Saturday, March 3, 2012

Chapter 14: Succeeding in Your Teacher Education Program--and Beyond

    When I think about becoming a teacher, I am concerned that I will be a boring teacher, or that I will be bored doing it. I am concerned that my students will not be interested enough or engaged enough to understand anything, and that I will not be able to explain things well because I do not understand them well enough myself. I am also concerned that I will not know how to test them, or grade them fairly. I also worry that I will be nervous in front of the class, or that no school will hire me. Some of these things concern me more than others, and I am sure I will learn it eventually, but overall, I am concerned that I will be a generally crappy teacher.

1. The Area of Concern that was most present for me was the Self.

I think this is because I am worried about my ability to be a successful teacher, my doubt that I will have enough content knowledge, knowing how to teach a particular lesson, as well as being nervous.

2. The Stage of Concern in the Self was stage 2: Personal.
I think I am at this Personal stage because I am uncertain about the above things, and I wonder if I am inadequate to meet the demands of being a teacher.

Chapter 13: Improving Teachers and Schools, and School Reform

    In the next 4 years at UMF, I hope to add to my resume some teaching experience other than what EDU classes offer for me. I hope that maybe the next year or the year after I can be the Supplemental Instruction teacher for Botany. Additionally, I hope to have a science internship over one of my summers and maybe travel to the Virgin Islands for the Tropical Island Ecology (BIO 321) may term to my resume.
    In my first 5 years of teaching, I hope to add to my resume some kind of graduate program I am pursuing. I have not decided through which institution and if I want an advanced degree in either Education of Biology, but I like the idea of having more schooling and an advanced degree, I may even want to teach at the university level someday.

Chapter 7: Thinking about Teaching and Learning

Things from Chapter 7 I would like to incorporate into my Teaching Philosophy:



  1. I would like to employ the Discovery Method. One of the ways I will do this is by employing a series of question to the student or motivating the student to ask questions about a concept to be able to grasp it better. I feel like this is a good way to teach because of the constant engagement and thinking that is required through problem solving.
  2. I would like to add the mantra of Quality over Quantity to my Teaching Philosophy. This is because biology has a great quantity of material to cover, but all my students will forget it if it is taught quickly. All concepts and lessons must be taught qualitatively to ensure comprehension.
  3. The last thing that I would like to add is that I do not want to cut myself any slack when I become a teacher. Too many a times have I heard from a teacher "well this is only my first year teaching this, so bear with me and keep that in mind." Even though I know I am going to grow with the more experience I have, I want to try to teach the first set of students I have with the same amount of lesson quality that I will be teaching with after 10 years. If it changes for the better after that, it will be a surprising bonus.

Chapter 4: Schools as the Workplace for Students and Teachers

Staff and Organization: 
     In our build-a-school school, King of the Gods High School (KGHS), there was very limited staff because there was only so much room on the spaceship to Jupiter, and there were not many teachers willing to uproot. Therefore, we only had History, English, and Science teachers. Compared to a national standard in all schools, it seems were were missing a math, art, music, technology, health, special education teachers, guidance counselors, librarian, teacher leaders, department chairs, and a superintendent  at the very minimum. Although, we did have a principal, Dr. Teresa Overall.
     We were not organized like most U.S. high schools for the simple reason that the students lived with their families on the ship in close approximation to the school. While compared to U.S. public high schools on Earth who use a schedule with periods that go straight through the day, KGHS uses a college schedule system to organize the education of the students. Additionally, KGHS has a heterogeneous, who class system, which is similar to public schools across the nation.

School District Relationship with the State:


     Schools in the U.S. have a very direct relationship with the State. Schools are organized into School Districts according to geographical area. All school districts in a state are accountable to that state and that state's department of education. Inside the school districts, there is a superintendent, maybe multiple assistant superintendents, principals, assistant principals, teachers, and students.
      However, when compared to the U.S., KGHS has very little. It has a principal, teachers, and students. The superintendent and all departments of education, etc, are in control of the federal government. We do have a school board and a PTA, despite the size of our experimental colony.


Role of Federal Government:
    In KGHS, the Federal Government has a very large role in our institution. The president approved the proposal passed by Congress to expand a colony to Jupiter, with the project being headed up by the department of  NASA's Extraterrestrial and Homeland Research (EAHR). All decisions are made by through this department, even down to the level of the superintendent. The EAHR also hand selected the principal, the teachers, and even the families selected to board.
    A normal school in the U.S., when compared to KGHS, is still largely influenced by the Federal Government. The education policy and funding is dependent on the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S Congress, and even the President of the United States. U.S. Public Schools and KGHS are also under control of the No Child Left Behind Act.


How Schools Are Paid For:


      KGHS is paid for largely by the U.S. Government and ultimately the U.S. taxpayers through an expansion tax that was made mandatory when the country became overpopulated. There was also a large fee from all families boarding onto the experimental colony. All money goes to EAHR and NASA.

      In comparison, public schools are paid for by income tax, property tax, sales tax, lotteries, and gambling. If The Department of Education cuts funding for a certain state, all public schools therefore get less money, and the school must fundraise for certain departments, often, the performing arts and music programs.