Home Page for Meredith Sheldon

CTSE 130 Coursework

Date	Student Work	Response	Rationale
10/7/2003	Journal Entry Week Six: "What have you observed about the teaching and learning process in relation to stereotypes of urban schools? What emotions were invoked by the setting of your first observation site?" It is has been talked about time and time again, from reliable television news and other media sources: the teaching and learning process in “urban” and “inner city” schools is suffering. Not all schools or all students in the same grade are at equal levels. Many students are not getting the adequate attention needed to help them become successful. Many teachers are not properly trained and as a result are not giving students the knowledge the deserve. When I went to complete my first classroom observation, I told myself to ignore any and all preconceived notions I had had about the urban school system, however I do have to admit that I was not able to escape all prior ideas. From the moment I stepped into the classroom, I did not get a warm feeling from the classroom setting. The teacher was extremely strict, she gave many directions, which were not to be questioned. One of my first observations in the classroom was when a student raised his hand to ask a question, to which the teacher replied, “If it is not an emergency then ask it later.” I was shocked and very surprised because it obvious that the student’s question was more than “may I go to the bathroom.” It seemed that the student had a question regarding the lesson and I felt bad for the child, because his question was not answered. It does not seem to me that this is a very effective teaching method, because the teacher is directly discouraging an individual student, as well as indirectly discouraging everyone else, to ask questions. While I do agree that there are more appropriate times to ask questions, a teacher should not treat a child in a way that makes him or her feel as if asking a question is wrong. In addition, I have heard many stereotypes about teachers not being compassionate enough with their students and I felt that this observation strongly supported ideas that I had heard. Another stereotype that I saw carried out, was one regarding the quality of teachers. During the lesson, the teacher was discussing homophones (two words that sound the same but are spelled differently), and called upon students to give examples. In one case, a student raised her hand and used the example of “pear” and pair.” Immediately the teacher replied “incorrect” because “pear” and pair” were spelled the same, or so she thought. The teacher has no idea that she was instructing the entire class wrong. I felt deeply troubled by this and was practically jumping out of my seat to say something. The student who gave this example was of course confused, along with others, and mostly just felt shamed. In response to this I was hurt, because this student was right, and she should have been rewarded, not demeaned. While my first observation was a significant one, I was hoping that my experience would prove some stereotypes wrong, however, it only reinforced ideas that I already had.		I chose this piece because I feel that it expressed my feelings about what I learned through my classroom observation at 32nd Street School. I was able to critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the teacher. In addition, I feel that my journal looks at how the teacher's capabilities contributed to the classroom atmosphere, students' attitudes, efforts and attention, thereby influencing their overall achievement.
10/23/2003	Journal Entry Week Nine: Review your work products thus far in the course and reflect on your learning experiences: "Were there any recurring themes or strands that reaffirmed/negated your interest in becoming a teacher?" When thinking about my work products thus far in the course I am overall very proud of my efforts. I think that my weekly journals are expressive and reflective of my thoughts and opinions regarding various topics. The journals give me the opportunity to think about things I might not have thought about otherwise. For example: my personal journals raise issues regarding the importance of technology in the teaching field, the significant positive attributes and characteristics teachers should ideally posses, as well as cultural characteristics that might have impacted my learning environment. Thinking about these areas, as well as many more, has allowed me to dig into myself, to analyze my thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about what I want to do with my life. In many instances, I have known why it is I want to be teacher, and after reflecting on a journal entry and I am able to see again why I feel this way. My journal entries in a way have almost reaffirmed my interest in becoming a teacher, because they have allowed me to answer questions about a topic that I love, eluding me to answers about my future. My current event articles have made me expand my knowledge outside the classroom by looking at real events relating to an area that I am so passionate about. At first I admit, I felt that current events were more like a “fifth grade project” rather than a college assignment, however I now see its importance. I am now able to understand that in order to really comprehend something learned in the classroom, it is crucial to see in the real world. Being exposed to currents affairs in the education world has opened my up to reality. Whether I am discovering that students are thriving in one environment or suffering in another, it is important to be exposed to it all. One of the most significant assignments was my classroom observation. I was able to take what I had been taught in the classroom and completely apply it to the real world. I was able to go out and see how it all work. Some of what I learned surprised me very much. Something that will always stick out in my mind about my classroom observation was the teacher’s response to a students example of a homophone: she raised her hand and said that “pair” and “pear” was an example of a homophone, to which the teacher sharply replied: “No! You are wrong. They are spelled the same.” This made me so upset, and I wanted to jump up and tell her that she was wrong. I knew that it was not my place, so I did not, but I still felt the pain inside. This classroom visit again reaffirmed why I wanted to be a teacher. I know that there are so many children (and current event articles support this) who do not get the education that they deserve. I have always had the wonderful privilege of attending quality schools with inspirational teachers. I want to be one of those teachers who does more that just teach; I want to be the one who touches lives. I am so thankful for taking this course, because with assignments such as journal entries, current event articles, classroom observations and so much more, I am able to discover more about myself, therefore learning and affirming ideas about what I want my future to be like. Thanks to me learning experiences this semester, I am clearly able to see why I have a strong interest in becoming a teacher.	Meredith, Excellent reflection. This truly summarizes and covers your CTSE 130 experience so far, and your desire to become a teacher. Great work. -Jessica	I chose this journal entry because I believe that it was a good representation of why I want to be a teacher. It gave me a chance to explain why I had a passion for teaching. In addition, it gave me the opportunity to evaluate myself, and to looking at my interest's behind wanting to be a teacher. This was a reflective piece that I believe provided insight into my learning experiences.
