Reflection 20

The acceptance of public high school in the mid-nineteenth centurey affermed democracy. Schools in the U.S. differed from the schools in a lot of ways. However even with the changes schools in the U.S still fell short of democratic principles.
Schools in the European side of the the spectrum have always been quite different from ours here in the U.S. European schools had a pretty collectivistway of working with their students. They really believed in having the student being involved in thier education they wanted them to have a choice in exactly whatit was that they were learning. Of course thay had to learn the standards of learning such as the maths, languages, grammer, history, and things of that nature but they were democratic and letchildren choose other things to be taught that they were interested in.
The U.S on the other had the picture in a different filter. See the U.S wanted things to be a little different; we were suppose to be democratic but somehow we stayed in the republic stance. We as a country i believe are a little more spoiled and layed back. We came up with standards and we made sure that they were methowever thats when we stopped. We were only concerned with the standards being met we were not trying to make our students surpass that mark. So instead of becoming followers of democracy we become people of mediocraty. Not realizing that our students werent equipt with the tools to succeed in life. We had giving our students every tool to pass question on a peace of paper but we had failed them in the test of life in life skills and life management.
Of course every country has their ups and downs and disagreements and education is deffinatly not a limitation in this situation. Of course we know for sure know that democracyis deffinatelt the way to go because our students will be well prepared for live live but to change the entire curriculum after all these years would be a mission. A lot of people are afraid of change and certain teachers are afraid of release their voice of the students choice. When in actuality it should only be up to thestudent since its their future anyway.

Reflection 19

U.S. eduaction I believe has truely evovled. Just the thought that we have come from dame schooling in colonial times to public high schools. It didn't happen over night but it deffinately happend.
Dames schools were the early from of a priavte elementary school. The Dame schools where uaully taught by women. Most of these women who taught at these Dame schools where illiterate. These schools the majority of the time where usually ran in the houses of the women teaching and the schooling was basically looked at as some form of primary daycare. The children where only being taught some early spelling skills and minimal math. In time a lot of the dame schools had to be shut down becuase the teaching was below government specified standards which means thatthese dames schools were being compared to the other types of schooling and the students of which were being taught by these illiterate teachers were obviuosly not performing on the correct levels.
Through the extremly long and continuous time of education, education had evolved into public high school. Public high school is a whole lot different from dame school for the simple fact thatnow in todays world any teacher must be literate and certified to teach. The government put a stop to the "blind leading the blind". Public schooling in a since is free to the students and they are evaluated to measure there knowlegde. Public high schools offers so much to students such as maths, arts, englishes, and history. Each teacher has been equipt with the knowledge in different areas to teahc these students and prepare them for higher learning.
No one can ever really look down or frown upon dame schooling because it was a start and some form of education. It may not have been as affective as other schooling but it gave us something to try to perfect. Dame schooling seems to have had a few things out of order because it did was simply looked at as a from of day care so maybe teaching wasnt a major proirity and thts why the teaching wasn't excellent. As a society yoyu always have to start somewhere and Dame school was deffinately a stepping stone for public schools.

"A ruler of..." Reflection

This peace i believe has many meanings and undertones of life in general. In the beggining it seemed as through this peace was only talking about what things appeare to be and what things really are. For example people look at christmas as the time of year for gift giving and fancy things cutting down trees and dressing them up all nice but they dont really realize that is it truely suppose to be a very spiritual and religious day for christians. They dont realize that are cutting down trees that we need in our invironment not only just to breathe but for animals to live in as well. But we humans are selfish ans we only think for the present.
However the peace take a different tone especial towards the end when it was talking about the dentist doing their job. It goes into detail about how everyone has their purpose in life and whatever that purpose may be we must be efficient in our purpose becuase if we are not then we are inferior to the world.
It also touches on the simple things that takes place in the world such as weather changes and animal behavior which are all parts of life so i assume that it wants to address the fact that we are all connected in the circle of life, that everysingle living organism needs one another to survive and live strong successfully.

