Counselors and Paras

I was glad to hear the panel of counselors and the teachers who spoke about paras.  I think that was a new teacher it will be essential to learn about the different resources in the school, and how as a teacher, I can best utilize them to help my students.  It was interesting to hear what counselors deal with, and the way they help students work through the different type of issues that they face. 
I think the way I will best utilize these two groups in my school, is to one, build a relationship with them and understand exactly what they can help with.  By understanding exactly what they helped with, and what they can do, I will best be able to ask them if I think there is a way my student can benefit from them.  I in that way, will need to advocate for my student if they need help.
Sexual Issues, and how to handle them as a teacher was a hot topic in class this week.  This is a situation that will be difficult to handle at times, being as there are so many variables, and so many different opinions.  I think that it is likely that my school will have guidelines on how to handle situations that have to do with difficult subjects, and as a new teacher it would serve me well to familiarize myself with them.  Not that this will alleviate every judgment call i would have to make, it may offer me some direction. 
Of course I will need to follow the guidelines set up by my district, but as for my opinion, I feel that we need to offer students a comprehensive sex education with all the information possible.  It is not necessary for me as a teacher to offer morality advice.  I do not feel that informing about birth control is advocating they use it,  or that saying the condoms protect is encouraging premarital sex.  But unfortunately, some students may make choices that we would not, but if they are informed about what are the options, and understand the consequences they may face, that we are educating them, which is our primary purpose.  We need them to understand what they face, and it is not our position to moralize for them, as many students may have different values than we do.
Students in foster care face many issues, and often have an extra bit of baggage to deal with at an already difficult time in childhood/adolescence.  Getting to know these students as individuals may be even more essential that other students.  Although it is imporant to get to know all students, we may be the first person to show an in depth interest to these students.  I also will want to build a relationship so that these students may feel comfortable with me should they have any problems that they need to confide in me for.

As others have said, so much of this comes back to building relationships with students.  No matter what it is they face, and every students faces something, they will be more likely to trust in us as teachers, if we have taken the time to get to know them, and care for them.   

Link

Here is a link to that specific article. There were several articles about it from different newpapers, but this is one of them. http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive/ldn/2009/dec/09121108

The Great Unknown

For me, there are a lot of things I still feel like I do not know because I am such a new teacher. Luckily, I do not have to be an expert about everything all at once. I was glad to be able to learn how to share the burden of teaching my students with others. When I feel unable to handle a situation, I could always employ the help of a counselor, paraprofessional, or other professional to answer their questions. I have never had a paraprofessional in class before, and I was very glad to learn what roles and benefits they provide from the classroom. I have also realized the value of networking with the outside community as a teacher to be able to bring interesting people to my class. For instance, Shelby Ross is such an asset to the Benedictine Education department, and Mrs. Bennett mentioned that there was a guy from the orphan train in Atchison that went around speaking about it. It will be helpful to develop positive relationships with all sorts of interesting people to bring into my classroom. In Wausau, where I will be working, there are a lot of companies that harvest cranberries. Cranberries are unique in that they grow in few places around the world. It would be neat to take my students to see this process and have them learn an interesting form of "expository writing," or following directions, that way.

It was very nice having Chris come along with Shelby to hear his side. His whole attitude and the way he interacted with Shelby showed me another method of relating with students from disheveled backgrounds. I liked seeing how Shelby used "tough-love" tactics with his kids to let them have choices, but using logical consequences. It reminded my of our Love and Logic book in Dr. Osborn's class. I think I would use that technique in class, too. I'm sure I wouldn't be able to get away with as many things as he does, though. :)

