Dont rule out the cost of living...

The article from the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) discussed teacher salaries as they vary from state to state. It was written in response to the comparisons that are made by public officials and teacher unions, regarding salaries in a particular city or region against the national average or other U.S. cities.  As a result, legislators in states where teacher pay is considered to be low, are under extreme pressure to increase salaries. 

However, when examining teacher salaries (or any occupation salaries for that matter..) we must consider the cost of living for that particular area.  This is determined by the price of housing, groceries, utilities, health care, and other expenses.  When adjustments are made for the cost of living, what a teacher actually brings home can drastically change, depending on where they teach.

According to the 2010 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates report, New York is the highest paying state for a middle school teacher.  Initially, that sounds very appealing until one considers the HIGH cost of living associated with being a New York resident.

As a future teacher, this information is very relevant and useful.  It is awesome to know that because of reciprocity, it is easier to become licensed in other areas if I decide to relocate.  The article further emphasized how important the cost of living is when comparing teacher salaries.  The data from the Department of Labor could be a really helpful resource for any teacher wanting to move.
 

I feel as if it would be an interesting challenge to teach children in different areas.  The way I communicate and interact with my students could be different depending on my geographical location.  I feel really comfortable teaching in Tennessee but I would definitely consider a move under the right conditions.  Which means, I will be steering clear of teaching anywhere with a really high cost of living.  I should be able to enjoy the fruits of my labor too...
 

References:
 

Danielle Georgiou, Pamela Villarreal , and Matt Moore. (2005, October 24). National Center for Policy Analysis. Retrieved November 10, 2011, from https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=2975445&tId=19133317

United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2010.  Retrieved from: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes252022.htm
 
Webb, L., Metha, A., Forbis Jordan, K. (2010). Foundations of American Education (6th ed.). New Jersey: Merrill.

Multiculturalism...

       Having grown up in south Nashville, I experienced a wide range of diversity in school.  Many of my elementary school classmates were Laotion or of some Asian decent.  I can remember them leaving class a couple times a week to go to ESL (English as a Second Language).  The ESL teacher was an older Laotion lady and she would get upset when her students would teach their friends some of the words and phrases from their native language.  They would always say "make sure Miss 'So and So' doesn't hear you say it in the hallway."  I can also remember some of my friends changing their names to more "American" sounding names around 3rd and 4th grade.   It was difficult getting accustomed to calling someone a different name from the one you had always referred to them as.   Once I entered middle school, I encountered even more cultures and races.  There was a very small Hispanic representation, compared to the way it is now in schools I use to attend.  
 
       We would have different programs throughout the year where we would learn the customs of the different cultures we had at our school.  This was a time when we had the opportunity to see our classmates dressed in their native attire.  They would share history, dance, and bring food, in an effort to raise appreciation for their traditions.  I believe it worked because children seem to be fascinated by things they do not usually get to experience.   Waxler offers a very helpful perspective on teaching multiculturalism in the classroom.  He believes that all races can be taught simultaneously while dealing with different eras in history.  I also agree that this could be a beneficial technique.  Rather than solely focus on one particular race, the children can choose from a number of nationalities, to explore various topics, depending on the time frame being studied. 
 
       The "Toward a Centrist Curriculum: Two Kinds of Multiculturalism in Elementary School"  article discussed two different types of multiculturalism.  One type is referred to as "Cosmopolis" coming from the word Cosmopolitan, which means being a citizen of the world and a member of humanity as a whole.  However, ethnic loyalist believe that "each culture has a duty to preserve its own identity against the larger cosmopolis." They fear the thought of losing their individual cultural identity.  One argument against them was that teaching culture should not be a priority for a student who is struggling in areas such a math and science.  I must agree, as I mentioned in a discussion post for class, academics should come 1st.  I feel that more time could placed into teaching other vital subjects.  As children develop, they may or may not seek to learn more about their culture, or the cultures around them.  It all depends on how important it is to that individual. 
 

References:
 
Hirsch, E.D. (n.d.). Toward a centrist curriculum: Two kinds of multiculturalism in elementary school. Retrieved from https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=2975445&tId=19133313

Waxler, A. (n.d.). Multiculturalism in school curriculum. Retrieved from https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=2975445&tId=19133312

Will we ever move on???

It blows my mind that has been nearly 50 years since the civil rights movement and racism is STILL a major issue in the United States..

The "Pithissippi Burning" article was an interesting read but nothing to my surprise. The author began by reflecting on a book he had recently read called “The Brigade.” This book is a how-to guide for white separatists.  The idea was for them to move to Washington, Oregon and Idaho and drive out all of the blacks, Jews, and Hispanics. The book’s author shares the same views as many other white supremacist, who believe that our nation is in this awful economic crisis due to our multicultural society.  Even more ridiculous, is the notion that President Obama is the cause of our current status as a nation.  People with this view seem to ignore the horrid situation our country was in when President Obama was elected into office.  These are unrealistic expectations for one man and ignorant people want to attribute it to his brown skin.

Moving right along…

Samuel Taylor’s stance on multiculturalism was very apparent in his journal article “The Challenge of ‘Multiculturalism’ in How Americans View the Past and the Future.”  He believes that minorities only want to teach their own history and completely ignore the great accomplishments of whites.  He even went as far to say, “Just as whites are to step aside to give hiring preferences to minorities, whites are to set aside their own point of view and study those of others.” Regarding slavery, he states that; “Today, it is still the centerpiece of black history, because it excuses failure and can be used to extract benefits from whites.” I was sort of annoyed reading this but we do share one point of view and that is no matter what, everyone will not be happy with the way history is taught in our schools.  It seems easy to just write a History book that includes every single nationality, in the capacity that they would like to be represented in.. however, it’s not.

