Students obstacles outside of the classroom

Students are faced with a number of obstacles in and out of the classroom from bullying to teen pregnancy and as teachers it is important to be able to help the students through the difficult times.  Teen pregnancy has been on the rise and it is important that teachers do their best to educate the students.  Each school can decided whether they will have a sex education class and whether they will teach a comprehensive sex education model or the abstinence-only program.  The federal government will only fund abstinence-only models even though surveys have shown that more than 90% of middle and high school students and parents think they should be taught the comprehensive sex education model.  Personally I think that the abstinence-only program should be taught first and have the most emphasis on it but students also need to be educated.  I found an article about a teacher from a small town in Kansas who teaches family consumer sciences to high school students her name is Megan Clark.  The article can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/fashion/10TEEN.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 She uses shows like 16 and pregnant to keep the students interested and to show them how difficult living in that situation will be.   By using a show that the students all watch and know about to teach valuable life lessons and skills is something that is very important.  Students like to be able to relate to what is being taught so by using this show that the students are informed about they can relate to what is being taught without actually having to be in the situation themselves.  A lot of people criticize the shows and say they glorify teen pregnancy.  I understand why some people would think that because the girls and boys on the show are famous but it also does a great job showing the struggles they face every day.  I think that there will be some students who think being on these shows would be cool but I also think that if teachers, peers or parents all had open judgment free discussions about exactly what it would mean to be pregnant at 16 the shows are harmless.  I think that using materials that students are familiar with gets them interested and helps them to learn more.

Teaching to diverse learners

Schools are becoming more diverse today more than ever before and this gives teachers a multitude of teachable moments that will help students to become more aware and understanding of other cultures.  Classroom teachers are not the only ones that should be trying to teach students about the different cultures.  The physical education teachers can use games from around the world to teach students about other cultures.  By teaching the students games that are played in different cultures students get a better understanding of those cultures.  This is also great because students who come from different backgrounds get to play games that are part of their culture and see everyone else enjoying them as well.  The book gives some teaching strategies on how to become better at involving students of all cultures and ethnicity into the class.   They use the acronym DIVERSE to help readers remember these strategies. 

The D in DIVERSE stands for diverse instructional materials.  This means that the students need to be able to see different diverse thoughts and views through your teaching styles.  By incorporating as many different aspects and views from a multitude of different cultures students will be able to think more diversely.  Classroom teachers can work on this by encouraging students to put themselves in other peoples shoes.  In the gymnasium the physical education teacher can do this by going over different variations of each game used in different cultures.  Another way to do this would be to inform the students of how and where all the sports and games originated. 

The I in DIVERSE stands for Inclusive.  This is very a very simple idea but sometimes challenging task to execute in the classroom situation.  In every class there will be students who have different skill levels and it is important that each lesson be beneficial to all the students.   In order to do this it is important to have a bunch of modifications for each activity that will make it harder or easier.  This is easier said than done.  Making sure each and every student is getting the most out of each class is one of the most difficult things about being a teacher.  When all the students are being challenged but are still able to be successful this will not only be more beneficial for them but also more enjoyable. 

The V in DIVERSE stands for Variety.  All students learn differently some learn faster and some slower, some need visual aids and some just need to hear it once and they get it.  In order to reach the most students it is important to teach to all these different styles.  In physical education it is very important to not only describe the activity to the students but also have a short demonstration.  It is also beneficial to have cue words that the students can say out loud or in their head to help them remember the steps.    Having visual aids all around the gymnasium and using them as frequently as possible will also be very helpful for students.

The E in DIVERSE stands for exploration.  By encouraging students to learn about different cultures and their beliefs it will start to expand their minds and way of thinking.  Some of the ways to do this in the gymnasium would be to incorporate games and activities that are popular in different cultures.  The class play across cultures that SUNY Cortland offers is a great way to learn about these different games and cultures.   