I feel sexuality education should be something parents are intricately involved in. I am fairly concerned about whether or not I will have the ability to address sexuality issues or even morality issues in the future. My friend made me aware of a new law signed by every country in the UN, except the United States and Somalia thus far. It was called the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). From what I read, it would give our sovereignty over to a committee in Belgium and would remove all parental rights in public and at home. Many homeschooling groups who chose to homeschool because they wanted to educate on their own terms were concerned about their ability to teach values to their children at all. There was a case in one of the countries where 8 dads were thrown in prison because they refused to let their elementary school-aged children participate in a school sex education play that demonstrated various sex positions. This greatly disturbed me. I think parents should have the right to monitor what and when their children learn about sex. To learn more about this cite and read for yourself, go to www.parentalrights.org. I thought it was really interesting, and I thought I would get the word out because I hadn't heard anything about it. It would be very hard for me to teach a curriculum I thought was harmful to my students or to never be able to guide them toward ANY type of virtue. My philosophy of education is very opposed to this kind of education.

Communication and Relationships

Communication and relationships. These two factors are extremely necessary in running an effective classroom. Teachers need to communicate their thoughts with the class, parents, and other adults in the classroom. If the teacher does not have good communication or her students do not understand her there is going to be a massive separation between students and teachers. They also need to form relationships with these the students so bonds and trust can be formed. Teachers need to put forth the extra effort so students feel comfortable in the classroom.

These factors are extremely necessary when a class is dealing with sexuality, STD’s, and foster care. All of these contributing factors can make a class go from responsible to chaos in a matter of seconds. Therefore it is the job of the teacher to prepare her students before chaos multiples. The most important idea the teacher needs to have is all students are unique, and that their uniqueness does not give her right to downgrade a student. A teacher may have different beliefs than the student, but the teacher still needs to show the upmost respect for the student. This is especially necessary when dealing with students who are Gay, Lesbian, or transgender. The teacher needs to support and love each child she encounters.

One concept that was debated in our class was how to teach students about sex. In school I was taught that sex could lead to unplanned pregnancies, STD’s and relationship loss with friends. I was a public school child who was lucky enough to have my religion to fall back on. I was able to reason that sex was a gift and should wait. However, most of the people I went to high school with engaged in sex. As teachers how are we going to stop kids from having sex? The answer is we are not; they are still going to do it. I believe we need to teach students the good, bad, and ugly about sex. Some students need to hear what can happen if they have sex, but others need to hear that it is a sacred gift from God. I thought as a third grade teacher I was not going to need to deal with teaching this, but I now know I am going to need to be prepared for all types of questions that students may ask. It all goes back to communication and relationships. If a teacher has good communication with her students she is going to know how to vocalize the topic of sex. If she also has a relationship with her students she is also going to know which students will handle the topic and which students she will need to work with on a more one-on-one basis.

The Teacher as Relationship Builder

I have found all of our guest panels and speakers so helpful in getting a more realistic sense of what students deal with and how teachers can help. The number one point that stands out at me after all of our discussions up to this point in the course is this: Be a relationship builder. The effective teacher actively does more than his or her fair share in order to invest in relationships with students, their parents, their foster parents, paras, counselors, administrators, fellow teachers, staff members at school . . . I'm glad of this because it makes teaching a much more human activity. The teacher is one human having valuable, working relationships with other human beings for the purpose of helping those other people live their lives to the fullest. It's also a two-way street because these relationships are also going to help the teacher to live his or her life to the fullest. The humanity of all this also makes the hard work of the teacher worth it because people are worth it.

Regarding some of these relationships specifically, then, I have learned ways of fostering positive, effective partnerships with people for the purpose of helping students become who they were created to be.

As a middle school teacher, I know that I will come across a lot of "drama" that does not at all seem like drama to my students. And if it's not drama to them, I don't think it should be drama to me. For them, it will be real and sometimes threatening--to their friendships, to their health, to their self-esteem. I am going to strive to build a great relationship with the counselor at my school so that when I can tell that my students are going through struggles, I can either refer them to the counselor or ask the counselor for advice that I can give the students. I am also very open to the possibility of asking the counselor to come into my English class as a guest speaker if we happen to be reading a book that contains teen issues that would be good to discuss with a professional who helps people deal with those issues.

