ED 243 Magazine Project

learning. Special-ed is more individualized
through special-ed schooling. I am against
manufacturing students. I have more of an
organic teaching. You help students grow,
but they have different rates. We should not
shove students down programs. It’s like
planting a garden, you are helping them
grow and find their own place in the world.
Their own aptitudes. I think education is too
much homogeneous. We are teaching
students to become something specific.
There is too much emphasis on the material.
Es Meo wrote a book about a school he
started in England based on the kids being
self-motivated for education. It had an effect
on me as a young teacher. A lot of my ideas
might be considered radical because there is
a whole establishment out there and you
have to work with them because of the
government while keeping my job.
What type of classroom management
structure has helped you?
If you allow students to have more input in
what they are doing it and how they are
doing it, then students will know what to do
themselves. You cannot force students to do
a certain thing. Special ed is on his own
track. You have a token economy,
something to motivate the kids to do
something positively. You have to have
rules clearly stated and explained ahead of
time & have clear consequences. It does not
work if you wing it and get mad at the kids.
You have to have a well thought out system.
As the kids have more control over their
schedule and environment the less problems
you have. Everyone must participate &
follow that system. Some teachers manage
by mood, and that does not work. You have
to be consistent. You have students you will
not like, and you also have your favorites.
You have to try to separate personal feelings
to do classroom management. If you do not
like the students they need you the most.
Some students are great at adapting, some
need a lot of work and you usually do not
like them. My wife is a special ed assistant.
Some stories are just crazy and some
teachers are horrible and overbearing and
pick their favorites. There is so much
outside the class that exist. Get ready for
politics, and weirdos.
I am afraid to use technology because I
grew up old school with just using
overheads. I just don’t know how
effective technology is because I feel like
students spend their time worry about
how to use it instead of focusing on the
outcome of using technology. How have
you used technology within your
classroom?
I think you are worried about certain things
and the students are not worried about that.
The kids take right to it and they are all over
technology. You cannot stop it, the schools
are always way behind bc technology
upgrades so quick. I think your worries are
more of an old people thing. I cannot think
of students worrying about how to use it.
You can be more individualized through
technology where you work at your own
pace. Teachers cannot stop it, be on board be
a leader with technology bc it is our future.
In la they wanted every student with an ipad,
they took it away, but they still want
students with technology in the hands of the
students. Technology will dominate more
and more. In ten years from now it will be
an aspect in everyone's lives. I am a tech
specialist I have been out of the classroom
for a while. There are certain things students
that could not speak and now students can
communicate through technology. It is here
and we need to embrace it and accept it.