Week 10
Today was my final day of Learn and Serve. We had a new 8th grader, and for the first period he was with us he sat and drew and watched television. As I've said before, this bothers me because I just don't think that letting them sit around and watch television is a good idea, but I am not the teacher so the best I can do it sit here on my blog and complain about the situation. At the end of the period I asked to see what he had drawn and and he was more than happy to show me. It was a drawing of the streets of Niagara Falls and the nicknames of his friends that were born on the corresponding streets. It was really a good drawing a lot of these students can draw and enjoy drawing. Another thing these kids love to do is make a beat and dance or create a rap that goes along with the beat. I'm a true believer in supporting funding for art and music programs in schools. They cannot go away, they are truly needed and these kids prove it. Our society should focus on math and science skills but honestly not everyone is good at them. i know I'm not and taking away programs that help these kids like school even a little bit is just an idiotic idea.
In the 10th grade class we did a powerpoint and Mr. C let the kids change the slides. They didn't even read the slides they just filled in the blanks on the worksheets they were given. Again, this bothered me because there wasn't a drop of learning going on. One of the students asked for help and I asked him to read something and he couldn't, again schools aren't focusing on reading and English anymore, even some kids in college are like that. (I'm sort of using this entry to vent) One of the students was talking about basket ball and how much he loved it. I suggested maybe he get a job as a coach and try out for the high school team, he liked that idea.
Many students that have behavioral issues have a hard time in after school in the transitional period into adult life. "One of the unsolved challenges involving the education of students with emotional and behavioral disorders is their poor record of school completion, together with limited success in the vocational arena following school." (Page: 212) Unfortunately many of these students might not even graduate high school because they can do the work and just don't want to. These students should be educated more on where and what they can do outside of school so they break from this track that they are on. That's why I suggested getting a coaching job to earn some money and maybe take a few classes at the community college. For other students who love to dance Mr. C and I both suggested that they teach dance classes. It would be a good way to earn money and help people around you.
I didn't learn about lesson plans, I wasn't in a traditional classroom. I didn't get to watch a crafty review session that a teacher spent hours on. Instead I learned about kids that have had more things happen to them then I will in my lifetime. I was not a fan of the kids sitting there watching television and not doing work when they are supposed to. I was not a fan that the kids weren't learning anything just sitting there filling out a power point in record time. I did like that the students listened to Mr. C and that at most times they were polite to me. I really did learn that you're not always going to get a good class and you do have the option if you want to teach at a school like this. I changed my previous statement. I don't think I would like to work there, I'd just get to bored and frustrated when they didn't feel like doing anything. I'm not saying I couldn't handle Special Ed but I couldn't do the sitting around, it's just not my thing.
I'm grateful for this Learn and Serve program, but I'd really like to get out of the city schools. I've been in the high school, an after school tutor for the 5th grade at Hyde Park, and now at the Alternative school. It's not bad to say that I want to go to a school like LewPort because I've experienced the city school and it is part of Learn and Serve to get us into the different types of environments. I really think that I've had my fare share of the city district in terms of Learn and Serve.
Hours Completed : 2
Total Hours: 20
Kirk S. , Gallagher J.J. , Coleman M.R. , & Anastasiow N. (2009).Educating Exceptional Children (12th ed.). Boston, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.
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