I know that I am going to have a para in at least one of the class periods that I will teach during student teaching. I have met her briefly in the past, but I plan on really getting to know her this semester and on asking her for her insight into how to most effectively engage all of the students in the lessons that I teach, especially those who have trouble paying attention.

Regarding sexuality, I first hope to get to know my students so that they know that I care about their well-being, so that I can assure them of their dignity, and so that I can encourage them to guard and respect their own dignity and that of others. I want them to know that they are worth the wait.

One thing that I am worried about right now in this regard is knowing what to do if I overhear parts of students' conversations with each other and hear them gossipping, cussing, or talking about things that show that they are not respecting their sexuality. Should I interject? Should I pull individuals aside later? What do you all think?

We're all in this together!

Wow! We have discussed many important issues in the past few days. This information is going to help us tremendously for our future experiences as teachers. I feel as if the counselors' panel was very informative for us. I am glad we got the opportunity to hear what they have to say about the issues they deal with. It was great to hear perspectives from the different grade levels as well.
When we discussed Paras, it made me realize how important they really are! I feel like we do not give them enough credit for what they do. Many teachers I have talked to say that they do not know where they would be without their Paras in the classroom. It is important to have a positive relationship with them so everything goes smoothly within the classroom. Communication is a big part of this. If we have Paras in our future classroom, they deserve to be treated with respect no matter what. They are doing a wonderful thing. I feel like it takes a special person to be a Para, even though you do not need the qualifications to be one. They really change students' lives every single day. Maybe that child needs that one on one attention with an adult. They may not be getting that at home!
When it comes to sexuality, I feel as if this was an informative topic to discuss as well. This is a huge issue with kids all over the world, because they are being exposed to many different things through music, television, facebook, and so on. The list is endless. It would be helpful to let our kids know that there is an important time and place for everything. They need to know how to stay safe as well. Our students should know that sex is not this horrible thing, but more as a gift from God after marriage. It would not hurt to have a basic sex education class even as early as primary grades. These issues will be coming down the road shortly for them, so they should be aware of these issues, but broken down for younger grades.
Foster children need our love and support just like every student does. It is important for us to make sure they are connected within the classroom environment. Make sure they are actively involved with the rest of the class. As teachers, these kids need us! We can change their lives tremendously just by the small things we do for them.
I will utilize the services of the Counselors and Paras. These people are in our schools to help our children! Counselors are willing to help out the students with any problems they may encounter. Do not take Paras for granted. Remember they are human beings as well!
As teachers, are are shaping these childrens lives. Our actions will effect their lives forever.

It's all one big package.

One of the main themes that I have been thinking about through this whole course is how IT'S ALL ONE BIG PACKAGE. What I mean by that is that a child is a whole. They can not be separated into who they are at school and then who they are at home, who they are as a friend, etc. Each of our lives is made of a continuous sequence of events and many of these issues will be encountered if not in our own lifethan in someone that we know or in a student that we teach. This is what has motivated me to understand the complexities and symptoms of the topics that we are talking about. As a teacher, we may be the only one that is able to reach out to a specific child. But at the same time, the line from the panel keeps reminding me "there is only one Savior."

A child who is in foster care comes with a lot in his or her package. This is not something that can be left at the current home they are in or that they can disregard from the last one. They make attachments at the old home and if transferred to a new, they may try not to form any attachments in an effort to protect themselves. There are the good homes with caring families and encouragement, but there are also the really bad homes where one would wonder if they may be better off with their original parents. It all comes down to the child just wanting to be loved. They do not chose their condition or circumstances and they are just moved from one place to the next; in some cases school may be their only security. As a teacher I want to provide that loving and stable environment for any foster children that should come into my class. Like I said, all they really need is love. I can show that to them by getting them oriented into the class, trying to build a positive relationship with the foster guardians, and simply taking a personal interest in them as a person.

