"The History of Education" Episode 1 Reflection

I think the documentary did a good job of detailing the evolution of the American public school system and the various changes it underwent before reaching the 20^th century.  It seems as though it was understood that “public education” should be available to every person, and not dependent upon social class, race, gender, or religious affiliation.  However, America struggled to execute this non-discriminatory system throughout the 19^th century and even into the 20^th century.  For example, it was a common belief that “separate could be equal” and that African American students had different needs than white children.  It was also believed for a long time that girls required a different kind of schooling than boys, and for a while, they were only allowed to attend school for a maximum of three years.  Immigrants and Native Americans also faced a difficult time when it came to being accepted into “mainstream” public schools, further proving that America did not accept new demographics into its school system with open arms.

A couple individuals that most stood out to me when watching this episode were Horace Mann and Catharine Beecher.  Horace Mann’s Common School Movement and the belief that every student deserved equal opportunity led to a reform of Massachusetts schools and eventually schools outside the state. Katharine Beecher is someone I would like to learn more about; I think it awesome that she made teaching a “respectable” profession for middle class women, encouraging them to leave their homes to travel out west, live on their own (board), and teach in the new schools.  Such a lifestyle must have brought newfound independence to many young women in the late 19^th and early 20^th century.  I do not, however, like the stereotype that teaching was “women’s work” and that these women would never get very far beyond the walls of the classroom.

Thoughts on "A Nation and Risk" and "A Nation Accountable"

Sources:

https://www2.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/risk.html

https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/accountable/accountable.pdf

These two articles, “A Nation at Risk” (published in 1983) and its follow-up article, “A National Accountable” (published in 2008) both act as “calls to action” for improving the American education system as it has drastically fallen behind those of competing countries in the past few decades.  America was once a leader in world markets but is now performing well behind global counterparts, and these articles identify our faltering education system as the root cause of this predicament.  Personally, I agree that a quality education is the cornerstone to an individual’s success and therefore the success of communities and a country as a whole, and I do feel that we need to re-evaluate the standards and expectations to which American students are held, but I do not necessarily agree with all of the ways in which these articles suggest we make these changes.  “A Nation Accountable” provides a list of five different areas in which changes need to be made in order to reboot the national education system, many of which are necessary in general, but when it comes down to the fine-print, I believe that the government is placing too much accountability on students and teachers alike—so much to the point that it is doing more harm than good.  For example, the article speaks highly of the No Child Left Behind Act, assuming that it has done only good and no wrong.  While I believe that every student should be held to high standards and that a standards-based education system can provide teachers with a tangible framework to help them determine the areas in which their students should succeed, I do not agree with the high-stakes associated with standardized testing.  I also do not believe that these tests are enough to determine whether or not a teacher is “superior, average, or poor” and if they should be “terminated” or not.  This is what I believe, however: I believe in positive student/teacher relationships in which the teacher provides each of his/her students with the confidence that they are able to be successful, even under the most challenging circumstances, and that there are many more effective and accurate ways for students to demonstrate academic prowess besides through standardized tests.  The government needs to support teachers and their students, and the best way to do this is to provide teachers with plenty of resources and the freedom to attend to the differing needs and learning styles of their students, without the unnecessary stress that high-stakes testing evokes.  After all, it is the teachers that know best, and they are the ultimate key to their students’ success and the future of this country.

Teaching Hope: Engagement

This entry struck me because it opens with the teacher looking back on how he felt as a college student in his final semester of coursework, right before student teaching (AKA me, in one semester).  When one of his classmates asked their professor what kinds of “baffling” and unexpected things they might run into during their careers, the professor simply answered with “‘you’ll see.’”  Of course, I find myself wondering about similar things, often with mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness.  Kids do weird/crazy/unexpected things, so you never know what you’re going to have to deal with.  Whatever these things are, will I be ready for them?  I truly believe that there is a point where nothing can prepare you more than the actual experience of being a classroom teacher, and I am beginning to become more and more aware of that as I approach the end of my time as a college student and the threshold of my future career.

The teacher in this entry shares the moment he realized that his college professor was correct in stating that there is essentially no way to prepare oneself for the day-to-day challenges of being an educator.  Whether those challenges are bizarre, like dealing with a student peeing in a soda bottle in the back of the classroom, or more extreme and heartbreaking, like losing a student to an accident, they don’t become “real” until they actually happen.  And when they do happen, they become very, very real.  Knowing that there is simply no way to prepare myself for something as grave as the loss of a student is terrifying, and it is something I think about often.  However, I know that this means that I will care, just as the teacher in this entry does.  His story brings confidence that despite the potential challenges and losses, it will all be worth it.

