Star Teachers
Haberman’s star teachers exhibit warmth, fairness, and discipline. They understand that their role is to teach; love and compassion are not enough. The teachers that Haberman views as quitters/failures blame academic underachievement on student’s backgrounds, home environment, and observe personal limitations rather than recognize their responsibility to provide a safe, and undisruptive environment for students to learn.
Poverty schools have ineffective teachers because the traditional university programs training and recruiting teachers provide these schools with candidates who will most likely quit or fail. Most college students seeking to become teachers are in their twenties, which Haberman considers to be the worst time to train someone to be an effective teacher. He notes that young adults are still struggling with the issue of self-identity, fighting off peer pressure, seeking independence and trying to find meaning and purpose in life. Many have few real-world experiences, seek immediate gratification, and are idealistic, which are exact opposite characteristics of what a teacher is suppose to be. A teacher must be committed to the needs of her students and inspire confidence and build self-esteem in them not look for her/his individuality and be self-absorbed. Therefore, mature adults are more likely to be successful teachers because they have more experiences and firm values. Haberman explains that just because candidates have a high GPA, have passed all requirements for teacher licensure and have been declared “highly qualified” does not necessarily make them effective teachers to poverty children. The teacher must be able to relate to the children in urban schools and build a positive relationship wit...
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... make the student want to learn by showing patience and encouragement. Stars are gentle and caring with their students but also exhibit strength of character. More than anything, they want their students to succeed, and make them into prosperous individuals. Thus, star teachers are not necessarily individuals who finished a degree from a university for education or scored high on tests, but they were simply able to build a lasting relationship with their students. Their goal is to engage students in meaningful lessons and teach them to be independent thinkers. They do not judge their students or their family but have respect for them. Also, stars do not try to change the school but their main focus is on their students. They view the students need to succeed in school as a matter of life and death and therefore their main goal is to see their students succeed.
Especially in regard to educating children in poverty so they will not fall behind. Helping adults to understand how to help these children is vitally important because those in poverty have different needs and require a different means of motivation, “if poor people were exactly the same cognitively, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally as those from the middle class, then the exact same teaching provided to both middle-class students and students from poverty would bring the exact same results (Jensen).”
In many low income communities, there are teachers that are careless and provide their students with poor quality education. These teachers are there just to make sure that they keep receiving their monthly paychecks and act in this way because they believe that low income students do not have the drive, the passion, or the potential to be able to make something of themselves and one day be in a better place than they are now. Anyon reveals that in working class schools student’s “Work is often evaluated not according to whether it is right or wrong but according to whether the children followed the right steps.” (3). This is important because it demonstrates that low income students are being taught in a very basic way. These children are being negatively affected by this because if they are always being taught in this way then they will never be challenged academically, which can play a huge role in their futures. This argument can also be seen in other articles. In the New York Times
For example, Students with high performing teachers progress three times as fast as those with low performing teachers. Yet they cost the same to the school. A bad teacher only covers 50% of the required curriculum. A good teacher can cover 150%. (34:48) The following triggered a memory to me. I had a teacher my freshmen year of high school who honestly I never learned a thing from. She let the class basically do what they want and just handed us worksheets. I could agree with the satistics of how we have good and bad teachers. How one person with a good teacher can receive a better knowledge than one who had a poor teacher. This concept could lead into how students who don 't receive the proper teaching could affect their home life. To exemplify, These 97 blocks are the highest rate of foster care and twice the unemployment rate of the rest of the city. Many experts believe that motivated educators cannot overcome the problems that these children brought from home. (48:18) Since the teachers cannot assist with the proper teaching, students have to settle into the likely hood of their neighborhood. Specifically, I had a friend who experienced a similar matter. The neighborhood the child grew up in decided how their schools were. How the education was at the school and how the children acted in the school, it reflected of how many kids would drop out of school in high school. The education reflects on how a student will reflect on the outside world of school. Students were not less motivated with school before in America. For instance, In the 1970s, America 's public schools were the best in the world. The image of public schools in our films and tv reflects an ideal that even if your unlucky enough to be born in the wrong neighborhood, education can be a ticket out. (58:35) Moreover, this statement made me questioned what happened in that gap from the 1970s for
The Southern Education Foundation Study contends poverty is the greatest barrier in obtaining an education (Strauss, 2013). Unfortunately, the education system is not as equal as we presume it to be, as there is a significant discrepancy in the education system between high-poverty schools versus privileged schools. Students in high-poverty schools face many more handicaps in acquiring an education. One such disadvantage is underqualified teachers (Carl, 2013). This means privileged schools are monopolizing all the highly qualified teachers, while high-poverty schools are stuck with inadequate, unmotivated teachers— making students’ success at such schools much more difficult. Additionally in these high-poverty schools, there is not much emphasis
She claims that “schools are complex ecosystems,” meaning that there are multiple factors in question. One factor is the challenge of hiring good teachers, “given the privations of the job and poor odds of student success.” Some teachers choose to leave schools in low-income areas due to the amount of money they receive, as schools in high-income areas earn more; creating an imbalance between good or bad teachers and high or low-income areas. Another factor are the unsafe conditions in schools, as “it is hard to teach and even harder to learn in such places”. Problems like “stiflingly hot classrooms, collapsing ceilings, poisoned drinking water” all intervene with the ability for children to learn. By focusing on these issues, schools can repair and mend the in-school stressors that affect children in low-income
"Education is the key to success in life, and teachers make a lasting impact in the lives of their students." This powerful; quote by Solomon Ortiz aims its intention to show how vital the correlation of teachers and students are. Teachers and students mutually benefit from one other to prosper. I could relate to the quote and meaning behind it. During my tenure at Derby High School, I had one teacher in particular that served as a positioning lasting impact during my course at high school and for the rest of my life. That teacher and I shared experiences in the classroom, football field, and in life in general. These experiences with each other have dealt with successes, failures, and lessons that I will preserve with me for the rest of my life. His name is Mr. David Cherveralla,
Research tends to show teachers that students living in poverty will under-perform academically, causing teachers to lower their expectations. However, just because a neighborhood isn’t well off doesn’t mean that there is no hope for the students. An elementary school in Alabama has transformed from a school in “an area of Mobile notorious for high crime rates and intergenerational poverty” with low scores to a school with “achievement rising to a level more often associated with white, middle-class students.” The article points out that schools that successfully change their path have some common characteristics, starting with a main goal of “helping students learn a great deal.” While many schools assume that students have all of the prior know...
