Blog 18: Bullying Prevention Program

                I went to school at Pulaski High School. I don’t remember having much of a problem with bully’s while I was in school, so I was interested to see what their policy is on the matter. I looked at the school boards website, and I found Policy number 5517.01 Bullying.              

                After reading through this six page policy, I determined that Pulaski High School has an extensive bullying policy. They go through saying that bullying is inappropriate, naming many different forms of bullying that can occur. They list the ways in which students can/should report bullying. Finally it lists ways in which students can be reprimanded if found to be a bully, which includes suspension and even expulsion.

                There is also a large section of cyber bullying alone. This is really needed in this day in age, because of the enormous amount of information that is passed via computers, telephones, etc.

                The policy defines what bullying is, so that it is determinable by the staff if they ever see it happening. The policy also defines words like harassment, and intimidation as to give the staff ideas of what to look for if they are ever suspicious of a situation.

                Overall, I think that Pulaski has a good anti-bullying policy. I think they do a good job in defining what bullying is, to give students/staff a picture of what bullying would look like when occurring. It also lays out the consequences of bullying.

-Korri M. Kraemer

Blog 17: Classroom Management

·         Changing classes

·         Using the restroom

·         Sharpening pencils

·         Voice volume

·         SSR

·         Talking aloud

·         Working in groups

·         Giving presentations

·         Bellwork

·         Going to lockers

Talking aloud…

1.       Raise your hand.

2.       Do not interrupt anyone else.

3.       Be respectful with what you say.

4.       Express openly ideas that contribute to the conversation.

5.       Listen to what others are saying and keep an open mind.

6.       Everyone’s opinion and ideas matter!

-Korri M. Kraemer

Blog 16: Video Response

Video 1:

Sandra Jenoski:

                Start on day 1 with routine and practice for 6 to 8 weeks. After the 6 to 8 weeks, the students will be more independent. If you do not spend the first part of the class letting the students know your expectations, than they will be confused and not know what they should be doing or what you expect them to do.

Voncille Ross:

                Establish a community with the students by developing a circle that begins every class. Teaches students to respect each other.

Shaina Martinez:

                Listen to the students. Students appreciate you taking an interest in their lives. Hear the students out, make them feel comfortable so they feel that they can come and share with you.

Ilene Miller:

                Choosing groups: take time and consider your options making sure that every child is involved and learning.

                I think that a lot of the management skills differ between the students because of the ages of their students. When using the community circle approach, it is a great technique for the students, but you would also have to consider the age of the students. When you get into secondary school, the classes have much less time so it is plausible to do that before every class. Than when you consider Shaina Martinez’s students, because they are older, they just want to be listened to and respected. I think that teachers need to consider the ages of their students before they make a ‘management’ plan for their classes. The students should be involved, so that they can be part of the learning community and so they know what is expected of them.

Video 2:

Amy’s advice for new teachers is to gain as many experiences as you can to deal with all kinds of different students to find out what works and what needs to be improved upon in your teaching style. Get down a consistent and fair set of rules for the students to aid in the management of your classroom.

Blog 15: Convergent Education

I realize that there are definitely some changes that need to occur in the educational system. I have never thought about the changes being in the way this article explains in terms of convergent education. Going through school learning the way I did, I want to teach students a different way. In school, I read the textbooks chapter by chapter. I answered questions at the end of certain sections and took quizzes at the end of chapters. And finally I took an exam at the end of a chapter. Since coming to college, I am forced to use my mind in a different way. I am forced to think critically to search for solutions on my own. Particularly in my English classes, we do a lot of close reading with texts, which basically is looking for meaning within a text and evidence of that meaning. I must look through the book, and find what it means to me, with providing evidence. Now this is what I want to teach my students!

                In the article it expresses opinions about the read/test approach to teaching. It also states that if someone wants to look up some information, they can Google it! I never really thought about this before, but how true it is! Since students are now so overloaded with information, if they need to know something, it is very easy to go online and type some words in and find out what you want.

                The one thing that needs to be taught is sorting through the information that is viewed. Since there is so much information online, it is definitely important to teach students how to find credible information before they start to form opinions on a matter. This would be very good for any teacher to teach, especially when doing a research paper/project.

                Education needs to go into a direction where technology is being used. We are going to be teaching students skills for jobs that don’t exist yet, and they are going to incorporate technology in some way or another. So it would be detrimental for the education system to turn its back on the vast amount of ways to use technology to better our students.