Reflection 18

I disagree with the statement " In America, education has alwaus been viewed as a vehicle for improving the society at large." People in this society complain about the younger generation but never look to improve the education system. If education really is "viewed" as helping improve the society at large than our education system would not have as many flaws as it currently does. educated people tend to be less inclined to do criminal activity, yes but none the less our "society" at large is not putting any effort in helping spread awareness of the power of knowledge. Our society has one to many short comings to many teenagers droping out of high school too many collage students not getting their degree, and not really seeing the need to. They feel they can get by with being medicore and so they settle for the average.
We as a country, as a poeple want to improve society at large right now, but do we look towards educationt to do that? Do we motivate and encourage, and pay our teachers to help improve the quality of education our students get and show them that we care about what happens to our future generations education?
These questions all havevery simple answers, we want to improve our society but we do not do anything about improving our education system. Our generation will be lost without guidance from parents and guidance counslers who want our children to succeed no matter what the difficulty level. We want leaders who will tell them they can beat the odds and over come there circumstance. Do we view education as a way to improve society as a whole... no we dont, but we should. If eduacation is the vechile to improve society at large than why hasnt anyone filled her up with gas?
we blame our society on factors that do not matetr int he long run, we need to make sure were teaching our kids to look at the big picture! to see how this will effect the later rather than the short and short lived benefits of the now. People view education as something that is forced upon them by their parents, peers etc.. It needs to be viewed as a tool for self improvement and self growth.

#17

The role of religion in Coloniel American education was very prominant. It encompesed a great deal of their academic teachings. They did not have much room for religious tolerance, they taught their lessons based solely on the bible. Verses U.S. education that teaches religous tolerance and doesnt allow teachers to empose their religous beliefs on their students. Another reason for this is that America has alot of immigrants and harbors alot of people from differant countries so we have developed a tolerance and respect for other people right to freedom. Where-as coloniel america did not they had no scientist then they did not have many immigrants and they knew no other way than the way in which they were taught, the way the bible teaches. They drew from the bible and used the fear of God to implant their youth with the proper murals etc.. coloniels focused on conformity and United States education did not even though there were many diverse religions they all shared a love for learning and higher education.
Coloniel schools of New England also discriminated against people who were not wealthy or religious leaders. Even tp a certain degree against their own women, because it was not considered neccessary for women to have a higher education. They were taught based upon the expected needs of her family. In the USA we have come along way, we now live in a country were women are accepted for who and what they are, and whose academic studies differ in no way from that of a male student. The students can now pick which subjects bestsuit their lifestyle instead of having it dictated to them. In coloniel new england everyone thatwent to school was learning to take on the family legacy and work on the plantation they wanted to them to conform and not be to expressful. which differ from america because we had to be accecptful and open to toher kinds of poeple and jobs because of our background and our common intrest in education.
There are many differances between coloniel new england and education and modern USA education we have come along way and made huge advances in sciene and the arts as well as our tolerance and reliance on religion.

Reflection 16

Rhetoris basically was or is the art or the ability to persuade it is an ability of language. It was used until the 19 century in western education. In order for public speakers and writers to be able to move an audience they had to be trained in this. The mojority of the sofist thatwe just learned about in this course duch as Aristle, Plato, and Socrates used this methood in their arguements to move the aaudience.
I belivieve that this particular form of language evolved into a new way of thinking especially when it was being taught. The most " wise" men where traveling this world with this ability and i believe that it made romen education want to upgradethere way of education to be more knowedgable of the world and the world traits of a sophist. The ability to express properly your arguement and make other understand, comprehend and then take your point f view was a very essential tool to be able to use.
It was a very influential way to teach. People wanted this trait. For the simple fact thatyou would be look at as intellegent man if u were capable of doin this artof a language. This particular skill was very usefull for men in the political and public speakin citizen. Ofcourse it would've been some whatuseless to an acerage farmer who's only tasks and or abitions were to grow crops and raise cattle.
Honestly in my opinion i feel that rhetoric was a state of mind. However it was up to the "man" or the individual who wants to think differently of what they have been taught by theur parents in Rome. You had to want to feel something and you had to make someone else inderstand how you feel about something and even further then that you have to want them to feel the same that you feel about the situation atthe very end of the arguement. It's actually winning a battle off the battle field even though it enitially started when two disagreeing parties. But once you have persuaded some else t oview some as you do; you have truelly deffieated the other point of view regardlessif you were right or wrong. I believe that when Rome was exposed to the art of language that it was deffinately fuel for the to expand the posibilities of better education.

