14 Weeks Later- Purpose of Education in a Democracy.

From my first entry about education in democracy until now, my feelings have stayed the same. The purpose of education in a democracy is to develop a students knowledge and skill as they grow into young adults. Education is to prepare the students for the work ahead of them and so they can contribute their knowledge to society. It is not only to create the "good" citizens but to also push people to do their best and achieve. Without educated citizens our society would be nothing. The people we educate are the ones who grow up and make a difference in the world by being a part of it. By saying "being a part of it" I mean that we educate them for their careers. Without education we would have no doctors, lawyers, or school teacher. In order for our society to be successful we need educated citizens to be a part of it. We educate for a purpose and that is to help people grow and expand their knowledge to the best of their abilities so the world and technology can grow as well. However, not only the educated are successful. So much technology and methods of life came from people who were never educated. Does this mean that only certain people should be educated? How do we know who to educate and who to not? Or should we just educate the people who excel in one field anyway? Maybe educating those who already excel in life can make for an even more advanced world. Exposing them to new ideas can bring about new discoveries. No matter what situation, education is important and truthfully education is the key to democracy.

Community Service.- RESPECT

The community service I did at Arts High School was very enjoyable. I learned more about the school and what it's like to be a teacher; more at community service than I did while shadowing. For my community service I assisted with a ceramics teachers class. The time I spent with that class taught me a lot about how a teacher should act in the classroom and how their attitude contributes to the overall classroom environment.

People usually think that teachers must be very hard on their students and always be strict. The problem with that philosophy is that students don't like teachers who are hard on them and always tend to rebel against those teachers. A successful teacher respects his/her students and is stern with them while letting them know he/she cares. To get respect you have to give it. While being at Arts High School, I saw that the more a teacher respected their students, the more respect they got back from them.

Respect within the classroom not only helps break that barrier between students and teachers, but also helps with the students whole learning experience. I have come to realize while at Arts that the students who are more motivated are always the ones who communicate with their teacher respectfully. Teachers who are stern with their students while giving them respect and let the them know that they care about the students well being, are the ones who are truly successful in what they do.

Summary of Project Findings

As future art teachers, we have been researching the impact of the arts on academic achievement. Through the research that we found, we believe that it is important for the schools and the students to know the profound proficiencies the arts can have on the curriculum. Art helps the overall cognitive development, motivation, and self-expression of students. Data were collected through interviews, journals, personal experience, and fieldwork. Data revealed that art education in fact affected student's academics in terms of having different perspectives and becoming more comfortable with self-expression and communication skills.

What I am learning from my inquiry project, what i have found, and how does it change my perspective on public education.

I'm learning a lot about how art really effects children and how important it is in education. Art helps students in expressing who they are and helps them inquire more about what they learn. Since art is a subject with little guidelines and rules to whats right or wrong, it makes it a positive element in any child's school experience. Without art there would be no expressiveness and personality in students. Art helps to mold students into what they want to be by giving them choices about how to do things and what to think rather than only expressing one way to do or think like other subjects such as history or science. I never really thought about how art effects academics until now. I understood that art helped children with expressing themselves, but what I did not know was that it had a bigger positive effect on academic achievement. My inquiry project is shaping my understanding of why we really need art in public education. Researching this topic has made me realize all the positive aspects art has on students. It helps them learn that exploring the meanings and purpose of things is OK, and necessary to a successful learning experience. I really do feel that art lightens the educational curriculum as does any free willed class.

Inquiry Project Introduction

"Art is everywhere, except it has to pass through a creative mind." I have come to realize that art is all over from the sidewalk chalk drawings, to the shoes we wear. Allowing art in academic classrooms give students a chance to experience active learning while expressing their individualism. Art has been able to aid the development of certain skills needed in our society. Critical thinking, creative problem solving, effective communication, originality, imagination, ownership in learning, and teamwork are just a few examples of the influence that art can have on students in schools. There have been critics who believe art is not relevant in our education systems, that there is no place for it. As budgets are getting cut, it is quite evident that the subjects not present on standardized testing will suffer the most. Art education, although a crucial factor in a student’s academic life, suffers first and most. I will delve deeper into the history of art education, the cognitive and social affects on students, and touch upon four essential questions. What are our schools like, and how did they get that way? Who are our students? Who are our teachers? What are the characteristics of an effective teacher? It is important to realize that art is all around us. Not only does it have a direct affect on academic achievement by aiding in the creative learning of children; it helps them develop their individualism and the person they are destined to be. Art is a beautiful part of our lives; imagine what our world would be like without all of the Picasso's, Van Gogh's, and Caravaggio's. Art holds an essential place in the world, and in our school system. Why would we want to prevent the creation of art and the acceptance and understanding people have acquired towards it over the years?

