reflection paper 8

According to the text the three waves of educational reform began in the 1950’s from the Civil Rights Movement. That reform was set to stop segregation of schools. The reason for this reform was that blacks were being disenfranchised. They were not getting the books in their schools as the counterparts. The students could not participate in activities with white students of other schools. They were not getting proper equipment in their schools such as desk and chairs. School prayer banning was also a part of this reform. Students were not allowed to prayer in school because of the law, amendment 1.1 Separation of church and state. Arising from the reform was the busing of students for end segregation and affirmative action to get equal rights for all.
The second reform occurred in the 1980’s during the Ronald Reagan era. In an effort to get rid of the United States Of America Department of Education, ‘A Nation at Risk’ was launched. It evaluated the students’ performance. The result of that was increase testing of students and teachers, increase the number of course requirement needed for graduation. This reform would further shut down poor performing neighborhood determined from their test scores. The downfall of this reform was noted by Milton Friedman that wealthy would leave the poor performing schools, trapping the poor family in them. This reform also advocated for cultural literacy of Americans.
The third reform sparked from 1990’s to present, where they strive for standard base assessments. These assessments were to be used as a quantitative instrument to evaluate students based on their content knowledge and mastery. The united State Congress set up the National Education Goals (Goals 2000) initiative. With that the ‘No Child Left Behind’ Act of 2001 was cultivated. This act sort to educate every child in the United States no matter what their motivation or ailment. The down fall of this act is that not all children have the same potential

Reflection paper 6

Rhetoric according to the Wikipedia is the how communication is done effectively via the use of language in special way. The Roman used rhetoric in their writing. They were great public speakers through the practicing of this art form. They were great debaters and would represent themselves well in court. Litterator, Grammaticus and rhetor were the three different types of teachers that were present the roman educational system. The first taught reading, writing, and arithmetic, the second taught students how to memorize and recite. The third specialized in speech, where they focused on various themes. Rhetoric was a product of the Greeks; it influenced many area of the roman educational system: the law, science, and art. Rhetoric importance to the Romans came by way of how they view themselves. It was used as a major part of the education. They would use it hold attention when they were in the process of delivering a speech.
The themes use in their speech were quaestiones and causae. The importance of Rhetoric to the Romans was evident as they tried to use in their writing and speech.

reflection paper 15

The education of the ancient Romans was given from their homes, in particular the parents. Children went through an apprenticeship with their parents. The children were how to farm, how to fight and how to keep the house. Alexander the great implement a structured educational system in is rule. Both girls and Boys were allowed to participate. If they advanced at a lower level then they would be promoted to a higher level if they were able to pay. The Romans learning was slated mainly on them reciting information. This serves a s a way of them passing on their history from generation to generation. They studied law, the spoken words and development of self. Going to school was not mandatory but they had to pay if they wanted their children to go to school.
Ancient Athenia education was focused on them being able to defend Athens and trying to acquire more land. Thus, the military are of their education was more the focus. The students were taught how to strategize and how to be prepared. The age the students attended school was from seven to fourteen years of age. Though Athenian education was not a privilege it was in expensive. The students in particular the boys were taught how to read , but the girls were not given that , instead they were taught how keep the home.

Reflection 14

Aristotle was a student of the Greek philosopher Plato. Aristotle refuted much of his predecessor teachings. He was a logic thinking philosopher. He came up with the idea of placing things into groups based on similarities.
Aristotle believed that there were four causes. He explained them to as; the formal cause, the material, final cause and the efficient cause. Aristotle believed that humans all want to be happy; that most do not perform the required things to bring about this happiness. He also believed that it is normal for humans to seek about their happiness.
Aristotle believed that the great chain of being was where all things began. He placed things into categories. He viewed all things as unchanging and ranged from the highest to the lowest. His aim was to relate all living things to each other. With that numerous misconceptions were coined.

