asked him why he laughed: he stated, “Trashtabula.” From this reference, I felt as if he was calling me trash. I was immediately offended. As the discussion deepened, he asked where I was going for graduate school.  When I had said, “John Carroll University” he was floored: imagine, a person from Ashtabula, Ohio capable of achieving a masters degree from John Carroll.

This example portrays why it is so important not to point the finger at any one group for our current educational problems.  It would be more beneficial to have explorative discussions to improve the educational system for everyone.  Everyone needs to examine how they contribute to the continuation of stereotypes and bias. These topics need to be address in the media and in schools across this nation.  This will only occur if we determine this is a serious problem.

Why I Want To Become A Teacher

The first time I contemplated becoming a teacher was during my sophomore year of college. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work at Kent State’s Child Development Center. At the center, I was a student assistant who monitored and interacted with three to five year old children.  One four year old boy, Aiden, captured my heart.  Every day I looked forward to seeing all of the students, but especially Aiden. One Monday morning, I had woke up late for a class, my phone died, and everything just seemed to be going wrong.  As soon I stepped inside the classroom and saw Aiden’s face, nothing mattered. I did not mention anything that had previously taken place, as soon as I sat down on the floor; Aiden ran up to me and gave me a hug. Six years later, I still remember that hug.

I always knew I wanted to make my own mark on the world. Teaching social studies to high school student is my way of giving back and creating a better world for young people.  Education has always been a top priority for me.  I want my students to be successful. I believe young people they should create their own definition of success. As a teacher, I intent to guide them to creatively develop their interest and intellect as they learn .I want to know my students, such as Aiden, will have the tools to conquer them any challenges they face.

Seward: A Collective Approach-June 28 Class Discussion

      Today’s class discussion touched upon two different approaches to education: collective versus individualistic. Seward believed that every child was entitled to an education. Seward had a more collective approach rather than individualistic. Seward wanted the United States to be a country where every individual is an active participant in society regardless of religious practices. “His concern was that immigrant children, particularly the Irish, might grow up to be adult illiterates who would become public burdens and never enter the mainstream of American life.” (Spring, 111) For him, there was not a difference between a Catholic child and a Protestant child. In addition, Catholic officials felt using public funding for Catholic education was appropriate. I believe that public funding should be allocated for all church-related schools.

I thought Katie brought up an excellent point when she stated there is a difference between projecting specific morals and values on a student versus just stating the facts about a religion. For example, a teacher could discuss why the Catholic Church has confession versus telling students they have to go to confession every week. 

As our discussion progressed, the issue of a white woman teaching American African studies was brought to the table. Prior to our dialogue, I never recognized the possibility of having a racial/gender conflict about teaching certain subject matters.  I recall a teacher once  told me that I might have a difficult time finding a Social Studies teaching position because I am not a man nor a coach.  At this time, the majority of social studies teachers are men who coach. Is my  value as a teacher lowered because I am not a man? After our exchange of ideas, it became clear how important it is to recognize challenges educators face.

Workingmen’s versus Horace Mann-Monday June 27 Class Discussion

“Common school reformers emphasized political education as a means of making individuals worthy of democratic rights and as necessity of education for equal sharing of power and the protection of rights.” (Spring 91) This passage opened my eyes to a period of history that had been previously idealized.     My group discussed the political, social, and overall attitudes of both the Horace Mann and workingmen. To my disbelief, the Horace Mann did not have any misgiving about accepting the idea that workingmen did not deserve an education. The Horace Mann knew the key to success, power, and control was through education. “Knowledge is power”. (Spring, 90)

Workingmen wanted the same rights as other men. Not having the ability to vote takes away a person’s freedom, livelihood, and voice.  As our discussion continued, I correlated this event with the Holocaust. Individuals of Jewish decent were not allowed to own property, or vote. They were forced to close their stores due to lack of sales.  People boycotted Jewish shops because the government told them that Jews were unclean and unworthy of success. This is the same mentality of  Horace Mann.

I would also like to address part of the quotation in the first paragraph of this paper” political education as a means of making individuals worthy of democratic rights.” This statement implies that only educated people are worthy of democratic rights. Does that mean that illegal immigrants are not worthy of democratic rights?  Every individual should be given equal opportunity regardless of their religion, race, sex, heritage, etc.  Harriet Tubman led hundreds of slaves to freedom. How would our world be different if Harriet Tubman had received a proper education? Every child has the right to first class education!

Reflection and Every Student Wants To Be Seen

“The Social Foundations Classroom” by Mary Bushnell and Sue Ellen Henry has opened my eyes to the necessity of self reflection on a daily basis. In order to be a star educator, one has to be willing to accept both the successes and failures of a lesson plan. Throughout my coursework at John Carroll University, I have created many lesson plans that I hope will promote my students’ learning and enjoyment. I will be able to implement these lesson plans during my pre-student teaching next fall. It is crucial that I develop good, essential habits that will carry me throughout my professional teaching career. Self reflection is at the top of my list.

In addition to self reflection, Mary and Ellen stated that having the ability to think on your feet is crucial for educators. What I believe Mary and Ellen neglected to add to their guidelines is the necessity for teachers to be sensitive to their students.  Stephen, a nine year old boy, misbehaves in class because he lacks the attention and affection a child normally receives from a parent or guardian.  As soon as Stephen’s Art teacher observes Stephen lashing out, she goes into automatic authoritarian mode rather than trying to understand why Stephen cannot sit still in class. (S., & A., 2009)

            Self refection and having the ability to think on your feet while being sensitive to students are two traits that I will incorporate into my student teaching. My student teaching experiences are the building blocks for my teaching career. I welcome the challenges, rewards, and defeats that I will encounter as a teacher. A defeat is never really a defeat, but rather an opportunity to learn.

S., A, & A., B. (2009). Educational foundations: an anthology of critical readings. Sage Publications, Inc.

Narrative

Name: Gina Schwartz
Hometown: Ashtabula, Ohio
Primary Email: gschwartz13@jcu.edu

Personal Information
Currently, I am graduate student at John Carroll University majoring on secondary education in social studies. I hope to teach in the Cleveland area upon graduation.

One of the "unique" aspects about me is my love for running. So much so that I would love to run a 26.3 marathon. Some individuals would argue human beings are not made to run that far, but I disagree. One of the great aspects about running is one's ability to tune out the rest of the world and solely focus on the road and music.

Learning Stye
When material is presented to me, visually, I retain more information. Repetition has proved to be another key for me. 

The learning environment that makes me most comfortable to take risks is one where I can openly communicate and not feel judged.

The first line of defense when I do not understand an assignment is to look back to the syallbus. Then I will contact a fellow classmate if reviewing the course outline was unsuccessful.

Education Past and Present
I graduated from Kent State University with my Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in 2007. In 2010, I enrolled in John Carroll's Profesional Teaching program with an emphasis in secondary education in social studies. One of my main goals as a teacher is to relate each historical period to the present.

One of  my main goals for Foundation of Education is take more educational risks and not be hesistant to challenge theories and policies. In order to be effective, one has to be willing to step out the box and challenge the core beliefs of these theories and policies.