-Korri M. Kraemer

Blog 14: Resources

I would like to use the ePals Global Community. This website will connect my class with other classes around the world. Connecting my students while we read texts on a certain country would enable my students to ask those students questions about their lives to learn a new culture. For example, if we were to be learning about works of literature from Britain, we could connect with a class from Britain to make a real world connection to the book. Also, if I wanted my students to work on writing skills, we could make ‘pen pals’ with the students from different places to work on writing skills.

                Another website I would like to use would be How Online Simulations Work in the Classroom. Online simulations are great to show students a different time period that we wouldn’t normally get to experience. If we were to study Shakespeare, if possible, we could find a simulation of that time period so the students could understand the language that was spoken and to make connections with the works of Shakespeare.

                I also like The Fischbowl website. I like that there is a source to go to for ideas for digital media. It is nice to know that there is support for teachers so that when question arise, and ideas for projects that use digital media in the classroom.

-Korri M. Kraemer

Blog 13: Assistive Technology

                Considering that I am going to be an English teacher I researched some Assistive Learning techniques that would help out struggling readers and/or writers.

                I found a cool tool called the Paper-Based Computer Pen. This pen can be used by students to take notes while simultaneously recording the teacher speaking. So if the student is slower at note-taking and cannot keep up with writing what the teacher is saying, that student can go back to his/her notes, touch the pen to that section and listen to the recording. Very cool! This would make is much easier for students to study. Many students struggle with being able to write notes during class, or remembering all the key points made during class and this device would help the student greatly to remember information.

                Another tool that I found is Audio Books and Publications. These devices will read aloud books to the student. They are able to book mark pages and chapters. This would be a good tool for students who cannot read. It would help the student learn the book that we are reading while not actually being required to read the book. I think this device would work out very well to help the student with the reading disability feel like part of the class.

-Korri M. Kraemer

Blog 12: Blogger Experience

My Blogger experience thus far hasn’t been awful, but I am not sure that I will continue blogging. I find that it is very convenient to post my homework to a blog, and have it reviewed that way, but I also feel that blogging is kind of like a journal. I think that the use of blog, not for our purposes of submitting homework, would be to talk about certain aspects of your life. And I would generally prefer to write my experiences down for me to read and not anyone on the internet.

                At first, I had some difficulties getting my blogs posted. I am still not sure what is wrong because I just tried it from a different computer and it worked just fine. So that kind of put a bad taste in my mouth for blogging because I ended up re-writing the first assignment about four times. I was a little frustrated. Since than, and now that I know not use that computer, I haven’t experienced any problems with blogging. But I am not sure if I would be able to continue with it. I don’t know at all what I would post on it; maybe I could start posting some of my writings for people to look at! Who knows…?

-Korri M. Kraemer

Blog 11: School Voucher Position

Superintendent Tony Evers interested in the idea of expanding vouchers and virtual schools in December of 2010. He was in agreement with Governor Scott Walker’s stand that expanding them would be beneficial to the students. There has been no proof of the benefits being that great with voucher schools. Although virtual schools may be a thing of the future for our students, voucher schools are not something that is very effective in teaching our children. In the Badger Herald, it was reported that the cap was considering to be lifted for the number of students to attend voucher schools, which means that many more students will be attending private schools with government money.

            The Green Bay Press Gazette than reports that Tony Evers is now against expanding the voucher program while slashing budgets for education. This report came out in March, 2011. This change has come after Scott Walkers decision to make cuts to school funding, which is taking away from the teachers, mainly bargaining rights.

            I think that Evers is against agreeing with Walker because of the way he is budgeting in the schools. How can he take money away from public teachers to fund private schools? Why not take the money that would be given to voucher schools and make our public schools better? There is so much money that is needed for public schools to make them more efficient in teaching the students that it isn’t necessarily agreeable what Walker is proposing. Tony Evers wants to make the public schools a place for all children to get a meaningful education, and that means that public schools need money, and that more money shouldn’t be going to private schools.

-Korri M. Kraemer

Blog 10: RTI

Response to Intervention (RTI) is an innovative curriculum that will intervene with students who struggle within their classrooms. Versus tagging students as a special education student, RTI will allow them to learn how to learn within a classroom with the help of teachers. Some students just aren’t as fast of a learner as other students, and RTI is a great way to ensure that all students are learning. Giving the students tailored activities in order to learn the lessons is a great way to help the student become a life-long leaner, instead of telling them that they are a special education student.

            RTI differs from Special Education because it isn’t just taking struggling students and putting them together in a separate room, and trying to teach them things that are below their learning level. I believe that Special Ed is needed in schools, but that it shouldn’t be place to send children that are just struggling in their classes. Students need to be helped, and giving them this tiered system to aid them into learning is a great!

