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.