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?