Discovery Spring 2010

With the end of the semester approaching, I can't help but think about all the new experiences I will have in the Spring. I am most looking forward to the Discovery trip required by all First Year Teaching Fellows. During the trip, all 500 TFs will travel across the state visiting the different school systems. This opportunity will help us see how each school system varies in funding, etc. and also help us better determine which school system we would like to teach in after graduation. After talking to some of the older members of the UNC Teaching Fellows, I am excited to participate in the so called "epic" bus battle and to reunite with my classmates from high school who took the scholarship to different schools. It's hard to believe that my first semester of college is almost behind me, and I can't wait for the adventures that lie ahead of me. I hope the next few years will be the time of your lives. Enjoy them, and I'll see you around!

Amanda Stapleton

Stressed?

Assuming that all of you are just as stressed out as I am preparing for your lovely exams, here are the top ten ways to relieve stress:

1. Take a hot shower (Don't forget to wear your shower shoes).

2. Get a massage (They're giving them out for free in the Great Hall).

3. Practice yoga or stretching (Don't let your roommate awkwardly walk in on you though).

4. Listen to music (Sorry Miley, it's not a Party in the USA when this song plays).

5. Exercise (SRC anyone?)

6. Drink tea (In moderation people!)

7. SLEEP! (Graham Memorial has comfy couches).

8. Talk to a friend (Hey roomie).

9. Make a to-do list (Update Facebook status? Check).

10. Read a book (Besides The Republic).

Finals, Schminals

As I sit in Davis Library cramming, I mean continue y diligent studying, for my upcoming History of Western Civilizations final, I remember a discussion we had in my EDUC 121 class this semester. In any public schools across the country, you can hear both the students and teachers expressing their grievances toward the No Child Left Behind Act. The legislation, which was passed by former president George W. Bush in 2008, is designed to set high standards and goals so that schools may have more of an intiative to provide the best education to our nation's children. Unfortunately, the act puts added amounts of unnecessary pressure on today's youth and teachers. Teachers must provide assessments to their students to determine the child's educational growth or recession. Those schools that meet the nation's set standards will receive federal funding, while those missing the mark are in fact "left behind." Personally, I was required to complete both six and twelve week assessments, a midterm evaluation, final exam, and an Advanced Placement exam in just one high school course. While the act has been proving effective thus far, it critics have argued its unequal bias against both low and high performing students as well as those who are not natural English speakers. Many commissions have stated their proposals for reform, and for the sake of our future generations, I sure hope one is accepted soon.

So Long, EDUC 121

So today was my last EDUC 121 class. Along with the usual course evaluations and last words by the teachers, my fellow TF's and I decided to take over class! Unknowingly to our professor, we brought in food and drinks to celebrate the end of the semester and relieve some of the stress caused by upcoming finals. And what kind of party would it be with out a little Harry Potter watching? College tuition well spent? I think so.

Hugs, not Drugs

Today was definitely bittersweet. As it was my last day of tutoring at Carrboro High School for the semester, I was a little sad that I would not be seeing the students again fro a while. However, knowing that the semester is winding down and finals are just around the corner reminds me that a much needed Christmas break is in my near future! During tutoring, I was asked to take three students to a separate, quieter room to help them work on a project. Upon hearing this, I was very excited because I am normally stuck in the corner helping students with the same worksheets every week. The project was for an AP human Geography class, or AP HUG. This class was never offered at my high school, and I have never heard of it until today so I was a little apprehensive about being able to help the students out. Luckily, the subject of the project was malaria, and I was there to just keep the students focused as they worked. It may be a little too late, but I had a great time tutoring today as I helped the students research and got to know more about who they are. Hopefully, I will be a little quicker in getting to know students next semester!

No Boundaries

In our second to last class until the end of the semester (woot, woot!), my EDUC 121 class discussed the varying abilities and disabilities of students in today's classrooms. In our discussion, we also commented on students with special needs. It was surprising to me that both students with disabilities as well as "gifted" students were considered to have special needs or to be exceptional learners.

When I was younger, my mother worked as an assistant in a classroom for students with mental and physical handicaps. I loved going into her classroom and playing with her students. They were just so content to be given positive attention. Because I was made aware of these people differing from me at such a young age, it bothers me so much to see others criticize and antagonize people just because they do not look or act the same way as they do. To me, it is so cowardly to attack someone who has no way of defending themselves.

Unfortunately, my mother had to give up working in these classrooms when my family moved to High Point from Florida. There were no schools in the area with a decent special needs program, and my mother did not want to work in an inefficient classroom. I have gone back and forth many times on whether or not I would like to work in a classroom for students with disabilities. My decision is still not completely set, but hopefully I will have the opportunity to work with such students in a tutoring placement and then determine if that is the road I want to take.

I'm a Barbie Girl, In a Barbie World

I feel that every post about my EDUC 121 class relates, in some way, to race and diversity. Well here is another one! Last Monday, I met with a couple other girls from my class to have a small race discussion group. I was not particularly looking forward to discussing the subject AGAIN, but as usual, I was pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere was much more relaxed, and I felt that I could express my opinions better than in a class full of 50 students. During our time, we talked about our own views on how to teach in a diverse classroom and also about our own experiences with race in education. We even added our two cents to the current "racist Barbie" debate.

I have observed that the AVID class in which I tutor is composed of all minority students, and this really upsets me. As I have stated previously, AVID is not necessarily for students who are doing poorly in school, but for any student who would like additional help with their schoolwork. However, based on my time during tutoring, I have noticed that the majority of the students are struggling. So why is it that a classroom of struggling students happen to all be of a minority race? Is it a coincidence, or what I believe, a discrimination against these particular students by their teachers that have caused such poor results?

Recently, I also witnessed a situation in which one of the students in class made a wrong assumption based on race. While another student was delivering her birthday invitations to her friends in class, one of the AVID students asked her why she was having her party at an apartment complex. The student, who happened to be Caucasian, seemed really confused when she answered him that that's where she lived. Because the student was Caucasian, he assumed that she was "rich," and therefore, would not live in an apartment. Call me naive or ignorant even, but I was so surprised that a student of that age could honestly make such an assumption.