Primary Goal of High School?

Once again, the readings for the week have left me with more questions than answers. It appears to me that high schools need to be diverse in order to meet the wide range of needs of their students. I believe, as it was stated in one of the readings, that adolescents (and all students for the most part) need to see the real world application to what they are learning. The problem in carrying this theory to practice seems to be how schools can do this within the current educational framework we are working under. Due to budget constraints, special education, standardized testing and everything else, it is hard to prioritize how to effectively provide these real world applications in a diversified way to meet the needs of all of our students.

I like the idea of giving students skills that they can apply directly. My school provides students the option to UTC , a school that provides students with the opportunity to become certified in a variety of skills including building construction, horticulture, and welding, among others. The trick will be to find a feasible model which provides appropriate responsibility and skills to it's learners.

Middle Level Practices....All Nothing?

Having minimal knowledge of middle school practices and procedures, I was struck at the scope of challenges for middle schools. It seems as though they are pulled in a variety of directions in terms of standardized testing, NCLB, preparation for high schools and a focus on literacy. Add these issues to the developing minds and bodies of adolescents and it is clear to see how schools and districts can move away or adopt pieces of the middle school concept.

As a result of the readings for this week, I can't get away from the idea that research states that students perform better academically and socially when the middle school philosophy is carried out in all areas. Therefore, a community needs to have a clear vision for what they are, in terms of a school, and what they are NOT. Without this focus and vision for these early adolescents, it is difficult for teachers and students to gain the skills necessary in order to be sucessful.

Aware, Enable, Empower

I loved the TEDTALKS video and have been thinking about how I can incorporate this philosophy into the classes I currently teach. Due to accountability concerns from policy makers at the state and national level, we are so focused on NCLB, Learning Results and Standardized Testing. I wonder what a school's test results would look like if they truly tried to "infect" their students and give them one idea and the support and framework for them to carry-out what they are passionate about.

The stakes are high today. We cannot simply ignore the mandates handed down to us but I do think that we miss out on many valuable and enriching educational opportunities because of the stress teachers feel to cram information in various subject areas into the brains of our students. How many times have you heard teachers mention the fact that we don't have enough time in order to instruct our students in the core subjects?