Symposium

The symposium presentation I went to, was actually my brother, Tyler Kirk. He presented his research on what he called "Our Gentle Father: Soft Stalinism and the Historical Development of the Stalinist System." I learned about how in today's culture there is still a focus on the figure of a man that Stalin was. Children of my time are saying that he did good things for Russia and created opportunity. Tyler's presentation didn't focus on the negatives of stalin, but how Stalin developed Russia. I liked the presentation because I knew he had been working on this topic for a long time, but I finally got to hear just what it is that he was working on. It was interesting to hear a different side of Stalinism.

If I did a presentation at a symposium, I would present something that I was interested in. I think I would present on how music from the past, like the Beatles, 50's doo-wop, and Elvis, is present in today's music. There is influence from the most basic music.

Chapter 14: Succeeding in Your Teacher Education Program--and Beyond

My concerns with teaching are, not being able to fulfill the things that I have set for myself because of unexpected occurrences, having extreme difficulty with a subject, being unable to help a student as much as I would like, not knowing enough, and finding a job.

The area of concern that is most present is IMPACT. Most all my concerns were about teaching and how I will impact my students and me hoping that I will be a sufficient teacher.

Chapter 13: Improving Teachers and Schools, and School Reform

Before I graduate, I would like to have experience in the field. I want to learn what it is really like to be a teacher and be able to say that I have ample qualifications to teach before I go into the profession.

During the first few years of teaching, I hope to learn more about myself as a teacher and how to approach certain situations in the most affective ways. I want to experience intense classes where I have to work hard, and classes that show progress. To be well rounded in the first few years of teaching is a goal of mine.

through my experience at school and from the first few years of teaching, I want to become a more aware teacher and qualified to do my job. I believe that nothing teaches better than experience. If I can experience teaching in all ways than I think that I will benefit greatly.

Bullying Handout

Here is my Photo Copy of my bullying handout

Chapter 6: Social Context of Schools

To help students handle bullying, harassment, and intolerance, I will help provide a place for my students to learn about these things and just what they are. Sometimes kids don't know that they are a part of these things and until they talk about them or learn about them do they realize that they might be a victim or the accused. Giving the students a place to learn about such things gives them the opportunity to stop before things get out of hand.

If there is a student in my midst that is the bully, or is distracting a student, I will handle it. I would most likely take the bully to the office and have him punished. I wouldn't involve the child that was being bullied for the bully might blame to kid. Taking action seems like the right thing to do, but in some instances being careful is also something that has to be done. Some situations call for more than just taking one student to be punished, there are deeper precautions that could be taken, like making sure other teachers are keeping an eye out for such things and able to take care of situations in appropriate manner.

Chapter 4: Schools as the Workplace for Students and Teachers

In regards to teaching and how schools are staffed, our Build-a-school was constructed in a way that teachers have more say and power than usual. Usually it is just administration who constructs and monitors what goes, but in our school it were the teachers who had a lot of say. Comparatively, our school was similar to the the United States because of the different levels of teaching. Communication is vital in any teaching setting, and in our schooling system that is one of the most vital pieces to a successful school. One of the differences was that our teachers stay put in the grade they teach. They don't move with the students. In a high school setting, the teachers might teacher the same kids again, but they will not have the same class over and over. Our school is different from the United States when it comes to funding. A lot of schools in the U.S. are funded by the government or by the state. Our school is funded by the community, giving the community, the ones who are attending and surrounding the school a chance to have part in the school atmosphere. The role of the Government is limited. Our school seems unique because of how we have opened it up to a public setting in terms of who has a say in the school and who pays. Having the school as a community fed school allows for programs to be created that benefit not only the community, but surrounding areas.

Chapter 3: Families and Communities

Language and cultural diversity are very beneficial assets for the teaching and learning process. In a classroom that has language and culture diversity, there is a place for students and teachers to learn of different aspects of life and how to interact with different cultures. As said by Gene E. Hall, "Being able to function comfortably in different cultures allows educators to cross cultural borders, incorporating the students' cultures and experiences into curriculum and classroom activities. It also allows teachers to model respect for cultural differences and the cultural borders some students must cross on a daily bases." Diversity allows for great learning and teaching possibilities. Not only does it allow for the teacher to model appropriate ways to handle diversity and how to accept other cultural ways, it is a great learning situation for students.