Secret of the Ooze!

Today during class we had an interesting discussion. This discussion had to do with the school lunch program. Eventually though it evolved into something much more.
The question turned into what exactly goes into the food that the students of this nation are eating. The truth I discovered was quite horrifying. So as many people know the production of ground beef and chicken products can be somewhat unsettling. This is because many of the pieces of product "meat" that go into these are usually the left over pieces. These are just small pieces of meat that are too small by themselves for any type of meaningful consumption. What happens though to the unusable parts of the animal; the eyes, hair, tendons, bowls...the answer I received will forever change my outlook on processed meat.
I learned that these "unusable parts" of the animal, are actually being used within food products with a concentration of up to 15%, and are completely backed by the USDA. Also companies that use this product are not required to label it upon their food. So you may be thinking that is not to big of a deal, but the process that is performed to cleans this meat before it is allowed to be blended in other ground meat is! The process has given this product the name "pink slime," and is I feel completely unethical. The unusable meat contains many bacteria, and undesirables, like bone and tendons. For this reason the product is put into a centrifuge to separate the bones from the meat. Ones this is performed ammonia is added to the product as disinfecting supplement. Ammonia! After it is ground into a pink paste that is labeled as "fit for human consumption!"
This to me almost a violation of our rights. Not only are we being slowly poisoned by this product, but we aren't even warned if this product is within our food, and it is perfectly legal! People need to be aware of this product, and the effect that it can have on our overall health.

Moving Forward!

Cover via Amazon

So, today was the "big day" for me as some would say. It was the time for me to display all the knowledge I have learned throughout my years within the Physical Education program in the form of an interview. I was quite nervous, as is natural within these high stress situations. Something though turned in my mind as the feeling of nervousness came about me. 

I began the day going over my answers to the questions that had been given to me previously that week. These questions dealt with certain situations that would arise within the Physical Education setting. So as time drew nearer to when the interview would be occurring I began to talk with the other individuals within my group about questions on the interview, and joke about certain questions. This for me was a way to lighten the mood revolving around the high stress interview. But as time drew nearer I began to distance myself from the other members of the group. I felt myself going into almost that primal mode of thinking that I once would venture to the moments before a big wrestling match. My mind was focusing on the task at hand with such intensity I blocked out the others around me. I had mental images of Mike Kersjes, the Physical Educator in a recent book I had read "A Smile As Big As The Moon." The situations that he ran into, about having to pitch his ideas to governors and head people within NASA. All the focus and confidence that he had in that book came revolving around me. My mind was sound and focused. None of the stress mattered to me anymore. 

I went into the interview with shire determination, and in all the interview went quite well. I found something out about myself today that I did not know existed. In all this experience was one that I think I have learned from for the positive, and will be with me forever. 

The Right's Stuff

Taken From
http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/teachers.jpg

Over the years teachers have been held under a closer watch then most people within society. Many have been persecuted for ideas and thoughts in a more severe manner then a person of any other job would be. These persecutions go against many of the rights brought down by the constitution. This violation of civil liberties though was usually overlooked, and the teacher suffered greatly.
Now I believe that the principles this country was founded upon are set in stone and that no one should try to violate, or change them. So when the rights of a person are put into judgement I am greatly concerned. What though are the rights that a teacher is entitled to? Well a teacher has the same rights as everyone else. The freedom of speech, separation of church and state, academic freedom and teaching evolution, and the protection against sexual harassment are prevalent within the teaching world. Now though the teacher must keep in mind that everyone else around them has these same rights, especially  the students. A fine line needs to walked in order to reserve your own rights, and the rights of others around you. So it is the teachers obligation to protect the rights of the students they are teaching. This is mostly seen when a student is suspected of being abused in some manner at their home. The child does not want to confess to the situation, but at the same time you do not want to over step your bonds and accuse the parent. If an accusation is falsely given you believe that it can have long lasting and damaging effects. This though is a misconception, because if a teacher does not report any suspicion of abuse, the can actually lose their teaching license. So this is a situation where it is mandatory that as a teacher you report any suspicions you have.
The rights of teachers and students is a somewhat controversial subject. Each year it seems as though a court case makes itself known arguing these very ideas. It is an ever evolving subject, and is based mostly upon differing opinions.

John Dewey

John Dewey at the University of Chicago in 1902. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

John Dewey greatly influenced the education of the nation during the twentieth century. He founded a new way of teaching that put at its center the student. This way of teaching/thinking was named "Progressive Education." This new idea was said to have been the best, as well as the worse event to occur within education.
Dewey felt as though education was based upon social and interactive processes. That school should act as a grounds for social reform and a place where interaction with events related to the subject being taught should be allowed. Dewey felt as though knowledge should not only be taught in regards to facts, but the knowledge of how to live and interact within society should be taught as well. Also another principle that Dewey thought of in regards to education that I found quite interesting, was that he believed in order for material to be learned in the best manner possible that it needs to related to prior experiences. This allows for the material to have meaning for the students, and increases their likelihood of  remembering that material later on.
The progressive education that came form this included many components. It allowed for the broadening of the school curriculum to include health, community life, and vocational programs. Also this new way of teaching implemented newly found psychological based approached to educating individuals, as well as a democratic approach to teaching. This new democratic approach was the reason that many people disliked progressive teaching. This way of thinking caused individuals to question their teachers, and doubt ideas taught in the classroom. Even though many people were against it for this very reason, individuals who were taught in this manner were more apt to succeed when compared to traditionally taught students.
I agree with many of the principles that John Dewey instilled within his teaching philosophy. I hope to someday use many of these ideas within my classroom. This will allow for what is taught to meaningful to the students, and hopefully influence them for their entire life. 

