Education 253

It has come to my attention that in the field of education there are still issues in regards to racism and education. These issues arise from situations pertaining to global, migration, dominated cultures, and deculturalization. I believe that multicultural education needs to be implemented in classroom settings to minimize this problem. Through our readings and class discussions we had the opportunity to learn about and compare different approaches to multicultural education. Multicultural education is a step in the right direction towards an equal and better education to all. American Education depicts critical pedagogies and teaching anti-bias and tolerance as approaches to multicultural education. These two techniques are overall similar, but also contain differences. A critical pedagogy is a way of raising one’s consciousness to the circumstances that one lives in and challenges. From a multi-cultural aspect, it refers to all cultures and looks at them objectively. On the other ...

In chapter three of American Education, Joel Spring depicts issues in regards to a school’s ability to give their students an equal chance to obtain wealth, social class, or have a successful future. In this chapter there were a few quotes that stuck out to me that helped give a better understanding of this issue happening in today’s world. “Most school systems are test driven. In the United States, life-determining standardized testing begins in elementary school and extends into the workplace. Most states now require passing a state test before receiving a high school diploma….It is now a test-happy world!” (pg. 72) This quote stood out to me because it is one that I agree with. In today’s worlds there is a large emphasis placed on doing well on standardized tests. If a school district is ill-prepared for this type of testing, it could set a child up for failure. School districts that struggle economically don’t have as much access to proper resources compared to those of wea...

I have high hopes for my service this semester as I am excited to have another opportunity for an experience that will pertain to my major. I will admit, however, that at first I was hesitant. As an education major and leadership development minor my schedule is jammed packed with classes along with my extracurricular activities. I was worried that this service would interfere with my other obligations, but my worries went away quickly after I entered the Fatima Family Center where I will be tutoring and working with kids grades K-8. Although we did not get to begin tutoring immediately since we had to complete orientation, we at least got to see the kids. The kids that I will be working with come from inner city settings, which is a type of environment that I have not worked in prior. In our recent class discussions we have had multiple conversations and assignments based on the economics and opportunities in different school districts. We discussed how kids in inner city settings a...

When asked to write about different forms of service that I participated in many came to mind. However from my years of doing multiple forms of service there was one that stood out most to me as it shaped me, opened up my eyes, and made me feel as if I was making a difference. Teaching is a field that requires the educator to know their students. Going into this field I knew to expect such, but actually experiencing it opened up a whole new world. I spent this past summer working at a summer camp with children ages 5-12 because I figured that it would pertain to my major, and I was so glad that I did. I was nervous on my first day because I did not entirely know what to expect, but I learned that as time went on I grew more connected with these kids. Soon enough I memorized their likes and their dislikes, who they were friends with and who to keep them away from, I learned all about their personalities, and quickly picked up on their favorite activities and crafts. Every time I talked ...

East Cleveland School Districts: The East Cleveland School District consists of a population made up of 99% african american students and 100% of students are economically disadvantaged. Only 20% of these students tested proficient or higher. This district has an “F” rating on test achievement and value added to each student. East Cleveland is the most economically disadvantaged and has the lowest percentage of white students out of all of the districts compared. Per pupil expenditure; Performance Value Added Economically Disadvantaged Racial composition of students in the district Shaker Heights School District: Shaker Heights consists of a student population of 40.2% white and 45.8% african american. 36% of the students in this district are disadvantaged, but their test scores demonstrated that 65% of students scored proficient or higher. Overall the district received a grade of a D.    Beachwood City School District: The Beachwood Scho...

Service-learning is a style of learning that plays a major role here at John Carroll University. As defined in Learning in Deed, service learning is, “a teaching and learning approach that integrates community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities” (3). An example of service learning that stood out to me from the text was acted upon by a class from White Knoll Middle School in South Carolina that helped out New York during 9/11. The text states, “White Knoll students set out to honor this pledge and launched a campaign to raise $354,000 to purchase a new fire engine for New York City. They studied the historical background of the gift in social studies classes. They applied language arts skills as they wrote letters to firefighters in New York City’s Red Hook Ladder Company 101 and to friends and family members to solicit donations...” (3). These students were doing a good deed for the community, but also learning infor...

Steven Mintz is a historical figure who played a role in the shifting of education today. Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1953, he is an American Historian, Executive Director of the University of Texas System's Institute for Transformational Learning and a professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin . Mintz received his B.A. from Oberlin College (1973) and his M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University (1979). Mintz could be associated with the recent time period of the common core. “Steven Mintz argues that there was a transition in the American thought from the concept of “protected” childhood to “prepared” childhood” (9). Protected childhood focuses on the happiness and well-being of the child. While prepared childhood pays attention to the child’s future as an adult and demonstrates no concern with the child’s happiness. I agree with Mintz’s argument of this shift and I can base my evidence off of personal experiences. I believe that there has been a sh...