The R in DIVERSE stands for Reaction.  This strategy is all about teacher feedback and how it is important to take the proper amount of time and consideration when giving students feedback.   The students need to know what they are doing wrong and how to fix it so it is important to give them specific feedback that is easy to understand and helpful for their improvement.  Physical educators need to be able to spot the simple mistakes students and making and give them advice on how to fix them.  It is important that the teacher is giving each and every student in the class feedback.  It can be a challenge to give students feedback and manage the class at the same time.  One way to do this would be to have stations set up and the teacher can stay at one station and give the students feedback as they all move through each station. 

The S in DIVERSE stands for Safety.  In physical education teachers mainly focus on keep students safe from physical harm.  However it is equally important to keep them safe from verbal and mental harm.  Making sure bullying and offensive comments stay out of the gymnasium can be quite the challenge.  Due to the competitive nature of a lot of the activities students will be performing in physical education it is important to pay very close attention to what the students are saying to one another.  It is important to let the students know early on that there is zero tolerance when it comes to bullying.  It is very important to strictly follow the policy to let the students know that you are serious.   Another good idea is to put up bully boxes throughout the school.  These are locked boxes where students can anonymously report any bullying that they see or that is directed at them.  Students all deserve to feel safe in school and this is just one way to do that.

The final E in DIVERSE stands for Evaluation.   When planning what evaluations will be used it is important to make sure that all students will have an equal opportunity to be successful on it.  This means if you are teaching a class that has some ESL students in it try giving an evaluation using mainly pictures, or grade them based more heavily on skill.  Making sure the tests are fair and are an appropriate measure of each students skills is important.

When teaching it is very important to treat all the students fairly and equally, because if you don’t they will notice.  Students definitely pick up on teachers giving out preferential treatment to other students and it will affect their performance.  Everyone just wants to be treated the same as everyone else and if they feel like they are being treated differently it will be upsetting and possibly effect their performance.  

Gym vs Physical Education

I was recently watching a Netflix with my friends and saw that The Wonder Years had recently been added.  Since it was a show that I used to enjoy a lot when I was younger we decided to watch the first episode.  The show went through the main character Kevin Arnold's life on his first day of high school.  During his first day he goes to PE class and this clip shows what happens.  Although the show aired in 1988 it was about a family's life in the 60's.  It was interesting to know that even that long ago the term physical education was starting to be used.  It is a little discouraging that people still use the term gym instead of physical education.  Becoming a good physical educator will only help give physical education more creditability and hopefully get more people to stop calling it gym.

Time managenment

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While reading the first part of chapter 4 about how class time is spent I began thinking about my one experience in classrooms and how that time was spent. I began to realize that in a lot of my physical education classes we had a lot of wasted time that could have been focused on something more productive. Some of the things I experienced in my classes when I was in school never really seemed like a big deal at the time but looking back on it I see how they could have been improved. Even when I was observing in the schools I saw teachers doing things that could have been done more efficiently. The biggest thing was taking attendance before each class. Another thing I noticed was cleaning up one activity and getting set up for the next activity took up a lot of time. However the biggest aspect that took up time was behavior management.
A lot of teachers will have the student’s line up at the beginning of class to take attendance. This seems like a huge time waster and there are many more efficient ways to do this in a class. Instead having all the students line up and wait for the teacher to call off everyone’s name in the class they should be given a warm up activity right away. By getting the students active right away it keeps students engaged and moving which is the main purpose of physical education. Instant activities are a great way to get the students moving and warmed up right away. Old fashion warms up can be repetitive and boring and in order to keep the students excited and on task we teachers need to spice up the warm ups. Other good things about having an instant activity is that students will come into class and not even have the chance to get sidetracked or off task. By getting them started in activities right away it could lessen the student’s behavioral problems. PEcentral.com has some great ideas for instant activities that can be used for students of all ages.
http://pecentral.com/lessonideas/searchresults.asp?category=60
Having smooth transitions in a class can provided teachers with loads of extra time that would usually be spent cleaning up and changing activities. Some of my teachers would spend 2 to 3 minutes in between each activity for clean up and set up. It seems that because they didn’t plan out ahead of time they were losing valuable time during these transitions. I think that it is important to know exactly how the class will change from one activity to the next. Using the students to help clean up and set up activities is a great way to save time and keep the students on task. If the students always have a job to be doing the distractions will be limited and they will be better able to stay on task.
One of the biggest concerns a new teacher has is behavior managements and keeping the students on task. Is the students are behaving inappropriately and the teachers can’t control them it doesn’t matter how awesome the lesson is. After observing many teachers and being a student myself I sadly still have no idea how I will keep the control of my classroom. I have ideas from each teacher I had but I will have to find my own style and work with different classes and try my best to keep the class on task. I have seen very strict teachers and very laid back teachers, both types of teacher where able to keep control of their class. I think that the biggest thing in behavior management is being yourself and doing what works for you. It is impossible to control student’s behavior but it is possible to control the situations you put students in. By controlling these situations and environments you can help to create a classroom that keeps students on task. By having exciting new games and activities that the students enjoy they will be more motivated to stay on task. It is also important to limit distractions and transition times because these can cause students to become off task quickly. A typical class will only last approximately 40 minutes and in order for students to get the most out of their class teachers need to use this time wisely.