Reflection 15

Ancient Athenian educations purpose was for their sons a rounded education and for the appreciation of many things in the world. From the ages of seven to fourteen boys where taught in on room something similar to a cubical. Theywere taught musical traits like singing and playing an instrument for entertaining friends and family. Greeks believed that music helped purified and cleansed the soul.
Gymnastics was also a big partof the athenian curiculum. Of course this was to build a great warrior out of the young men they were taught how to swim and play on teams naked and covered in olive oil. They were also taught how to wrestle each other and throw javeline and discus. Of course the females were kept at home where they were tuaght house keeping and thing of that nature,
The ancient Roman education for a period of tim ethe children were taught by their parents. The mother taught the girls and the boys until about the age of seven and they continued on teaching the girls housework and anything else that would be essential for girls t be knowlegdeable of. When the boys approached the age of seven they were sent to their fathers to be taught. It was the fathers responsibility to pass on the knowledge that he saw fit to suceed in life. Eventually public schooling was offered for the less fortunate children and reading and writting was a very slow process that took alot of time for the children to grasp properly. They were still taught by the same sex parents especialy if they knew how to read and write and the girls were taught to sew, weave, and learning to spin. Of course education was really based on how poor you were. The poorest children were taaught by there parents, middle class were taught by there slaves and the others were either sent a tutor or they were able to attend proper schooling.
The apparent difference is deffinately culture. The Athenian culture I believe was more fixed upon war and soldiers but they deffinately want to have warriors that were capable of winning a war outside of the battle feild. Romen education was just that education but it was very limited education.

Reflection 13

Plato believed in searching for "absolute truth" which similair to the philosphier socratse had alot to do with the subject of science. Searching for truths that are already there are just looking for things to discover. Things that we discover have always been there we just have not found out the "truth". He also tryed to teach people to believe in ideas and not be so materialistic and this would aid in ultimately finding the truth. He also belived that the people who sought out knowledge and found it successfully had a duty to spread it and/or teach that knowledge to others.
His effect on modern western education has an effect on our teachers alone, they are ones who saught out knowledge and are making us (the people) aware of it. Students are so impressed and enlightened by this knowledge that they in turn continue the chain of student becoming teachers and enlighteneing the ones left int he dark with shallow spaces in their mind. People who are educated like to educate weither they become teacher/professors or not in it part of human nature to want to spread your knowledge onto someone else. It is not rare for someone to want to educate the people that they are around with what they have been shown and taught is a fact that should very well learned. So any uneducated person will learn something if he/she surrounds herself/himself with intellectual minds or encounters someone of a higher IQ eager to show-off their findings of the truth.
Plato put alot of emphasis on teachers and intellectual leaders to teach properly. He felt that philosophers should become leaders or that leaders should become philosphiers for a perfect society to exsist. In modern western education today this stil holds true, intellectual deep and well thought out minds that seek the truth should ultimatley make those decisions that effect our world. Decisions based on facts and critical thinking and a systamatic approach to decison making than an irrational emotion driven decision. We as a people now know that we must educate ourselves in order to choose a proper leader, we must go and seek the education needed to make rational decisions that will help us in the future to become more functional and happy. We can not leave everything up to one specific group of people and hope that it will work out in our favor, for example we can not choose not to vote but then complain about who is in office and what they do with our country.

