During Social Gospel movement of the early twentieth century Protestant Christian churches focused their strength on instilling the nation with Christian Ethics. It was a call for socially aware religion that focused on the social problems that were occurring at the time. Sixty years later the country was undergoing changes that would bring the beliefs of the Social Gospel back to prominence. With the help of leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and organizations like the National Council of Churches racial issues were now being dealt with
As early as 1950 the National Council was addressing the issue of race within the church. From 1950 to 1958 the Council issued twenty-four resolutions outlining their stance on racial issues. The most important being their “Statement on the Church and Segregation”. This statement made it clear where the church stood on the matter, “the pattern of segregation is diametrically opposed to what Christians believe about the worth of men, we must take our stand against it.” [1] This was the first major move by the Council to instruct its churches to move for desegregation in their churches and their communities. This resolution by the council fueled the civil rights movement and set the stage for African American church leaders to push for equality throughout the nation.
During the time of these moves by the Council Martin Luther King Jr. was starting to gain a name for him among white and black church members alike. He spent his early days traveling the country speaking to mostly white churches. His fearlessness to enter any venue and speak on the issues affecting his people set him aside from all others. He embodied a new breed of black church leader and by 1963 he was the face of the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. was leading his people out of the darkness that had been forcefully placed on them for hundreds of years. He demanded that the Christian ideals that had been taught to slaves long ago be fulfilled.
In the early part of the twentieth Century leaders on the Social Gospel movement feared social evils would ruin the great nation their Protestant forefathers had built. The issue of equality was one of their concerns, but never to the large extent. This was due to the fact that the leaders behind this early movement were white. During the late 1950’s and early 1960’s the birth to a new form of Social Gospel began, one that focused on racial equality. While the mainstream church was responsible for some of this much of the success of the movement can be attributed to African American church leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. These leaders involved the church directly in the issues facing African Americans and by doing this a new movement was born.
[1] James F. Findlay Jr. The Origins of Activism. 1950
Monday, October 12, 2009
Monday, December 10, 2007
Reflection 3
Entering the classroom for the first time I had no idea moral issues would arise. I was mostly concerned with the academic aspects of the classroom. But early on the issues of classroom management and moral norms made me realize that those issues play a vital role in how efficient the classroom runs. The teacher holds all the cards when dealing with students. They are authority figures that the children learn from and the classroom has many opportunities for students to learn them.
In my observations the two teachers set up a routine for the beginning of the class that does not change. These rituals are put in place to remind the students that the classroom is a place to have fun but most importantly it is a place to learn. Everyday is started the same way with the students seated quietly with their hands folded in their laps waiting for the teacher to take role. As soon as the final bell rings the children know it is time to quite down. I asked both teachers how they got their students to behave so well even without them saying anything or raising their voice. They told me it took three long weeks from the start of the year for the kindergarten students to learn and follow the beginning class rules. Most of these children did not attend preschool, so they had no prior knowledge of how a classroom worked. Both teachers are very friendly and I have never seem them raise their voice in anger towards their students. I think this helped the children adjust to a new way of doing things.
“Morals are caught not taught”, is David T. Hansen motto in his article, Teaching and The Moral Life of Classrooms. This statement is extremely true, students’ especially young ones like my kindergarteners mimic what peers and adults do. Teachers have to use this to spread positive morals to students. Setting rules and sticking with them is a good way to show equality among all students. I know my teachers have favorites. Even I have them. In the short time I have been there I have bonded with a few students but this is no reason to show favoritism to any student. All the students need to feel like they are special and you’re there to help them all succeed and learn.
In my class the children are just getting to understand the rules of the classroom. The one rule that is giving them the hardest time is the hand raising rule. It is hard enough to get twenty five year-olds to listen, let alone wait to be called on. They are all eager to learn but this sometimes causes chaos. The hand raising rule is in effect to keep the chaos and interruptions to a minimum. I think it also has a second unrelated effect on the students. It teaches them that in the classroom and maybe at home the teacher or parent holds total control over them. I believe this because along with the hand raising rule there is the “thumbs up” rule. This rule is for students who want to use the rest room. When they need to go they put their thumbs up and wait for the teacher to allow them to go. Sometimes they are not always allowed to go right away. The teachers told me this is because some students use it as a way to “mess around”. I do not believe this is fair but they know their students better than I do. But all these rules serve a purpose to keep order and teach their students to follow the rules set in class.
To me it seems like some of the morals that are “caught” in the classroom are there to keep order and help the teacher. Along with teaching students math, reading, and writing, teachers are teaching students how to function in society. These are skills that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives, so it is important for teachers to be fair in their treatment of all students.