reflection paper 20

Democracy was affirmed by making of public high schools. This means that these schools were open for all to go to. The early education system had secondary schools only slate for boys from wealth parents. Making High school public meant that it was funded by the tax payer for all to go to. Simple put on paper, girls and different races other than the Caucasian were allowed in the public schools. The reality of that was a different scenario. To uphold that law numerous battles were fought. Then there was the segregation of the races and the funding that went to these public schools. “The courts developed doctrine of separate but equal” (Sadker, Zittleman) to satisfy the law. It created a situation that where schools where blacks and American Indians attend were under funded. Not enough seating, space, equipment or books.
European high schools students are given a standard that they must meet. In the United States of America Students see little need to complete the requirements that are mandated. European education is different and difficult but attainable by the students. Democracy plays an important part in the educational system of both the United States of America and Europe. In Europe numerous languages are the norm for their education. Sciences and high level mathematics are given to the students where as in the USA only the minimum requires is needed for a student to graduate

Reflection paper 19: Trace of dames school to public school;

In the United States of America dames schools were first implemented by women to the teaching of reading, writing and computation in the homes of these women. This woman was known dame, she had an interest in education and was well respected in the community. She taught the lesson for a fee. In colonial times boys used apprenticeship programs as an educational tool. Here the boys would learn a trade from a master. Homemaking skills are high points of the female. This she would learn from their mother.
In colonial times the church was a major part of the classroom, where children had to learn the bible. Later the movement of the common school came into play. This school was ‘open to all’ with allowance of that era. This was the brain child of Horace Mann. Today the common school is known as the elementary school. Later the English Classical School came into being this was funded unhappily my Tax payers. It allowed girls to attend. This was the area of the secondary education. The school was later changed to The English School and then to Boys’ High School to accommodate just boys.
As far as public schools are today, church and religious involved activities are not taught in public high schools. Girls and boys are allowed in the public high schools. Blacks and other ethnic groups are races are by law allowed to attend. In colonial times different races were not allowed and it took major civil rights fights to get it to the point where it is today.

interveiw with veteran teacher

Interview with Veteran Teacher.
Ms. McPhee is science teacher, has been teaching for sixteen years. Her background is in the area of biological research. Her current assignment is Science coach which has been doing for the last two years. Ms. McPhee started her teaching career in the middle school as a science teacher; she was later sent to the region as a curriculum specialist. In 2007 she was sent back into the classroom to teach chemistry for to tenth through eleventh grade students. Her main task was to prepare the eleven grade students for the science FCAT.
Three years later, she became the science coach and the Professional development Liaison. When asked what her thoughts were on education today; she said that teachers are being demoralized by the different laws and bills that linked teacher’s salary to performance. Ms. McPhee had some words of wisdom for me. She said having clear concise lesson plans was one of the most important things for this job. The reason being she said was that it is proof for ones daily activity. It can be used for evidence when a parent conference is called, for the administration when they ask for it and so on. She said that as a teacher you should train the students from day one on what you need from them. She said do not be politically correct. Say it and mean it!
Ms. McPhee said emphatically that I should never allow the work to follow me home, go home to family and them alone. Some of the down sides to teacher she said was staff was being lost economic situation. Many parents she said move away taking their children and thus student enrollment has dropped tremendously. The result of this is that teachers are not needed and will lose their job.

Quiz 12

Quiz 11

Quiz 10

Earthquake in Haiti

Twelve days into the new year of 2010, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Port of Prince Haiti. Speculations are that over two hundred thousand people had been reported as dead, over three hundred thousand people injured, and over a million people homeless. This catastrophic event marks a time when so much is going on. It serves as and highlight for many politicians political agenda, for education, and most importantly for humanity to recognize as being present in our society.
Politicians are all over this event. It was the highlight of the day, so many visited the country. The news media took every opportunity to heighten the hype for their ratings. Many countries, organizations, public and private, celebrities, schools, and the common caring people made generous contributions to the cause of helping Haiti. For days no aid would get through as the infrastructure had been destroyed and could not get to the places that needed it. Because of Bureaucracy items for the needy stayed in warehouses and did not reach
The question, how will this earthquake impact education; can be answered two ways. Students who learned about plate tectonics will now have a real life example. Now they will be able to find relevance that is often needed in the classroom. Before, they had to use models, computer simulations and videos that they could not relate to. With this they have the full effects of the ‘here and now’ and how such an event affects society in Haiti and also here in the United States. Our children often have a disconnection with things that happen in other countries or in other states. If it is not happening to them they don’t really get it. Secondly, it will add more ESOL (English for Speakers of Other languages) to the education system. The will be placed in classrooms that are ill-equipped to handle them. The students will also come with various other obstacles, being orphaned, being in a strange place, some living with people they have never seen before. Sadly a number of these children will be adopted into home that will be like jumping out of the pot and into the fire. True enough, many will be great for those children who have lost so much.
On the humanitarian perspective, many Haitian living here illegally were given a temporary stay. This means that they would be able to proper documentation to legally work in the community. This would open up many avenues for the families of Haitians, as they could get better paying Jobs, go to school. Consequently, their chance to improve themselves and their family is increased.