Also, the panel with the counselors and the paras helped me to realize again the deeply seeded issues and "baggage" that students come to school with. This is their life. The counselors helped me to see that children will face a wide range of needs and I want to be able to utilize their profession by knowing the children in my class. I need to be aware of what is going on in their lives, and what should be mended before they move on from middle school or high school or onto what ever step they have next. The same goes for the paras. They are there to help! What more could I ask for than another adult in the room to support me in my mission as a teacher to help everyone succeed.

Finally on the sexuality issue, this is something that I feel I may still be somewhat naive about. I want to believe that every child understands his or her self worth. I want to be believe that they abstain until marriage. But I also know that the environment that children grow up in is relentless. They are constantly being fed and surrounded with sex. The TV, their peers, the media...the environment tells children to do what is contrary to what they need...they need to be LOVED. I don't know what the best answer is for sex education. I do know that it needs to be addressed. In an ideal world these values and teachings on the beauty of sex and the body would come from the home, from two loving parents who model this and are able to convey it to their children. But the reality is that school may be the only place where they receive guidance that will help them to see the affects of having sex, including the terrible STDs and emotional results of premarital sex.

Altogether there is just so much that a child has to deal with. But school has so much to offer to support them through it. I want to utilize all of my resources and knowledge to make it just a little bit lighter of a package for them.

Sex is beautiful!

I think one of the biggest problems with sex education in schools is that sex is generally presented as a bad thing. If you aren't careful you might get life-threatening diseases, get pregnant, lose the trust of your parents. Pre-marital sex has a number of negative consequences. People are quick to point out those consequences, but they hardly ever address the fact that sex is really beautiful.

Some abstinence programs appear to promote the exact opposite: that sex is extremely ugly. When I was a senior in high school we were presented with a long series of disturbing slides that showed the effects of various STDs. I don't know about my peers, but for me seeing those pictures really was a "turn-off" to sex. No one in thier right mind would ever want to have sex if that was all is was about.

Instead of presenting it as something ugly, sex should be presented as extremely beautiful. If it is presented as beautiful, I think people will be more likely to respect its sacredness. Think of it this way: we do not tend to respect ugly things; rather, we throw them away. But if we see something as beautiful we tend to honor it. If we give teenagers the reasons why sex is so beautiful and sacred, I think they would more inclinded to stop and think about it. Maybe I am too idealistic, but surely expressing sex as beautiful won't do anyone any harm.

Where do we draw the line?

The topics of bullying, poverty, and child abuse are obviously sad and difficult to talk about without feeling guilty. I know that the counselor pannel discussed a line that is drawn which separates being a teacher and living your own personal life.
Maybe I am a little bit extreme, (definitely a good possibility) but I know myself and I know that being a teacher is going to be a huge part of my personal life. I totally understand that in order to not get burnt out, I need to not let myself get overwhelmed with working, but being a teacher and being more than a teacher is what I want to do with my life.
On the same note, the conversation we had in class about where we draw the line really made me think of how I feel about the topic. Sam made a really good point to me in class when she said in response to a comment that said something along the lines of: these are all such huge problems that can never really be completely solved, so what can we really do about it? Sam said "Just because it is a big issue that may never be solved does not mean we shouldn't try" This is so so so true. I would much rather go to the extreme and do everything in my power to help kids that need it than not try at all. Now I know that i'm not in this predicament, I do not have to choose between doing nothing or going extreme, but I hope that in the situation that calls for help from myself, I will always do more than less.