            RTI seems to be a very useful system, and I would gladly use this type of instruction in my classroom. This seems to be a more elaborate use of differentiation learning when I would give lessons/assignments on differing tiers to accommodate different types of learners. It would be great to have the whole school behind that way of thinking, and more support from different teachers to come up with ideas of lessons or assignments for these struggling students.

-Korri M. Kraemer

Blog 9: Multiple Intelligences

1.       Interpersonal

2.       Linguistic

3.       Existential

4.       Moral

5.       Logical

6.       Naturalist

7.       Bodily kinesthetic

8.       Intrapersonal

9.       Musical

10.   Spiritual

11.   Spatial

-Korri M. Kraemer

Blog 8: Single Gender Education

There are many pros and cons to educating boys and girls separately. Although there are claims that the girls are called on less in mixed sex classrooms, I think differently. I haven’t seen any sort of bias in any classes that I have observed. I do not recall being called on less in my classrooms because of my gender. In fact, I think that because I was a very good student, I was actually called on often when I raised my hand. And that is what I see happening. I see the students that are doing well in the classes get called on more than ones who are not (generally because the students who are not doing well in the classrooms tend not to raise their hands).

                Personally I don’t feel that single-sex schools would make much of a difference in education. Women may seem to be getting a better education when taught separate from boys, but I think that the social aspect of being in a mixed gender school is better for maturing students. Boys and girls go through different phases of puberty when they are in middle and high school, and I think that if they didn’t have the opposite sex around it would keep them from maturing properly. If they aren’t together in school, there may be this mind set of a taboo of being together, and may cause more rebellion.

                Schools get students ready for the real world. Keeping them separate from the opposing sex is not getting them ready for the real world. Women have to compete with men, and vice versa. Keeping them isolated from this wouldn’t make for a positive outcome.

-Korri M. Kraemer

Blog 7: Diversity in Classroom

A lot of accommodating diversities in the classroom involves the teacher getting to know their students. Once a teacher is able to get to know the students, than they can become more aware of the students’ situations. Many of them may not even be too open about their own situations to avoid being made fun of. I think that by knowing your students will help in aiding the classroom to be a comfortable place for everyone.

                Students may not be very open about their own particular diversity, so teachers do need to be aware of things that may offend someone. One way to support language-minority students would be to learn a different language. Spanish is a very common language that is spoken in our schools today. Not only would learning the language be extremely helpful in teaching the children, it will also help in connecting to the students. I do not speak much Spanish, and I was helping two young boys with some assignments, and they decided to start talking to each other in Spanish. I was extremely frustrated because I had no idea what they were saying, and it would have been extremely helpful to know the language to keep the students on task. Even if a teacher weren’t able to learn the language in a classroom setting, it could be taking some time from the curriculum and having the students teach the teacher some of their language… Talk about making connections with the students!

                Helping students that are different ethnicities or religions in a language arts class could involve the students to do research on the different ethnicities or religions of the community. The students who are experts in each different subject could speak to the class to make everyone, including the teacher, become more aware of the ethnicity or religion. In Education 290 we read this article (and I forgot what it is called) but it was about a student who came to the US from Africa, and he found that his only friend he made here was one that got him into trouble. Only after the teacher took the time to listen to his stories about where he came from, and his mother came to talk about their hometown, did the whole class get a picture of who this child is, and he instantly became more comfortable! Accommodating students would be to learn about them and could easily be done while researching and writing (or doing a project) on the information they find!

                With the economy the way it is, I think that many students are going through socio-economic disparity. Although students may be somewhat embarrassed of their own situation, they may not know how many others are going through the same sort of thing. Teaching the class about the economy and letting them know about the statistics of unemployment, people losing their homes, etc, may aid them to be more comfortable with speaking about their own situation.

                Sexual orientation is generally something that many students would keep private. There is a fear of being made fun of. I think that just letting your students know that you are an open-minded person and that you are accepting of everyone, will make them feel more comfortable in your classroom. I don’t think that teachers need to have their students necessarily come and tell them their own sexual orientation, but just to let them know that you are there for them, and encourage them to be themselves.  Students that are at-risk will also need someone that is there for them. These students may have no one to turn to, and it is important that teachers be open and ready for their students to come to them with problems. Teachers should also, in turn, be open with their students. Let them know about their own lives. Follow a positive lifestyle, and show students how to make good choices while be true to yourself!

