Author Archives: Chantel Powell

Teachers have be arguing about their pay since the late nineteeth century. Teachers play a very important part in the development of our children. Teachers are their to assist parents in the growth of a young child, teachers basically  spend alot of time education our kids, making sure that they reach their full potential. From reading this chapter its seem as if teachers are fighting with administrators, the state, and federal goverment in order to treated nicely, get credit for the work that they are doing with our kids and they want to achieve a better pay.

I guess improving salaries and working conditions would always be an on going battle because teachers would make claims that they are working hard and not being credited and society will look at how badly educational system is doing and blame teachers for not working hard enough. Its like all teacher will the get bash when children are failing even though not all teachers are doing terrible job. The say goes one bad apple spoil the whole batch.

It seem as through that the school administators are not doing their jobs as best as they could because when the state get down on them, they get down on their teachers just to make sure that requirement are met so that they can get the funding that they need and the rewards for doing a good job. But I think that we need to lesser the amount of rewards we are giving administators and start look at our teachers and acknowledging them for the good work they are doing.

I also like the section on propaganda and Free speech in the schools. It is stated in the book that the educational Polices Commission was a joint venture started in 1953 by the NEA and american association of school administrators to improve  education for democratic citizenship. That section also spoke about students study public issues in order to protect themselves from government schemes. It also say that one of things that are being debated in classrooms is freedom of speech. Student having the ability to express their feeling on how government or running/managing things in society or for society.

From this chapter the question that I have is: Should teacher pay be increase solely on the fact that we see results? Should government have majority of the control of the educational systems? Should government politics be a major part of schools curriculum? Do you thing that Haley vision of an organization controlled by and operated for the benefit of teachers can still be organize and carried out in today’s society?

In this chapter I like that the author discussed professionalizing in educational administration, he look at it from the point of view from Raymond E. Callaham that school administration fixes the background of a business person and that’s how management in school came to be. Callahan portray school administrators  in the early twentieth century as capitulating to a business person mentality because of both public pressure and rewards that could be gained by adopting a status equal to that of members of business community. Even through recent studies suggest that school administrators had traditionally viewed their roles in business term all agree that school adminstration became professionalized around concepts of scientiific managament borrowed from the business community.

Fredrick W. Taylor  believe in systematic management or Taylorism. He believe that the down fall for america industry stemmed from unsystematic organization and control of work. Taylor views became the focus of school and many public school leaders jumped onthe scientific management bandwagon with a vengeance. After reading about the scientific method and how schools jumping on the bandwagon it is portrait that his method brought more organization into to the school environment.

Ouestion: Do you think that schools are managed more like a business? 2) Do you think that the educational leaders should take a more scientific approach to figure out why school are doing so poor and what could be done to improve school by developing programs and experiment it in school that are failing?

The development of special class caught my attention. As the author explained in the book the state of Maryland and Pennsylanvia was strongly against special school because it meant that teachers would have to deal with problem children. I like the idea of special class because as the book explain it help to segregate children with learning and physcial disabilites. I think this was a positive outlook the for the educational system because it  help teacher to seperate student with learning disabilities and therefore teachers would be able to focus on how to help those students improved on their learning problems.

Question: Do you think that special classes serve the same purpose as they were created for in todays society?

In last class the question was raise, does the government have too much control in the school system today? In reading this Chapter I came across William McAndrew who was at one time the superintended of the New York City public schools. He express in writing a on a proposed student government plan, he stated that delegating any of the executive power s of that officer (principal)to those so irresponsible as students would be unwise.  Its seem very much in the past that influential people who study the education system believe that, if school were left to be run by students or irresponsible principals the school will be failing and no productive. Therefore Government had to step in and have some kind of control in the educational system.

Thorndike views about teaching as a science concerned with the control of human behavior caught my attention also. He said that the power of the teacher was in his or her control of the stimuli. Thorndike divided stimuli into two categories which were under direct control and under indirect control. He said the direct control dealt more with love and tact, it is shown by gestures, facial expressions and speech and that indirect control are physical conditions of the school classroom. My question at this point is: How does Thorndike views of indirect and direct control works in a classroom today?

