John Murray has the final word!!! TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM

In today’s society, it’s hard to find a place where technology isn’t present, including the classroom.  From SMART Boards to personal laptops, students have an ever abundant supply of electronics at their fingertips.   But how much is too much? 

High schools and even some middle schools in certain districts have begun to hand out personal laptops for every child, and some districts have even begun giving  i-Pads/i-Pod Touches to every student.  While I agree that technology has huge advantages in the classroom, I think schools are getting a bit carried away. This technology can give immense support fto the teacher, especially in the math/science department, but it may also create an overwhelming number of distractions.   So my question is, where do we draw the line for technology?  Do we allow every student to have access to electronic aids, or do we make those electronic aids a special privilege that is only used once in a blue moon?   Or.....................should we stay away from technology altogether and get back to our roots?  Let's hear from you.  

Katie wants to know if holiday school schedules are driving you crazy?

What is your school’s policy with regard to the celebration of holidays?  I thought of this as I was making all of the schedule changes that I have during this season of Christmas.    These schedule changes are due to the practices required for the Christmas Show that is being held in the school in which I teach.   I wondered if you had to change your schedules at this time of the year for this same reason?  I was also curious as to what the state law was with regard to the celebration of holidays in schools and I did some research on my own.   I found the following from the Cranford, New Jersey policy handbook:  

The Cranford Public Schools will promote meaningful multicultural learning experiences for all students. This includes teaching about various cultures and religious holidays but not celebrating them.

Holidays and special events may be recognized in the district's schools so long as such recognition respects the rights of others and is consistent with law.

 I also found the link for the list of all religious holidays that are recognized by the state.   This list represents the days on which students of various religions are permitted to have an excused absence.  I was wondering what the rulings, celebrations, etc. are for the various school districts in which you are teaching.   Please share your holiday teaching experiences with us.  

The list of religious holidays recognized in the state of New Jersey can be found at this site:  http://www.state.nj.us/education/genfo/holidays1112.htm 

Robert Lenox is looking at the bright side and asking us to do the same>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I think one of the most important challenges about teaching is maintaining a positive attitude.  Everyday it seems there is a new story in the paper or a new bill in the legislature that blames teachers for the ills of society.  Every one of us,  I’m sure,  has that one class that is a bit more rambunctious than the others and you are physically and emotionally drained after trying to get them excited about the content you are teaching.  Everyone has had that experience with parents who, instead of being a team members helping with their child’s educational development, become problem players who see you as a hindrance. 

With all these everyday headaches the best teachers, I believe, can maintain positive energy in their classrooms.  I think as student teachers we have had to face all of these problems, and on top of it, we are not getting paid!!!!!I think,  though,  that every day I have been in the classroom I have tried to celebrate the one positive victory for that day,  even if it was a small one.  So now that were nearing the end of our time I want to hear the little victories everyone in this group has had.   I believe that this will really help to motivate us as we approach our last couple of weeks

The Smart but problematic student................what to do? We are being asked to give suggestions

Early this fall a new student was added to our seventh grade class roster. After hearing terrible stories about him and his behaviors as well as learning about his 2 out- of- school suspensions during the first three weeks of school I was particularly worried.  This particular student is violent, disruptive, and rude.

Despite all of these problems, this student is not classified in any way nor does he have in-class support. His intelligence takes leaps and bounds over any child in the class and  because of his intelligence he is placed in all enriched classes.   He is at the top of every class.  However, he has behaviors that constantly disrupt the class.   For example, he calls out, taps things with a pen, hits (students and teachers), gets up and walks around.   He “gets into people’s faces”  and,  worst of all, he  disrupts every other student in the class. He’s a powder keg and at a moment’s notice he is capable of having a major explosion.  Any amount of confrontation or singling out will cause him to explode. He has already hit a teacher and guidance counselor as well as poked me with a ruler as I walked by his desk.  He is a distraction to other students and their learning but has yet to be removed from our classroom or school because of his high intelligence.

      If you were put in the  situation of teaching this child in this particular class how would you handle him?  What type of tactics would you use to control this students behavior?

As a 7th grade team we have met and come up with strategies such as:

• giving him 5 opportunities to raise his hand and speak,
• putting 3 post-its on his desk 
• removing one every  time he speaks
• asking him to do things around the classroom. 

None of these strategies appear to work and as the days go on he becomes more of a distraction. What recommendations would you make to me as the student teacher and the classroom teacher in order to prevent this disruption?

Charter School pros and cons. Where do you stand? Lorrie poses that question

The New Jersey educational system has been criticized greatly in recent years as being ineffective.  Some reform proponents strongly advocate the creation of charter schools as a panacea for solving all of the perceived problems in the current school system.  Some of the pros and cons are as follows:

Pros

·         Choice.  They introduce alternative places for parents to send their children for education.  They often offer wider varieties of academic programs than do traditional schools.

·         Class size.  They tend to be smaller schools thus they have smaller class sizes and lower teacher- to-student ratios.

·         Less regulation.  Some regulations that public schools must conform to are lessened for charter schools (e.g., no salary caps for administrators, operate independent of district control, standardized testing requirements)

·         Greater accountability.  Charters are usually granted for 3-5 years.  They must reapply to remain open and need to be successful in order to attract students.

Cons

·         Fewer resources. They receive public funding but this funding does not apply to the facility or start-up costs.

·         Less regulation.  The lightening of rules and regulations for charters that public schools must follow could lead to the exclusion of important standards.

·         Inequality. Charter schools may not meet all of the needs of students in the community or local area or may exclude disadvantaged children (e.g., special needs, transportation costs)

I have heard some teachers in my school argue that if charter schools continue to proliferate, the public school system may ultimately become a world of special education students only with all other children farmed out to various charter school environments.  What do you think?  Are you a proponent of charter schools?  Do you think there is room for public and charter schools to co-exist?

Matthew Haines asks about teachers and the law

It has recently come to my attention that one of the teachers in the school in which I am student teaching had been convicted of a DWI. This made me question the idea of offenses and sentences with regard to teachers. My question is if a teacher is convicted of a crime or offense, how should the school deal with the situation? Should others be notified, and if so, who? Should parents be aware of these types of issues? Should the school itself hold the teacher accountable and should there be grounds for dismissal? Should all of these actions depend upon the severity of the offense, and if so, how is that decided upon? I find this to be a very interesting issue, seeing that as future teachers we are prepared to understand the fact we are always under the microscope in the general public's eye. Where should all these lines be drawn so we have a clear indication of who we should be as teachers?

Josh poses a question about teaching outside of certification

There is an increased concern over budgets in school districts around the state.   As a result, schools have slowly down-sized and there is fewer faculty and staff even in the face of increased student enrollment.   Unfortunately, my observation is that teachers are being moved around and forced to teach subjects in which they have little or no experience and, additionally, for which they have no certification. If you were a  first or second year teacher and were asked to teach a class outside of your discipline or certification how would you approach this situation?    What questions would you ask and where would you begin to ask those questions?  

Josh Getka