Bullying is NOT a Right of Passage

Although every topic we have covered has been depressing to say the least, for some reason bullying hits me the hardest and affects me the most. It may be the fact that it doesn't matter how wonderful the parents are, how wealthy the child is or how "good" the school is. There are no stipulations for being a bully or being bullied. It can happen to anyone...and has happened to many. I have seen it appear in many forms and at all grade levels. And the crazy thing, as we all now and discussed, is that more often than not it is pushed to the back burner and often thought of as normal or not a big enough deal. Yet...children have become suicidal or murderers due to bullying. Do we still think it's not a big deal? How are schools not jumping up and teaching their students about the effects of bullying? How are we not bringing in speakers or conducting discussions that tell the children the harsh but true effects of bullying? How are students still going "unheard" when they mention to anyone, whether peers, teachers, parents or administration, that they are being bullied? Children are not naturally evil and bullying is not a "right of passage". Bullying causes serious and life-affecting trauma, and in some cases leads to death(s).
Since I haven't been a teacher and do not know how hard it is to maintain a classroom and notice every problem, it will be my goal to, at least, take everything my students tell me seriously. I know that there will be times when the students are lying for whatever reason but I also know that some of those students who went to extreme measures to try to ease there pain were not believed or brushed to the side. I do not want to experience the death of a student knowing that I could have done something. It is our responsibility as teachers to nurture our students so that they can be successful learners. As a result it is then also our duty to assist our students in creating an atmosphere where this is possible. Since I will hopefully be working in middle school, a place where student emotions run high, I know that I will most likely be dealing with bullying situations on a regular basis. Thus, I am going to go to whatever measure I can, within my means and ability, in order to help my students understand the tragedies of bullying in hope of decreasing its occurence and maintaining the sanity of myself and my students.

ED460

The subjects we have covered so far in the class have been pretty depressing. After discussing the few topics we have covered so far in class, I am down right scared to get into teaching. When looking at the big picture. Teaching isn't just going to be lesson planning, singing songs and teaching great kids. There are so many things that we as teachers must be aware of that go under the radar along with everything else we must worry about. I know that teaching won't be as extreme as the cases we have discussed but it has the potential to be that extreme so I am grateful for this class to prepared me for what lies ahead for all of us.

When we discussed the topic of poverty, we discussed ideas for programs that we thought would be an effective way to help families living in poverty. I had an idea I wanted to discuss but there was not enough time. My mother works for St. Vincent de Paul at my church interviewing the homeless and less fortunate to provide them with small things to help them survive whether it be a bag a groceries, help on rent, a fan in the summer or a coat in the winter. This little organization make such an impact on many lives by simply providing something small to make their lives better. My idea stemmed from the fact that St. Vincent de Paul interviews people every Saturday at 2 o'clock so those in need know when and where to come for help. Schools could create a similar program that somewhat resembles a fair for helping the families that are less fortunate. Booths could be created with job opportunites, parenting classes, babysitting help and donations etc. Each week the booths would be set up from people within the community there to provide options for the families to come in and recieve help from the different resources in the community. This will give the families the opportunity to find resources needed and also by having the "fair" on a weekend the families can come in without hurting their pride by coming in for help during school hours. Programs like this can cost little to no money because they will run on the help of donations from the community and volunteers to run the fair every week.

Child Abuse

Child abuse is a topic that deeply saddens me. I had a friend who was abused as a child (sexually, emotionally, physically, and neglected). She made it through her abuse and found a safe place to live away from harm. But the pain and suffering that she endured stays with her to this day. Sometimes it is difficult for her to get up in the morning. A memory is triggered by something and the anxiety from the abuse hits her just as hard as it did years ago. She has been seeing a therapist, has a good job and just bought a house but the pain lingers deep in her heart. She told me that she will always have those memories and the pain that goes with them.
Seeing the struggles that my friend goes through after being abused as a child, I want to do everything in my power to protect my students. I know this will be a difficult task but I will try my best. I will get to know them as individuals and build relationships. I want to educate them about how people should be treated and that it is okay to ask for help. I want to reassure them that they do not need to be ashamed. Shame was one of the reasons that my friend did not seek help. I know that believing these desires will make a difference can be unrealistic but I will do everything in my power to protect students, even if it is unrealistic. You never know when something you do or say will impact a student and create change.
There is a part of me that fears that I may be overprotective and report something that is not abuse. But I'd rather make sure that my students are safe by reporting something I suspect (even if it ends up not being true) than not reporting anything and it turns out to be true. I do not want to be the teacher who let my friend walk out of the school every day into a home that was unstable and unsafe. So, like we have said a million times, we HAVE to get to know our students as well as possible. Being a teacher is very difficult and there is a lot of pressure. We have to educate the future of our country while meeting standards and other criteria, build relationships with students every year (some of us with more than one class), protect students from each other and from other sources, keep them motivated, etc... It is a difficult path we have chosen to take but we have chosen it for a reason. I have no doubt that all of us will be making a positive difference in the lives of many.