In education 1101 we learn that Piaget had underestimated the mind of how children learn and their ability to think cognitively. In reading this chapter when it comes to developing the human brain and how it learns William James was a firm believer in exercise and drill in order to get one to learn. I think that Thorndike has a point as to teaching as a science. I agree that teaching is a science and that teachers need to explore the world of teaching and see how to incorporate different method of teaching that would be effective to everyone and not just to the ones who are better at school than other. I believe there is a way to reach every student. Just like in of episode of everybody hates Chris. In this episode Chris was have problem understand algebra and so his mother was tutoring him but he still could not understand the subject, so he went to his grandmother for help and with his grandmother method Chris was able to acquire complete knowledge of the subject. But it was due to his grandmother realizing the he was good a keep score of baseball and how he analyzes the game. So she uses the same method to teach Chris by incorporating the game of baseball in help Chris understand algebra.

In reading these chapters I look at what John Dewey motivates were behind education. Dewey believed that learning was active and saw schools as an agency providing social services and a community center for immigrants, industrial workers and urban dwellers.  His idea was that children came to school to do things and live in a community which gave them real, guided experiences which fostered their capacity to contribute to society. John Dewey believed that students should be involved in real-life tasks and challenges. I believed that Dewey interpretation of education has its positive side, because instead of student just taking and retaining knowledge, they would put what they learn into practice by doing hands on work. While in school one may apply for internships in the field of work or career you decide to go into. Once you get an internship you practice what you learn and you get a better understand of your field and how to function in society.

Another thing that stood out to me in this chapter was the movement of kindergarten school. As the book stated that Froebel believed that cultivating a garden of children, the kindergarten teacher was to bring forth their divine spirits and create a sense of unity among all humans. I believe that kindergarten today is nothing like Froebel envisions, it’s more about playtime rathar than prepare the child for the next level of education. I mean nothing is wrong with have playtime but it should be monitored because as children move up they playtime decrease and some kids get frustrated and school come boring to them. I think if from young kids are training into a routine as (this is playtime and then this is work time) as they move up it would not be hard for them to adjust to long school hours and more work.

As we discuss in the last class W.E.B Du Bois and Booker T Washington were two great influential minds for the black community but had different views on how on should be educated. Booker T was more about industrialization where one  learn how to develop a trade and Du Bois was more for studies enhancing blacks reading and writing and understanding in the fields of educational studies. Du Bois believed that Washington wants blacks to give up to much, asking them to give up political power, civil rights and higher education and that it would cause a disaster in the black community. Even through I am on the fence with the two influential minds practices/beliefs I guess they both have positive and negative side. With Du Bois, not every is cut out for going to school and acquiring higher education some are good at taking up a trade, but with Washington I am not to keen about him in that he wanted blacks to give up to much power. l learn in history class that Washington was friend to president at that time he was very much involve with politics, so I guess he was trying to please the political party by deterring blacks from fighting for their rights. If blacks were to give up all those rights as requested by Washington I don’t think African American would be where they’re today.

In this chapter what stood out the most to me was deculturalization: the process that aims to destroy a people’s culture and replace it with a new culture.  Deculturalization had a negative impact on the cultures of Native Americans, African Americans, Mexican American, Puerto Ricans and immigrants from Ireland, Southern and Eastern Europe, and Asia.  During the process of Deculturalization the Anglo- American culture, British descendants believed that their culture was superior of all the other cultures and seek ways to conform the other culture to practice their way of living. A part of what help this deculturalization of other ethnic group was the government influence and control in the society. We see that both republicans and democratic played a part in deculturalization process by forbidding people of other cultures to speaking in their native tongue as describe in the book.

Deculturalization was an attempt to destroy all other culture language and religion. I like that the author pointed out that Deculturalization had it part in eradicating other cultures but other cultures have played a part in eradicating their own believes and practice because these conquered people want to have some form of ties to their conquerors so they tried to assimilate themselves with their conquerors by in learning their languages and practicing their beliefs.