As Malcolm Gladwell expresses, America must be critical and selective when hiring teachers. By hiring a seemingly good candidate, it is inconclusive if he or she will fit the standards of an adequate teacher. In Gladwell’s article, “Most Likely To Succeed,” he reiterates which traits and actions an advanced teacher should employ, compared to a below average teacher. A candidate may fit the job requirements, but may lack an important skill once they are hired, such as using effective communication skills to teach students in a positive manner. Even if a student is bright enough to do well in a class, they may not reach their full potential due to being taught by a poor teacher. Evidently, this is an inconvenience to students and creates an
Nearly all fellows are hired to teach in 'high need' schools that are located in low-income communities. Why do you want to teach specifically in a high need school? What challenges do you expect raising student achievement in your classroom and what experiences have prepared you for overcoming these challenges? Knowing these challenges, what steps will you take to prepare for your first year of teaching in a high need school, and why?
It is important to understand that not everyone entering college is ready for the experience. Although colleges and high schools are having conversations on how to address the problem as it relates to high school graduates being unable to test into college level courses, it is merely conversations (Remedial Education: The Skeleton in the Closet of Higher Ed). Each entity continues to play the blame game instead of sharing the accountability, politicians intercede and cause more dissention among them, teachers in school districts are forced to teach to standardized tests, college professors are frustrated with the lack of skills entering freshmen have, yet the reality of it all is there doesn’t seem to be a solution to the problem. Adult basic education is in a category by itself as it is essential for employment and to fight this stubborn illiteracy and poverty filled society. One way to accomplish this is to help low-income, first-generation individuals understand the importance of getting an education. There is a major focus on educating low-income, first-generation individuals, but some instructors cannot comprehend what it really means to come from a disadvantaged background. One of the local superintendents understands this, so each year he requires the district’s instructors to participate in a mandatory activity that exposes teachers to the lives of students they teach. Each year the veteran teachers and new teachers tour the poor neighborhoods from which their students come on the school buses. In addition, they are expected to go door to door in these neighborhoods to hand out flyers reminding the students and their parents of the back to school activities planned for the upcoming year....
Looking back from this past year to my earlier school days, one of the teachers that boldly stands out in my memory is Mrs. Miner. No one else has named me as her daughter, Joanie Miller. While at Grace Academy, art class at the end of the day with Mrs. Frisk still makes my sides ache from giggling. During the days when there were no art classes, Mr. Peterson’s enthusiasm for hockey brightened the gymnasium, as he and my father practiced rapid-fire slapshots on some unsuspecting ninth grader. But, through all the memories, I was trying to think of one characteristic of teachers that has shown through the many years. I thought about their dedication, patience and guidance but decided that these wouldn’t do.
An experienced second-grade teacher and African American female who has taught in Title 1 schoolings for 18 years. Title I school provides financial assistance to schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards. I selected this teacher for many reasons as a subject. One reason is because I felt her insight on teaching children in poverty would be extremely intuitive due to her years of experienced. Another reason I selected this subject is because, I wanted to be informed of the many strategies she has she found to be most effective when teaching students in poverty to reach their full potential, in addition to the ineffective strategies.
Successful teachers develop the whole child by making integrated efforts to promote their student’s academic, social and emotional learning. Children need to be aware of themselves and others; make responsible decisions, and be ethical and respectful of the people around them.
Everyone knows that when it comes to making a difference in a child’s academic and life achievements, their teachers play a large role. A teacher’s ability to relate to their students, and teach them to achieve both socially and academically contributes to how effective they are. What does it mean to be an effective teacher? Overall there seems to be an emphasis on teacher effectiveness related to how well their students are performing on standardized testing. As teachers we know there is more to being an effective teacher then just teaching our students based on tests. This paper will identify different definitions of an effective teacher along with how to assess teachers on being effective.
...sionate professors who helped shape the type of teacher I would like to be. They found ways to talk to me in a manner that motivated me to want to improve, all while honoring the work that I have already done. I would like to bring this same moral into my classroom, when a child is motivated, passionate,and self-aware of their needs, strengths, and weaknesses, they can and will push themselves to improve. Students do not solely care about how much knowledge an educator has, but they care about how much these educators truly care. We shouldn't judge a person on how educated they are based only on test scores. The most educated person may not be the most suitable person to teach children. I may lack the test scores, however, I do not lack the passion and motivation needed to be a great teacher. If we cannot celebrate small successes, the final outcome is less weighted.