Reflection

So in today's class we were given the opportunity of participating in "mock interviews." These interviews imitated ones that we would receive during a real life situation. The questions that were asked were based on Physical Education theory, as well as our philosophy on Physical Education.
The days preceding this interview I was quite nervous. I always tend to become nervous whenever I am being questioned, I do not know why, but it happens. Last night though I was thinking to myself, "why be nervous?" Physical Education is something that I love doing, and I have been immersed within it for a large portion of my life. Their was no need to be nervous anymore, so that realization greatly helped me. I dressed up as you would normally dress for a real interview, and off I went, with this newly found confidence. The overall interview was not as intense as I thought it would be. I was only asked two questions. The first dealing with behavioral management, and the second with motivating a student that did not want to participate. These were basic questions, and I feel as though my answers were up to par. I had the basic understanding of what I wanted to say. The smaller details though was were I was lacking. I knew what I truly wanted to say in regards to the behavioral management, but I did not want to sound rude. My interviewer told me after to be honest, and she thought my honest answer was actually much better than the one I constructed. This told me to have more confidence in my thoughts, and to not be afraid of judgement.
This confident way of thinking is one that I will take with me for my "exit interview" that is occurring on Tuesday of next week. This has to do with my time here at Cortland, and my Professional Portfolio that I constructed. I know things will work out. I just need to "Keep Moving Forward!"

A Quest to the Core

For some time now I have been reflecting upon the system of education, and wondering to myself, "Is this truly visible?" The standards for learning are written down to promote education, and the ability for students to ascertain this information in the best way possible. Sadly though what I have noticed is that this thought process has been either totally blown out of proportion, or only half followed. This is especially so in the realm of English-language arts and mathematics. Our countries lack in ability within these areas have caused many districts to focus all of their attention upon these subjects, and abandon others, especially Physical Education! The problem though is not the lack in attention, but the way in which these subjects are presented to the students. Now this thought came to my head quite recently after observing different schools, and the way in which students are taught. The saddening part though is that this very same problem was addressed to the nation over a year ago. So it seems as though some areas still have yet to fully understand these implications. 

The "Common Core" was developed to try and put an end to the "Do more, Learn More" mentality, and instead focus on "Do Less, Learn More." This means, do not overwhelm the students with subject matter, but instead simplify the curriculum and focus more upon each unit of that curriculum. In math many students are made to memorize numbers, and answers to problems. How does memorization lead to application during a real world problem? The answer is it does not. What students must know is the simple process of the subject at hand. If students know the process that is performed in order to obtain an answer they can solve any problem, even if they have never seen those numbers in their entire life. This is a simple idea that is easily overlooked.

Within the area of English the Common Core is trying to focus on information that not only enhances the students ability to succeed in college, but also the enhancement of other subject areas like social studies, and science. They are making it mandatory that fifty percent of text read in the K-5 curriculum should be information based. This I find to be so beneficial, because it allows for the alignment of the curriculum within the whole school.

The Common Core standards I feel will cause a great change with the way in which students are taught for the positive. I hope soon that this way of teaching will be shown to all, and implemented in the correct manner.

The Secondary School Movement

St Mark's Boys' Secondary School (converted) This secondary school was opened in 1897, and was closed after World War II when the Lakenham Secondary Modern schools were built. The building is now used for Youth Service offices, School Meals service, and school transport. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Public schooling was on its way to full development across all grades during the beginning of the nineteenth century. A great success in the public school movement of elementary schools was established by this time, as well as state supported universities. The issue was the gap in education between the two. This called for an increase in the accessibility to free and appropriated public secondary schools.
The first public secondary school was established in 1821, and it was called the English Classical School. This later became the Boy's High School, because it was an all boys school, but soon after similar schools arose for girls. By the end of the Civil War six thousand of these schools had spouted within the nation. The focus of these schools was either based upon general curriculum, or college preparation. Now many people were not in favor of these schools due to the fact taxes were raised in order to fund them. The Kalamazoo Michigan case though was one of many court cases that put an end to this idea, stating tax money could be used to fund schools. Also as the country moved from rural to urban, and agrarian to industrial a need for a higher education was increasing. This increased the popularity of secondary schools as well.
From this ides for furthering education secondary schools became a way of life, later sprouting the idea of Junior High Schools for individuals not quite ready to make the leap from elementary to High School. This is the basic evolution of secondary schools with the United States.