Reflection 14

The impact of aristotle on modern western education is not complicated to understand, unlike his teachings. His formula for happiness was well thought out simple and concise, It was logical and left no room for arguements or disputes. He did not believe that ignorance is bliss he thoguht the complete opposite of that statement. Aristotle also felt that humans had natural and aquired desires. Aquired desire could disguise themselves as needs but realla differ from each individual based on differant sets of circumstances, Natural desires are things that we truely could not survive without. The human physic believe that somethings that are aquired need are natural needs and confuse the two, they use the exapmle of ffod being a natural need but the type of food being an aquired need. Some people feel that the things that are good for us are hard to do or bad. Aristotle is similair to soraste in their wisedom it is for having cmplex extravagent ideologies but simply taking behavors and categorizing them into logical explainations.
The effect Aristotle has on modern western education is simple people will always be in the pursuit of happiness and the problem is no one can really define it exactly the same or write down a fool proof formula to acheive it. But Aristotle laid out a theory that can be proven and should be practiced by everyoe who seeks true happiness. In seekign happiness you are seeking intellectual and moral excellance. School is higher education and more knowledge and knowledge is power. People exert over their lives a cetain amount of power and one fo them is to better imporve themselves and self improvement usually leads to being more functional and being more functional makes a person happy. Remembering that a person needs to say yes to their needs and no to their wants. I believe that schools should focus more on hsi teachings and use them to explain to students who want to drop out for what ever reasons that this choice is not llogical in their happiness and is only proveing theor ignorance and inexperiance. I feel education is a natural want ( it is something we need to survive) This impact on modern western education may be subtle but there none the less. Schools have to remember that not everything in life in complex and difficult to grasp if he take the time to really think it through the answers are quit simple but difficult to achieve.

Reflection 12

Sputnik was the first artifical satellite into the earths optical orbit. The Introducation of mathimatical problem solving and sciences and adding intructional materials such as activities and active assignments into the class room after Sputnik was launched. Mainly science and math was mainly dominated by males. Males came into math and science department as many fields but this does not hold true today.
When you think of science the first visual image you see is a child with his science fair volcano or a starifome model of the planets. Two main points are the first thing you think of is a visual image. Science is known for stimulating and emulating replicas of its subject matter. From diagrams such as the famous table of elements or the evolution of man, to its models of cells and the human skeleton that have been in classrooms for over a decade. Science uses these tolls to aid in teaching the complex content of the subject. Second is the hands on deductive reasoning science forces you to use such as the scientific method to using a microscope to exaime cells and other microscopic life forms. Science forces you to use critical thinking and make logical choices for yourself, not to be mistaken with relying solely on personal opinion. Science is what philosophiers like Socrates were predicting. Not that the human just comes up with their own conclusion and then blindly accepts it as fact, but that a human comes up with a theory or thesis and tests it and finds evidence that this theory is a proven fact. Math is a method used to figure out the answer to the question why.
Sputnik opened up the feild of science into the broad array of subject we have today. Philospohers such as Socrates could only fathom such steps in our education. Questioning the unknown and figuring out whats out there. This lead to many other space programs that broaden our education. Sputnik also lead to break throughs in mathimatical equations and deductive reasoning. We now had a whole solar system to explore and teach to our new generation. Our society is based on the evolution of our technology and the strides we have taken since our theory of the earth being flat. It raises questions and seeks out answers education is evolution and Sputnik lead the revolution in the math and science.

Reflection 11

Education is a process of man trying to prevent more problems or present a soloution for a problem they already have. Without history there would be no education and without education there would be progress. Everything has a cause and an effect and if we do not know the cause we will always be helpless. Socrates sought out the idea of an answer elsewhere than the gods, which had a major effect on his society.
In Ancient Greek people realied solely on the gods for everything. They had so much faith in the gods that they feared their lives. They realied on "spiritual leaders" (priests) to guide them on the right path or rightous life. relying on destiny and measuring success based on the gods points of view, if a person was successful they were successful because the gods ordained it. If they failed it was the gods wishes that they be a failure and never question why, however Socrates dared to think other wise. He changled those who had never been changled before he was considered radical in his views and percieved as a threat to the leaders at that time. So in an effort to abolish this frame of mind and keep it from spreading to the youth they prosuacuted him and sentenced him to death. Even then he didnt abondon his views or flee like a discouraged rebel with no solid belief in a cause, he willingly drunk the posion that ended his life because he believe in democracy and proved it the day he died.
To be a man accused of destruction of the mind and belief of young men was irrational because he was making small steps into helping men make better lives for themselves. This provoked the thought of reasoning for man. The Impact of these ideas in the modern western civilization there have been alot of changes due to these ideas how man eats, practice religion, and preform their daily duties. Man walks around with less fear in their god which is a negative because it reflects less faith in a form, but man is more intelligent and more dependent than ever in history today. Its said that Socrates killed god because people stoped fearing god, but to the contrary people have realised that god has given us choices and the choices we make effect our lives. Religion is still very much alive in our society as part of our education and part of our every day life.

