Thinking and Teaching With Purpose

The past couple of weeks have been a very trying time. I'm taking social distancing very seriously, only leaving the house to get groceries once a week, and to go for a walk or read outside. I've been paranoid about getting sick because I have asthma, and this constant anxiety is new for me. I'm used to having a routine, having everything under control. I miss going to work and seeing my students, and feeling like I've earned the time to relax in the evening. I miss going to the gym. I was finally getting good at meal planning and macro tracking, and was so excited to see more results. Now I'm stuck in the house most days, with just a few dumbbells and a bench. I'm not burning nearly as many calories, but I'm still snacking out of boredom. It's been frustrating to feel like I'm doing so much for my students and yet not enough at the same time. I spent time putting together enrichment activities and grading their writing,  to find that only a small

As a result of my dive into past classes, I am more cognizant of the ways that I have benefitted as a teacher in the ASTL program. The chart below organizes some of my thoughts as I reflect on the changes I have made and can still make. Priorities Action Plan Area 1: Classroom -More organized bulletin boards -More skills-based activities available -Shelving and tables -Switch growth mindset board to computer side; find more posters and materials for each unit; make a better word wall! -Print out grammar practice coloring pages, word searches, crosswords, etc. Create drawers to organize them, and include puzzle books and maybe an actual ongoing puzzle table -Ask the custodian for another bookshelf, and see if there are any extra tables available to make alternative workstations Area 2: Planning -Create curriculum map where we can insert our UBD units/lessons  -Work on themed units that contain UBD plans, individualize by team -Both are beginning to

Having only worked in one school, I have had the fortune of avoiding the stereotypical “teacher’s lounge” in that my colleagues are incredibly respectful of one another. Most of us believe in each other and trust that we are doing everything that is best for the kids. We’re more likely to sing someone’s praises than badmouth them. We have a strong mentor program that helps new teachers forge connections with veterans, and those connections last long after the program ends. I truly believe that everyone I work with would lend a helping hand if I needed it, and I’d be happy to do the same for them. That’s not to say that I haven’t been witness to a different kind of teacher’s lounge than what Powell mentions in her article. Lunchtime has become a cycle of venting about students, lack of support from parents and administration, and just general frustrations. At times I have found myself participating in the therapeutic voicing of opinion about this initiative or that, or bemoaning

In “What ‘Counts’ as Educational Policy? Notes toward a New Paradigm”, Jean Anyon explores solutions to the policy practices that consistently undermine the educational achievement of low-income students. In her research, she specifically looks at how federal and local policies related to housing, transportation, and wages directly impact students’ abilities to perform in school. Her work suggests that in order to close the achievement gap, we need “strategies to support economic opportunity and development for urban residents” (66), which will in turn improve schools. To begin, Anyon discusses several policies that have been implemented in order to improve education in cities. One such policy funded vocational programs in industrialized areas , which has exacerbated the hidden curriculum of social classes that Anyon has written about in previous articles. Later policies attempted to supplement materials and increase access to resources, while also improving equity in disadvantag

Who controls American education? This is an important question posed by Joel Spring, author of the book American Education. In Chapter 8, “Local Control, Choice, Charter Schools, and Homeschooling”, Spring examines the variety of ways that people attempt to control the education of our youth. School choice is a major topic of conversation, particularly since the implementation of Common Core Standards. Proponents of school choice argue that, based on free-market economics, when parents have a choice of schools, the schools will need to improve in order to be more competitive. “Many supporters of religious schooling and free-market advocates support the public-private model of choice” (225). This is shown in the increase of private religious schools over the past hundred and fifty years. The public-private model proves popular due to government support to those who choose religious institutions. The following video illustrates some of the differences between public and privat

When was the last time you did community service? Talked to a neighbor? Attended local events? Too often, people are wrapped up in their own lives and are disengaged from the communities they live in. For many students, school is separate from the other activities they participate in, a place they disconnect from once the final bell rings. Our articles this week described the many ways that educators and families can support youth to make them see the importance of community involvement. Ana Maria Villegas and Tamara Lucas wrote “Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers: Rethinking the Curriculum” in order to delineate the strategies that educators can use to move “beyond the fragmented and superficial treatment of diversity that currently prevails” (20). They discuss how teacher education courses often skim over culturally relevant teaching practices, and identify six characteristics that make up a culturally responsive teacher. They explain that these six strands should