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?