Chalk..the truth?

When Jim told us that we would be watching a film that had the same kind of humor as "The Office" in class on Monday night, I knew I was going to like the movie right from the beginning. Well, "Chalk" definitely did not disapoint as we were introduced to a variety of new teachers as they go about their life as the teachers. What I didnt realize was the truth that can be found is some of their actions when they are supposed to be portraying relatively bad teachers. However, I found myself noticing some similarities between these actors and the teachers I had growing up. I especially found myself noticing the similarities between my 8th grade geography teacher and the teacher trying to win Teacher of the Year. I was amazed because I never realized the things he had been doing wrong then and began thinking about the ways he went against the things Woolfolk suggests. What is most scary is that I remember a lot of the things I learned from his class. I also noticed that each of the teachers in the movie did something that was not entirely wrong. Overall, I believe that this movie could characterize a lot of things that happen to beginning teachers in schools today. Most of the teachers faced some type of problem with classroom management which is critical in schools today. These teachers also seemed not ready to be in the classroom, a quality I hope I do not have when I have my first day.

The Parental Perspective

Monday night, our Educational Psychology sections had the opportunity to hear from three Decorah area parents about their stances on education issues and their experience with teachers. One of the parents had kids in a variety of grade levels, one a sophomore daughter and graduated son, and finally a mom with a graduated special education student. Not only was the session helpful, but it also offered life lessons about the profession of teaching and the importance of communicating with parents. As I listened intently to the parents' responses to questions about NCLB and effective teaching, I was impressed with the amount of information the parents knew about the teaching profession. Although two of them had teaching experience, the other seemed just as knowledgeable which offered an insight that I had never thought about.
Up until this point, the only interaction I had had with parents in a classroom setting was when my ED 185 class took a field trip and two parents joined us. They were interested in what I had learned and how the experience was going. I was surprised they even knew I had been there but they reminded me that my host teacher had sent home a letter telling them I would be there. The sense of support and desire to help that I felt from those moms on the field trip was reaffirmed by the parents in the discussion. Each one of them showed true desire to want to be an active member of their child's education and this makes me hopeful for my future classroom. If I have parents who are as supportive as those parents seemed to be, I will truly be a blessed teacher.

Christianity and Islam...I think?

Tonight, I had the opportunity to attend a lecture given by Charles Amjad-Ali, a professor at Luther Seminary. Before deciding which lecture I wanted to attend for this course, I read the description of this lecture and found the topic of the interconnectedness of Islam and Christianity to be an interesting topic. All I can say is that this lecture was not all that I expected it to be.
After arriving over twenty minutes, Amjad-Ali was given a dry introduction by a man who simply listed off his credentials like it was the only thing he had to do that night. Then Amjad-Ali proceeded to rush through his main points with such speed that he never came up for air. Not only were his points too broad and about information that I had no background too, but he also spoke with an accent that made it almost impossible to understand anything when he spoke at such a fast rate. He ended his lecture after forty minutes and upon which he opened the floor for questioning. The only question I had for him was what just happened in the last forty minutes.
Although most of the lecture was hard to understand, one point I did learn from Amjad-Ali was that the seperation of church and state never meant the seperation of religion and politics. This statement struck me because I feel that it can be directly related to the unintentional inclusion of religion within the school system. Looking back at my schooling, church and religion was always discussed because we were such a close knit community. My friends from church were generally my friends at school because we recognized that similarity between us. As we grew older, the inclusion of religion only deepened as we were introduce to the political system and began developing our own identities as citizens. Another example of religion and politics can be seen in the tension surrounding this election. Not only are certain religions often associated with certain parties, but for the first time, race and politics collided. When I look at our political system and many of the issues included, I believe that it doesnt have to be about religion because many of the issues need to be solved in ways that respect the rights of all individuals.

Lifelong Learning

The discussion on Monday night was one of the most valuable ways I have spent an hour of my life. Much like the past two weeks, the educational psychology sections had the opportunity to listen to professionals from the schools, asking questions and gaining valuable tools for our future careers as teachers. This past Monday night, that group of professionals included three teachers that would still be considered "new" to the field. Each having less than 10 years of experience, these individuals had only recently become an education professional and were still able to relate to many of the feelings my classmates and I share.
Not only were these professionals new teachers but they were also all Luther graduates. The most helpful part of their discussion was the answers to our questions that before we had never had the opportunity to ask others before. Questions ranging from "What do u wish you would have known the first day?" and "Did Luther prepare you?" Not only did they provide helpful answers for these questions but they also provided helpful responses to questions about No Child Left Behind and other issues facing teachers today. Overall, I found this lecture to be very helpful and I hope that the parents will provide as much valuable information as this group of teachers.