-Korri M. Kraemer

Blog 6: Video Response

In the video, Ms. Mossman assigned a presentation for her students to research and ‘follow’ the lives of different writers throughout history. When coming up with an assessment for the presentations, she asked her students how they thought they should be assessed. They gave her ideas as to what they found very difficult and what ways they should be graded. I think that by involving the students in writing the rubric, it gives them a sense of being a part of their grade. It gives them a part of control, in knowing that they worked really hard on a certain part of their project and now they will for sure get graded on it. Also, if they struggled on a part of the project, if that is made known to the teacher, than it may be a small (if any) percentage of the final product. She also allowed the students to grade each other. Getting the students involved, again, gives them a sense of control over their grades. Sometimes students are able to give great opinions to other students that the teacher was unable to think of herself. Students are also able to interpret things on the same level as other students versus the teacher. Taking into account all of the extra opinions that the teacher has to work with on assessing students, he/she will have a better way to grade a student than if it is just them listening to the presentation. Also, if you are giving the student something to do during presentations, it will keep them engaged in the activity, thus learning occurs!

                To do this type of grading for smaller children wouldn’t be ideal. It would depend on how young you are teaching. Kindergarteners, I don’t think should be grading each other because I think they do not understand the concept of giving someone a grade. But I think once students are able to form opinions about ones work, than they should be involved in the grading process.

                For this particular assignment, Ms. Mossman could very well have just assessed the presentations on her own. She, more than likely, knows the information that is being presented and would be able to give a grade on how accurate the research was. But this would 1)Not keep the other students engaged, 2)Make a lot of work for Ms. Mossman, and 3)It wouldn’t be utilizing all the teaching opportunities available. Ms. Mossman could also have taken the information from the projects and combined them into a quiz to ensure the students were paying attention. But then again, 1)More work for Ms. Mossman, and 2)The students wouldn’t know what they key points are and they wouldn’t know what to look for (that would be on the quiz).

                I like what Ms. Mossman did in her class. I think that integrating students into the grading process is a very useful idea. I think that the students are learning more by having to listen to the presentations and formulate opinions on what and why they should earn a certain grade. And the students who are presenting are getting more feedback. Getting feedback from the teacher is one thing, but when you have feedback from numerous people, who are at the same level as you, it is easier to comprehend.

-Korri M. Kraemer

Blog 5: Education Legislation

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was made in order to provide public schooling to all, regardless of the families’ income. The ESEA provided financial assistance to the poorest schools and communities. The ESEA helps schools by providing: early-childhood education, tutoring services, after-school centers, computer labs, dropout prevention, job training, parental education, and professional development for teachers.

The ESEA is extremely important for students and teachers today. Although, the act was passed in 1965, schools are still receiving funding because of the reauthorization of the act, which means that students are getting an education even if the live in poverty. Because of this act, the schools will have access to computers, and books that may not be available to the schools if they didn’t receive funding.

Title IX is part of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. It protects both females and males in sports, financial aid, employment, counseling, and school regulations and policies. If Title IX was never passed, education would probably have been left for just males. Although, women were going to school during this time, I believe that a fair amount of attention and resources went to take care of male students’ need over female students’ needs. Females weren’t given much for a choice of education in the past, but after Title IX, schools couldn’t discriminate against girls.

The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) was a revision of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, in 2004. This act was passed in order to give students with disabilities a fair chance at getting a good, fair education. After this act was passed, student with disabilities were starting to be included with the general students in some or all of their classes. This has its positives and negatives. I think that it would be very helpful to the students. It will give the students with disabilities a chance to learn the things that they should be learning, not watered down materials. On the other hand, it may be slowing the class down because the student may not be able to learn at the same pace. It also gives the general population of students to have interactions with the students with disabilities, so they will see that they aren’t different and should be treated just like anyone else.

-Korri M. Kraemer

Blog 4: Hidden "Social Rules"

The rules from 1872 and 1915 for teachers are very different from the Code of Ethics that are used today. To start off with, none of the rules from 1872 and 1915 have anything to do with the students. They are mainly rules to keep the teachers in line, and ensuring that they live a morally correct life. But then again, those rules are pretty harsh against women. In 1872, the rules allowed men time to court a woman, but than in 1915 it specifically states that women cannot even be seen with a man that is not her father or brother. The rules prohibit teachers from going out and doing things that will make them look like they have a lot of money. And they require teachers to save some money so in times of hardship; they will not have to ask anyone else for help. The Code of Ethics from the NEA that is used today includes things that are all about the student. Principle I is even titled Commitment to the Student. Principle II is titled Commitment to the Profession and states ways for teachers to fulfill their teaching duties in an ethic manner.