As a child I always saw the classroom as a place for academic learning. I never thought I was picking up a moral education too. But after reading David T. Hansen I realized that it was something I learned without knowing it. As an adult and future teacher I see the value in teaching morals to students and starting at an early age. I see this every Wednesday when I observe in my kindergarten class. I see five year old children learning the basics. I see them learning to share, treating others equally, and showing respect to adults. But they are just at the beginning stage of their moral education, so they still struggle with even the most basic classroom rules. Even in higher grades students struggle with the most basic rules, but it is the teacher’s job to remain calm and stick to their rules and treat every student fairly.
In my observations the two teachers set up a routine for the beginning of the class that does not change. These rituals are put in place to remind the students that the classroom is a place to have fun but most importantly it is a place to learn. Everyday is started the same way with the students seated quietly with their hands folded in their laps waiting for the teacher to take role. As soon as the final bell rings the children know it is time to quite down. I asked both teachers how they got their students to behave so well even without them saying anything or raising their voice. They told me it took three long weeks from the start of the year for the kindergarten students to learn and follow the beginning class rules. Most of these children did not attend preschool, so they had no prior knowledge of how a classroom worked. Both teachers are very friendly and I have never seem them raise their voice in anger towards their students. I think this helped the children adjust to a new way of doing things.
“Morals are caught not taught”, is David T. Hansen motto in his article, Teaching and The Moral Life of Classrooms. This statement is extremely true, students’ especially young ones like my kindergarteners mimic what peers and adults do. Teachers have to use this to spread positive morals to students. Setting rules and sticking with them is a good way to show equality among all students. I know my teachers have favorites. Even I have them. In the short time I have been there I have bonded with a few students but this is no reason to show favoritism to any student. All the students need to feel like they are special and you’re there to help them all succeed and learn.
In my class the children are just getting to understand the rules of the classroom. The one rule that is giving them the hardest time is the hand raising rule. It is hard enough to get twenty five year-olds to listen, let alone wait to be called on. They are all eager to learn but this sometimes causes chaos. The hand raising rule is in effect to keep the chaos and interruptions to a minimum. I think it also has a second unrelated effect on the students. It teaches them that in the classroom and maybe at home the teacher or parent holds total control over them. I believe this because along with the hand raising rule there is the “thumbs up” rule. This rule is for students who want to use the rest room. When they need to go they put their thumbs up and wait for the teacher to allow them to go. Sometimes they are not always allowed to go right away. The teachers told me this is because some students use it as a way to “mess around”. I do not believe this is fair but they know their students better than I do. But all these rules serve a purpose to keep order and teach their students to follow the rules set in class.
To me it seems like some of the morals that are “caught” in the classroom are there to keep order and help the teacher. Along with teaching students math, reading, and writing, teachers are teaching students how to function in society. These are skills that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives, so it is important for teachers to be fair in their treatment of all students.
As a child I always saw the classroom as a place for academic learning. I never thought I was picking up a moral education too. But after reading David T. Hansen I realized that it was something I learned without knowing it. As an adult and future teacher I see the value in teaching morals to students and starting at an early age. I see this every Wednesday when I observe in my kindergarten class. I see five year old children learning the basics. I see them learning to share, treating others equally, and showing respect to adults. But they are just at the beginning stage of their moral education, so they still struggle with even the most basic classroom rules. Even in higher grades students struggle with the most basic rules, but it is the teacher’s job to remain calm and stick to their rules and treat every student fairly.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Reflection2
Ability grouping is used in the classroom to separate students into groups of peers that are at the same skill level. This is done in all grades but when it happens in elementary schools parents and educators have mixed feeling about its effectiveness. In the class I observe ability grouping is done for a variety of reasons. It seems to help the teachers control the classroom and give additional help to the groups that need it.
Since the first day I arrived in the classroom I was told we would be using ability grouping in the day’s instruction. About forty percent of the students in my classes are English learners. These are bright children that try hard at everything they do but since they lack the basic language skills they struggle in certain subjects. My class is divided into three groups: birds, bunnies, and fish. These animals were chosen to represent were the students rank in the class. The birds fly high above the rest; the bunnies roam the middle, while the fish swim below.