Reflection 10

A teacher in a way is the giver a life. The amount of knowledge that they install in you if they do it correctly can change your life forever. So when I read " The teacher is the gatekeeper" I completely understood.
What i believe is this saying means it that the worl is filled with so many things and even if you have been to every place in the world just readin gabout broadins your horizon. Until you actually recieve an education you only know the things that your parents, family, surroundings and society has taught you. When you step into a class room it's like your intering a whole new world. The teacher holds the key to your mind they unlocked your mind to everything in the world. Even though you physically mature your mind may not mature especially if you dont put new information in there so that can be possible.
Teachers give your mind the freedome of progress to challenge something outside of what your surroundings. Your lessons dare your you to be curios and ask questions about things that you were taught to be againsts. Teachers in a way give you a peice of your identity because once your are educated you will never be the same person because you know the difference between right and wrong and the difference between a gues and well thought out disision. Education is power and teachers provide students with education there for they are the gatekeepers not just for education but for the students life.
The impact of this state ment can also mean that they determine who goes in and who comes out but assuming that everyone who goes in never come out I asssume thaey means who they keep out. Certain people shouldn't have education because they may have evil intensions this may have applied to the earlier civilizations because everyone now is intitled to an education here in the U.S. But I agree with this statemnet completey. I enjoyed reading something that had such substance.

Reflection 9

By reading the articles and my textbook book for this course I have been highly enlightened by the history and information that tthey contain. The Egyptian education of course had it flaws becuase it was the one of the first.
Withh the technology and time frame I would say that; that civilazation was well equip to give an education and to continue to do so for many years to come. One major difference was that in a way religion was a very big part of the educational system. They had preist as their instructors. Also with priests being there instructors they were being taught in the temple which is were the library was. No on e else that the authority to inter without them. Education also varied based on the ruler at the time. Even the amount of children who attended school was minimal because not everyone had the priveledge especially girls. The main concern with the people was those who can farm and to perfect their craft. Not many people could change their profession they had to take on the family profession. Some of these things drastically changed as education and man evolved.
Now in todays education system religion is a very inapropraite thing to discuss jus for the simple fact that it may cause controvercy and that so many different religions exist and people have a choice to choose hich one that believe and follow. Todays children have free schooling until they attend college. They can pay for special schooling if it's a private institution or a technical school. There are standards though in free schooling you must be able to pass certian test an criteria in order to move on to the next level or school. These tests are all over the world and they may vary between one another but they all hold the same purpose which is to see what you have learned and if you progress. Learning and education in schools today has almost been perfected to a well oiled machine to were every one has a task and they much be able to proferm when asked including teachers. Students must be able to grasped the material quickly and teachers much be able to teach the material well enough to be able to test them on it. Teachin has been an evolution and it continues to evovle.

Reflection 8

Waves of reform in a way perfected our way of teaching. This Education reform had three waves that took place within one decade. But they made a change for so many generations including mine and for students in the future.
Wave one was the wave to riase educational quality by requiring more courses and more testing of student an teacher performance. Also states were to assume the leadership in improving existing practices. Wave two the state governors who promote improvement and accountability. Teachers were to be empowered, given more control over their schools. Some of the educational problems confronting most types of racism and were adressed. Wave three schools began to viewed as educational facilities than schools. The whole array of services needed to bring the child into sucessful adulthood should be offered at the school: one stop shopping for educational, social, medical, and other servives.
I believe tha this was a pretty good approach for progress here in America. Our students expecially in our public schools deffinately do not try as hard as children in other forms of school let alone other countries and continents. People always work harder and accomplsih more when ther is some form of an incentive. Even as adult; notice how a decade ago everyone wasnt eager to inrole into a college they just assumed that working in a retail store or a fast food resturant would be enough to support them and their family. However that isn't the case now unless you have a degree you will barely have enough to support for yourself.
Also this waves represent progress. We know now that our tax dollars and students times aren't being waisted. These test and programs are baisaclly telling us that this is what I know world; and soon , in time this is what i will be capable of doing with the right tools.
Soon every elementary kid will be in secondary school, then they will approach highschool, and hopefully reach college. Students can only be as prepared as their school has made them so why not set them up for success with expectations an standards instead of sending them out into the world to accomplish failure. ONce you reach that leve of adulthood then it's no longer free you have to pay for what hasn't been taught to you.