Honoring distinguished women

The month of March marks the “month of the Woman”. In many schools and institutions women were being honored. Professor Joseph McNair found it fitting to go against the grain and nominated five upstanding women who made gigantic contributions to South Florida and in particular the Miami-Dade county community.
The women being honored were Adora Obi Nweze, Delma Jackson-Rodriguez Oshun- Mini, Iya Orite Olasowo Adefunmi, Constance Tallaha Ekon, and Chief Sandrell Rivers. One of the ladies was deceased. A brief biography was read by the professor as they were introduced to the audience. The introduction was done in an African language and then in English.
The Ladies later spoke about themselves, their work, their volunteerism and their family. A couple ladies were proud great grand mothers. They spoke of their journey to get them where they are today. They all took different avenues; the one thing that they all had in common was that they were teachers of some kind. They either work in the education system as teachers; or worked to educate our young people how to carry themselves in life.
The dedication of the women was preceded by chants and songs in an African language from African men who were either born there or inducted. These men wore amazing African drabs indicative of the culture. If the chants were easy on the tongue and was repeated, I too, would try to sing along. This was followed by blessings from African priests who then game the ladies protective beads. That brought some insight, as I have always seen professor McNair wearing these beads. Now I know why! I learned quite a lot about these women and even more so about my cultural heritage from this meeting.

Reflection18: Education as a vehicle to improving society

When Linda Brown went to the Supreme Court to try to stop a school from practicing segregation, she was in fact proclaiming her right to education, as she and her family knew that education was in fact an important vector for improving her society. Through education individuals get an opportunity to broaden their horizon. They would be able to learn about their mathematics, writing, reading, music, history, art, different cultures, finance, business, and about the operations of the government.
When black people and women fought to have the right to education, it would later fashion the way their thought patterns as knowledge would give them the notion that voting was also their societal right. Through education there are women in very influential positions. Hillary Clinton in 2008 was a candidate in the Democratic Presidential race. If women were not given the opportunity to be educated; women would not have fought for the right to vote, and Mrs. Clinton would not have had the right to even think to run as a candidate.
Even more importantly, a black man became president. The avenue to that journey was simple based on education. He was an educated black man; under no circumstance would Mr. Barak Obama have become president if not for education and civil rights act that was fought for in the not so long ago time. Thus, I strongly agree that education has improved society and the way in which we think. Having knowledge through education and life experiences will definitely empower society and its citizens.

Colonial New England Education Versus Present U.S education

Education in the time of Colonial New England and present today are quite different. Religion played a major role in colonial New England education system. This was evident in the New England Primer were the majority of the book dealt with religion there were prayers for the infants and the young child recitation from bible verses; there were poems that highlighted various characters from the bible. Where as in today’s educational system the classical reading writing and mathematics are studied along with numerous chosen subject areas. The Public education in present day United States of America boasts a separation of church and state. This means that there shall be no teaching or reference to religion in the classroom. Where as, in colonial New England education was geared at the saving of the spiritual souls. Often The Bible was used as a teaching tool. It serves as away to get to heaven. Early education was done at home, the boys were taught a trade and girls taught skills from mothers.
In colonial New England the very wealthy would send their children off to England to get their education; Young boys would be sent away to live and learn from tutors. The girls would learn from an upstanding respected woman in the community: computation, writing and reading. Mothers would teach their daughters good homemaking tasks which encompasses values, social graces and manners. This was not reserved for only girls as the first education came in the form of homeschooling for the children. Today’s education system offers education to all. They may have different avenues by which to accomplish said goal but the government instituted the no child left behind act that allows every child a chance of education. In colonial New England the teachers had little to no training but with the current system teachers have to be trained and there are standards that must be met in order to remain or become a teacher.
School time of the colonials began at seven in the morning and ended at five in the evening with recess from eleven in the morning to one o’clock mid afternoon. Currently students spent seven hours in school unless there are special schools with extended hours. A lot has changed with education then and education now. The Caucasians males were the only people allowed to get a ‘formal’ education in the colonial times mainly at the Latin grammar school. Now there are laws against discrimination where women and other races have the right to education. Yes! There have been many positive strides since the colonial New England education to present.

