Montclair Meeting of the Board

December 3, 2007
Montclair Public Board meeting
-2nd Flood Divided room, Montclair Board Building
-Mixture of adults and students
-Mixed conversation
-9 board members

Topic One
-Inclusive schools' week
-Dec. 3- Dec- 7
-statement read: students learn in a unique environment
-Montclair sets an example for other school districts
-educating whole, beyond testing

Topic Two
- High school AP tests in Calculus and Statistics
-change in tests during school year along with AP exam
-mother of student speaks about how syllabus was changed significantly after beginning of the school year.
-student speaks - option of dropping down to high honors with added ten points to grade. AP and high honors same course load except ten point grade curve.
-student 2 speaks - addresses applying t college already changing transcripts if they lower the class
-mother of another student speaks- mentions curriculum includes 80% marking period grade- 1 graded test and 20% quizzes
-student 3 speaks mentions grade on practice AP tests should reflect on report card grade A=5, B=4 etc.
-Student 4 speaks says his grades do no reflect his grades.
-Dr. Alvarez speaks of decisions made on the problem
-spoke to high school administration
-Principal speaks- applauds students on presentation of problem to board.
-disappointed in last year's test scores.
-students perform to best of their ability with preparation
-end result- wait until the end of the semester to determine whether or not students will step down to high honors.
-change in curriculum was done before school started.
-students and parents do not agree.
-students want decision made soon so to reflect on 2nd marking period grades
-Principal agree they will get together with math chair to straighten problem out sooner.

Snow Storm Part 2

Work this morning at 7 am led me outside in the bitter cold at 6 to try to clean up and drive an hour, normally takes 20 min, to work. I returned home and saw my good neighbors attempting to shovel the heavy wet snow. Knowing that now I will be looked upon to clear away snow for the rest of time it still feels great when I come inside and my girlfriend says that I am a good man. I'm cold, hungry, and hate snow. But I rest easy knowing that the couple next door can go to the store if they need to tomorrow, and don't risk hurting themselves.

community service

Our group for our inquiry project spent two Saturday mornings in Newark picking up garbage in Branchbrook park. Before we went there we thought that the park would be filthy and disgusting because its in Newark. This was a poor assumption for us to have because the park ended up being nice. The park had many trees and a lot of land to roam. There is a play ground area for the children and many benches for people. When we saw this we were blown away. The park was extremely sanitary and looked like a social place to be for all families. We a;so enjoyed ourselves when we were at the park. It felt good to clean garbage because we were helping out the community. Even though it might have been a small gesture to clean the park, we were still making change. Our group also became closer that day. Working in groups for our inquiry project was a great idea because we get to interact with others and meet new people.

Community Service

So this morning at 730 am I went outside to clean off my car and my grilfriends, after getting through the ice that had covered the entire car I headed toward my apartment to warm up after being covered in ice for an hour and a half min. The elderly couple had just come outside, they were in their late 80's and having trouble getting down the stairs. I explained to them to give me their keys and I would take car of their cars. So two hours pass by and I am now inside freezing but feeling really good about helping them out.
Its about being part of your community helping out those in need. I know that I will have a cake ready for me when I get home tonight for work, and I have the simple satisfaction of taking care of couple so they can stay inside and keep warm.


PS. Who would've thought ice could cover entire cars so that its just sheets, and also that it would tkae an hour just to clean off each car? I hate winter.

Newark Arts Shadowing

“The anxiety of first-time teachers is often largely the result of a conception of teaching based on traditional lectures, which places the teacher at the center of the classroom experience, the academic equivalent of grounds zero (Croteau 28-33).” Emailing between my teacher and I started off to a bad start. She said that she had no idea what I was talking about and sent an email back that was very unprofessional. I had assumed that emailing between the two would have been professional and the phraseology used turned me off to the idea of meeting with the teacher. Further emails told that the teacher was a first year teacher, this led to the assumption on the my part that he would learn very little and that he would not enjoy the visit.

“In short, the majority of disadvantaged students and families of color live in inner cities (Obidah 249).” Arriving at the school Eric and I went together since Eric was unable to get a teacher to shadow. I had assumed that the classroom would be over crowded, loud and out of control. The day started with a meeting of a group of teachers to discuss standardized testing prompts. The teachers were unprepared and confused over the rules and regulations that came with the prompt. My teacher; Mohawk, dress shirt, and sweater vest, though cheery to met them at the beginning of the day had know grown quiet and reserved. The diversity at the table was outstanding; white, black, and Hispanic teachers talked and discussed their task. All were very articulate, and some had tattoos hidden by their normally unrolled shirts.

My assumptions of the first year teacher fell apart when the unruly students came in to class and she demanded her authority. The class quieted and began their test. There was no taking advantage of the first year teacher, but she worked around their needs. Her second classes, freshmen, were hyper, loud, and out of control. She used a game to quiet them down; ad took control of the class through a democratic, yet educational environment. The assumptions of an out of control inexperienced teacher were true in some respects but overall she was a great orator and leader in the classroom.

