Lost one of us at Thea Bowman Leadership Academy

This past week was a difficult week for all of us. We lost one of our students, Annette January, to gun violence. I didn't know her personally but from what I heard, she was phenomenal. It was one of those experiences where students just needed an ear in this difficult time. Many of them needed the time to talk but I didn't know how to approach it because I didn't know how to hold myself from crying in front of them.

I tried to focus attention on what matters today and told them that she would want them to do move forward.  We were just in an anti-violence rally two days prior and to be informed of the news on Monday was just heartbreaking.

Providing more grief counseling

Article:
The article written  emphasizes the importance of addressing the needs of our children in times of grief. Noticing the right information to help a student after a loss of a loved one may help prevent tragedies. Not only after a loss do our students need help, but also during a stressful time in theri lives. According to the article, knowing the right signs like when ill appetites are diminished, weight is lost, concentration and short-term memory are diminished, and the bereaved person often becomes irritable and depressed. This eventually gives place to the third phase of grieving, disorganisation and despair and when it is noticed, there are stages to follow to allow room for our students to heal or cope with the negative things around them.  

Reflection:
I noticed that my students are overwhelmed because of what happens around them.  I noticed a few incidents when my students are not as cooperative and when I ask if there is anything wrong, they immediately open up and begin talking. Thea Bowman Leadership Academy often does the best it can to give such services to the students;however, budget cuts often limit or restrict many resources that can actually help reduce tension during difficult times that students experience. 

References:
Clark S. Loss and grief in general practice: a pilot study. National convention of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, 1986.

March Update

Although I was gathering information from the research project was at the end, I enjoyed speaking to them openly about their frustrations. My students felt like the school was overwhelming them with state tests that were hours in length. I enjoyed speaking to them about their struggles because they felt good speaking out loud. 

 

 I figured we can take their minds off of things so we had heart-to-heart conversions about topics of their choosings. We talked about every controversial topic in the book and concluded that we will learn to agree to disagree. It was a heck of a week overall but it was rewarding and different. 

Lack of School Supplies

Article:
The research examines the possible outcomes that are experienced by schools and teachers when there is a lack of supplies or equipment needed for the classroom. According to the article,the shortage was largely due to a constant "tug-of-war" with regular education personnel for the same resources. The purpose of this study was to ascertain if the condition of lack of proper supplies, materials and resources for the special education teacher existed in the Texas public schools of Region II. Further, it was intended that the attitudes of the teachers should be examined in relation to their perceptions of federal financial support. The solution to this is to provide enough funds for teachers to use the appropriate resources needed for their students' success. 

Reflection:
 It has been a struggle this year to ask for specific things like asking for enough copies for my students for specific assignments. Before we can make copies, we need to request it  48 hours in advance which I found so troubling.  I understood very well that if we had our lesson plans on time then we would know in advance to request it;however, sometimes the plan doesn't go as planned. Students need assistance and when that happens, I need more information that could help but I do not have access to a copy machine to make the appropriate amount of copies. 

Also,  I requested Chromebooks in advance liked what was asked of me but because we do not have enough Chromebooks, I was forced to implement a different lesson plan. When our students are testing, we do not have access to all of the Chromebooks which I find so frustrating. Being underfunded is affecting the teachers and our students tremendously. 

Reference:
Project Innovation, Inc. P.O. Box 8508 Spring Hill Station, Mobile, AL 36689-0508. Tel: 251-343-1878; Fax: 251-343-1878; Web site: http://www.projectinnovation.biz/jip.html

How the lack of Paraprofessionals affect schools academically?

Summary:
 The article  written by Susan Etscheidt emphasizes the importance of having paraprofessionals to assist students with special needs. It was stated in the article that the provision of paraprofessional services to students with disabilities has been recognized as an essential component in ensuring a free and appropriate education. Full- and part-time paraprofessionals are used to assist students with disabilities in home- and center-based facilities, special education classrooms, and general education environments.  According to the article, although paraprofessionals provide such care, they should not be the ones to solely design or deliver courses given to students.