Impact of Plato on western education

Plato was a Greek Philosopher who popularized Socrates teachings and Philosophy. He believed in idealism, he was against the idea of materialism, which he emphasized in the Republic. He used the elenchus and the dialectic as a means of helping people to be less materialistic. Plato believed that
He believed that once people were able to help each other that they should as this was their duty. As a Greek philosopher Plato’s job was to help society gain knowledge and become aware of ones self. He believed that people were born with knowledge and life involved human regaining that knowledge.
His impact on today’s western education is similar in many instances. He wanted the state to play a major part in education of its citizens as it is done today. He felt that males and females should have the same opportunities in education, military and in careers choices. This is the thought and the practice of today’s educational system.
Plato’s school, the Academy was opened after his teacher Socrates death. The school allowed his to foster and improve his idea of idealism. This was based on that notion of searching in all things for the truth. Plato used principles to define his ideologies. Under first principle, he would define and explore the absolute truth concept. His second principle covered the ideas and matter in different worlds. The third principle was that the creating of knowledge through birth and through discovery.
Today education uses many of Plato’s philosophy, in critiquing various points of view. It is can be seen in many English , ethics and law classes

Reflection Paper#11: Socrates impact on Western education

Socrates was a Greek philosopher who was very controversial in his thoughts and ideas. He believed that ethics and moral values were foremost in an individual’s life. Socrates believed that happiness was dependent on the virtues of that individual; nothing else matters if ‘that’ was present for ones happiness to be accomplished. Socrates educated the people of Athens in particular his noted student Plato.
Socrates believed in reincarnation; he believed that knowledge would be passed from the ones prior life to the new one. He believed that the former live could be uncover by looking into oneself to come to the truth. Socrates also believed in ones moral turpitude would be shown in their action. He believes that an evil act comes from an evil person even if others did no know of the evil done by that person.
Socrates aim in life was help people come to realize their truth in life; he would do this by asking questions of individuals this he termed the elenchus. This he used to help them to examine their lives. He would use leading questions aimed at the people examining themselves to find the truth.
The questioning format is used by teachers today to find the answers of many problems. The aim of this questioning method is to have the students come up with answer without the teacher giving it. This leads back to what the student already knows. The teacher’s goal is to bring it to the surface. It is just as Socrates did when the questioned the people of Athens in finding their truths.

Quiz 8 certificate

Reflection Paper#12: What kind of revolution in curriculum took place after Sputnik? Why and how did the launching of Sputnik affect U.S. education?

Sputnik was the name given to the Russian artificial satellite, the first of its kind. It was launched in 1957. With its launching, competition jealousy the anything you can do I can do better syndrome arose as the powers that be in The United States of America started to evaluate why such a feat was not done by the united States. The evaluation found that the educational system of the United stated was not up to par with other countries especially in the areas of science and mathematics. It was through this that the education of the United Stated went through an overhaul.
America realized that the students were not learning to become critical thinkers they were in fact regurgitating what was being fed to them. This brought about a change in the curricula; that is giving Mathematics and Science their place in schools. The idea was that if these areas were developed then further space advancement would occur. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) came into being as a result of the Sputnik launch. The launch might have brought to light other careers in science and mathematics, instead of the traditional doctor nurse option.
Sputnik though an embarrassment to the United States turned out to be a blessing; as it helped to put some focus on the educational system so that changes could be made so that strengths could be enhanced and weakness in the sciences fixed with an appropriate game plan. It also gave students more career options to choose from in college or high schools.

