Archive for April, 2009
Alternative Assessment
President Obama,
For the past five weeks I have been teaching in a K-3 special education classroom. This happens to be around the same time that the Illinois Standards Achievement Test, ISAT, was given to the students in the school. The third graders in my class were also given the ISAT’s. I don’t have a problem with having to administer standardized tests to children who receive special education. I do believe that their scores are just as important as any child in a general education setting. I have a problem in the ways that the tests are administered. What I would like to start with are the student’s rights. Children who [Read more...]
Students Rights
President Obama,
For the past five weeks I have been teaching in a K-3 special education classroom. This happens to be around the same time that the Illinois Standards Achievement Test, ISAT, was given to the students in the school. The third graders in my class were also given the ISAT’s. I don’t have a problem with having to administer standardized tests to children who receive special education. I do believe that their scores are just as important as any child in a general education setting. I have a problem in the ways that the tests are administered. What I would like to start with are the student’s rights. Children who [Read more...]
Merit Pay
There are many thoughts surrounding the issue of merit pay and whether it is a good idea or not. I’m a student getting ready to graduate from Western Illinois University as a certified teacher. I know you are all for teachers getting merit pay for their hard work, but how will teachers be judged on whether they get merit pay or not. I don’t feel it is fare to judge a teacher on their student’s test scores because some schools have students that are eager to learn and want to test well and some students aren’t eager to learn and aren’t good test takers. If merit [Read more...]
Teaching and curriculum
As a student in the education program at Western Illinois University, there are some things that I feel would be beneficial for teaching when I enter the field. We have discussed and learned about many of the policies, rules, and regulations that go along with being a teacher. I feel that we have come a long way in our education efforts but that there is still, and will always be room for improvement. First and foremost, I believe that our standardized testing and teacher accountability standards need to be revised. We need a way to evaluate students in a way that can show in a effective [Read more...]
Standardized Tests for Special Education Students
As a pre-service teacher, studying in special education, I have some sincere concerns about the future of our schools in America, as well as for my future students. I began my course of studies, believing that I had chosen one of the most important careers one can choose. I thought this career would be a chance to promote positive thinking and learning, but after a recent experience with the Illinois State Achievement Tests, my goal as become unclear.
While I do not suggest the dismissal of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), I do suggest taking a look at the law, and making some radical changes. As a pre-service [Read more...]
School Funding
I feel schools are currently under funded in the United States. Technology is expensive, buildings need repair, many textbooks are out dated, and educators are drastically underpaid.
Students are expected to graduate from high school possessing the skills necessary to be successful in society. As we all know, being able to successfully use technology is important for this to happen. Unfortunately, many schools are teaching kids using outdated technology. Schools are far behind the business world. It is important for schools to have the necessary funds to keep their technology current.
Just as we try to keep our homes in repair, schools also need to be maintained. [Read more...]
Merit Pay
I am a senior at Western Illinois University and Special Education major. We have discussed merit pay during class and I do not think it is a good idea. Coming from a special education perspective you can see why I would disagree with implementing this alternative. My job as a special education teacher is to help my students become more independent and help them learn the basic skills they will use throughout their lives. Depending on the student’s disability many children could not meet the state testing standards. There would need to be some sort of alternative for teachers of special education students. Also, if teachers’ pay is determined by [Read more...]
Cutting Budgets, Cutting Music!
As budget cuts occur within schools, music is often the first part of the curriculum to get cut. This seems to be a reoccurring problem, as most of the teachers are teaching to the test. What happened to the days when students were given the opportunity to think outside the box? What happened to the idea of having students come up with multiple solutions, instead of only one right answer? We are limiting our students on the opportunities that are made available to them. We must ask ourselves if this is really what education is about? To me, the purpose of education is to [Read more...]
Merit Pay
As a future educator I have one suggestion to make for President Obama. I believe in merit pay and would like to see it become part of public education policy. I feel very strongly that teachers should be rewarded for outstanding achievement. Excellent teachers and excellent teaching should be the basis of pay. Experienced teachers should be those who have tried and true methods of teaching not just who has been there the longest. Teachers should strive to learn new techniques. Merit pay would give them more incentive to be lifelong learners. I think that tenure allows teachers to get too comfortable. As the world changes so do our students [Read more...]
Charter Schools
I am currently a senior at Western Illinois University studying Elementary Education. I am currently taking a class on School Law that has provided me with a general overview of how the legal system applies to the practice of education. One of the controversial issues we studied in this class was related to the topic of charter schools. After learning more about charter schools, I am a proponent of charter schools. I would like to see the idea of charter schools grow and become more available for students and parents. Charter schools were developed on the idea of opportunity, choice, and responsibility (US Charter Schools). I do [Read more...]