Reflection 7

The three fol approach was a beuatiful approach in toays society. I can only imagine how amazing it would have been in the ancient time when writing and schooling had just been invented. Education came a long way from the ancient times so if this approach was applied then teaching would be much more different and miraculous then we know it now.

In ancient times civilizations relied so much on their hierarchy of social class ;that was their way of keeping balance. They knew that knowlegde was power and they chose who they wanted to have this power. Not every child had the opportunity to go to school and at one point girls attending school was unthinkable. Only preist and people of that nature were able to read have an apprentice and write and teach with scribes. There woul have been standards being our belive. Which would've main our society so close to perfection.

They had standards but not educational standars; the standards were really just based on what family you were born into which i sout o f anyones control. But if we had standards like people spending more time in school and studying , focusing on passing certain to measure how much intellegence a person has by have them answer question and the amount of question that have correct will show the level they have in writting. When standards are given to humans eventually after they are met they are surpast shortly after.
I believe if the three fol approach was applied to teaching in the ancient civilization that inventions would've blossomed a lot quicker. If everyone was able to go to schoo and learn how to read and write miraculous things would've happend early on on this earth. But because of ristriction people were force to be farmers, house wifes, and and servants. People were force to become nothing great even if they had dreams and asperations to do other things because of society.
The kings set a standard for no one to accomplish more than them. Sad that even then evny and jealousy rand through the minds of leaders.The key was and always will be knowlegde and the best way to establish a good education is one with standards because it makes you achieve more than average.

reflection 6

The invention of writting was I believe the most crucial invention of all time. Without writting mann wouldn't have made any progress. We wouldn't have that much difference between animals. When man invited life he invented time because then there was a past , present and a future.
Man created history when writting began. The reason why writting was invented in the acient civilizations was because man needed to keep track of grain. Man knew the valua of someone was indeed thier worth. Also by writting these things down they could be passed on to the next generations. Writting was one of the first learning tools if not the first. Civilizatins had things worth writting to teach. It was much more than word of mouth.
Needless to say that because of writting we were able to come up with many other inventions. If all these things werent documented there would no no such thing as bluepints, past events, we would just be wondering the earth aimlessle with no since of time no plan or goal for the future. No sense of urgency for today or tommorow because we have no referenc for yesterday. When I finally reach my feild of teaching as a teacher I will have read things that other people have written to teach my students the things that they will need in order to graduated. The most beautiful thing about writting is that once taught you have the power to write as well. These civilizations added organization and structure to the way they live by writting. The made documents and rules of which to live by and to have a successful society.
Those civilations were our foundation for today. Today we have banks to keeps documents on how much we make and how much we are worth. Also we realy on documents and records kept in hospitals to see what we are allergic to and what deseases we do and don't have. Schools hold our documents about how much education we have how many years have we attended school is our schooling paid for and have we graduated. Writting is an eccential tool that all humans need now in todays society to survive becuase without a peace of paper or plastic with your name or social security number in it you have no identity. You are just a life walking the earth aimlessly with no purpose.

reflection 5

Initaition rites and rites of passge are very significant in human life. As human being we are all apart of our cultures in our society. Everyone has their different experiences and cultural decisions that they make. I believe that the way that they connect with teaching is that we as teachers have to understand that in most cultures completing school is a rite of passage all in its own.
These articles that we have read have been something totally new in my eyes. But i still accepted them for what they are. We will be some what responsible for students completing thier schooling. How well we teach them will play a mojor role in their lives. From elementary school young children are faced with the Fcat here in Florida. The have an understanding of failure and progress. Society has made it clear that you must be able to accomplish this amount of intellegence at this certain age. This same process continues through secondary school; all the way to highschool.
The only difference for highschool is that it is more of a drastic change if you are not succesful. It's when u do not recieve your rite of passage and or your diploma will your life feels like you have bot accomplished anything. Society today has made to were a highschool diploma is the minimal amount of success that you can present to show that you are a successful human been. You cant get a decent paying job without some college in todays world.
By reading about other cultures right of passage i feel that it will ultimately make me a better teacher because I will be more under standing of the trials that my students have to undergo
within their own culture along with school. A rite of passage isn't just a physical thing it has to do with your state of mind at that time and a mjor part is your society. At one point in the times of our grandparents ut was ok to just have a highschool diploma and to marry and have kids becuase it was accepted by society. But in our generation it is fround upon if you dont have a degree and its harder to get a job or reliable career to support your kids if you have any. The rite of passage in the rite givin by society.