The “Why Multiculturalism is Wrong” article gave a worthwhile view on this topic.  The author disagrees with the idea of multiculturalism.  One interesting point was that “A multi-cultural society oppresses migrants.”  We welcome immigrants to become citizens of our country, then force them to learn “our” history. 

Throughout my grade school years I attended schools that were extremely diverse.  There was never a clear majority or minority.  We were taught traditional American History.. You know, Christopher Columbus started it all, The pilgrims invited the Indians over to eat for Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King was great, and so forth… I would hate to think of myself as being “shallow minded” but I really don’t see a major issue with this.  I would rather more time be devoted to Math and Science.  As children grow into adults they will dig deeper to learn about their history, if it is important enough to them.

References:

Tobia, P. (2009). Pithissippi Burning: Race, White Nationalism and American Culture. Retrieved on 9-13-11. Retrieved from: https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=2975445&tId=19133306

Why Multiculturalism is Wrong (n.d.) Retrieved on 9-13-11. Retrieved from: https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=2975445&tId=19133307

Taylor, S. (n.d.) The Challenge of “Multiculturalism” In How Americans View the Past and the Future. Retrieved on 9-13-11. Retrieved from: Https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=297445&tld=19133305

Religion in Schools: The debate continues...

The last time I checked, we lived in a nation that was founded upon Christian principles.  The pledge of Allegiance clearly states “One nation, under God...”   However, the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment calls for a separation of the church and state.  In Thomas Jefferson’s 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association he states:

“Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his god, [the people, in the 1st Amendment,] declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state.”

Let’s shift our focus to the part that says “..or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..” I interpret this as respecting all forms of religion and worship.  I must admit that I am somewhat biased on this topic.  I am a Christian woman who takes my relationship with God very seriously… but I am respectful to other religions and I feel as if the school system has been as well.  Muslim students are allowed to observe Ramadan, the holy month of prayer and fasting, in public schools across the nation.  Accommodations are in place such as allowing the students the ability to go to a designated area during their lunch time for prayer, and in some areas footbaths have been installed in restrooms to allow them to carry out their prayer rituals.   I grew up attending culturally diverse schools where I was constantly exposed to other forms of religion.  Exposing children to different religions can be instrumental in teaching them respect for all.

The Religion in Schools article raised some very valuable and interesting points.   A federal judge in Illinois ruled against a state law requiring students to observe a moment of silence at the beginning of each school day.  It is difficult for me to understand why people are against this.  It was never a requirement that students had to pray or do anything during that allotted time, other than be silent.  Many non-Christian use that time for their personal individual religious purposes as well.  What really gets me is that the lawsuit was filed by an Atheist and his daughter, who at the time was a high school student.  It seems as if Atheists want respect for their religious (or lack thereof) practices, but aren’t willing to accept Christian practices.   In Texas, Biologist and social conservatives went to the extent of attempting to revise the state's science curriculum so that it would be more difficult for teachers to discuss possible weaknesses to Darwin’s theory of evolution.  Their argument being that there are no scientifically verifiable weaknesses to Darwin's theory of evolution.  To my understanding, theories existed to be questioned and debated?  I thought this was part of the education process…

As long as it is organized and controlled, as in the “moment of silence”, children should be able to worship, pray, nap, stare into space, or whatever they so choose while in school.

References:

Calefati, J. (2009). Religion in Schools Debate Heats Up. U.S. News and Education. Retrieved from https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=2975445&tId=19133302.

Ramadan in Public Schools. Retrieved from: http://www.religionlink.com/tip_070917.php

http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_reli.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state_in_the_United_States

The Innovators vs. The Makers

The public education system has undergone a great deal of changes over the years.  Many of these changes can be attributed to extremely dedicated and passionate people who were willing to work hard to fix inadequacies throughout the school system.  Each innovator made a vital contribution to help reshape the school experience. 

Linda Brown Thompson was an African American girl living in Topeka, Kansas in the 1950's.  She was only in the 3rd grade but managed to be put in the forefront of a major civil rights battle.   Her family was selected by the NAACP for a nationwide legal attack on the “separate but equal” Supreme Court ruling that had permitted segregation in American schools for half a century.  The Browns and 12 other families all participated by trying to enroll their children in neighborhood white schools but they were all denied admission because of their skin color.  The historical Brown vs. The Board of Education ruling desegregated schools and also shed light on the injustices that African Americans faced due to racism.  I feel that all humans should have equal access to a quality education regardless of race or socioeconomic status.  

Frederick W. Taylor was a mechanical engineer who sought to improve industrial efficiency.  He is regarded at the father of scientific management and was one of the first management consultants.  As one of the intellectual leaders of the Efficiency Movement, he sought to identify and eliminate waste in all areas of the economy and society and to develop and implement best practices.


The innovators have all shared a common interest in improving the conditions of the educational system.  They all took on different tasks in response to what they were currently seeing as holes in our system.  A young Linda Brown Thompson helped desegregate schools allowing other African Americans like myself the right to attend any school.  

Retrieved from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Winslow_Taylor