Passionate about Education

Everyone has something (or things) that they are passionate about, and for me one of those passions is for education.

I know without a shadow of a doubt that my calling in life, my gifts & talents, involve teaching and making a difference in the lives of children. There is not a single shadow of a doubt about that in my mind. So I feel lucky, because many people go through life not knowing what their calling is. I know mine. One day, one day I will be a fantastic teacher who will make a huge impact in the lives of many many children. But I'm not sure that season of my life begins now or not.

The fact is that our system seems to failing.The public school system is failing the majority of kids, they are slipping throught he cracks and are not getting the education that they need and deserve.

Alan & i watched a documentary recently called "Waiting for Superman" about the public school system and charter schools. Here's the trailer (FANTASTIC movie, go to the website, read all about it, then watch the movie)




The premise is that our public school system is failing our children, and then comes along these revolutionary charter schools, which for the ones that get it right, are doing amazing things, but since there are only so many slots available at these schools, and more kids that want to attend them, they have to do a lottery system to determine who gets in. which is sad. EVERY child deserves a good education.

So you might be asking yourself, What is a charter school?

charter school 
–noun
an autonomous public school created by a contract between a sponsor, as a local school district or corporation, and an organizer, as a group of teachers or a community group, often with a curriculum or focus that is not traditional.

Charter schools in the United States are primary or secondary schools that receive public money (and like other schools, may also receive private donations) but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter.[1] Charter schools are opened and attended by choice.[2] While charter schools provide an alternative to other public schools, they are part of the public education system and are not allowed to charge tuition. Where enrollment in a charter school is oversubscribed, admission is frequently allocated by lottery-based admissions. In a 2008 survey of charter schools, 59% of the schools reported that they had a waiting list, averaging 198 students.[3] Some charter schools provide a curriculum that specializes in a certain field — e.g., arts and mathematics. Others attempt to provide a better and more efficient general education than nearby public schools.

Some charter schools are founded by teachers, parents, or activists who feel restricted by traditional public schools.[4] State-authorized charters (schools not chartered by local school districts) are often established by non-profit groups, universities, and some government entities


There ya go.

There is another documentary about it called "The Lottery", here is the trailer. I haven't seen it yet, but it is on my netflix list to watch :)



The studies show time and time again that the determining factor of a successful school are the teachers. Teachers are what make or break a student. Teachers that are highly motivated, flexible, willing to work with students and not make them try to fit some cookie cutter mold where every child is at the same exact moment academically, those are the ones making the difference. The teachers who are stuck in their ways and refuse to change in order to reach the kids, those that won't venture outside of a textbook or worksheet, those teachers are failing our children. They are not providing them with a proper education, and our kids are the ones to suffer. it angers me to no end that in just about any school in the nation, in one classroom there could be this amazing teacher who is doing amazing things and the kids are just thriving, and in the same school, the same grade level, right next door, the teacher sits at their desk, hands out worksheet after worksheet, reads textbook after textbook, and the kids are not getting it, and are failing. And it's the luck of the draw if your kid gets the great teacher or the not so great teacher, and it shouldn't be that way. EVERY kid deserves a great education, a chance to make something of themselves and to reach their potential.

At UCO, they drilled over and over into our heads that kids learn by doing. No matter what their learning style was; auditory, visual, kinestetic, whatever, kids learn by actively engaging into the lesson, not from reading a text, not from filling out a worksheet. Not that those things are bad in and of themselves, they can be great tools and great supplemental material, but not the whole focus and the end all of a lesson. Kids need to investigate, ask questions, problem solve, get their hands onto stuff. Not be told what the answer is. They need to be stiumlated to think in creative ways, they need learning to be active, engaging and fun. And yes, this takes alot of time and effort on the part of the teacher, but it is neccessary for the kids to get a good education. Our professors told us time and time again, don't do rote memorization, don't do math facts in under a minute, don't do round robin reading at the table, and they gave us all the studies and reasons why they don't work. And then you go out into the classrooms, and the way we were told not to teach, is exactly what is going on in the classrooms. And it would irritate me and frustrate me to no end. If we KNOW these things aren't working, what in the ever loving world is holding us back from changing?! it doesn't make sense to me. How many years of new teacher graduates filtering into the school system will it take for the whole system to change? How many of us will go out there and teach the way we were taught no matter if it is different, and how many will just eventaully conform to the standard out of frustration, or laziness, or lack of support? And all the while SOOOO many kids are the ones to suffer, not the teachers, their education is in place, their lives are not changed by the outcome of each class they teach. But the kids lives are changed, their whole future lays in the balance, and we are failing them. And it makes me angry.