Reflection 4

Early Human Phylogeny, Hominids, and the story of Lucy and African Eve were all very interesting articles. I learned alot about were the firt humans migrated to many thousands of years a go. I also learned about characteristics of early human skeletons. However I do not believe everything that I read.
Due to my personal belief and religious belief I do not believe that humans evovled from apes or chimps. I believe in evoltuion but in a mental sense and progress. I really don't believe in the physical evolution. Some people say that people fear what they dont understand I do not fear science; they have made a wonderful presentation of evolution but it controdicts my religious relief. In my belief God is creater of every living thing. I do not think that I came from a monkey.
My personal opinion is that this whole thing has to do with the fact that we have people in this world that doesn't want to except the fact that human life began in the "Mother land" which is Africa. For this statement to be true this would mean that every living person anywhere on this earth is African. My belief is that people have so much racism that they would rather believe that they come from a monkey or an animal than to believe that their ancestors are " Black"' which would make them "black"; that they are something that they've been taught to hate their entire lives. This would bring us back to the whole subject of paradigm shifts. Man has been taught for so many years that black is bad and that white is the best thing to be and we don't notice it but things hasn't changed too much since slavery. I am not willing to accep the fact that that i came from any animal. God created each animal seperately and he created man seperately. Even science has proven that the monkey is only one cromosone different from man but it's still a difference. Also in the theory of evolution most things that evolve are hardly ever seen again in its begining state so if evolution is to adapt to the environment why is it that monkeys are still living in there original state today hundreds and thousands of years later. I enjoyed looking at the artifacts of the skeleton structure and learning were we came from geographically but I have my beliefs and it is hard to absorb information that i do not agree with.

Reflection 3

Through my adolescence I have attened four different elementary schools and every one was different from the next. Depending on the area would be your result in "multicultural" school. I've attened a mojority african american school, two prodominatelty white and hispanic school, and the last elementary school i attended was multicultural. The last school i attended I believe by far was more diverse and a better learning environment because our evironment was. We had teachers, principles, janiters, and librariens all from a different race and who spoke many different languages.
The majority of the schools that I attended that i attended had the Contributions Approach. I don't really appose it but i do believe that there is a better approach. By having this approach it only gives us information; it doesnt change our way of thinking, or gives us options to take action. We had the normal readings about Martin Luther King Jr. in the month of Febuary and Malcom X but they never went further than that at least not in elementary. When I reached seconday school there was still a few classes that had the Contributions Approach but there was some teachers who felt like children should have a voice and i became more exposed to the Social Action Approach.
I really enjoyed this approach a lot. It made me feel like my own person. It made me feel like a was a young adult who had a say so in my society because we had a part in change. If I had a choice i think I would pick this approach from elementary school children should always be heard. I believe this strongly because adults sometimes have alterior motives and those are the root of their solution; when children on the other hand just want to makes things better. I children know from a young age that they can make a difference we would have will have a world full of young leaders by the time they approach high school. I appreciate the teachers who taught me and gave me the tools to be heard because it made me a very ambitious person and even now that I am a college students thanks to them I know the right way to contact people by writting a letter to my make my opinion heard by the right people.