Organizations for Teachers

Once I become a teacher I will be faced with the difficult decision of deciding which organization if any I want to be a part of. There are two major organizations, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, that were designed to protect teachers and improve working conditions. Deciding whether or not to join these organizations proves to be a difficult decision. These organizations help to improve teachers salaries and other working conditions using different strategies like organizing strikes and get the teachers to group together to bargain for certain changes. Some people argue that these organizations are more hurtful then helpful, and they think that these organizations are only interested on improving salaries. People who are against these organizations say that they are more concerned about what is good for the students and these organizations do nothing for the students. I started thinking about which side I was on and whether or not I would want to be a part of either of these organizations.
The National Education Association is the largest professional and employee organization in the nation and has close to 3 million members. This leads me to believe that what they are doing is very beneficial and could be something I would be interested in becoming a part of. The National Education Association gives members free publications that will keep me up to date on the newest research in the Educational field. They also provided free legal services, which as a Physical Education Teacher could come in handy if anyone was ever to get injured in one of my classes. Being able to have free legal services is a very good way to protect myself and my job and is very important to have in the future. This association also gives members a chance to be trained in different areas like technology and academic freedom. Bring technology into the classroom is something that is very important and is something that would be nice to have help with. I have never been technology savvy and it would be great to have help so I could incorporate the most up to date methods in my classes. The National Education Association does work to get teachers better salaries and working conditions but they also work to give teachers opportunities to expand their education and stay up to date. I think that were some people think this organizations focuses too much on the teachers and not the children in the long run it helps both. Teachers need to be able to feel secure in their jobs so they can teach in a way that works for them and their students. If teachers are consistently worried about losing their job or not being able to pay their bills they will not be able to teach to the best of their ability. I think that this organization would benefit me in the future and after some more research I may end up joining once I get a job as a physical educator.
The American Federation of Teachers is a smaller organization but has also done some very important things for teachers. The American Federation of Teachers has always fought for what is right and to make schools better. They were the first to back desegregation of schools even though it was not the most popular thing to do. Member of this organization make the hard decisions and do what is right no matter what. The leaders of this group fight for teachers even if it means going to jail for their beliefs. Being part of a group that is so passionate about their jobs and doing what is right is something that would be very beneficial for me. By surrounding myself with people who are just as passionate about teaching is something that will make me a better teacher. The American Federation of Teachers provides teachers with a multitude of resources that will help to make them a better teacher. I think that both of these organizations have benefits and I can see myself joining one in the future. I think that although critics claim these organizations are hurting schools I have to disagree. I think these organizations do the best they can to make teachers better. Critics also argue that these organizations protect incompetent teachers. I would not be surprised if this has happened once or twice but they are also giving these teachers resources and opportunities to turn it around. I think that these organizations are more helpful then hurtful and something that is important for teachers to have.