Reflection #7: Threefold approach to education in ancient Egypt & Mesopotamia.

Education of the youths in the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia were done in various ways. They were homeschooled, had apprenticeship or had temple schooling.
To have an apprenticeship would most likely mean that education would be derived from working with an expert tradesman or professional for hours in performing a specific task. The goal of the apprentice was to become a master of that particular craft. This type of education was extremely important to the civilization at the time; and as such it was written into the law by the King. The king was the only person who did not directly teach his children, they were taught by someone else. Children became apprentice to their fathers who were the experts. The children would thus carryon the fathers trade. If the man had not male heirs he would then adopt one to carry on the trade.
Temple education was the practice where students went to the temple to become scribe writing cuneiform. The master would write on one side of the tablet and the student copied to the other side. In the temple education format the students studied mathematics. This education was set aside for the children of the wealthy, in particular the sons of the fathers that could afford it. These students were taught various subjects: music, geography, history astrology, astronomy and students bounded for administrative positions and priesthood was sent to the temple schools for academic education.
Homeschooling was the dim of light that the females had. The girls would learn how to take care of the household task, sing and dance. This was also the forum in which parents instill in their youth their beliefs, their expectations and their rituals.
All these method of educating the youth were effective then. Today some of them are used and are quite effective in delivering the message or topic that it sets out to accomplish.
.

Quiz School - Try this quiz and get your own certificate

Reflection paper#4: Has belief been affected by the article Early, Human, Phylogeny, Hominids, the Story of Lucy and African Eve.

Reflection Paper#4: Has belief been affected by the article Early, Human, Phylogeny, Hominids, the Story of Lucy and African Eve.

My beliefs have not been affected or swayed by the articles “Early, Human, Phylogeny, Hominids, the Story of Lucy and African Eve”. The quite obviously provoked some thought on the topic and created some interesting conversation topics, but ultimately my beliefs remained the same. The articles spoke of man coming from hominid, Australopithecus anamensis to the homo sapiens sapien. The Australopithecus anamensis were not upright, their brains were small approximately … Eventually through the advent of tools and fire the hominids became upright as is recorded with the homo ergaster, and the homo erectus. With the brain size getting bigger more synapse forming motor ability will increase and the capability to talk is fashioned from syllables.
One could look at the articles and conclude that humans came from apes. But to me that is irrelevant to the now since that distance pass does not affect the way I think or behave. All of a sudden finding these things out about hominids did not change me as I was vaguely familiar with this theory. I said it is a theory because I don’t think the evidence are strong enough to change my beliefs. As a Christian the beginning of Genesis tells a story of man and faith. The story of Lucy and African Eve also theorized that Lucy was a chimpanzee suggesting that early humans were apes. With the African Eve scenario many scientist test the remains, specifically the mitochondrial DNA to see if they could trace the family tree to early hominids.
Scientist often try to find ways of putting themselves on the map, some do so by claiming that the discovered that they can trace humans to millions of years ago. These are theories and as I already know theories can be disproven and thus I will not let that change what I believe.

Reflection pape#10: Teacher as Gatekeeper

The gatekeeper is the one who guides the flow of communication in the classroom where the teacher is concerned. In the classroom the teacher in the one who leads the students in the path that she wishes, that according to Philip Jackson. He believes that the teacher directs the discussion in the classroom. From his account the teacher usually speaks for two-thirds of the class time and not giving the student enough time to formulate a question or to answer a question that was asked.
Mr. Jackson report states that the teachers are the ones asking the question. This I believe is true as students today are not focused on their school work. Most students tend to have other social issue to think about; situations in their lives that distract them from what should be the focal point at that time. Girls are on the cell phone texting boyfriends and vice –versa. Other students tend to worry about the next meal, while others worry about the shelter that they are missing. Students who are almost ready to graduate tend to worry about college and how it will be paid for. Subsequently, others escape in thought, or daydream. Some simply go to sleep just not to think about their issues.
Consequently, the type of interaction that takes place in the classroom cause students to become passive learners: not asking questions, not interacting in class, and not being self reliant. Leading students to constantly dependent on teachers for directives that they could have figured out for themselves, have low achievement rates. The aim as new teachers therefore is to find positive workable ways to guide the students that will benefit them.