Inquiry Project

For my inquiry project three other classmates and I will be answering the question, what the impact of the Arts have on academic achievement.
Some questions that we will be answering will be how Art has impacted students personally and in their educational experience, have students had enough Art classes, how Art can help students see their academics in a different light, has it improved students learning abilities, snd has it helped students with self-identity or expression.
We feel that Art really helps students express themselves and we want to discover and inquire more about what the Arts can do for an individual.

NCLB

Strengths
-weak educational achievement lead to the solution NCLB
-if this law was not make too many minorities and poor students would be left behind
-more parents will be pleased to know that their children will be learning more efficiently
- students who don't achieve the standards are shown a lot of support


Weaknesses
-you cant have the same requirements for all states because every state is different
- unrealistic goal of 100% proficiency
-test scores are only taken from one point in time and its not efficient enough
-they are more focused on test taking than academic skills

Annotation

Gamoran, Adam. (1996). Student Achievement in Public Magnet, Public Comprehensive, and Private City High Schools. American Education Research Association.

Annotation: This source describes the problems of urban public high schools; and discusses how magnet schools and private schools are the answer. The research found that magnet schools are more effective in raising student’s aptitude in certain subjects. This source seems very qualified because it uses research from a credible source called the National Education Longitudinal Survey.

What is the role of public education in creating citizen? What types of citizens do we need in this changing society?

What is the role of public education in creating citizen? What types of citizens do we need in this changing society?


The role of education is very important when creating citizens who will provide for this country. Growing up, children are exposed to small pieces of our history and learn only about the past events of war and change. They are taught about what happened but can not inquire about why it happened and what could have stopped it from happening. They also don't learn enough about the democratic republic that we are all apart of. They need to be taught about these issues in order to be an influential citizen of the United States. If they learn more about our democracy and why people should/do vote at a younger age then I feel they might grow up and be one of those people who vote for change. Public education does give children some information for becoming good citizens. However, public education needs to take it to the next level and start teaching them at a younger age so they grasp the concepts of our government more clearly by the time they can vote as an active citizen. In this changing society we need the active citizens who will inquire about he issues of our country and take part in changing to improve those issues. This citizen will vote every four years for a president they think will change and help our country for the better. Positive change can come from educating at a younger age and that is why it should be done. If our public education focused a little more on making good citizens and teaching about our government, more children will grow up to be an active citizen.

Educating the "Good" Citizen

The readings for this week talked about educating our citizens in order to further democracy. What is good citizenship? The readings state that being a good citizen means that people must get an American education so they can support further democracy. Schools are striving to not only create intelligent individuals, but citizens who can contribute positively to society. So, not only do student have to learn the basic subjects of school but also study the government so they can contribute to it. I feel that this would be a good idea only because it might help people understand our government a little better and the reasons why certain things are done. Not only will it help our citizens understand more but knowing this information will make the population smarter. I agree with the readings when they say it would be beneficial in order for our society to be more successful.

After Attending Arts High School

My initial reaction to Arts High School was amazement. To go to a inner city school and see the passion and drive in the students and teachers of the school was amazing. Every teacher that I spoke with had been to many schools, trying to find the right place for them where they could teach. All of them stated that the schools they previously worked in, the students were not interested in learning and the administration did not support them. They said that they found the students at Arts High School to be driven and the administrators to be very supportive. While being in Arts High School, it made me realize once again why I have decided to furfill this career. I want to be able to make a positive effect on peoples lives and influence them to strive for what they really want in life and to never give up. The students I saw and talked to yesterday were Arts to follow there dreams.There was this one girl yesterday who did a performance for us. She was amazing and her performance was passionate, you tell how long and hard she must have worked to perfect it and how much of her heart went into it. I just thought to myself how self furfilling it must be for the teachers to see these kids grow and succeed in life and know that they helped them on that journy. I want to one day feel that same way and to know that I have made a difference in someones life.