10/28/2003	Journal Entry Week Ten: "What is the most important event that influenced your decision to become a teacher?" There have been many important events that have influenced my decision to want to become a teacher, however there are two in particular that stand out as being the most influential. My mom is a history professor at Mills College, an all women’s private college in Oakland, California. I have looked up the mom for as long as I can remember. She has always been more than just a mom to me, she has always been my best friend. My mom has a passion for wanting to help others that I believe was passed on to me. She has told me countless times about the incredible rewards she has been given as a teacher. My mom says that one of the most gratifying aspects of being a teacher is the personal satisfaction you get when you know that you have touched the life of someone else and have changed it in a way that you know no one else will be able to do. For example, my mom has told me stories of student who come across the country to study at a prestigious all women’s institutions and then upon arrival feel scared and lost, a result of being so far away. My mom has spent a great deal of time with some of these students and has helped them gain the individual confidence and self-esteem to live on their own. Having the capability to help a student in the way that my mom has is something that I have always wanted to do. While my mind has traveled through many professional occupations, I have always wanted to do something that involved helping others. Also, I have always wanted to do something with children. I have a passion for working with children because I believe that they are bright, creative, energetic and often have a thirst for knowledge. Teachers are role models to so many students. I want to be the role model that my teachers have been to me. There is one particular teacher that sticks out in my mind as being the most influential. My second grade teacher, Ms. Larson was one of my most favorite teachers of all time. I remember that Ms. Larson made learning something that I wanted to do. She created fun and interactive activities that encouraged us to expand our minds and have fun doing it. She made me want to learn more than I had to. She gave us the chance to explore all aspects of knowledge. We did creative projects in which we sometimes learned something about ourselves that we did not know before. We did academic activities that incorporated not only academic material, but group work as well. We were taught how to work with one another in a classroom environment, thereby learning skills that would be used outside of the classroom as well. There have been many factors that have influenced my decision to become a teacher. While teaching might have been slightly “in my blood,” there are many additional factors that have contributed to my desire to becoming a teacher.	Meredith, What an interesting response. Thank you for sharing. I, too, had an inspiring second grade teacher. Keep up the good work! - Jessica	I chose this journal because I think that it truly captures the reasons why I want to be a teacher. I believe that individuals need to have a passion for wanting to become a teacher, and I feel that I have that motivation, drive, dedication and enthusiasm. I sincerely hope that this journal reflects these feelings and beliefs.