Reflection:
In Thea Bowman Leadership Academy, students were left with no aides in the middle of the year because of budget cuts and people that were first to go were the most desired people in the school. I found it to be disappointing. I understood that paraprofessionals only assist but they also provide general care that many students may depend on. As well as provide general emotional support for all the students.



References

Alexander, K., & Alexander, M. D. (2001). American Public School Law (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning

Budget Cuts Affect Engineering Classes

Summary:
The article emphasizes the affect it has on schools that have extreme budget cuts. According to the article,the decline in state funding and the resulting rise in tuition since the start of the recession have accelerated a longer-term cost shift from states to students and families.  This has an affect on how courses are offered and how much money is spent on the cost of the program. When there is a budget cut, many students take the fall because families end up paying for it from their pockets. 

Reflection:
After speaking to my colleague about her engineering course, I noticed frustration. She is unable to teach effectively because she does not have an updated software to teach the engineering course, and as a result, she feels like she needs to subsitute materials for the software to make it an active classrom.  She is forced to write her own grant in hopes of having to teach effective in the next months. I think it is quite frustrating to have to go through that because of the budget cuts. I do not think teachers should be going through such circumstances all year. It is difficult enough to be teaching courses that you have no experience in. 



Reference:
American Institutes for Research, Delta Cost Project, “Spending, Subsidies, and Tuition: Why Are Prices Going Up?  What Are Tuitions Paying For?” September, 2012, p. 5.

What can Tutoring Centers do for Our Schools?

Summary:

  The article examines the private tutoring centers in Turkey and compares student academic success with certain tutoring centers. Students come from all social economic statuses and different racial backgrounds.  According to the article, students who "received private tutoring with the students who did not did not" were likely not to succeed in standardized academically.

As noted in the article, students who did not receive private tutoring had a mean of –0.45, while students who did receive private tutoring had a mean of 0.31. As a result, private tutoring can be quite beneficial to some but it depends on family social and economical status.  The article concludes that there needs to be more research done to fully understand how tutoring centers can close the gap in our schools.

Reflection:
I disagree with the article. I believe that school need tutoring centers to help students pass the standardized tests. Thea Bowman Leadership Academy had another budget cut and as a result, students were left with no tutoring centers that actually helped.  I don't feel agree with the article. Just because the research did not have enough evidence linked to the success of tutoring centers, it does not mean that the tutoring centers are not effective. I noticed that tutoring centers often help students build confidence to learn effectively and rapidly.


Reference:

Abu-Hilal, M. M. (2000). A structural model for predicting mathematics achievement: Its relation with

 anxiety and self-concept in mathematics. Psychological Reports, 86(3), 835–847.
  

More Elective Courses!

Summary:According to the article written by Ernie Rambo, offering more elective courses helps boost students' grades. Usually, it allows students to explore more subjects of their choice. Many of students who struggle  is because they are disengaged and need  other resources to keep them interested outside of their core required classes.According to the research done by Rambo, students, the schedule that they followed to allow more room for elective courses allow for a attend their team’s core classes for four of those periods, and are in electives and physical education classes for two periods each day. The seven-period schedule allows the teachers of core subjects to have a personal preparation period in addition to a grade level or team collaborative period every day. The seventh period is utilized for explorations classes and is also the time when classes made up of mixed grades can meet.Reflection:After speaking to many of my students, I was told that they wished they had more electives so that they do not feel in a prison. I actually find that quite saddening. They were hoping for more electives courses like culinary arts and dance. I think that a school should offer more courses to help them feel less strained and more productive in a school setting. I think that the school budgets in Thea Bowman  have in some way destroyed students' trust in the school because of false promises. 

Reference: National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (2003, January). No dream denied: A pledge to America’s children. Retrieved February 19, 2010 from http://www.nctaf.org/resources/research_and_reports/nctaf_research_reports/index

How Can Resource Centers Be Helped?

