I have attended the Whitefish School District since my first day of Kindergarten and throughout that time I have been fortunate enough to experience the PTA’s generosity on many occasions. One of the first times I remember the PTA having an effect on my education was in elementary school when they sponsored Arts in April. This was one of the highlights of my Muldown career as it gave me the opportunity to explore many different art forms that I likely wouldn’t have ever been able to experience on my own. As I continued on in the Whitefish School District, I have had countless in and out of class learning experiences that wouldn’t have been possible with a PTA teacher grant. One of the most recent was being able to use glass blowing tools purchased
through a PTA grant in my chemistry class which allowed me to see the concepts I was learning in class come to life. This past fall, I came to the PTA to request a grant that would pay the participation fee of each student who was attending the Model United Nations conference and my request was fulfilled. This grant made it possible for more students to attend the conference as it greatly lowered the overall cost of attending. I am so grateful to the PTA for all of the opportunities it has provided to me throughout my time in the Whitefish School District.
Past attempts at solutions were Teachers for America, Experimental Certification of Ethnic Colleagues for Elementary Schools, provisional certification, and emergency certification. Teachers for America is a very easy, "six week crash course in teacher survival skills taught primarily by teachers from their troubled placement sites."(Roth, 220) These teachers are said to bring "enthusiasm and intellect" to the classroom. In inner city and urban school systems, where most of the student body is poor and in the greatest need of good teachers, the TFA teachers are installed. While TFA is a good idea and puts teachers in classrooms, some say that the children who are being used as guinea pigs for this experimental teacher training are suffering. However, after receiving praise from some major cities, its training program was approved in 1995 and it "received $2 million from AmeriCorps, President Clinton’s national service initiative."(Mosle, 3) Experimental Certification of Ethnic Colleagues for Elementary Schools (E3) was an effort to "increase the representation of males and people of color on teaching staffs of elementary schools,"(Shade, 261) in response to teacher shortages. This solution was implemented for three years and was very successful. Provisional certification is given to a person who has been certified in another state and has passed the Praxis II, "but who needs one or two courses Maryland requires for teachers.
In the book titled Finding fish: a memoir, the author addresses the need of our society’s neglected children to find love, safety and protection. Many children like Antwone are subjected to different types of abuse such as: physical, emotional and sexual. Foster care was an option for Antwone. Foster care is the placement for children outside the custody of their parents or legal guardians after court finding that the children have been abused or neglected. The court may also find the child to be a person in need of supervision or have committed delinquent acts. The foster care is a social service system with many component parts and complex interrelationships between those parts (Downs, Moore and McFadden, 2009, p.274).
Early Grants and Allocations –a supplemental tax was given to schools to enhance school programs.
Many individuals, teachers or not, only do what they are asked or expected to do. However, going above and beyond and being able to have greater influence on a child’s life is my goal. I know I will love my job and in this position, children and families will be going through difficult and not normative life events. It is essential to extend further assistance to make each individual feel important. Being someone who can help families understand and make their lives a little bit easier by providing support and encouraging optimal development, I can hopefully make a meaningful impact on a child and/or family. The child and family satisfaction would bring happiness in itself and be worth more than
Volunteering at a children’s crisis treatment facility, volunteering with Special Olympics, coaching children’s sports teams for 10 years and working as a substitute education assistant has increased my understanding of childhood development. Grandmound Elementary School provides me with opportunities to strengthen my leadership and collaboration skills, through teaching art (as a volunteer) to the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade and serving as PTA president. I was able to implement many enriching opportunities for students in areas of art, science, and reading. I learned to work as a team, set targets, achieve goals, give and receive guidance. Participating in these activities has confirmed that working with families and particularly children are my purpose.
In The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister tells how a beautiful, extraordinary, yet, self-centered blue fish learns that being beautiful isn’t the key to happiness. The blue fish came to find this lesson when he lost his friends. Pfister takes a simple ocean setting and explores the consequences of an individual’s arrogance toward their peers, the process of humbling of oneself, and the tremendous reward one feels when they learn to share. The story achieves these morals by the author’s use of detailed imager and also, the influence of minor characters on the antihero in order to reveal to the audience the true thematic message; selfish actions bring true happiness.