Reflection 2

The article " Frames, Paradigms and Paradigm shifts" basically states that the species man are thinkers and that when there are situations, problems, and or schemes we try to figure out how to fix them. Man has created inventions i believe to solve their problems. Every single envintion ever created had to be thought of to solve something. Just like the inventions shown in the article ; the plain, telephone, and the rake. Man needed a more efficient way to travel other than the automobile or a ship they needed away to get across the ocean in a faster time. This was a problem. So man has to use their paradigm and use past experiences to fill in the blank and the blank being the solution man thought of birds.
Many inventions were born like this. Were is a problem there is a solution. These inventions changes the way that man sees and thinks in so many ways. These inventions gives man confidence that any scheme can be accomplished. It makes man more knowledgeable of the world. The essential things that man has proven through the years is that there are several things that will always remain essential to human life. The first being food, second communication, and third transportation.
Without these things survival would be very minimal in todays society becasuse our paradigms are so acustomed to having them there. For example if for some reason the intire world went to war and all of our high technology was used and destroyed we would have to depend on our animal like survival skills to succeed and posibly try to start over. This task is more easier said than done because we have become so acustomed to our invetions that some peoples mind may be so dependent on them that they can not opend up their minds to have a paradigms shift; which is only a signe for failure.
We have our frames and we have our paradigms. However to a certain extent if we don't learn to let our frames open or until we are ready to change our papardigms there will be no paradigm shift. Our paradigm is our way of looking at our world; it's our organized view point. Fact "When your brain changes your paradigm changes." Mr. Mc Nair.

Reaction 1

Teacher preporation has really evolved from the colonial times drastically. For example in colonial America teacher education scarcely existed. A wide majority didn't even attend secondary schooling and they didn't really have any formal preporation. The training was basically reduced to a "monkey see monkey do" training because some teachers learned by serving master teachers. The biggest change in those times for teacher was in 1832 Reverend Samual Hall established a Normal School. This was a private school which provided elementary school graduates with formal training in teaching skills.
These schools back then only provideda two-year teacher training program which consisted of academic subjects as well as teaching methodology. Also there was also a rather unusual requirenment called the "Teaching Contract". This contract seemed to only apply for woman. Basically woman were not allowed to have a social life outside of the school house. This contract consists of no smoking, drinking, cleaning chores like a maid. But one thing that made a major difference in the Colonial era of teaching was the Tomorrows Teachers.
This program caused quite a bit a controversy because this ment that teachers needed higher level of learning to meet standards and to be certified. These programs were designed to make teachers better and to also have teaching strive towards a more professional status. Today's programs are more structured. There is a program now called Teach For America. Teach for America has been known to be a very challenging program. However it has enjoyed great success in recruting highly motivated and talented recruits which many of the volunteers become great teachers. I believe that another reason why the program is so successful is because it small in size so its easier to focus on the goal at hand. With the traditional and alternative teacher education approaches you can see how teaching has evolved to the benefit of the teacher s who really do work hard to acheive. As long as there is a school standing there will always be a teacher; and as long as there's a teacher there will always be a student even when the student is a teacher.

Introduction

My name is Dominique Armenteros and I was born here in south Florida. I am currently twenty years old and coming into my own. I am a very warm, kind, and caring person. Anuthing involvong art, I'm there. I am an artist in almost every aspect. Singing, drawing, painting, writing songs; you name it. If I'm not good at it i've at least tried it twice and had fun doing it. Three years ago I found my love which would be photograpghy. I get a feeling which can not be replaced when i enter the darkroom. Since that momment I've never felt more connected to myself.

After high school my mother had convinced me that photography was not a dependable feild so I let direct my future into opticanry. Obviously this was a major mistake; eventually i knew that i would lose interest and not give my all because my heart was not in it. After my freshman year i decided to take my future into my own hands. I decided to do something that i was passionate about. Through my entire life i have observed that i love teaching people new things even more so young people. It felt as though my greatest reward was them understanding what I ust taught. Remembering when i was in my teenage year I wuld enjoy helping my peers with their assignments.

Due to my observations Art Educationis now my major. I know that i will not regretchanging my majorbecause i believe that I am a very maternal person and I believe that trait is greatly needed to be a great teacher. My goal is to to be more than a teacher to my students I will be there friend, counselor, and a role model. I've had perfect examples of these kinds of teachers in my life and I want to carry out the same kindness and wisdom that they have shown me. I have a saying that goes "When you teach you don't just teach a lesson; you teach who you are to your learners as well." I believe in this strongly because I've had good and bad teachers, even some in between. But if I don't remember anything else that they taught me I will always remember how they treated me and how they made me feel about learning in their class.

My intentions for this course is to absorb all the knowlegde that I possibly can so that my stydents will remember me. I want to be that person in their lives that believes in them when no one else will. I want to make my students to be able to smile in the face of failure and laugh because they have enough confidence to know that failure is not an option. With time I want to be one of the best and I'm ready and willing to learn everything to accomplish that.