Reflection Paper On Educational System

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The educational system has changed tremendously over time, and still currently changing. One could say it is evolving, altering and modernizing its practices. Is it so easy to change the people who work for this beast? Some things have changed for the better, yes, but a lot has changed for the worst. Many of these effects are felt with in the work of the educators themselves. Then by default is greatly effecting the students in our community. According to Mrs. Weller this makes the journey more difficult, but the end result is still worth it. “While the administration, and the “higher ups” get in the way, this is still my calling, to make a difference in a person’s life”. I definitely felt a lot of apprehension when talking to her. She kept …show more content…

Mrs. Weller is in her 8th year of teaching art, but has a long history in the educational system. Mrs. Weller states “I wanted to be sure this was what I had a passion for”. “I was an associate for five years, then I went to collage to finish my degree”. When she was finished with college she was a substitute teacher for the Des Moines school district for two years. She wanted to get a feel for how the district managed things, and was also able to scope out the different schools. Mrs. Weller said “I highly recommend being a substitute teacher, before accepting a job.” “This way you can see what schools you like, and how the many areas of Des Moines implement things differently” I personally think this is a great idea. This not only gives you a better understanding of the dynamics in each school, but how different rooms are run. She also mentions this is where she gets some of her materials. She was able to see what different class rooms at different times of the year were doing. She is able to use what she learned during that time, to this …show more content…

Weller also relates this to one of the biggest things the district has done recently. For example, when student’s grades are low, and we aren’t hitting the numbers the big people want, what happened? They implement Standard Reference Grading. Mrs. Weller mentions “I think SRG is just a patch.” “They needed a quick fix to appease the people higher up, and SRG was the answer.” What was wrong with the old system? I’m all for improvement and advancement, but we need to prove where the old system was not being beneficial. These students are having difficulties when they go to college. Not only is there GPA not a good reflection of skill, the students are unprepared for a completely different environment. In college you can’t re test, or just not turn in your work. This is also applicable to the real world as well. You failed your interview, you don’t get a re take. Doing good and not getting into trouble, you don’t get a reward for following the law. “We are catering to the students too much.” Mrs. Weller says, “We wouldn’t allow them to act this way in society, why do we allow this in our

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