The next thing that stood out to me in this chapter was the fight for citizenship by both Native Indians and African American born in America. I think that it was so rude of the British people that came to America and impose their beliefs and practices and language on a land where there were already native living and building a society of their own (especially the Indians). They came, made up a constitution to govern the land but wanted to exclude the rights of the people that were already living in American. Also denying African Americans the right to citizenship after they have fought for their freedom in a place that they help built and make it what it is today. Africans were brought to this country in slavery and had to conform to the life of what was present to them and then had to give up their culture and believes and after all that suffering they were still being look upon as pets and not human being.

But today we have to be grateful as a people because America has come far from how it used to be to what it is today. I guess there is still a dominant culture in today’s society when it comes to educating the people. But under the now revised 14^th amendment people are given the right to life, liberty, justice and equal protection clause. Now everyone has the right to an education regardless of ethnic background. A question one could ask is: Is the process Deculturalization to be blame for how the educational system is set up in the 21^st century?

After reading this chapter, the ideal characteristic of teachers for the Common school list by Horace Mann in this Fourth Annual Report caught my attention. I think if teacher do in fact still exemplifies these characteristic the educational system will improves. Teachers need to look at the fact that they are also responsible for molding the young minds and preparing them for society. Horace list that teachers need to have perfect knowledge of the subjects they are teaching. I think today one of the reasons why students are failing is because teachers are not enthusiastic in the subject they’re teaching. In my life I have experience bad teaching. I think some teacher they just don’t belong the field of teaching because they themselves don’t understand the material they have been teaching for years. Sometimes you find teachers that are really know their stuff but they are not good of executing a perfect teaching method to help the student understand the material.

Another characteristic that Horace stated is that teacher has to have a style of teaching; a method that will works and does not destroy the moral character of students. The example he used in the book is the teachers from Scotland tying the boys down and whipping them in order for them to retain knowledge. I think that could be seen as a little extreme but every country looks at discipline differently. Where I am from (Trinidad) one of the ways students were discipline into learning the material thought at school was getting whipped.  If you did poorly on an exam or quiz you would get whipped with a ruler in the palm of your hand.  Well to one that can of discipline could instill fear but it could so make students spend time studying so that they don’t get into trouble. I know even though that method is not approved by everyone I think that each country/culture looks at disciplining differently.  When the class did well often times the teachers would give treats to the class or to the one who did the best and that motivate the rest of us who didn’t do well to strive to do better.  When all is said there are upside and a downside to methods of disciplining.

Mann also talked about teachers having the ability to manage classroom. If teachers are given more respected or is trusted more, in that they’re allowed to discipline student once it doesn’t affect the child ability of learn or harm them intentionally I think classroom will have more order and students will show more respect to the teacher. In a way if the students are happy the teachers are and learning will be improved because the environment is one in which both student and  teacher have respect for each other. Also teacher will be motivated to know and do their work because their students are learning. One of the questions I have is: Do you think that giving teachers the responsible to discipline students is too much power allowed to teachers?

In this chapter we see that the education system in America
has improved vastly from since the period during the revolutionary war and the
present time.  My fellow colleagues and a
few high school students between the ages of 14-17, have argued that the
government has not show much emphasis in education for our future generation.
They have argued that the current situation that’s occurring right now, where
teachers are being held accountable for the work they are doing is finally an
upside for the failing education system.  Even though we read in the previous chapter
that increase schools was a result of the revolutionary war ending and kids
from poor neighborhoods and kids who parent we gone off to war or either died
in war were on the street, the people of upper social status saw it fit to help
these children be more prepared for society by building school and educating
them in things that they saw necessary.

Base on the readings since we have started reading this book
on could say that the common school was look upon as something positive to
society. But even though the common school was a free for all each race had its
share of discrimination in that system of schooling. But one could argue that
one dominant culture has been well molded in the education system.  Religion was the main bases of the curriculum
in the school blacks and Native Indian had to learn on religious bases even though
they were not of that faith.  Could one
argue today that religion should have no part in educating of children today?

Is it possible to still say that Mann argument about education being a capital investment is very much true in today’s society? And, if education look upon as a capital investment, why is there many individuals who have never acquire much education become millionaires upon there ideas, investment and so on and not there educational background/status?