Reflection#9: The First Schools of Sumer and Egypt and teacher effectiveness today

The article “The First Schools” and the article “Ancient Egyptian Education” touches on how ancient civilization in Sumer and Egypt conducted the schooling of their children, namely Boys. It boys who went to school were from wealthy families. Their father decided what profession they would have and educated them accordingly. Though different societies, Sumer and Egypt, their method were similar for the education of the youth. The students in the Sumer society learned Mathematical, Botanical, Zoological, and geographical areas. The students from ancient Egypt practice the trade that their father had decided on previously.
The students from both cultures practice everyday from early in the morning, the teacher would oversea their progress. If the work was not being done properly, if the students were being lazy, sleepy or talking during the lesson they would be beaten with the rod. Both catered only to the wealthy, the poor did not have the opportunity. In Egypt however, What ever the profession or trade the father was, the son would be taught his father’s trade. The child would spend hour working alongside the father in an apprenticeship position.
When comparing to ancient Egypt and Sumer educational system and first schools to the effectiveness of teachers today, my thoughts are teachers today are less effective. Students have all the power; they get away with many things. The cheat, are lazy, sleep in class and turn in mediocre work. Due to the fact that, teachers lost a lot of power in the classroom; they are unable to control the goings on. Whether due to bureaucracy or politics, teachers are not supported on discipline issues in classrooms. Students have no consequences that they fear. In the ancient culture they were fearsome of the punishment dealt for disciplinary issues and teachers were supported by the fathers that sent them to the school.

Reflection#2: paradigms

Reflection #2: Frames, Paradigms and Paradigm Shifts
The invention of tools; the invention of the wheel and the discovery of fire are just a few of the factors that were able to skew or direct changes from one paradigm to the next. These inventions and discoveries were responsible for some changes towards the ancestral man becoming the being that they are today; that of the upright man and the talking man. Other variables include mutation and natural selection. It became obvious that the early man was not in genetic equilibrium as there was evolution taking place and thus a shift in paradigm.
Today’s new inventions are viewed as technological advancements, likewise should inventions of the far past. Technological advances are created to make doing things easier for an individual. The time when there were no tools was one paradigm where early man mainly gathered their food; later the invention of tools saw the beginning of another. In this paradigm one shows the early man hunting animals for food subsequently getting different type of nourishment in the form of protein and hence feeding the body better. Feeding the body meant that, the head and brain would increase in size, and the brain would get better fed: causing it to grow, more neurons synapse with other cells, and thus creating a functionally better brain. Since the tools were used as weapons which were better suited for a particular body type. The other body type would not fear well and the preferred more upright would survive and the population would evolve into that specific type. Through the production of fire; a shift in paradigm took place. By using the fire to cook meat, they no longer had to tear in the raw flesh like lower animals. So that teeth used for tearing slowly got smaller. Fire allowed them to have some power over the animals to better protect themselves.
I think that with each paradigm shift, a characteristic was lost and another was obtained. Every invention or discovery aided in the evolution of the early man. One can postulate that with each shift the early man changed to what would make them survive at that time. What was subsequently evident was that as they grew upright and the head and brain got bigger, there were problems in the area of delivering an offspring to multiply the population. They had to deliver the young ones at a earlier stage of development servicing another change. I think that now that they were upright their food sources changed and so did there whole way of life and thinking as the brain development improved. I think the invention of the wheel directed the paradigm of transportation, employment and dwelling. Now that there is a means to travel for farther distances, people no longer had to live close to where they worked. This changed the whole dynamic of where there were jobs that area would become over-populated. Finally it can be viewed that there were changes and shifts from one paradigm to the next early man was changed accordingly so as to survive.

