Urban Reality

It always upsets me when I hear people talk about urban schools like they are prisons and that the teachers who work there must be afraid of going to work everyday. We cannot hide and ignore the fact that there are many urban schools struggling and facing violence everyday. However, this is not limited to urban schools. When we look at the failing and struggling schools throughout the United States, we will notice that they are not only urban schools. In fact, many suburban schools are facing some extreme problems themselves. I teach in a Newark high school, the same high school I attended, and I work in one of the same classes I sat in as a student. I sit in the same graduate school class with many other graduate students who attended many suburban schools. However, we seem to be doing the same thing with our lives. We are teaching and we are studying to obtain a Master's degree. Urban schools are producing many individuals who are contributing to society. Also, when we look at violence in schools, we will also notice that suburban and rural schools are facing huge problems of their own. Mass shootings and killings are occurring in places least expected, it is not occurring in urban schools. Educators have to stop looking at students from urban schools as inferior. They should respect them and expect that in the future more of them will be sitting in a university classroom with students that are not from "inner city" schools.

Writing Standards

While completing the CCCS Project more questions as to who is writing them come into my mind. The standards vary greatly from subject to subject. The way they are written and what is expected of students. As I realize why American classrooms need standards, there is another question. Where is the accountability on schools, administrators and teachers together, that the standards are being followed? I could see from the building I work in that the vast majority of the teachers do not have a clue regarding the standards in their own discipline. This obviously goes along with the administrators themselves not having a clue of the standards. As the government drafts more laws and expectations for teachers, they are lacking the resources to explain to the educators what exactly is expected of them. Not to mention standardized testing and the pressures of NCLB. Educators should have a louder voice on the laws that govern education. However, it seems to me that the people drafting these laws are not always familiar with education and probably have never even been in a classroom before.

New Teacher Curriculum Development

It seems as only yesterday that we began crafting this project and I had no clue about what I was doing. However, after all of these weeks I have learned many things that will help me become a better teacher. It will also allow me to help other new teachers in the building. Focusing on how students learn should be on the mind of every educator. Unfortunately, educators don't always think about it as much as they should. I have to admit that I also have been guilty of that. However, that has changed after completing this project. I find myself thinking in the long term and trying to follow the plans we have learned about in class to the best of my ability. It is working, the students seem to like the class more and in most cases are eager to participate. I have also shared my findings with my colleagues during our common planning period and some of them are also eager to start implementing the process in their classrooms. Overall, this process has made my job much easier and as I learn even more about the process I try and implement new lessons that will engage the students in more meaningful ways.

Other Assessments

Although we have not read each other's assessments yet, we have had a chance to view part of other groups' work. It is interesting to see how people of different disciplines think. The way they do things and complete their work varies depending on their daily habits. Assessing teachers' performances also varies from school to school, and many times it also varies based on the department a teacher belongs to. It is important for us to look at how people from other disciplines are assessed. As administrators, we may have to evaluate teachers that are not a part of our educational background. It is important for us to get as much training now in order not do to any mistakes later. Having an understanding of different subjects and how teachers should be assessed will be very important for our careers as administrators. There have been cases in my district where administrators do not have a clue about certain subject and are going in to evaluate teachers. How can they provide proper feedback if they do not understand anthing about the subject?

Dealing With Standards

It is true that having standards is a good thing for the future of education in our country. However, at the current stage that we are now, I don't belive that many people understand the standards or have even given much thought to the standards. There are many reasons for this. Firts of all, teachers and any administrators view them as a nuissance and numbers that have to be written down on the lesson plans teachers hand in. Also, many schools have so many things on their agenda that they don't even think about the standards when they go to work each day.
There are the safety issues that schools are faced with every day. There are those students who don't have homes, special needs, bilingual education, and the list just keeps going. For the schools that ar faced with these problems on a daily basis, standards are just one more thing they have to deal with and that is taking up a part of their precious time. On the other hand, the lack of understanding might be the biggest problem when dealing with the standards. Teachers, administrators, and politicians do not understand the standards. This is the reality and there needs to be time allotted for teachers and administrators to become familiar with the standards and the reasons why they are needed for our education system. If in fact they are needed at all.

Enduring Understandings

There are various things in the teaching profession that never seem to get resolved or go away. I will start by mentioning bureaucracy, bureaucracy, bureaucracy. It is is what has destroyed many school districts and the lives of many students. Government officials always have their ideas of how schools should function. However, they are never in office long enough to support their projects or just want to make decisions that will make them look good in the eyes of the voters. Too often these decisions are not the right ones for the teachers and the students. Teachers have to understand that they are the ones making the difference in the students' lives. They have to realize that politicians are not looked up to as teachers are.
Adding to this, teachers must also understand that they will have to grapple with colleagues. Adults are the ones who many times make the teaching profession hard to handle. There might be a miserable administrator who likes to see his/her subordinates feel miserable also. There might be colleagues who do everything in their power to make their colleagues go through a tough time when they go to work. The ultimate understanding that teachers must have is that they chose a profession that is never boring. They are in a rewarding profession and they must understand that they are the only role model that many students might have. Teachers must understand that students all have different backgrounds and that each is unique. As educators, we play a very important role in the lives of all students. Whether they understand it presently or ten years later.

A Successful Novice Teacher

It is not easy to ever define a successful teacher, let alone a novice teacher. Every teacher is unique in his/ her teaching style. However, there are some characteristics that must be present and visible at some level. First of all, all teachers must be willing to accept criticism and take in as much information as possible from their colleagues. Open mindedness is critical in the teaching profession, especially for someone who has very little experience in the profession. Listening to their colleagues, including some older teachers and administrators will provide them with some insight and much needed wisdom. A novice teacher should also be very organized and be a good planner.
Well planned lessons are key to being a successful teacher. Also, being open to students and enjoying the time in the classroom. Successful teachers are usually those teachers who are involved in the school beyond the regular school hours. It is very important for novice teachers to involve themselves in school activities. This allows them to become familiar with school policies that are not always dealt with if someone is only in the classroom. Successful novice teachers will apply the knowledge they have learned in school with the knowledge they should acquire by observing older teachers in the school. They should familiarize themselves with all of the ins and outs of the school they work in and don't become too much of a radical in the first years of teaching. That might cost a novice teacher his/ her job very quickly.