9/18/2003	Current Event: Week 4: After looking at the San Francisco Chronicle online (www.sfagte.com) I came across an article published on Monday, September 15, 2003, titled, “Quality of Public Information: Without Exit Exam, Diploma Means Nothing.” This article discusses the importance implementing a high school exit exam before students can receive their diploma. The article focuses on the city of San Francisco, where the Superintendent Arlene Ackerman questions “whether the graduates..."earned” their diplomas.” This article is one that spoke directly to me, because I graduated from a public high school in the East Bay, and this issue have been extremely prominent in my life for the past few years. When I graduated from Piedmont High school, my diploma stood for something greater than coming to class and halfway listening to a teacher ramble on about the importance of helium and nitrogen. To me, graduation was a sign of accomplishment. I had always worked very hard in high school. I embraced the education that I was learning and diploma mean achievement for all the work that I have completed. However, just as there are those who try, there those who do not. There were plenty of students at Piedmont who rolled out of bed, dragged themselves to class twenty minutes late, to fall asleep through class, and who never studied for tests and then complained when they did not get the grade they “should have gotten.” This article deals with this issue completely. According to Ackerman, “thousands of students walk away with diplomas that signify little,” and I could not agree with Ackerman more. The high school exit exam will ensure that students actually learn as oppose to “credit earning.” Real learning, as many argue, can only be measured through tests. Not only will the exams require that students “earn” their diplomas, but it will also allow “teachers, schools and districts to identify individual student weaknesses as well as wider problems, and it will be a beneficial diagnostic tool to evaluate teacher performance.” I personally believe that the exit exam will be extremely helpful to discover the effectiveness of teachers in a particular school district. If the tests are standardized across the state, then all districts would be able to measure their teachers’ effectiveness in comparison to others. In my opinion high school exit exams are extremely important. Not only would they be able to monitor the teachers, districts and administrators, but they will also give students a greater incentive to work in school, because they would know that their diploma signifies real achievement.	Meredith, Great job in depicting your point-of-view as well as summarizing the article. -Jessica	I found this article to be interesting because I grew up in the East Bay, and found it interesting to learn about other high schools. At Piedmont, earning a diploma meant something to all its students - it showed and represented hard work, stress, dedication and commitment to not only yourself but to your parents, peers and teachers too.
10/18/2003	Current Event: Week 8: I sometimes find it hard to not have a newspaper delivered to my house every morning. Despite what is often thought about college students, I am always wanting to stay up to date on the world’s gossip. While the television news provides me with much information, I have found that the Los Angeles Times online, www.latimes.com, have proved to be one of the most useful sources to stay current on our states, country, and world affairs. I was skimming thought the Los Angeles Times this afternoon and I came across an article that stood out to me in a profound manner. It was titled, “Schools’ Reform Plans Successful: State Improvement Program, Local Activities Work Well For Cerritos Elementary, Glendale High,” and was written by author Gary Moskowitz. This article discusses the plans that Cerritos Elementary and Glendale High School are trying to implement. They are working on school wide improvement plans that involve parent education and more teaching training. I think that this is extremely important, because I feel that in many instances parents are not as knowledgeable as they should be regarding their child’s academic studies. It is important for parents and children to have open communication between one another so that they can discuss the issues at hand. The article clearly states this: “we have to help parents understand, especially parents of [English as a Second Language] students, so when we talk about report cards, they clearly understand what is expected.” I could not agree more with this statement, especially in regard to the parents of students who are speaking English as a second language. While the prior statement pertains to all parents, it especially applies to minorities parents, because often times there is even a larger barrier that needs to be crossed in order for understanding. According to the article, for the past two years, both schools have voluntarily participated in the state Immediate Intervention Underperforming Schools Program. Sadly however, neither school met growth targets on the Academic Performance Index (API) in 2001, and were identified by the state that year as “low performing schools.” The API measures school performance based on annual scores on California Standards Tests, the California Achievement Test and the California High School Exit Exam. It was interesting to know that the API looks at three different sources to guarantee at more accurate result and understanding of the schools. The 2001 statistics in the article reported that “Cerritos scored 595 out of a possible 800 on the API.” However, in 2002, they improved an scored “637 out of 800 on the API.” This improvement allowed for the school to exceed its growth target of 614, an achievement that was not earned last year. In comparison, in 2001, “Glendale High School scored 594 out of 800 on the API.” And in 2002, increased their scored and exceeded its target growth of 609 by attaining a “622 out of 800 on the API.” At the end of the article, I was pleased to discover that since 2001, “Cerritos has worked with a parent volunteer group to help inform parents - primarily families in which English is not the primary language spoken - that they can support learning in the home by getting involved in homework and knowing the school’s expectations.” I was so happy to read that schools are really reaching out to parents to help them help their students. The school is encouraging parents to support learning at home, to be aware of their child’s homework and try to communicate as a family, not just studies, but how to be a more effective family as a whole. This article was fascinating because it intertwined students, parents and school, to promote a richer, healthier, more positive learning environment.	Meredith, I totally agree with you and the article. Parental involvement is absolutely critical to the educational process and any program that involves parents in their child's education is very important. - Joel Colbert	I was lucky to have a very involved throughout my entire life (especially in my high school and college years). I know how important this is and I thought this article was really eye opening and I sincerely hope that it impacted others in the way that it effected me. I do believe that parents should be involved in their child's life and I hope that in the future more are.

My Group Power Point Presentation

(My Final Presentation) (To be posted)