“…recognizing that teaching behavior is a composite of beliefs about educational psychology, sociology, structure of knowledge, philosophy of education, and many other concepts (Williams 82).” There is more to teaching than the material; there is more to teaching than the experience of a professor. The assumptions made were thought out of not knowing what it was like for a first time teacher in the classroom. Through interviewing the teacher we learned that she takes home situations that happen with her students, that there is a bond that is made. You are their teacher, not their friend, but you can help them through difficult situations by being someone to trust and someone who will listen.

Nclb

I understand that many are opposed to NCLB, and I agree on many levels. Yet I want to say this; if teachers are worried about not being able to teach what they want we can find out ways to work the curriculum into what we want it to be. Yes I understand it would be incredibly difficult but that by no means makes it impossible. We go to college to become teachers, we receive degrees, this means that we obviously can think, so we can find a way to teach the way we want.
I do not find it fair that a woman who grew up in Paterson still has trouble reading and needs to speak the entire passage for her to understand it, when I know of people in my school system who had the same problem years ago and had help in 2nd grade to solve it. There is an unbalance in our education system, and it needs to be fixed.

Soccer

My best friend played soccer throughout high school, and was known for getting red carded and thrown out of games. Soccer is a smaller sport in my town compared to football. Maybe 100-150 people will attend a game, and most are parents. Games are played on the field below the football field. Not really a flat piece of land, I remember having gym out there regularly and falling because of dips and unseen holes.
The crowd watched in enjoyment and overall seemed to pay more attention than the football games. There were no bleachers and most people brought lawn chairs and blankets. The field was old and beaten just as it was when I graduated and will more than likely stay that way.
Sports are important in my town when we win, if we're not winning people don't go. That is not to say that, looking back on it now, teachers do not appreciate their students being involved in an extracurricular activity instead of being at home playing video games.

Football

In my home town it is a give and take on who will attend a game. My class was not big on sports and we did not really feel any great pride in our sports teams. We had one pep rally a year that we had to attend. Going back to see my old field was nice. Everything looked the same as when I left it. Old bleachers, old field, old grass. Not to say it is not a nice field.
Watching the game nothing seemed to change, the band did not want to be there, but enjoyed playing their music. Younger siblings ran around the field, and Mothers sat talking about their lives. Younger high schoolers came to the games so they could hang out with their girl/boy friends, and overall it was just like old times.
A gated fence surrounds the field, the track is inside the gates. Memories of running around that track bring a smile to my face now. We played our rivals Pope John, and won. I was glad to see this years team was better than my graduating class.
Overall it was a social meeting over anything else, parents cheered their children, but had in dept conversations on the side. Children enjoyed games in the other fields, and teenagers talked amongst themselves.

Control

At what point do you know you've lost control of a class, and what do you do? This came up in my 400 lvl class last night where a situation, though funny, led to the teacher giving up and letting the class go. Though it was great to have left early, as a student who wants to teach I almost wanted to go up and talk to the Professor and tell him that he needed to gain control back of the classroom and continue. In truth we were all seniors, meaning at least the age of 20, the professor could have put his foot down and continued. What do you do when you've lost control in the classroom.

NCLB

This came into effect after I had graduated high school, the idea of my favorite teachers, with all their randomness and love for their subject, told to teach a specific curriculum and to not bring in their love for education.

I can't handle th thought of all the students sitting in one place, given a test all day, and given snacks and games to keep them occupied, meanwhile the teachers bite their nails hoping that the students will do well and they won't lose their jobs.

What has education become, standards on everyone? When was the last time that an entire student body was exactly the same, to go to stereotypes where are the jocks and the nerds? How can you set a bar which its obvious not everyone can reach.

Newark Arts HIgh School

I would have to say that I had a really great time at the school. The ability for a teacher to look outside the box and incorporate new ideas is expected! I'm speechless, there are so many positive things I want to say but they won't form correctly.

For my project I can say that, being from my small home town in Vernon, I definitely expected there to be gangs, and anger, and aggression everywhere I went in Newark, but it was such a beautiful school, and the kids were so involved, I'm just at a loss for words.

Assumptions

3 college students go to Newark to learn about teaching, what are their assumptions, before, during, and after the event? What is it like in an urban school, is it that different from where you grew up?

Its a work in progress but this is our inquiry project.

History Topic

I'm still rather confused over what exactly to do for my inquiry project. Today in class I will ask for examples and hopefully figure out what exactly we are supposed to do. I am excited to go and watch a class room, and I was just offered to shadow 3 history teachers in the Clifton school district. Now all I need is to start my paper.

The Big Paper

So thoughts of my term paper have led me nowhere. Obviously being a history major I want to do history involving education but I am still not sure what aspect. Hopefully form our class tomorrow there will be some help to figure out what exactly I want to do.

Rewrite

The importance of teaching Democracy in US schools should be apparent, considering that we as a nation are a Democracy. Yet there is an underlying tone which we also need to understand about this form of government which we, as teachers, need to teach our students. As Alexis de Tocqueville said, “…the more they look after what they call their own business, they neglect their chief business, which is to remain their own masters (Parker 2).” It is easily understood that it is essential to have a role in our society as a citizen, and also important to take care of ourselves. A student can easily get caught up in promises of our leaders and their general improvement of our country, but they need to understand that if the candidate says that they will cut property taxes for those who make millions of dollars a year, and if the student does not make that much, then why would they want to vote for that mayor.

