I have found the topics we've been covering lately extremely informative. I have also realized how important the counselors and paraprofessionals' roles are in aiding in educating children. I truly enjoyed and learned a lot from the counselor's panel and the paraprofessionals that came into our classroom. As a future teacher, I believe that I willbetter be able to utilize and build a positive relationship with the couselors and paraprofessionals that I may be working with, now that I have a better understanking of what they do. Together we can work to educate the students and find ways to differentiate my instruction to better aid the students understanding of the subject matter.
As far as my thoughts on specific types of sexual issues and how I will handle them, I believe that the parents are the first educators and that they should really be the ones to educate their children about sexual issues, however, I do understand that some parents do not want or feel comfortable educating their children about this topic. I think if the school has a program on sexual issues; the parents should have the opportunity to view it and decide if they want their children to go through it or just discuss the subject matter with the students themselves. Another idea that I think would be good is if the schools gave the parents information about sexual issues and encouraged the parents to discuss the subject with their children.
On the topic of foster care students, I believe that it is extremely important to treat them like everyone else and build a positive relationship with them. These students really need to know that we care and believe in them. In the summer, I work for a Summer Recreation Program and at this program the majority of the students are either in foster care or both the parents are working parents. One day one of the kids was sitting by themselves, so I went and sat down by him and started to play a board game with him. While we were playing he told me many issues that were happening in his life. Sometimes these children just need someone to talk to and need to know that someone truly cares for them.
ED460 Personal and Social Well Being is a course taken by college students in education during their student teaching semester. Topics covered include: poverty, child abuse, bullying, drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, counselors' role in school, adolescents and choices, and the use of technology.
Bridget, I completely agree with what you said about parents being the first and primary educators. It is so sad to think that some kids and students haven't had the same opportunities as many of us have had to have good nurturing parents. In think in their cases, we are obligated to give them as much of ourselves as we can so that they can experience as much of a full human experience as possible. Like Mother Teresa said, "give until it hurts, then give some more."
ReplyDeleteI also really agree with your opinion that parents should be the primary educators of their children in regards to issues of sexuality and really every issue that comes up in the classroom. During that whole discussion in class I kept thanking God that I will always be teaching in the Catholic school system where there is the objective and unchanging truths of the Church so that when difficult issues come up I can confidently discuss them with my students and if parents disagree with what I say I can point to the teachings of the Church, on which the whole school is resting. This is not to say that these discussions become impersonal and only objective truth is presented but it is comforting to know that even in the midst of disagreement or emotion there is a foundation from which to teach.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that the parents should be the primary educators of the children. when it comes to sex and drugs or whatever. For sex, the parents should be talking about that maybe even before they learn it in school. Kids these days are becoming more experimental and want to know more information sooner. This means that the parents need to inform them sooner and clear up any msgivings or information that they have learned from their friends or others.
ReplyDeleteI love what Sister Regina said about there being a foundation from which to teach. I also agree that students should predominantly be taught about sexuality from their parents, but in reality not all students have parents that will teach them about it and teach them well. The fact that we have the Church as a foundation for our beliefs is incredible, even though I plan on teaching in the public school system. I will not be able to be explicit about the Church's teachings, but amazingly for all of us, the Church's teachings are covertly ingrained in our inner being. I simply need to push the students toward seeking out truth, to question why they believe what they do about sexuality, drugs, alcohol, etc.
ReplyDeleteAs do the other four, I also agree that the parents are the first and primary teachers of their children. However, the sadest reality that many of us will have to face as teachers is the fact that many parents do not recognize or fulfill their job. Even in the wealthy, traditional, Catholic high school that I attend, which composed of mainly traditional families, dealt with this disturbing issue. Parents actually sent their children to this school in order to be disciplined because they did not have the "time" or "patience". I know this because I ended up overhearing a conversation between a couple parents and the principle during which they blamed the school for not keeping their student occupied and teaching them how to make better decisions (their children had been suspended (some expelled) for dealing/doing drugs in the girls bathroom). So in conclusion, I learned that no matter where we teach we will most likely have to deal with children who's parents do not understand their position in the student's life.
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