Summary:

The article emphasizes greatly the importance of hiring highly qualified teachers that are able to understand the knowledge behind the laws that pertain to children of special needs, the referral process, as well as an individualized education plan (IEP) development. According to the article, the purpose of this project was to create a manual that could be used as part of a comprehensive induction program, since mentoring and induction programs have been shown to decrease the rate of special education teacher attrition. "What Every Special Education Staff Should Know: A Resource Manual for Beginning Special Education Teachers and Other Personnel Serving Students with Disabilities" addresses the special education referral and eligibility process, eligibility categories, continuum of services, IEP development, typical special education terminology; and basic review of statistical measures which are key components of student success.

Reflection:

Special Education teachers are known to be those that fill in the gaps in our classroom.  I’ve noticed in recent weeks that the Special Education department at the school I teach is overwhelmed because they are overworked. I’ve noticed that after speaking to them that the issue was not that they are not performing well because they do not know the job, but because they are stressed and overworked. With only two special education teachers to aid an entire high school, with students of about 500 students, I would say that is very exhausting. Like mentioned in the article, it is true that many teachers may not be as qualified but this is not because they do not know how to do the job, like new teachers, they needs administration to be able to pay for mentors. I think that is very important because there is an obvious gap. When I do not know who to run to to refer someone to the resource center, you know there is a shortage.

Reference: http://search.proquest.com/docview/1355756890

How can teachers' stress be reduced?

Review:

The article argues that stress often leads to psychological disorders on teachers because of the amount of the work and stress that is put on teachers. The article argues that stress factors, if not corrected, may lead to certain psychological reactions and may influence the teacher to find another occupation with a lesser degree of stress. The article argues that because of the stress, teachers may find it difficult to come back to work. Teacher attrition has also been a serious problem in maintaining quality education in the United States. Although the research produced extensive documentation on teachers' stress and attrition, little attention has been paid to their spiritual stress coping strategies. This article seems to find alternative practices that may benefit teachers in coping with stress and anxiety.

Summary:

I think that teachers are very stressed because of the workload that is put on them. I noticed that many administrators oversee the stress that teachers endure. I remember when I started teaching, I was told that things will get better and they did. But, the stress was not reduced in anyway. The amount of time I spend on lesson planning is beyond 5 hours a week and the amount of hours spent on grading is perhaps double that. By the time teachers get home, they do not have time to actually feel normal again.  I think hiring aides to assist teachers will help teachers with grading and lesson planning. It will help with classroom management and one-on-one teacher sessions. I’ve seen that first hand when I first started teaching. I do not know what we can do as a community to fully say that when we rightfully compensate our teachers for the amount of the work they do, our teachers will perhaps do better. The money that teachers get causes anxiety because many of them have to work another part time job to be able to fully support themselves.

Reference:

Journal of Research on Christian Education, v22 n2 p165-188 2013

Agricultural Education Magazine, 47, 6, 141-3, Dec 74

Characteristics of Schools

Characteristic of School

 

Summary:

 

In the article written by Horn and Kojaku examines curriculums that are rigorous in high schools. They claim that students who had "rigorous" high school experience learned more than the students who didn't and even when all family background characteristics, indicators of socioeconomic status, and selectivity of first postsecondary institution attended were taken into consideration (McDonough 2005; Plank and Jordan 2001). Another important school program—high school guidance counseling—has received attention for its potential to influence college going for historically underrepresented students.  Research shown that counselors who spent enough time with students were able to perform efficiently. 

 

Review:

 

I agree with this article because I've seen how support systems often enhance student achievements. I noticed that there is indeed a correlation between teachers' expectations for students and students' academic success. What that means is that if we higher our expectations as teachers by adding a rigorous curriculum into the school, students will start pushing themselves forward. I also think that having to lift the burden off our counselors, we will be able to be more efficient. I noticed that the school I work in, counselors are so overwhelmed and with the budget cuts, we were unable to successfully push for new software, for example, to help with class programming. Having the money will help reduce that burden and perhaps help in getting an additional counselor.

 

Reference:

Choy, S.P., Horn, L. J., Nunez, A., and Chen, X. (2000).  Transition to college: what helps at-risk students whose parents did not attend college. New Directions for Institutional Research, 107, 45-63.

