Bridgett Ellis

EDCU 1500

Educational Philosophy

I believe that the purpose of education is to teach and explore the unknown. Teaching is about making the students think critically. A teacher should create assignments that encourage critical thinking skills. This will help students build problem-solving skills.  I think that education  should challenge students. To challenge the students, it important to contribute things that are interesting to the students. The integration of subjects that interest the student can add a different dynamic to the class and they will be able to show their individually through their work. The students should walk away for the class feeling that they learned something new. Teachers should guide to the students through tasks such as assignments, projects, and other academic activities.  Education is not just about a letter grade. The purpose is to push the student mentally ability. 

 Schools are environments where people can learn from one another. With so many different personal and ways of thinking, learning doesn’t necessarily have to be in the classroom. School can also be a place where students find their identity. The purpose of school is not just to students the basics, but to prepare the for life challenges. Schools will teach the building block that students will carry with them throughout their lives. Another thing, schools can provide educational self-discipline techniques. A place where students can learn wrong from right. 

 I believe that learning helps establish your own way of thinking. Students can learn the same things but process them differently. Education is the process of gaining information or knowledge and using it to develop different skills. Learning is also about progression. The more we learning, the more we widen our point of view. Learning doesn’t have to be just in the classroom. Also, involving that community is an essential part of the learning process. I believe that the students can learn from the people in their community, by getting different perspectives.

Bridgett Ellis

EDCA 1500

Observation 1

I’m doing my 40 hours of observation at Franklin Middle School, in North Minneapolis. I have been to the school a few time before. Franklin Middle is grade 6-8. The school offers extracurricular activities such as band, choir, dance and many more. As I observed the outside scenery of Franklin Middle School, I notice that the building has an old-fashion type structure to it. Something that stood out about the design of the school was the long pathway leading to the school and the big windows. I felt a very welcoming vibe because of the way the outside was presented. The structure of the building has an extensive landscape for a middle school, which I thought was a good factor because have more space.

                                                 

As I walked around the neighborhood I notice that it was silent. I reviewed the school around the time that class was in session. There weren't many people out around the community during that time of day. While reviewing through the neighborhood I saw a person walking, I spoke to a person about the school. She told me that she didn't have anyone children goes to but said: “it seem like a pretty good school.” I believe that this "urban" school is a great place to do my observation. With the diversity at this school, I feel that I can learn more about teaching in a different type of community.

In the Community of the school, there are many different aspects, such as schools, stores and parks. There's an elementary school less than a block away, which I think in a great thing because students that finish elementary school wouldn't have to go far to a middle school. Also, the student can visit the elementary have helped out. In the area, there's a Cub Food grocery store. In addition to the many different stores, the neighborhood has a park across the street for the school. The park has a swimming pool and a playground. This community has multiple different elements.

Bridgett Ellis

EDUC 1500

Blog #3

The history of education has a substantial influence on the education system today. In historical events such as Brown vs. Board of Education or Engel v. Vitale change the dynamic of the school system.  History has shown that many cultures and communities had been oppressed when it come to education. The Brown Vs. Board Education was the desegregation in schools because separate didn't mean equal. In podcast The Problem We All Live I notices some similarity in objectives. Although both Brown Vs. Board of Education and the podcast are many years apart they had the same goal in mind, integration.  Both wanted equal education opportunity for all student, no matter what community they come from. 

 The podcast talked about the difficulty that Normandy school district  faced trying to pull themselves out of the academic rough spot. The school was trying mostly everything to help. The one thing that could improve the school was integration. In the school of mostly African American and Hispanic, the student did not receive the best form of education. The integration in the school means better teachers, higher quality materials and more academic support for the students in struggling schools. The statistics have shown that the students who attend this diverse schools are more likely to continue on to college. The students from Normandy transferred to the Francis Howell school district. The Francis Howell community wasn't very accepting of the transfer. The Normandy students were given a bad reputation, of being violent and weren't capable of keeping up with Francis academic standards. I believe that the Francis community prejudged the students for Normandy without giving to the integration chances. Often when the parents feel that the school is heading for a downfall they leave, which segregates the school.

 Busing was an essential factor in the integration. The busing program was a way to transport students to schools outside of their district zone. This program started in 1971 and desegregated many schools. 

I understood that there is progress that still needs to be made in our education system. The knowledge that I received made sense of how integration has an extensive influence on the way students perform and the education system.