Reflection Paper #6 Invention of Writing

The certain aspects of the world’s ancient civilizations were improved as a result of the invention of writing. It targeted the beginning of a new information/ communication age. The information gathered through writing allowed civilizations to pass in traditions easily. Most of all civilizations history could be preserved for the descendants. Stories were told from the written pictures recorded. Truths were uncovered as the various writings were uncovered from archaeological finds.
The original use of writings was to use as a method of keeping count of properties. A pictograph describing that article was owned by that individual. This would allow the owner to keep a tab. The pictographs were used as a common form of communication even when the language spoken was different from each other.
With the advent of writing, societies were able to communicate with each other. Information could go from place to place without changing the message. Libraries were created to hold this new information. Consequently, with writing, kings were able to sustain their empires. Once they were able to have control over their writers they were able to control their subjects. A writer was in good social standing as not everyone was able to such feat.
Writing was used as another from of communication. They mainly used it to keep tab of the goods that they had. Writing was used to record history. More traditions and history could be passed from one generation to the next through writing. It could give a more accurate account if written correctly. It was also used to manipulate and terrorize members of the society. With writing came knowledge and through knowledge one will gain power. The people who were able to write were held in high esteem, members of the Catholic Church were one such society that was held in such regard. Writing was one of the ways that kings and the church kept power over their people. Since regular subjects could not read the writings they were lacking knowledge and thus powerless.

Reflection Paper#3: Multiculturalism

The term multicultural encompasses numerous categories, race, ethnicity and culture. It however did not talk about physical abilities such as being physically disabled. The school I went to had both physically disabled children as well as “normal” children interacting together. It was actually an experiment and as such the school was named The Hope Valley Experimental Primary school. The term primary refers to elementary. The other culture that was evident in that school was the students whose parents were Rastafarians. Those students wore the uniform as the other children but would wear a head covering (to cover their dread locks) one that could be described as a huge skully. Other difference was that they took lunch to school which was quite different from what was prepared at school.
At that time in the late 1970’s early 1980’s it was taboo to be a Rastafarian, and people were still fearsome that their children would contract the poliomyelitis. The teachers did not do anything different in their teachings for either group of children. In the fifth grade my teacher who was well travelled, exposed us to countries of the Caribbean on a field trip to a theological college where the student were from various islands in the Caribbean. She had us talking to the students and later on, had to do a research project on that island and present it so that other students could become of aware and learn about other cultural difference. This approach was the contribution approach.
My secondary education was the melting pot of multiculturalism. The school I went to in Jamaica was considered one of the best. And as such, the who’s who in the Jamaican society sent their children there; including numerous ambassadors and their embassy workers. The mix included but was not limited to blacks from the Caribbean, United States of America and Africa; Hispanics from Ecuador and Cuba; Indians from the Caribbean and India and different generation of Syrians, Portuguese, Chinese, and Japanese. More than 40% of the students had backgrounds other than Black. The teachers I felt did not do anything out of the realm to encourage, transform, contribute to the multiculturalism of the school.
For the first year of secondary education it was mandatory to take Spanish. This was mainly because the island nation was in such close proximity to Cuba and the large Central and South American presence. The second year a student could opt to take French along with the Spanish class already offered History and geography were a part of the curriculum and through these subjects area multiculturalism was taught. If you did not take those subjects after the third year of secondary school, like I did; you would miss out on that education. We learned about other cultures from curiosity of one student to another.
The approach I would want my teachers to take in secondary school is the contribution approach, where each student would tell or contribute something about our background. Understanding and embracing our difference can only empower us. It subsequently becomes quite beneficial when travelling and you are aware of the norms of that society or culture already.