Blog 1 Bullying

Watching that video on bullying really put some things in perspective and I realized that shootings, bullyings, and any other violence in schools can happen anywhere at anytime to anyone. Yes, that video focused on those people who were bullied and then shot people and killed them. But, not everyone that is bullied is going to shoot up a school. people who are not bullied could very well shoot up a school.

The thing that stuck o ut the most was the kid who shot his ex girlfriend in the cafeteria and one other person. He said he had deliberate people he wanted to shoot and aimed for them. Walking up to your ex girlfriend and just shooting her? Crazy, to say the least. On top of that, before he even went to school he kills his mom? That was just indescribable. I did not know what to say or how to react besides, "Oh my Gosh!" But then again, so did everyone else I think.

It's hard to think of kids that have been pushed that far, to something that drastic. It sucks to think that out of everyone in these child's lives, that not ONE person could see that he/she was depressed or angry or just needed a friend. ONE person is all it could have taken possible. It's harder to think even more about if something like this happened at your own school. What if it was one of your students? One of the ones you tried to reach out to? How would that make you feel? It is just crazy to think about something like that happening at your school, but then again, I'm sure everyone else thought that as well.

Bullying

We have been on the topic of bullies and other large threats that children across the United States and world face every day. I think it has been fairly easy to read about these topics, learn the proper technique for recognizing the signs and then put the anti-whatever it may be procedures into action. We are told that if it is a bully/victim situation we should listen to both the bully and the victim and try to solve the situation from the root. Listen to the bully. Find out why he/she is acting the way she is. Help rehabilitate the bully. All in the mean time be sure you are paying very close attention to the victim. Make sure he/she feels safe and supported, and be gosh darn sure they have zero access to weapons! P.S. you also have a classroom of 24 other students who are ready to pounce on any excuse possible to not do their regular work. How on earth is there really time to correctly handle all of this? (this is all assuming that some 2nd grade teacher didn't do her job and stop the bully when he/she was little, and now it is a big problem)

To be honest, I do not think I am going to be very keen on listening to any pleading from a bully if I do witness bullying in action. Emotions are going to well up inside of me and my compassion for the victim is going to take over any thoughts I may have had towards the other individual. I am not sure, but I assume that is a normal feeling most teachers/people feel. It is going to be very hard for me, at first, to not despise the bully for doing things maybe he/she feels they have no say in doing. The bully just hit a student/spread a horrid rumor about someone. Entire school districts are responding with a "Zero Tolerance" campaign. How am I going to not support that movement? This is clearly a weakness of mine, but my immediate reaction is to get that bully as far away from my kids as possible.

I completely understand that sometimes the victim is not innocent. I know I have the know-how to work through the mud and get to the bottom of a situation where the protagonist may also be the antagonist. This I am not concerned about. My concern is that my knowledge of the bully's SES, parental situation, learning abilities, you name it, are all going out the window as soon as a crime has been committed. Am I the only one with this fear?

Reflection

The past couple of classes have opened my eyes up to a completely new world. Growing up and going to catholic schools throughout my childhood I haven't really seen firsthand many of the topics were discussing such as child abuse, bullying or poverty. The class while being depressing at times is a great opportunity for everyone who most likely came from a differet background to become better prepared for an environment which will be unpredicatable in the future.