Weekend in Raquette Lake

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to get to spend it in Raquette Lake with other students from SUNY Cortland as well as a group from the Wildwood Program. The Wildwood program is a not-for-profit organization that offers a variety of services to people with disabilities. They offer formal private schooling for people aged 3-21, but also continue to provide service to people who are older. One of the many services they offer is providing people of all ages and ability levels a chance to engage in recreational activities. They help people with disabilities to become involved in their communities and give them a chance to participate in activities they enjoy. All of the adults we worked with this weekend are part of the Wildwood program and choose to come to Raquette Lake for a vacation. They paid with their own money to come and spend the weekend with us playing games and spending time in the wilderness. When I first found out about this I was a little intimidated thinking I better come up with some fun games and activities to play with everyone. After meeting everyone it was clear that I could use many of the things I had learned in my classes to make this weekend as fun as possible for everyone. We have learned a lot about inclusion games and making small modifications to games so everyone can participate. During this weekend having the skill to modify a game on the spot was crucial to make sure everyone could participate. Sometimes the modification was as simple as doing a small demonstration first so everyone would understand. Some of the other easy modifications we made were making the playing area smaller or making the distances in the games shorter. This got m thinking about when I will be teaching in the future and how knowing how to do this will be very beneficial. Even if there are no students with disabilities in my class being able to do this for students who are less skilled will also come in handy. This weekend has taught me that over planning is the best thing one can do. It has also taught me that if the games or activities you are trying to teach are not going as planned it is okay to stop and make some adjustments so they do work.
When out in the schools it will be very possible that I will be working with students who have disabilities and this experience has taught me a lot. I have learned that it is imperative that we see the person before the disability. Sometimes we are too quick to label and judge people with disabilities and by doing so we may not see all they are capable in. This weekend I saw people do things that I wouldn’t have expected them to be able to do. I am very glad I got this experience because it taught me a valuable lesson that will make me a better person and educator. Over the weekend I learned that assuming things about someone based in their ability is something that is easy to do but should be avoided at all costs. The disability does not define the person each and everyone has their own personality and it is important to see that and learn what the person is really all about before jumping to any conclusions.

Reasons for teaching

Choosing a career path is a big decision that can be scary for someone how is uncertain of what they want to do with their life.  Choosing teaching for anything other than that it is your passion to inspire and educate youth could be detrimental for your future students.  I think that if someone who is not passionate about teaching makes the decision to become a teacher they better be willing to give it their all.  Teaching is a big responsibility and it requires a lot of time and energy and someone who does not have a passion for teaching will not necessarily put all the effort in that the students deserve.  While reading the first chapter I came across a chart showing the most popular responses for why people teach.  The chart showed that the majority of people  teach because they desire to work with young people.  The second most popular response was value or significance of education to society.  The third most popular was interest in school matter.  These are all great reasons to start teaching and I am happy to hear that these are the reasons most teachers decide to teach.  Some of the less popular responses where long summer vacation, influence of family and job security.  I was happy to hear that these where not the main reason people where starting a career in teaching.  If you are only teaching for these things then it is very possible that you won't be doing everything you can to give the students a good education.  I decided to teach while I was at a summer camp with my friends.  We would play different sports each day and what came easily to my friends and I seemed really difficult for others.  I saw some of my new friends sitting on the side lines because they didn't know how to play or because they felt they were not good enough.  I tried to help them the best I could because I wanted everyone to get as much out of the activities as I was.  I have always been a very physically active person and get a lot of enjoyment out of exercise.  I used to find it hard to imagine why some people did not feel the same way.  Sports and physical activity in general have such a difference in my life and I have gained so many positive things from them that I want everyone to feel this way about them as well.