Both morning and afternoon kindergarten classes are team taught by two teachers. And on my first day the teachers broke the class up into its groups so that they could work individually with each group on some required subject matter the children needed to know for state tests. This was my first introduction to ability grouping and at first I did not know the class was broken up like this. I was just told I would get to work with each group. I first thought the groups were just to manage the class better, but I soon realized this was not the case. Our first assignment involved following directions, coloring within the lines, cutting, and then pasting. My first group was the birds. This group needed little to no assistance from me. The remembered the instructions, knew how to use the tools needed to finish the project, and did the project promptly. I was surprised how well the first group did and expected the next two groups to be as good as this one. Boy was I wrong. The second group that came to my table was the bunnies. This group was a little distracted, which I thought was due to the fact that recess time was approaching. This group had trouble with every detail of the project. I had to go over some of the details like reminding them to first print their name before beginning, coloring before cutting, and tracing the shapes before coloring so that they did not scribble all over the paper. For the most part this group did well; they finished in an adequate amount of time. The final group I worked with was the fish. This group was made mostly of English learners. They seemed to not know what was going on. Some of the children began to cut others scribbled all over the paper, while a few just stared at me with a scared look on their face. At this point I realized that the groups were more than just a way to break up the room. This group needed so much attention I could not answer all their questions at once. They seemed fidgety, and would tell me things like “I have a cat?” or “Do you have an Xbox?” I tried my best to help them all but at the end of the fifteen minutes more than half of the group had not completed the assignment.
During recess the two teachers pulled me aside and discussed what the groups were all a bout. They explained to me that these groups are essential to their classroom. With such a disparity among the student’s abilities these groups make teaching easier and allow them to give added attention to the groups that need it. Instead of giving one on one help they put students that need added assistance in the same group. They explained to me that the homogenous groups benefit both the student and the teacher. While a majority of the class time is spent in a heterogeneous environment these groups do seem to serve a purpose in the classroom. Their view on ability grouping seems to be a positive one that works best for them. But this made me think back at my own elementary school days. Was I ever grouped by ability? Which group did I fall into? I wonder if these children know they are being grouped on their ability. Because they are so young they probably do not. But once children get into higher grades I am sure they start to realize who is in the “smart” group.
This raises an interesting question about self-esteem and if this may lead to children acting up in class or just not caring because they are not smart enough. From my own experience in the fish group I found that these children seemed distracted and were off task than the rest of the groups. They talked and needed more guidance than the rest. While the other two groups seemed more task oriented they did not help each other. In the fish group one student tried to help the rest by telling them to write their name first in Spanish. I think their lack of knowledge of the English language had more to do with their ability than anything else. When the class is together with all abilities in one large group little behavior problems occur. Maybe one student or two will get reprimanded for talking or not sitting properly but that is it. I do not know if they behave better when I am there but I have not experienced any behavioral problems.
The teachers support ability grouping but only for part of the day. They prefer to have all the children together but because of the large amount of English learners it is essential to work part of the day in ability groups. Since day one I have not done much observing, they put me to work from the beginning. I only observe this classroom on Wednesdays and this is the day they do a majority of their group work because they use me to work with one of the groups. Because of this I have had limited experience with heterogonous groups. Hopefully I can observe the class as a whole in the near future so that I can have a clear understanding of which types of group’s works best.
Since the first day I arrived in the classroom I was told we would be using ability grouping in the day’s instruction. About forty percent of the students in my classes are English learners. These are bright children that try hard at everything they do but since they lack the basic language skills they struggle in certain subjects. My class is divided into three groups: birds, bunnies, and fish. These animals were chosen to represent were the students rank in the class. The birds fly high above the rest; the bunnies roam the middle, while the fish swim below.
Both morning and afternoon kindergarten classes are team taught by two teachers. And on my first day the teachers broke the class up into its groups so that they could work individually with each group on some required subject matter the children needed to know for state tests. This was my first introduction to ability grouping and at first I did not know the class was broken up like this. I was just told I would get to work with each group. I first thought the groups were just to manage the class better, but I soon realized this was not the case. Our first assignment involved following directions, coloring within the lines, cutting, and then pasting. My first group was the birds. This group needed little to no assistance from me. The remembered the instructions, knew how to use the tools needed to finish the project, and did the project promptly. I was surprised how well the first group did and expected the next two groups to be as good as this one. Boy was I wrong. The second group that came to my table was the bunnies. This group was a little distracted, which I thought was due to the fact that recess time was approaching. This group had trouble with every detail of the project. I had to go over some of the details like reminding them to first print their name before beginning, coloring before cutting, and tracing the shapes before coloring so that they did not scribble all over the paper. For the most part this group did well; they finished in an adequate amount of time. The final group I worked with was the fish. This group was made mostly of English learners. They seemed to not know what was going on. Some of the children began to cut others scribbled all over the paper, while a few just stared at me with a scared look on their face. At this point I realized that the groups were more than just a way to break up the room. This group needed so much attention I could not answer all their questions at once. They seemed fidgety, and would tell me things like “I have a cat?” or “Do you have an Xbox?” I tried my best to help them all but at the end of the fifteen minutes more than half of the group had not completed the assignment.