Newark Arts High School

I'm not going to lie. I am a little nervous about attending Arts High school tomorrow; for the fact that I really want to make a good impression. Along with being nervous, comes my excitement for tomorrow. I'm an Art Education major so not only will it be beneficial to me to experience and observe a classroom, but I could possibly be in the environment that I plan on being in the future. After looking at the website, I was surprised to see that the schools goals for the students were as high as they were. I'm assuming now, that this school is going to be a very prestigious learning environment focusing on the students love for the Arts and Music.

I think that upon arriving at Arts High School I think i will be surprised. With the school being in Newark I assume the worst because it's not exactly in the best area. However, the way the school presents it's self, students, and faculty; makes me think otherwise. There is a quote by the principle of the high school on the website which states, "Arts High School is undergoing a renaissance and moving towards reclaiming our number one place in the United States . We have children who are first . We have faculty /staff and parents who believe we are first . Our theme this year is "Whatever it takes - Arts High School is going to another level." After reading this statement, I know that the future development of the students at Arts High School are the number one priority to Dr Norma Fair-Brown, the principle of the school.

I plan to learn a lot from tomorrows experience. I hope to gain knowledge on different teaching strategies, how a class operates, and what a teacher can do to really make their students want to learn. I also am looking forward to meeting the teacher that i will be shadowing for this semester. I hope to learn more about the school in general and the goals they have set for their students. I know my experience at Arts High School will be a great one and I will benefit from it greatly. Every schools vision and goal is to educate the citizens of that neighborhood. I hope I learn more of Arts High Schools visions and goals for their students.

How can understanding demographics help us better understand teaching and learning ?

The reason I feel that it's important to understand demographics in order to become good teacher is because classrooms will always be diverse. Whether the classroom is diverse with race, age, gender, or personal views, the classroom will always be diverse. Teachers need to be able to conform and mold their lessons around these demographics this way their students will be able to understand what is being taught. For example, if students have different political views and you are teaching a history class certain subjects/topics might cause the class to disagree with each other or the information being taught. The teacher much present the information in her lesson in a way that will not create issues of discussion. I also think that its important for teachers to understand demographics because if they do it opens up the communication even further between the teacher and student.
Throughout my whole school experience I always felt that the outcome of the classes and the subjects I like the most every year was based on the teacher I had. The classes I tended to like more my teachers were always open and supportive of their students and clearly were there to help their students learn, not just to teach the subject. In my perspective and my experience I feel that teachers who were only there to teach didn't really have much effect on their students. On the other hand the ones who were there for the soul purpose of teaching helped their students inquire about the subjects being taught and had more of an effect on them. These teachers who had this positive effect on me and my classmate clearly understood the importance of demographics. The importance of demographics is clear. In order to be a successful teacher you need to know and understand the demographics in your classroom and be able to create a learning environment that will benefit the students you teach.

What is the purpose of education ?

The purpose of education is to develop the knowledge and skill of a student. We educate the population of young children so they can positively contribute to society. The school system not only is to create good people who will contribute to our society but people who have achieve their personal best. If people did not have education would they ever really have the right direction in life to discover what they are destined to be?

Without education people wouldn't have any guidance in choosing a career. The education we go through is needed and used not only to our own advantage, but also to the advantage of the people around us. What we choose to do with the education that was given to us (the careers we choose) influences not just us but everyone around us. For example people who help advance technology most likely have an education. If that was the case would the world really be as advanced as it is today without the proper education of the students who made a difference?Education is one of the most important building blocks of life.

We have been educating for a purpose, and that is to help people grow and build them up to their best abilities so the world can grow with them. I'm not necessarily saying that the only successful people who have ever contributed to the growth of this world were educated. There were many people who were not educated and contributed a great amount, such as, Edison and Rockefeller. People who aren't or weren't put through the education system can still be educated. We need the education system so we can better educate everyone. So there's not just a few people making a difference but everyone making a difference and contributing to their communities.