Thank You!

I would like to say thank you to all my colleagues in EDCI 6160. You have all been great this semester with your comments and support. I wish you all the best of luck on your journeys through your degree programs. I also would like to say Happy Holidays and Have a great New Year!

Quote/Poem

WHY I TEACH  

Sometimes I lie awake at nightand wonder why I teach.Why I come to school each dayconcerned with who I reach.  

When I see a hurting childI always worry......why?Joe is sick and Tom is hurtJill's boyfriend made her cry.                                              

Why should I care at 4 o'clockwhat happens to these kids?I'm paid to teach-not get involved!Love them?  God Forbid!!!  

Sometimes I lie awake at nightand wonder why I teach.The answer lies so deep inside.There's always one I reach.  

by Sara Pralle 

“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.” - Forest Witcraft

 

The quote by Witcraft is something I look at everyday. I was given this quote on a mug that I drink my coffee out of every morning. Looking at it reminds me of what I am at work for everyday. You never know how you touched a childs life, but I think it is important to try all you can. I choose the poem above because I think it also reminds me of why I do what I do.

Assessment

Every time you turn around adults are trying to assess children. Most of the time it is done with standardized test. I assess children monthly with Benchmark test. These test are given every 4 to 6 weeks after a unit of material has been taught. The children are asked to recall the things they learned over this 4 to 6 week period and sum it up it a 30 question test. If that is not enough we have to start collecting writing samples each month and assess them. I have learned that yes you may need figure out where a child is biosocially, cognitively, and psychosocial, but that does not have to happen through assessment. I have found that just letting a child be child and observing can help you understand many things. One of the children in my class does horrible when I am trying to get her to write. During a parent-teacher conference I brought this to her mother. Her mother happen to have the little girl's note to Santa. Her mother said she had written on her own and had brought it to her to mail. I was able to copy the note and put it in her file. This is a prime example of just letting a child be a child and being able to get what you need. I know that assessment is necessary, but I don't think we should force it. We need to know where a child is biosocially, cognitively, and psychosocial in order to determine what we need to do next for them.

I looked up how children are assessed in Australia. They start to test their students around 3rd grade with numbers and literacy. When students enter 6 grade, they will began being tested in science, civics, and citizenship.Unlike the United States, Australia does not test all their children. Children are randomly selected to be tested.They only compare the different territories against each other. I think that it is good that they wait until 3rd grade to test their children. I think it is hard to see what mind set young children are in. I do realize that testing children is essential to how we carry ourselves int he educational world. I just don't think everything needs to be assessed. If you leave children alone sometimes you will be amazed at what comes out.

Reference
Ministerial Council of Education (2009) Assessing Student Achievement in Australia 2009. Retrieved fromhttp://www.mceecdya.edu.au/verve/_resources/AssessingStudentAchievement2009Brochure.pdf