During recess the two teachers pulled me aside and discussed what the groups were all a bout. They explained to me that these groups are essential to their classroom. With such a disparity among the student’s abilities these groups make teaching easier and allow them to give added attention to the groups that need it. Instead of giving one on one help they put students that need added assistance in the same group. They explained to me that the homogenous groups benefit both the student and the teacher. While a majority of the class time is spent in a heterogeneous environment these groups do seem to serve a purpose in the classroom. Their view on ability grouping seems to be a positive one that works best for them. But this made me think back at my own elementary school days. Was I ever grouped by ability? Which group did I fall into? I wonder if these children know they are being grouped on their ability. Because they are so young they probably do not. But once children get into higher grades I am sure they start to realize who is in the “smart” group.
This raises an interesting question about self-esteem and if this may lead to children acting up in class or just not caring because they are not smart enough. From my own experience in the fish group I found that these children seemed distracted and were off task than the rest of the groups. They talked and needed more guidance than the rest. While the other two groups seemed more task oriented they did not help each other. In the fish group one student tried to help the rest by telling them to write their name first in Spanish. I think their lack of knowledge of the English language had more to do with their ability than anything else. When the class is together with all abilities in one large group little behavior problems occur. Maybe one student or two will get reprimanded for talking or not sitting properly but that is it. I do not know if they behave better when I am there but I have not experienced any behavioral problems.
The teachers support ability grouping but only for part of the day. They prefer to have all the children together but because of the large amount of English learners it is essential to work part of the day in ability groups. Since day one I have not done much observing, they put me to work from the beginning. I only observe this classroom on Wednesdays and this is the day they do a majority of their group work because they use me to work with one of the groups. Because of this I have had limited experience with heterogonous groups. Hopefully I can observe the class as a whole in the near future so that I can have a clear understanding of which types of group’s works best.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Reflection 1: Inventory
This is the first time I have ever been surrounded by children in a classroom environment. I am doing my observations in the school I attended as a child, xxxxx in xxxxx. I have fond memories of this school. As a child I enjoyed the wide open space this school offered, with its large playgrounds and spacious sports fields. But xxxxx along with other schools in the town of xxxxx has gone through a rebuilding phase. Gone are the large baseball diamonds and playgrounds. They have been replaced with portable classrooms and a new kindergarten wing. This is due to the growing population xxxxxxx has seen in recent years as housing prices have risen in Silicon Valley.
xxxxx is located on xxxxxx Westside. I grew up in this area and I can speak from experience that it is not the best area in this town. This school has 567 students enrolled. Of these students 48% (270) are English learners and 64% are low income students. Most of the 270 speak only Spanish at home. These factors may affect a student’s ability to learn. 67% of xxxxxx students rank at basic or below in English/Langue Arts (reading and writing); they far better in mathematics with 50% at basic or below California Standards Tests.
My first day of observation started in Mrs. xxxxxx kindergarten class. This class is team taught with Mrs. xxxxxx. One teacher is the main teacher for the morning class while the second takes charge of the afternoon class. On my first morning I was a little nervous. I seemed to be a bigger distraction than anything. But once Mrs. xxxxxx introduced me the kids they all settled down. Of the twenty or so students about 90% were Hispanic, with about 40% speaking little to no English. This makes teaching very difficult especially since they have to teach only in English.
The most interesting event that happened on my first day was seeing how ability grouping works. After reading “The Balanced View: Ability Grouping” I knew the pros and cons associated with ability grouping. I understood why it was such a big controversy among parents and educators. The students were broken up into three groups: birds, bunnies, and fish. The fish were the children who needed the most help, while the bunnies were in the middle, and the birds were above the rest. I worked one on one with all three groups and saw the advantages ability grouping has for all students. At first I thought ability grouping was a bad thing for children because it would keep them from learning from their peers. But after seeing it in action I believe ability grouping can help children. It makes it easier for the teacher to give extra attention to the students who need it without taking time away from the other students.
I was given a project that involved following directions, coloring, cutting and pasting. When I worked with the fish group I saw them helping each other. Most of the students in this group were English learners and lacked the basic language skills to fully understand what was being asked of them. They were not scared to ask for help from me. I was more involved with this group because most of them needed help. The bunnies and the birds on the other hand did not need as much direction from me.