Reflection Paper#5: Rite of Passage

Embryo! Fetus! Infant! Toddler! Teenager! Man. These are the stages as a human male develops into an adult man. That is just the way it is, stages cannot be skipped nor can they be switched. In various societies and cultures paths or rites of passage are a way of life. If it is not done then society will shun that individual. There are things that must be accomplished or achieved by that individual for them to take their place in that society. For some the rites are a bit unorthodox to the western societies. One must remember to be open-minded as far as viewing and understanding something that is not the norm in yours.
A mother that teachers her child to cook that homemade macaroni and cheese, which is then passed down from generation to generation. When a grandmother tell her grandchildren of her history, of where they are coming from as a family. She tells them about the 200 year old home that they now live in, the Jews who circumcise their sons and the Jamaicans who must have that Christmas rum cake and sorrel for Christmas are all traditions that are followed by people of the particular culture. Likewise, are the rituals and rites of passage of some cultures being past on. Even though some these events for the rites of passage might be seem brutal or inhumane, it lies on the premise of ones perception of right and wrong.
To go through an initiation of rite of passage ceremony one will conform to that culture. That will say to the members of that culture that you are in agreement or that your family is in agreement and that these traditions will be passed on from generation to generation. Some cultural rites of passage are sexual in nature; they perform these rites as young boys in preparation for the time that they finally “graduate” to be with the ultimate, the woman. The young boys are taught by other men what to do, as they learn these rites they pass it on to the next generation and continue the tradition.

Reflection Paper#1

The teaching programs have evolved quite a bit from its early colonial beginnings where no preparatory programs were offered; to present day where there are various preparatory program options. The requirement for teachers in colonial times was minimal or negligible in comparison to today. Many colonial teachers did not attend any formal teaching programs; most were the disenfranchised, or servants looking for a way out of what ever situation that they were in. The deal most times would be for these individuals to work for a period of time in repayment for their passage to America. They either had a talent for giving instructions or they would fail at it. Later the traditional way was developed where teachers were given some instructions on how to teach as well as subject area knowledge, this they would do at “Normal Schools”. Later, prospects to the teaching profession would go to colleges or universities that offered teaching as a major. The 1980’s saw the advent of unease in the teaching profession as it was felt that teachers were not prepared with only an undergraduate degree. It was felt that a Master’s degree was more suitable for the profession. It did not go over well, but a compromise was made and thus the fifth year was added at that time. These days institution of higher learning allowed these prospects to learn theory for four years and then practicum on the fifth year in the actual setting. Alternative teaching programs allowed individuals from the industry or recent college graduates to enter the field. This program assumes that they are proficient in the subject area and would need pedagogy. Due increased student populations teachers were needed to teach these minors. In order to fill the demand, a different teaching program evolved. The evolution used college graduates or individuals who had degrees in a particular area or who had experience in the industry and could bring relevance to theory. This new way served to educate the diverse population and the new breed of children that supplies the school system. Teach for America (TFA) served its purposes as it allows students to give back and get experience in the outside world after their college graduation. Teach for America aim was to have graduates have a positive impact on low income students, basically served as role models.

Calame -Bio

My name is Daphney Calame. As a Jamaican living in the United States of America, I have made a point to make education a major part of my life. Through my determination and family support I graduated from Miami Dade Community College with Associate degrees in Biology and Medical Laboratory Technology in 1996 and 1997. This task was not an easy one as an international student with tuition being a little over two thousand dollars ($2000.00). This status provided no loans, no grants and no scholarship. My mother, the sole bread winner took home $300 a week for our family of six. I later went to Florida Memorial University and received Bachelors degrees in Biology and minor in Chemistry; my hope at that time was to become a Medical Doctor or a Pharmacologist. I was working in the pharmaceutical industry for 6 years as an Analytical Research and Development chemist until my lay off in 2006. Since I had a child in 2006 I took a year In an attempt to find a job I went to classes and did examinations to acquired a real estate license and worked in that field for a year. There I learned numerous things about home ownership and other business avenues.
When my daughter was five months old, I decided follow up on a career path that I had given up on after my graduation from FMU, that of becoming a teacher. I interview with Middle and high schools in Broward and Dade counties. At Miami Carol City Senior High School in my first year I worked as Chemistry and as an Anatomy and Physiology teacher. The strength that I brought to this position though not a formally taught teacher was to bring relevance to the class room. Coming an the industry where science was the focal point the principal then was trying to get the students interested in science so that their performance would be better on examinations and most of all in life. The Coming from the Caribbean, I have an interest in the sporting pass time of Netball (a game with similarities to basketball that is mostly played by females). I also enjoy watching track and field, myself being a former sprinter. At home on those rainy days I draw portraits of no-one in particular or of family; this passion I share with my husband.