My dad & I watched the Hallmark movie "Beyond the Blackboard" together monday night.



It was about a teacher in 1987 who was given her first teaching job, at a homeless shelter, and the things she had to overcome in order to actually teach these children. And it is so inspiring, and wonderful to know that there ARE teachers out there who are willing to make the committment and who have the motivation and drive to make a difference. I just wish there were more of them.

Teaching is a challenging, stressful, time-consuming job. We're told in our college classes that only 1 in 5 of us who graduates as a teacher will be actually or still teaching within 5 years. Some decide to stay home and raise a family instead (since teaching still seems to be female dominated), some get a job in an educational related field but not as an actual teacher, and some try it for a year or two and then just give up because they go into it not realizing just how much time and effort it takes, and just how hard it really is. When I was student teaching, with a teacher who had been teaching for 20+ years, and there was 2 of us, she went on and on about how much easier it was with me there, and how for the first time since she began teaching, she didn't have to take anything home with her at night. When she was teaching, I was grading and doing the paperwork side of things. When I was teaching, she was taking care of the grades and paperwork side of things. Really, truthfully, a teaching job requires 2 people in a classroom, but that is never going to happen, so what happens? The teacher not only spends the entire workday at school teaching, but then she either has to stay up at school after the work day or takes it all home, to creat lessons, grade papers, gather materials, fill out reports, and on and on. Even though teachers get a "planning period" this time really is used to take a bathroom break, get caught up on e-mails, get the next lesson out and ready, and all those other things that need to be done. And then the REALLY good teachers go above and beyond, making different lessons for different kids who are at varying levels. They find extra materials for the lessons to make them fun and engaging. They come up with projects and units that require problem solving. This all takes lots and lots of time. Which is why so many teachers, who are already overloaded with work, refuse to do anything above the textbooks and worksheets. Because frankly they don't have the time and don't get paid enough to do it. Which I get that, but then you need to be in a different job, because it's not fair to the kids to get a half-assed education because a teacher doesn't get paid enough to go above and beyond. Most people don't get into the teaching profession for the money anyways, they tend to be motivated by other things like wanting to see children reach their potential.

I know what it will take of me to be a great teacher. I have the determination, the creativity, the motivation and the drive to be a great teacher. I have realistic notions of what that looks like and what that will require of me. Especially in my first few years when I have to prove myself. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I belong in a classroom, and that I have what it takes to make a difference in the lives of many, many children. And I am excited and anxious to get in there and start doing it. But at the very same time, because I DO know what kind of time and energy it will require of me, I don't feel like this is the right moment to do it. I feel like my own children need me first and foremost. I feel like if I get a job for next year, and then have to put Starla into daycare (BLECH! Don't get me started on daycares, I despise them), at the end of the day, when I need to be coming home and being there for the kids and Alan, making dinner, helping with homework, helping to restore them from a day out in the world, I will need to be grading, creating lessons, gathering and creating materials, etc. There will be nothing left for my own family. And I just don't feel comfortable with that. So I feel incredibly torn all the time, from itching and wanting to be out there, making a difference and helping to improve education.....to wanting to pour into my own children's lives and to make sure they have what they need. It's a tough spot.

I went to the Oklahome Christian Homeschooling Conference the last two days and learned a ton of stuff. So I will have post about that coming very soon....

AND LifeChurch is opening Charter school for the 2011-2012 school year, and how much I would love a job there. How wonderful that would be.

So torn, always...torn between wanting to be in the classroom and wanting to be with my own kids. Sigh.