All in all, my first day was pretty fun. I learned a lot of things and gained some experience. But most importantly my first day changed my view on how ability grouping can help students. I saw the advantages ability grouping has in a classroom with English learners and how I might use it one day in my own class.
xxxxx is located on xxxxxx Westside. I grew up in this area and I can speak from experience that it is not the best area in this town. This school has 567 students enrolled. Of these students 48% (270) are English learners and 64% are low income students. Most of the 270 speak only Spanish at home. These factors may affect a student’s ability to learn. 67% of xxxxxx students rank at basic or below in English/Langue Arts (reading and writing); they far better in mathematics with 50% at basic or below California Standards Tests.
My first day of observation started in Mrs. xxxxxx kindergarten class. This class is team taught with Mrs. xxxxxx. One teacher is the main teacher for the morning class while the second takes charge of the afternoon class. On my first morning I was a little nervous. I seemed to be a bigger distraction than anything. But once Mrs. xxxxxx introduced me the kids they all settled down. Of the twenty or so students about 90% were Hispanic, with about 40% speaking little to no English. This makes teaching very difficult especially since they have to teach only in English.
The most interesting event that happened on my first day was seeing how ability grouping works. After reading “The Balanced View: Ability Grouping” I knew the pros and cons associated with ability grouping. I understood why it was such a big controversy among parents and educators. The students were broken up into three groups: birds, bunnies, and fish. The fish were the children who needed the most help, while the bunnies were in the middle, and the birds were above the rest. I worked one on one with all three groups and saw the advantages ability grouping has for all students. At first I thought ability grouping was a bad thing for children because it would keep them from learning from their peers. But after seeing it in action I believe ability grouping can help children. It makes it easier for the teacher to give extra attention to the students who need it without taking time away from the other students.
I was given a project that involved following directions, coloring, cutting and pasting. When I worked with the fish group I saw them helping each other. Most of the students in this group were English learners and lacked the basic language skills to fully understand what was being asked of them. They were not scared to ask for help from me. I was more involved with this group because most of them needed help. The bunnies and the birds on the other hand did not need as much direction from me.
All in all, my first day was pretty fun. I learned a lot of things and gained some experience. But most importantly my first day changed my view on how ability grouping can help students. I saw the advantages ability grouping has in a classroom with English learners and how I might use it one day in my own class.
Credential essay
For most people choosing a major is a very hard decision that takes a lot of soul searching. It was no different for me. I have changed my major four times and each time the path I chose did not feel right. I was lost for the three and a half years I spent at Gavilan Community College in Gilroy. I tried everything from computer science to accounting but nothing seemed right for me. Not until I took a child development class my last semester at Gavilan did I feel like I had found something I could see myself doing as a career.
I have always enjoyed being around children of all ages. I come from a large family with many small children running in and out of our home on a daily basis. It was not till the birth of my own child that I saw how much of an impact an adult can have on the development of a child. Seeing the expression and joy on a child’s face when they learn something new is an unexplainable feeling that has made me seek a career in education. There is no greater joy for me than seeing a child learn something new. Helping them achieve success in the classroom and in life is why I want to be a teacher.
While most of my friends have chosen to jump into the competitive world of engineering and business I chose not to follow the money but follow my heart. As a child and teenager I was never passionate about school. In all my years of schooling I never had a teacher that made me want to learn or made learning fun. School was more like a chore that I did not want to do but was forced to. I want to change that. I want to be the teacher that makes children want to learn. I want to be the teacher they can look back twenty years later and say “He made a difference in my life.” This all may be a foolish person’s dream but with hard work and dedication I believe this dream can come true.
I have always enjoyed being around children of all ages. I come from a large family with many small children running in and out of our home on a daily basis. It was not till the birth of my own child that I saw how much of an impact an adult can have on the development of a child. Seeing the expression and joy on a child’s face when they learn something new is an unexplainable feeling that has made me seek a career in education. There is no greater joy for me than seeing a child learn something new. Helping them achieve success in the classroom and in life is why I want to be a teacher.
While most of my friends have chosen to jump into the competitive world of engineering and business I chose not to follow the money but follow my heart. As a child and teenager I was never passionate about school. In all my years of schooling I never had a teacher that made me want to learn or made learning fun. School was more like a chore that I did not want to do but was forced to. I want to change that. I want to be the teacher that makes children want to learn. I want to be the teacher they can look back twenty years later and say “He made a difference in my life.” This all may be a foolish person’s dream but with hard work and dedication I believe this dream can come true.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
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