Chromebooks to change classrooms

Summary:
Many school districts are changing their schools by introducing Chromebooks to each and every student. In The Oskaloosa Community School District ,as the article noted, is introducing the one-of-a-kind program that aims to enhance teaching by distributing Chromebooks to every child to take home. This will change things for many schools because it will allow them to have more access to technology that can be helpful. Teachers will be allowed to be creative in the ways they teach technology so that they can reach every child. As noted in the article, "How teachers will use this to benefit instruction will vary from classroom to classroom and I'm sure that teachers have planned some very interesting ways to utilize them throughout the year," said Hotek.

Review:

Chromebooks are quite changing in the classroom because they help reduce the gaps that happen during instructional teaching time. I believe strongly in introducing Chromebooks to help students in and out of the classrooms. Many students are reluctant to carry heavy textbooks home. I think that Chromebooks may help reduce the tension. I also believe that Chromebooks will allow my students to be more engaged in the material. I think that many students can also save and record all the lessons from class. 

Reference:Oskaloosa Herald, The (IA), Aug 14, 2015

Why are Librarians Important in our Schools?

Summary:

The research book Engaging with the Learning and Teaching Environment  explores the importance of having librarians in our schools. It addresses how librarians play an important role in our schools and how their knowledge in specific fields can be linked to bringing the success to our schools and the success of our students.  As noted in the book(2004,p.10), traditionally, librarians may have a knowledge in one field only but over time, it has changed. Now librarians  cover a wider subject in a specific subject. The librarian's familiarity with Internet searching and metadata offers opportunities for skills practitioners to apply accurate and helpful descriptions resources. Rikosksi quoted in Sturgers (Sturges,2001 p.66) sees a new role for the subject librarians as providing a "bridge" between the subject matter and the emerging technologies.

Review:

After budget cuts, our school has faced a crisis. One of many issues we faced was not having a librarian. I have a total of 150 students and many of them depend on the library for important research projects, homework assignments, and computers. Before the budget cuts, we had a wonderful librarian who brightened our school with early announcements in the morning, was  a support system for our school that was always there to schedule library meetings for our students, as well as someone we went to when we, the teachers, didn't have the resources for help.

As noted in the article, experienced librarians are needed in their field of study. They are the "bridge" to miscommunication amongst teachers and students. As well as guidance counselors that assist students with projects that they feel like they do not have enough confidence to do. Currently, we have senior assistants that have volunteered much of their time for the library;however, no time can replace an experienced, highly qualified librarian.

Reference:

Atton,C., 1996.Towards a critical practice for the academic library. New Library World, 97 (5), 4-11.

Article 1: Strengthening the African American Educational Pipeline : Informing Research, Policy, and Practice

Summary:
The research book written by Jerlando F.L. Jackson examines the lives of African American students in an Urban setting.  Jackson seems to explore the number of issues that African American Students lack because there aren't enough advantages given to them like the whites, and as a result of that, they perform poorly on standardized tests. Jackson claims that inequality, disparate representation, and denied access opportunities are many of the reasons why African Americans struggle with education. Jackson notes in her research that " the dismal educational conditions for African Americans coupled with federal legislation targeted at improving conditions, however, the results have been slow and insignificant. The research also examines how teacher selection plays an important role in student performance. (Jackson, 37)

Review:
 After doing my research, I understood that many African-Americans struggled in the educational system because of how they are perceived in their communities, and as a result, has impacted the amount of resources they receive from people of power. I think that it may take a long way before societies and communities can actually change. I feel like there is indeed a correlation between how they are perceived by society and the grants needed for them to actually succeed academically.

I feel like my students actually feel that they do not have enough resources because of how they are perceived by their communities and the people around them. One indicator that I noticed thus far is how they feel about the community they are in. They reference neighboring blooming neighborhoods as "wealthy" and "place of living" yet never refer to their neighborhood as a place that is comfortable and worthy because they do not feel like they have enough of resources as compared to the neighboring towns.

Link:

 Jackson, Jerlando F. L., and Gloria Billings. Strengthening the African American Educational Pipeline Informing Research, Policy, and Practice. Ithaca: State U of New York, 2007. Print.