                I certainly do believe that there is are unwritten ‘social rules’ for teachers. It may not be a ludicrous as it was in 1872 or 1915, but I believe that the same premise applies. Teachers shouldn’t be portraying themselves in a negative manner whatsoever. This means to not be seen out all the time with lots of people of the opposite sex. And there are definitely rules on attire that are addressed. As teachers, we are told to dress professional, but I think that there is a line that can be crossed when referring to ‘professional’. There are some ways of dressing that may be considered ‘professional’ by following all the rules, but is also not appropriate for teaching (especially adolescent kids).

                Although I do think that there are unwritten rules for how a teacher should act, I think that for someone to want to be a teacher, they would want to show that they can live a positive as a model for their students. The rules from 1915 are a little overboard because school boards shouldn’t be able to influence teachers’ choice to dye their hair, or on what colors to wear. But I feel that teachers should want to show students what a life is like when you make positive choices, and that is what I plan to do with my teaching!

-Korri M. Kraemer

Blog 3:School Climate/Culture

My grade school was great! I loved going to school when I was in grade school, everything was so much fun and interesting. All of my teachers supported learning in their students, and all of them seemed to thoroughly enjoy teaching. My first memories of my teachers are the ones who have influenced me to become a teacher. We always got to post our works in the hallway to show off to all the other students. When we would walk through the halls there was lots of chatter. There were rules to follow, and the teachers made sure that we followed them, but also allowed enough leniencies that we didn't feel like they were trying to control us.

One thing I remember so well about my grade school is the school lunches. I have often thought about going back there just to eat the lunches, they were so good! We had such amazing options; it seemed like something different everyday!

I did have some teachers that I would say I didn't like too much. My fifth grade math teacher seemed very authoritative to me, but it could have been because he was a big guy, and that he was a little stricter than I was used too. Overall, my grade school was very nurturing. Being that I am from a smaller town, the teachers and administration probably already know someone in my family so it is a natural part of our community to want everyone to succeed.

I was in my grade school until I was in 7th grade and then my district had finished the new high school and middle school. So in my middle school, I was only there for the 8th grade. I feel that the middle school offered the same kind of climate as the grade school did. The school was always very supportive of the learning of the individuals in the school.

There are four grade schools in my school district, and they all joined for middle school, this added to the mix different income status' in students’ home lives. This may have changed the climate of the student to student climate, only because middle school is generally the time when people find their 'groups' of friends, and tend to hang out with them. And sometimes cliques came about.

In high school, there were your average cliques that were known. But still everyone got along. There wasn't really bullying when I was in high school. Maybe some minor poking fun of someone, but I cannot even recall when that would've occurred.

The teachers that I had classes with were generally very interested in their students, and wanted them to learn from their courses. One teacher in particular, Mrs. Gerds, she was very intent on making the lives of her students be meaningful. She was always connecting with her students and her students all wanted to succeed in her class.

My experience in my school district was very good. I would be grateful to become a teacher at my high school.

Korri M. Kraemer

Bog 2:Teaching Metaphor

Teaching is like baking. You need all the right ingredients to make the item turn out, just like a teacher needs all the right attributes to be an effective teacher. If you miss one of the ingredients, the product might turn out, but it won't be perfect. If a teacher doesn't possess all of the attributes, they won't be getting the best outcome from their students. You must follow the directions for the baked good to turn out, just like teachers must follow directions from their students to ensure the best outcome of their education!

Korri M. Kraemer

Blog 1:Educational Autobiography

While I was in school, I enjoyed most of my experiences. I earned good grades and all the information came easy for me to learn. I did all of my homework and my teachers always liked me. I was always very timid in school, and when I first got to kindergarten at Glenbrook Elementary School in Pulaski, WI, I was very afraid. My kindergarten teacher always made the classroom such a warm, inviting environment that I eventually got over my fears and started enjoying school. I first decided to become a teacher when I was in first grade. I owe it all to my first grade teacher, Mrs. Anderson. She was one of the most caring individuals I had ever met. She truly loved being a teacher and wanted to see all of her students succeed. She had this reading loft in her classroom. It had a lower part that housed bean bags, and when it was earned the students to go in there to read. But the real privilege was when you got to sit on the top of the loft to read! I remember having so much fun reading, and I would venture to say that her class helped develop my love for reading, which is what I want to pass on to my students.

I also had a really great teacher when I was in 8th grade. She was a science teacher, and I was never one to enjoy science, but she made things fun. Not only did she have a way of explaining things that were understandable, she was also a very good role model. I spoke with her on occasions of how to lead a healthy lifestyle. She was a vegetarian, and she helped to to become more healthy with my eating habits. One of the major reasons I want to become a teacher is provide young girls with a positive role model, someone to show them that leading a simple, moral life is just as much fun as the people on television.

Korri M. Kraemer