Teaching Hope: Disillusionment

I just had to pick this entry to reflect on, not only because it was about cross-country running, but also about the importance of helping your students (particularly those who struggle in one area or another) find a niche in which they can shine.  For me, running has always been my greatest source of empowerment.  When I found running, my self-confidence boosted because I felt like I belonged somewhere, doing something I was good at, and contributing to a greater goal.  The teacher in this entry of Teaching Hope noticed that some of his students (including his son) were not being accepted onto any of the school’s contact sports teams, so rather than letting them give up on their athletic potential, he encouraged them to go out for the cross country team.  And, lo and behold, they turned into a group of exceptionally talented young runners—talented enough to win the Texas state championship meet.  This entry reminded me so much of that movie McFarland USA (a true story), in which a new coach turns a group of poverty-stricken, at-risk high school boys into a winning cross-country team.  The coach in the movie did the same thing as the teacher in this entry: he looked beyond the student/athlete’s shortcomings and instead looked towards their strengths.  He did not give up on them, and with dedication and persistence, he was able to help them find a source of empowerment and give them a chance to turn their lives around.  The teacher in this entry even notes that once the students found success on the cross-country course, their grades and social lives improved; I have heard many times that involvement in sports can boost grades.  Overall, the biggest take-away I got from this entry was to always look for opportunities to let your student’s shine, even if it takes some extra work.  If they can find one thing they are good at, chances are they will start to believe in themselves a little more in all areas of their lives.

"The History of Education" Episode 3 Reflection

This episode focused mainly on discrimination and inequalities within the American schools system between 1950 and 1980, as well as the various reforms and legislative efforts that were put into place in order to mitigate them.  I wasn’t necessarily surprised by how racially segregated American schools were, particularly in the ‘50s and ‘60s, because this is a topic covered in many American history courses.  However, I was unaware of the severity of much of this segregation.  I also did not realize that once schools did become integrated, the majority of black teachers who taught at segregated schools became displaced due to the color of their skin despite the fact that they were competent and effective teachers. 

This is seems so ironic, since the episode states that schools were “the place to bring down segregation in America.”  And, while subsequent legislation was ultimately successful, the process was long and hard.  This fact made me think of how we still experience segregation in our schools today, although generally not at such an extreme.  For example, I recently wrote a research paper on the passing of Title IX and its implications for female athletes, and quickly realized that while it has provided a great many opportunities to female athletes of all ages, these athletes are still not revered in the same way male athletes are.  In fact, many of these girls and women become targets of microaggressions and sexualization and do not receive as much positive media coverage as their male counterparts.  Who is to say that similar inequalities (gender, racial, religious, etc.) do not exist within our schools?  I am certain that they do, despite the efforts that have been made to diminish them.  Thus, as a teacher, I going to do my very best to control my immediate environment, my classroom, and ensure that it is safe space in which all students are treated equally.

"The History of Education" Episode 2 Reflection

I found this episode of “The History of Education” quite interesting.  The thing that most struck me was how the ruling philosophies behind the structure and organization of American schools seemed to come and go in cycles.  For instance, in the early 1900s, schools were dark, crowded places where students were expected to simply retain information that was given to them by the teacher and then recite it back.  This method of schooling was dubbed “toeing the line,” which I found appropriate.  Then, the progressive John Dewey introduced the concept of kinesthetic learning, or learning by doing.  As a result, schools, like the one in the documentary in Gary, Indiana, adopted his theory and had students move from class to class and practice a wide range of skills such as animal husbandry, automotive repair, cooking, etc.  The idea behind Dewey’s theory was that students would be given the opportunity to “work, study, and play.”  The people from this generation who were interviewed in the documentary said that they preferred this kind of schooling and were able to enjoy school.  Students were also able to “help run the school” and were given ownership over their education by contributing to school-wide decisions.  However, this form of education was soon overturned by protests to the Gary plan and American schools became more traditional again.  As a country, we have continued to follow this back-and-forth pattern when decided how to best organize our schools.

Another thing from the episode that captured my attention was the disgraceful ways in which IQ testing has been used in American schools.  IQ tests have been used to predict individuals’ academic potential and, while these predictions are often inaccurate, they are still used to place said individuals into tracked programs that predetermine their future.  I feel that this is incredibly limiting and unfair to a great many students, and something that America should be ashamed of.

Teaching Hope: Challenges

This section of the book was particularly difficult to read.  Just about all of the entries evoked a lot of sadness and, in some cases, a sense of hopelessness.  One of my biggest fears as a future teacher is that I will not be able to provide all of my students with all of the kinds of support that they need.  Like Erin Gruwell mentioned in the introduction to this section on challenges within the classroom, her students carried with them “all kinds of baggage” and it was often overwhelming; she’s a teacher, not a social worker.  But, just like the other teachers in this section, she tries her best to help give her students the support they need.  The sad thing is, sometimes even that isn’t enough.

The entry that stood out most to me was #23.  It was different from many of the other entries because it involved a student whom one might not consider “at risk” right away; Kate is an incredibly driven academically and came from a family of Ivy League educated parents, much unlike the other students we have heard about thus far, who tend to lack academic motivation and come from families with parents that did not go to college and possibly didn’t even finish high school.  However, Kate is a victim of bullying because she is so focused on her academics and places them well above her social life.  In fact, she doesn’t really have a social life.  Unless she is extra observant, a teacher may not notice this right away, or many not consider it to great of an issue if the student is maintaining excellent grades like Kate.  However, this entry served as a reminder of how important it is to keep close watch over each and every student, no matter how academically driven they are.  I lost my cousin to suicide in 2012, and no one—including his teachers—saw it coming.  He was bright, charismatic, and had a lot of friends.  But no one knew the battle he was fighting inside until it was too late.  So, in a way, this entry frustrated me.  I hated how the teacher spent so much time watching Kate but never really did anything to help her.  I never want to let myself lose a student, especially if it means wondering if there was something I could have done to help them.  So I will be sure to voice each and every concern I may have regarding their emotional/mental wellbeing.