While making sure that our individual needs are met, there must also be some want to improve the community, which ultimately will improve us. As Parker says, “the paradigm case is the Mafia- a family that looks inward intensely and solely. A thick moral code glues the insiders together, but in dealing with outsiders whose are beyond the galaxy of one’s obligations and duties, anything goes (Parker 2).” In being selfish a person may not realize that by helping the community they are also helping themselves. By example of Jane Addams, you can clear your table of the trash, and bring it outside to make sure your family does not get sick, yet if the trash does not get taken away from your front yard, as per responsibility of the government, then it will pile up and sickness will soon enter your house (Parker 2).

Democracy is one voice, one vote. You must look after yourself to make sure that your needs are met, but also know the balance that your community is doing well at the same time, so that individuals can live a healthy and long life.

The importance of self and community

The importance of teaching Democracy in US schools should be apparent, considering that we as a nation are a Democracy. Yet there is an underlying tone which we also need to understand about this form of government which we as teachers need to inform our students. As Alexis de Tocqueville said, “…the more they look after what they call their own business, they neglect their chief business, which is to remain their own masters.” This is easily understood that it is important to play a role in our society as a citizen of a Democracy, but it is equally important that we make sure that we are taken care of, such as when we vote we need to make sure that our one voice, one vote is toward the betterment of ourselves and our family. A student can easily get caught up in promises of our leaders and their general improvement of our country, but they need to understand that if the mayor proclaims that he will cut property taxes for those who make millions of dollars a year, and the student does not make nearly that much, why then would he want to vote for that mayor.

Yet also in making sure that your needs and wants are taken care of there must also be some want to improve the community, which ultimately will improve themselves. As Parker says, “the paradigm case is the Mafia- a family that looks inward intensely and solely. A thick moral code glues the insiders together, but in dealing with outsiders whose are beyond the galaxy of one’s obligations and duties, anything goes.” If a student were to become enthralled by bettering only himself he may become lost in the fact that if he helps out another he may be able to help out himself. By example of Jane Addams, you can clear your table of the trash, and bring it outside to make sure your family does not get sick, yet if the trash does not get taken away from your front yard, as per responsibility of the government, then it will pile up and sickness will soon enter your house.

Democracy is one voice, one vote. You must look after yourself to be sure that your needs are met, but also know the balance that your community must have its needs met also, so that you can live a healthy and long life.

Its a little longer than it was supposed to be but I got on an idea and couldn't stop.

Duh

I write the poem then forget to comment about it. There are many things that can affect a student and their performances in class. That is a perfect example, they may enjoy their classes and their classmates, but life itself can tire you out. As a student who works full time and takes 18 credits it gets really hard some days to just get up and go, and the motivation needs to be there. You can always use your own experiences to rally the troops, but sometimes you just have to leave it in the hands of the student, and hope that they make the right decision about their education.

Haiku

I am so tired
I don't want to go to class
I'm going back to sleep

I'm sick

Got a cold on the weekend and now I have a whole bunch of medicine that when I take it I have the chance of becoming mentally unstable, confused, listless, violent vomiting, dizziness, and confusion.....sounds like I should just try to wait it out instead of dealing with this.

But don't worry Doc said I could go back to work and school on Wednesday, bad part is I'm missing three classes today.

Group 3 Mars Thing

1. What are our schools like, and how did they get that way?
Schools in the United States go for 12 years. School is mandatory until age of 16. There are many different types of schools: Public, Private, Home Schooling. Our schools try teach students to be a democratic citizen, be mature in a democratic society. Schools founded by immigrants, based on religion at first. Protestants made public schools to separate church and education. Schools are funded mostly by the state and local taxes According to the Public Education Primer 43% comes from local sources, more than three-fourths of this local share derived from local property taxes. 9% from the federal government. Our schools offer free and reduced lunch for families that are below the poverty level. Offer social workers, psychologists, speech therapists, after school care programs depending on schools funding. Institution is progressing, instead of just teachers we What are schools now have counselors that a family may not be able to afford by themselves.

2. Who are our students?
Our students can range from ages 3 to 19 years old. They come from all types of socio-economic backgrounds. Our students also come from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. Funding our education system help our students in the best way possible. Our foreign students have a chance to learn the English language in the form of classes, for example ESL (English as a second language). According to the Public Education Primer on page 25, scores on college entrance exams have increased modestly, in case of the SAT, or held steady, in case of the ACT. We are progressively getting better scores.

3. Who are our teachers?
Almost half of all public school teachers have advanced degrees, and the majority have more than 10 years experience. The United States requires that all teachers have a degree in area of their concentration. The majority of our teachers are women (8 out of 10). Our teachers try their best to help the students as best as they can, they are very dedicated to their work. Our teachers try to prepare students for life after grade school by exercising their students’ creative and critical thinking skills.

First class

Looks to be an interesting and thought filled class.