The most eye opening topic we went over in class had to be child abuse. From time to time I would witness such things as poverty and bullying but never in my schooling had I ever encountered child abuse. To find out the real statistics and just how prevalent the problem is frightens you as a future educator. To realize that most likely in your time as a teacher you'll have to deal with cases of child abuse kind of leaves a depressing though in the back of your mind. From all of the papers and presentations I think I'll be a lot better prepared now and hopefully I'll be able to both notice and handle cases of child abuse when their present. Before the class I don't know if I would have had the same understadning as I already said I 've really never discussed or seen cases of child abuse. Being able to see bojects outside of my usual protected bubble that has been my education has given me a better preparation for whatver I may encounter and hopefully now I'll be better prepared mentally and emotionally for whatever arises.

What I found to be one of the most helpful things we did as a class was yeterdays counselors panel. There were a couple reasons why the beneficial. First I though the counselors cemented my beliefs and what I hope to complete in my class and thats a strong relationship with each and every student. To really help students out with cases involving child abue a teacher must first gain the trust and confidence of one's students. While teachers don't want to open up about everything with their students, teachers must be willing to show their personality and create an environment in which all students feel comfortable to come and ask for any assistance they may need. Throughout the last couple of days seeing some of the negative world of schools it's shown me that a teacher must become a strong personality inside their classroom. The counelors only reinforced my thoughts that no matter the situation a students will struggle to come for help if a teacher hasn't already laid the strong foundation of communication and trust so it's important to create that strong relationship with your students so you can aid students in any matter which may be troubling them.

Reactions to Poverty and Bullying

Poverty is a hard concept for me to grasp. I went to a school where I did not see a lot of poverty; everybody I interacted with appeared to have anything and everything they needed or wanted. For that reason it is hard for me to know where poverty stricken students are coming from. However, that does not mean I can slack off. Instead it should make me work harder to understand my where my students are coming from.

The saying that keeps coming up in every class is, KNOW YOUR STUDENTS and FAMILIES. Teachers who know their students and have a strong desire to see them reach their full potential have the opportunity to help a child get out of poverty (among many other things). That is a simple, but daunting task. It’s hard for me to believe that I can get a child out of poverty. However, by helping that child set goals and feel apart of the classroom community will help that child have a better future. Knowing your students also goes beyond poverty. Knowing the child can help you help the student. A child needs to know they can trust them and that you are going to listen to them. Knowing the students can also help you determine if a child is being abused or bullied.

Proactive. This simple word can change the life of one child or better yet can change the curriculum of a school. According to the Merriam –Webster dictionary, proactive means acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes. Are schools taking the necessary steps to be proactive in the prevention of bullying? According to the movie we watched, many schools are being reactive. Schools are attempting to fix a problem after it is to late. A school that only reacts to a problem is only going to fix the problem for a short time. They might start a new program, but that does not mean it is going to stick. However, if a school is proactive, bullying ceases to exist. One thing that really struck me was that the students are the main contributors as to if an anti-bullying program will work. If the students are aware of what bullying is and know that it is not allowed in the school. I know it will be hard to implement a program, but being proactive seems like the only way to go so that all our students will be happy and successful.

Save the trees...uh...whales...??

One year for Christmas, my extended family found it in the depths of their materialistic hearts to pool a fund that would be donated to a charity that would be pulled from a hat. The outcome-Greenpeace?? Really?!? Save the trees!!

Every time I hear Sarah McLachlan's Angel on TV, I know that people somewhere are calling the commercialized 1-800 number to give money to the "Save the Abused Animals Fund," otherwise known as the "ASPCA" or "American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals." Save the animals!!

Okay, okay! I'm not really anti-Arbor Day or anti-cute puppy adoption. Sure, the trees and animals are necessary for our survival, but what about those without an adequate home? What about those who are themselves abused? What about our future students? Do they really fall below trees and animals in terms of our care and attention? It is a sad realization, but I think they do. ('They' being the general American public.) If only we paid as much attention, not even money, but just attention as we do to the three legged-schnauzers, maybe we could make an impact on the effect of poverty and abuse in America. ...That, or we could make a nice video that forces the public to pity these children...I'm thinking Enya for the background music...Enya or Beyonce. Other suggestions for music selections??

