Field Blog 3 - Gearity Elementary School

While visiting Gearity Elementary School, I had the opportunity to observe a preschool classroom.  The room was very colorful and there were many posters and drawings done by the students on the walls.  The room was separated into many different sections.  There was a reading section, a science section, an art section, and a toy section just to name a few.  There was also a carpet at the front of the room where all the children could come and learn together.  They started their day off by saying what day it was and describing the weather.  When doing the weather for the day, the class sang a song together while one of the students got to look out the window and tell the class what the weather was like for the day.  After they had finished with the weather, they worked on the alphabet.  Each child got a turn to go up to the teacher and show her what letter their name started with.  Then each student got to choose what section of the room they wanted to play in first.  During this time, some of the children were reading books, some were playing on iPads, and others were playing with the different toys around the room.  While they were playing, they got to rotate to all the different sections around the room.  While the children were playing, the teacher was going to different sections of the room and either playing or reading with them.  When it was time to clean up, the teacher got their attention by turning off the light.  They then all sang a song together while everyone helped clean up.

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Throughout this blogging experience, I have learned many different things about the field of education.  I believe that when walking into a school and classroom students should feel welcome.  Teachers should arrange their classrooms so the children feel comfortable in the room and want to learn.  They should use posters and drawings done by the kids to make the classroom feel welcoming and not like a prison cell.  I also believe that when teaching, teachers should focus on what their students need in order to be successful in the classroom.  Teachers need to be enthusiastic and show students that learning can be fun.  They need to make students understand that school is not just about memorizing information for tests.  Teachers should get students involved by doing hands on projects.  Knowing that everyone of their students has the ability to succeed, they need to adjust their teaching methods to accommodate and improve how their students learn.  If a student needs extra help, they should be willing to do whatever it takes so that they can be successful.  Their goals should not just be to fill the students with information.  They should allow students to use their creativity and form their own opinions.  I have also learned how important the relationship between students and teachers is.  Teachers should always be themselves and try to form a solid relationship with all of their students.  While they may form friendships with their students, they should maintain a teacher-student relationship.  Ultimately, teachers should focus on their students and put the students’ needs first.         

Annotated Bibliography

“About the Standards.” Common Core State Standards Initiative. Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2015.  Web. 3 Nov 2015.

The main focus of this website is to help you understand the common core and the standards of the common core.  The common core sets high standards in the subjects of English and mathematics.  The goal of the common core is to allow students to receive the same education no matter where they live.  The Common Core State Standards provide consistent learning goals that help prepare students for college, work, and life.  The standards are meant to demonstrate what the students are expected to learn at each grade level.  These standards help parents and teachers understand so they can support the students in their learning.  The standards of the common core focus on core concepts in the early years.  Starting when the students are young gives teachers the time they need to help students grasp these core concepts.  Using this website in my paper will help me understand the common core better.  It will allow me to be able to explain what the common core is and the standards it sets. 

“Common Core State Standards.” Parents for Public Schools. Parents for Public School Inc, 2015. Web. 2 Nov 2015.

The main focus of this website is discussing the pros and cons of the common core.  The Common Core State Standards allow the United States to be comparable to other countries in their education.  The United States has fallen behind, and the common core will help improve rankings in the United State’s education.  The common core will also help the teachers.  Because all the teachers will be teaching to the same standards, the professional development for teachers and the education community as a whole will improve.  Some of the cons of the common core include that taking both teachers and students time to adjust to this new way of teaching and learning.  Even though the Common Core State Standards bring states to the same level of standards, this would negatively effect states that already had higher standards than the common core.  With the common core, these states will be accepting lower standards than they already had set.  Using this site in my paper will help me explain the different pros and cons of the common core.  It will allow me to better understand the good and the bad of the common core.   

“Pros and Cons.” Thinking About the Common Core Standards. The Twenty Eleven Theme, 2015. Web. 4 Nov 2015.

This website discusses many of the pros and cons of the common core.  The common core helps prepare students for a competitive global economy.  The Common Core State Standards also help create national stability in education.  With the common core, if a child were to move from one state to another they would not be behind or ahead of their peers.  They would be on the same level as the students at their new school.  One con of the common core is that it does not technically guarantee improvements on testing throughout the nation.  The common core is also a program pushed on the states by the government.  Therefore, if each state doesn’t adopt the common core standards then they will not receive any money from the government.  This website will help me be able to better explain the pros and cons of the common core.  It discusses in depth why certain people believe the common core is a good thing while others think it will not benefit education at all.  

Erickson, Erick. “Why Parents Are Angry About the Common Core.” Fox News. Fox News, 6 May 2014. Web. 3 Nov 2015.

The main focus of this article is an individual discussing why he is against the common core.  In the article, the author begins by stating that he did not start out disliking the common core.  He actually believed that it seemed like a good idea.  Children are always moving around from state to state, and the common core would allow students to stay on the same level no matter what state they lived in.  The common core makes it difficult for parents to help their children with their homework.  Parents and students are frustrated with the common core which also makes the teachers frustrated.  This article will help me explain the view point of people against the common core.  It will help me understand why there are so many people who dislike the common core.    

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Carroll Heights High School by Mallory