A lot of people ask what inspired me to become a special education teacher, and why I am continuing to pursue a career in a field where many unfortunately decide to leave. I wish my answer were as simple as saying “I love children and I want to make a difference.” Although there is obvious truth to that statement, what I love more is celebrating the achievements, both big and small, of a child who faces adversity every single day. Nothing brings me more joy than watching students succeed beyond the expectat...
In closing, my time in the kindergarten autistic support room has opened my eyes to say the least. I have a greater understanding and respect for these children and teachers. I have seen many teachers and aids with my work as a case manager but I have not seen a better teacher as Mrs. F. I was fortunate and lucky to work with such an experienced professional in the field to help lay my foundation for my future role as a school psychologist.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature the Channel Catfish is neither endangered nor at risk of being endangered. The Channel Catfish is raised at fish farms and is a very popular fish in regards to food. The Channel Catfish is the third most desired fish to catch in Texas behind the bass and crappie. The Channel Catfish is the most common catfish in North America. Studies taking place in Iowa have shown that the weight of catfish per mile of streams is anywhere between five hundred and five thousand pounds.
Some Aha-moments I had in this week reading was, the issues families face such as poverty, healthcare, and poverty. All this issues can affect children development and I think teachers are windows that can provide access to children and families the best resources to get a better education. As an educator it is important understand the needs of children and their families, and what are the best way to help them. For example; there are children that emigrate from another country and they do not know the language, as a teacher we should find the best way to help the child understand the lessons, and learn the language. There are also issues such as hungry; a child can’t learn when they all they think about are food. As a teacher we should find
Every teacher has this potential whether they are aware of it or not. I have been a teacher for nine years in early childhood education and within those nine years I have become very aware of how powerful the smallest act of caring can turn a person’s life around or even just make someone’s day a little better. Being a preschool teacher has brought me great pleasure to my life simply brightening a child’s day and knowing that I am making a difference in their life. Through my journey as a teacher I have thought about how I can advance in my career field and still be active with children on a daily basis and continue making a difference in each child’s life as well as their parents. With plenty of thought and research I have come to the conclusion and gained the interest to become a preschool and childcare director.
Whether you fish for trout and other fish, bait is one area that you must not leave. When undertaking the interview process trout fishing trip, bear in mind the bait matters a great deal if you want to hook a nice-sized trout. Part on the art of trout fishing is applying the right bait at the correct time.
I have seen first hand the difference an educator can make in the life of a child; the child was my own son. My eldest son, diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, was unable to communicate. He had the opportunity to be enrolled in the early intervention program in Raleigh County. The first individual with the challenge of assisting my child was not able to fulfill her roles and think “outside of the box” to reach him. My wife and I promptly searched for the appropriate educator for him. My family was blessed when we found “Ms. Mitzi”. In the matter of weeks our son was able to tell his mommy he loved her. This impacted my life significantly and I wish to be able to pass on what was given to my child and my family.
Working together and making parent involvement a priority can be done by having a Parent Teacher Association (PTA) in my school. We work with children with special needs and the benefits of having this I believe would be great in our school. In the article “13 Ways a Parent Teacher Association Can Help a Student with Special Needs” by Karen Wang she describes what a PTA does. She writes, “The PTA does whatever the school needs to be done. Some PTA activities do not cost anything except volunteer hours, for example, providing volunteers to help students check out library books, or to help the office staff check in late students and deliver lost lunchboxes in the morning. Most PTA activities require funding, especially academic enrichment and extracurricular support. For these efforts, the PTA raises funds through carnivals, silent auctions, book fairs, membership drives, corporate sponsorship, grants from private foundations and other creative methods.” (Wang, 2015) This would be a great to have in our building as it would lay the foundation to increasing parent involvement and making communication much easier. I feel some of these activities are things families can participate in together. I feel if parents ran these event turnout may be much better than if the school was to do it alone. School staff and Parents would collaborate on the most essential needs to that building and make it more of a priority. PTA members would assist teachers in running events, tutoring students, and offering parent to parent support by communicating with other parents by answering questions or concerns they may have about the
The scope of strategies and resources available to the school was wide-ranging. In part, the strong support of an active PTA makes these resources available to teachers. Cultivating a community built on a strong partnership with parents is at the heart of what makes this school successful in its endeavors. When parents are invested so strongly in their students learning, the support for teachers is