If we're wanting to invest in something good, why not invest in our own future- our kids. I know that this can come off sounding cliche and ULTRA cheesy, but I really mean it. Instead of "outsourcing" or relying on other's to prepare our students, why not rely on the resources of others, but keep our commitment to the community we are in? This commitment requires our attentiveness to our students and their needs- not just material needs, but social, spiritual, physical, etc. The more we know about our students, the more we know about their needs.
Save the future!!

The discussions we have been having in class relating to bullying, poverty, and child abuse and neglect brings to light topics that many of us can easily remove ourselves from.  As someone who grew up in a stable environment and was always rather confident with myself I never had to worry about being bullied or abused, I never had to worry about where my next meal was coming from or if I had adequate clothing for the winter.  I would imagine that many of my classmates could say the same.

Aside from the pain and suffering that abuse and poverty causes, this class brings to light another issue.  If we consider the responses of everyone in our class, if we look at the posts on this blog, it becomes apparent that there is a common underlying desire for universal justice.  This desire is not unique to our class.  I am sure we can all think of twenty people outside of our ED460 class to whom we could describe the circumstances of poverty and abuse and all twenty of these people would respond in a similar fashion.  These twenty people could then pose the situation to twenty more and so on and so forth.  Eventually you would find someone who doesn't care or who thinks that the impoverished and abused some how deserve the life they are living.  These people are not the majority.

There is a basic goodness to people and a basic sense of justice instilled in humanity and our class demonstrates this whenever these issues are discusses.  

Now that we have been made aware of the situations and have been alerted to the signs of bulling, abuse, neglect, and poverty we can start to bring justice to students through the means we have.  We have been presented with tactics -- providing a bag of socks, paying a bill, arranging for the child to bathe, referring the child to the proper authority, and so on.  We need to make sure that we act justly and prudently for these students.    

ED 460 In General

So I'm not going to lie...this class is kind of depressing. It is really not pleasant to see all of the issues that students have to go through. However, I certainly see the relevancy of this class. Some of these issues are so foreign to me. I have not had to grow up with this reality. That is the main reason why this class will be so helpful. I know that learning about it here certainly will not prepare us for dealing with these sort of things in the future, however getting this introduction now will help to take away some of the shock factor when we do face these issues at teachers.

The most striking issue that we have discussed (at least for me) has been child abuse. It is difficult for me to even imagine how parents can do such awful things to their children. I have always been led to believe that when people have children there is some sort of parenting instinct that kicks in and parents are able to love and care for their children as they should. However, as we have seen, parents do not always do this. It is truly sad when this is the case. This is why we must care for our students in as much as we have the capacity to do this. Unfortunately parents cannot be replaced, so we must do the best we can to give these students every opportunity to succeed.

Another topic that I was struck by was bullying, namely the correlation between suicide and bullying. I guess I have never really stopped to consider how fragile of a time that adolescence is. Many of the students are trying to find their identity and it is clouded so much by negative comments made by others that they are unable to see their worth. I once read a book which defined leadership as communicating another person's worth and potential so clearly that they begin to see it in themselves. I believe that this is our duty as educators. We must see our students worth and potential and communicate it to them so clearly that they are able to move past the pettyness of bullies and truly begin to see themselves for what they truly are.

Mr. Rueb's Presentation

I thought Mr. Rueb's presentation was very insightful. It is one thing to read about student issues and how poverty effects students, but it is helpful to have an administrator actually come in and talk about those things in the "real world".

I think what surprised me the most was how he talked about home visits. I guess I have never thought about making home visits as a teacher. I do not remember if he specified if teachers should make home visits or not, but I know in Dr. O's class we discussed how that is something that should be done either by principals alone or by the teacher and the principal.

I have mixed feelings about such visits. I think it is easier to make those in a smaller community, where people are more likely to know each other. I don't think home visits would be practical in the big city. That, and I still don't know how necessary they actually are. I would almost feel like I was invading if I wasn't invited. At the end of the day, I just want to do what is best for my students, so if that involves visiting the home for some reason, then ok, but if not, I won't worry about it too much.