Has the fight against discrimination gone to far?

Judge Sotomayor, Supreme Court nominee, has been criticized for comments she has made regarding her ability to do a better job that a white male could do and for a case regarding a fireman. After reading this article and listening to some of the decisions that Sonia Sotomayor has made and give me your opinion on whether you think that there is such a thing as reverse discrimination.

Did Firefighters Stand a Chance Against Sotomayor?

I agree 100% that teachers are being pushed to focus on the students with low achievement and can not push the gifted students. This subject to me is at the core of what is wrong in our current educational system. If we spend all of our time with the underachieving students in order not to leave them behind we will neglect to push the gifted students. There has been a push in our educational system to dumb down the material and assessments in order to give everyone a chance to pass. The problem is that our gifted students are bored and are left unchallenged. The only option left seems to be to allow them to skip grades in order to challenge thse students. The problem is that they may miss important foundations or basic building blocks that could hurt their education in the long run.

Our gifted students are those who will most likely be driving our countries economy providing jobs for many others. Do we really want hold back their potential in order to keep Suzie from failing a class?


Check out this article from Edutopia.
http://www.edutopia.org/gifted-students-skipping-grades

What Parents think about student achievement

I understand that the government want to make sure schools are doing a good job educating students. Are standardized test really the right way to do this? This article points out that although the government and schools like to compare themselves to each other through test results, parents actually find preparedness for the work force, happiness, and the development of a well rounded individual is more important in the long run.

As a parent myself, I could not agree more. Schools push too much for test results when our children really need real problem solving skills and the ability to work collaboratively with others. I want my children to graduate from high school ready for the real challenges that they will face instead of the ability to successfully complete a state or nationwide test.

Check out this link to see the article that I am responing to.
http://www.edutopia.org/student-achievement-parents-thoughts

Asking Questions

http://www.edutopia.org/asking-students-good-questions

This article points out that most students are not getting anything out of the random questions that teachers ask during class. The article suggests waiting three seconds after asking the question before picking a student to answer the question. Honestly, I laughed to myself after reading the article and its strategy that will suposedly get all of my students thinking about the question. There are always going to be kids that don't care, don't pay attention, and have their mind on something else no matter what you do. Pausing three seconds may be benefitial for a few students, but this is not going to solve the real problems in the classroom with motivation. Most of this comes from the poor parenting. Maybe parents should be in school to learn some parenting skills.

Subject that should be taught in school

http://www.edutopia.org/subject-should-be-taught-2008

I have thought that basic finances and how to invest should be a requirement for every high school grad. We teach them all kinds of subjects and material that they are not really practical to the real world. Doesn't it make sense to teach them skills such as interest rates, different types of investments, credit card issues, what to look for when you are purchasing your first home, how a mortgage works, and responsible spending? Thankfully my parents taught me the value of the dollar and how to invest properly. I was also taught not to buy items that I could not pay cash for. Dave Ramsey's financial peace university should be a semester long class that is a requirement to graduate.

Enriching your Teaching

http://www.edutopia.org/enrich-teaching-life

The article found above really hits on some of the key ways to enrich your teaching experience. The most important step in having a successful start in an school is to surround yourself with good company who will help encourage you, show you the ropes of what to do and what not to do, and most importantly share. Thankfully, the school that I work at has a shared drive on the computers where I can go to find materials that other teachers use in class. If I find a lesson or project that I like that a teacher uses in my subject area I can use it how it is or manipulate the lesson until it works for me. I can go to that teacher and ask advice for what methods of delivery work the best for them or ask the teacher how they would adapt their material. The shared drive allows me to avoid feeling like I am constantly bugging the rest of the staff to filter through their materials in order to prevent attempting to reinvent the wheel.
A mentor can also be a huge asset if they are used properly. Mentors have typically been around long enough to see what works in the classroom and what does not. Plus once you develop a good relationship with your mentor, you know have someone that you can ask the "dumb"questions to that you would not dare ask anyone else.
The end of the article hit on a topic that can be a touchy subject. We should stand up for ourselves as educator and not allow a district to force us to go above and beyond our contractual duties without compensation. I'm not saying that we should not help students after school or run a club that we enjoy running. I am talking about a new teacher feeling pressured to coach, run a club, or a multitude of other activities outside the typical day. Your first five years or so are tough enough as it is. While interviewing at the district that I now teach in, I felt like I was expected to coach or run other activities if I wanted to be hired to teach. Luckily, I love to coach anyways, but the idea that I felt pressured to coach should not be a part of the requirement in order to be hired as a teacher.