1.) If President Obama called me
on the phone, I would tell him that there are five things that need to get done
in order to “fix” education. One,
I would tell him is that we need to get rid of high-stakes/standardized
testing. NCLB has been disaterous. It is completely ridiculously and to
think that every single student will be proficient in Math and English. Although the “idea” is great, it is
completely unrealistic. I think
that standardized tests should be a tool for measuring success but not be the
only tool we use to rate student and teacher performance. I think that standardized tests
are important but the data collected from them should be used differently.
Two, I would
tell the President that we need to get rid of tenure for teachers. I strongly believe that tenure blocks
“bad/incompetent” teachers from getting fired. Tenure always teachers to underperform and to just “coast”
through the motions. I have always
felt that if you are a “great” teacher then there should be no need to have tenure
because no principal will fire a good teacher. What other jobs are you guaranteed to not be fired from? If
you are not doing your job to the best of your ability then why should you get
to keep your job? Student’s education is far too important to just be
“coasting” along.
Three, I would
tell the President that more money needs to be spent on public education. I am not sure where this money would
come from, but more money needs to be pumped into public education. Charter schools are taking away from
public education and weakening the entire system. With more money put towards public education we could hire
more qualified teachers, improve school conditions, and buy better supplies for
our students. Spending more money
and improving public education, in all communities, will make learning and
education more desirable for all students.
Four, school
years should be made longer. I think that students should be spend more time in
school. I feel that 180 days is
not enough time for our students to become proficient in everything they should
be proficient in. By increasing
the number of school days, teachers could take longer teaching certain subject
area and topics. By making the
year longer, teachers would not feel like they have to rush to get through all
the standards.
Five, money
needs to be spent on raising teacher’s salaries. By getting rid of tenure, we could start paying “better
teachers” more money. I think that
the better the teacher, the more money they should make. Why is it that a teacher’s salary is
significantly less than doctors or lawyers? If we want to education our
children with the best possible teachers, then we should make it a point to pay
teachers more.
2.) What has been meaningful to
me about reading Ravitch is seeing all the changes that in education that are
always happening. Even the changes
are not always positive, it’s comforting to know that we are always trying to
figure out the best way to try and educate our children.
3.) What I can do as a teacher,
considering the current state of American education is to just teach my
students to be the best of my ability.
I think that all great teachers care about their students, not just
academically but also morally. I
think that academics is extremely important but I think that it is just as
important to teach our students on how to “good human beings.”
4.) The National Council for the
Social Studies (NCSS) gives dates for professional development. It gives you dates and times for
workshops and conferences. It also
lists different types of publications and teacher lessons for grades K-12.
The Social Science History
Association (SSHA) website gives you dates for professional development and
lessons for teaching. It also
provides teachers with history journals and forms to apply for grants and
conferences.
5A.) 1.) SFMOMA
2.) Oakland Museum
3.) Disney Museum
(Presidio)
4.) Sutter’s Mill
5.) Winchester
Mystery House
B.) 1.) Season of the Witch
2.) Ancient Rome: The
Rise and fall of an Empire
3.) Alcatraz: A
Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years
4.) William Randolph
Hearst: The Early/Late Years
5.) The Age of Gold: The
California Gold Rush and The New American Dream
C.) 1.) Social Science History Association
2.) Association for the
Study of Connecticut History
D.) 1.) Social Studies in the Modern World (Conference)
2.) Ron Clark Academy
E.) 1.) Egypt – The Pyramids and the Sphinx
2.) Rome – The Colosseum
and The Pantheon
3.) Vatican City
4.) The Great Wall of
China
5.) Europe – Paris
(Eiffel Tower), London (Imperial War Museum)
