Although I did not find the opportunity to share this in class during our D-A-T discussion, I picked up a great idea from the article that I read about a small town seeking to address underage drinking. Having grown up in a low-populated area, I can understand how middle and high school students become bored on the weekends. There simply is not that much to do! Drinking can be an easy answer. However, the administrators of one Indiana town worked with parents and the community to set up a program that includes supervised social gatherings for teenage students in their area. Partners like the YMCA and the sole movie theater in town have established frequent soccer, dodge ball, ping-pong, poker tournaments, concessions and movie nights as appealing venues for teens to hang out that would reduce student alcohol consumption. The statistics show that it seems to be working! I believe that this sort of action plan could work in various places across the country, especially rural areas.
The teacher panel was very informative! I enjoyed witnessing how the teachers, although from different schools and vastly varied age levels, seemed to agree on certain topics. For instance, they seemed to mutually agree upon the salary benefits of seeking a master's degree. Listening to when a specific teacher started working on it and later attaining it was helpful for me as I will contemplate many of these similar questions in proceeding to become further educated as a teacher.
The technology tour also opened up ideas for educating students. Although the school in which I am student teaching does not have the i expressions (I think that's what they're called...?) or a Promethean board, I will be using Powerschool for attendance and lunch counts. I actually used the program on my first observing day to enter in student grades from a test. It was very convenient that a teacher at AMS had already introduced me to it as I will be using this program for the remainder of the school year!
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.
Rachel, the article you were commenting on seems to have a few concrete ideas for offering options to students with regard to their free time. Seeing that the community beyond the school is involved and concerned for the MS and HS kids in their town is very heartening. As I sit in class somedays I wonder if anyone outside the school cares (I know this is not the case), but this article provides evidence.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I also appreciated the input of the teacher panel on issues such as pursuing a masters. After considering and deciding against masters studies next year I was happy to hear some of my reasons confirmed by professionals in the field.
I really liked your discussion on your article. I think that that is a great approach to help prevent underage drinking. I think that a really proactive approach like that will have to be what is in place to be effective. Kids need to have options, unfortunately kids seem to make unhealthy decisions when they aren't given a lot of options.
ReplyDeleteI too thought it helpful to have the teachers come in and discuss their 1st/30th year with us. At first I was hesitant because none of them were music teachers, so how could they possibly understand me? But the more I listened, the more I came to realize that hints are hints and I need to keep filling up my tool belt with all sorts of ideas and techniques. I still feel that, no matter how many pannels we have, we will never be fully prepared for what is out there. But talking to these men and women gave me the courage and ability to seek help in every way possible, and not just other music majors.
ReplyDeleteThe comments on your article make total sense Rachel. I wonder what the community could do for much bigger cities. I feel underage drinking is even more of a problem in bigger communites because of the larger population. More kids drinking, more places to drink, and more access from older siblings or parents. I think the idea you talked about would very much work in small communites. I doubt it would in larger ones. I wish there was something like that for kids in larger populated areas.
ReplyDeleteI think the action plan for DAT is a good idea, giving kids something to do rather than turning to drugs. I also found the tech tour to be informative, opening ideas for me as well. It is amazing how far technology has come and is continuing. The school I am at, also does not have much technology, but does use the computer for attendance and lunch count, too. Good luck with your student teaching!
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