campfire

I did campfire today and so much enjoyed seeing the children. There was this little girl who had no one to play with so it was fun to be able to have some one-on-one time with her and talk to her about her day and such. The children all had reading time, it was really fun watching them pick out books and go read them=)

Mary Mallory

Journal Article

Nearly 900 California Schools Implement Reading Program
By Scott Aronowitz
10/26/09
http://thejournal.com/articles/2009/10/26/nearly-900-california-schools-implement-reading-program.aspx
This article discussed how a new reading program, called the Lexia Reading program, has been used in almot 900 schools in California. This program is for grades K-12 and it offers nearly 800 activities for reading skills development. Lexia Reading program has had all good reviews so far. The teachers like it because it includes "individualized "branching" technology that determines when a student needs additional practice in each skill and ensures mastery of the skill before the student progresses to the next one". The program also conforms to the federal reading guidelines so there is not a problem there. One of the principles using this program said he liked it because it gave the teacher detailed feedback on student progress. This will help the teacher's ability to understand what they need to spend more time on with the student and what they already understand.

My article was called Students Held Back Did Better written by Jennifer Medina. It talked about how student who were held back in school did better. Some students who struggled with work in fifth grade got held back and actually did better in the next years. Instead of being the one to always struggle they seemed to be at the same pace as everyone else. This shows that instead of passing kids because we don't want to hurt their feelings or for other reason we should hold them back a grade (if they are struggling in school). This would help the child in the future because then they wouldn't be the one always needing extra help because they would be in the same place the rest of the class is in.

Corporal punishment

I read an article entitled Corporal Punishment in U.S. Public Schools: A Continuing Challenge for School Social Workers. Corporal punishment is a topic that has long been controversial in our country. Our county has been moving away from it in recent years due to the fact that many believe it to be damaging to the child in both physical and psychological ways as well as simply being inhumane. They list bruising, welts, and various other effects of corporal punishment are at least part of the reason that corporal punishment should be completely banned. So far it has been banned in many states and is generally frowned upon. However I think that we may be looking at corporal punishment in the wrong light. Yes corporal punishment can be damaging to the students but the times when it is damaging are the times when the teacher or parent is going overboard because they are angry or not controlling themselves. This is where I believe corporal punishment turns into physical abuse, however when used correctly corporal punishment can be an effective way to punish children. The line between correct use and physical abuse though is dependent upon the mind set of the parent or teacher at the time though. When a parent spanks a child out of love and genuine desire to help the child change his ways instead of anger at the child’s misbehaving there is much less chance of damage in any way to the child. Some forms of corporal punishment should be banned I think though. Some of the forms listed by the article simply sounded horrible and overboard such as electric shock. When I think of corporal punishment that kind of thing doesn’t come to mind which is perhaps why I am an advocate of it to some degree. The only form of corporal punishment I ever received was spanking which proved to be helpful in my developing years. I think that corporal punishment is schools should be banned because there is no way for anyone to be sure of the motives of the teachers involved but I would also suggest that corporal punishment in the home, as long as it does not turn into physical abuse, is a viable means of discipline considering the parents of a child are much more likely to actually desire what is best for the child.

Journal Article

Title: Developmental Education: An Investment We Cannot Afford NOT To Make
Authors: John E. Roueche and Wvelyn N. Waiwaiole
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education; 9/17/2009, Vol. 26 Issue 16, p16-16, 3/4p

In reading Developmental Education: An Investment We Cannot Afford NOT To Make, it was brought to my attention that not all high school graduates are ready to study on a college level. Books written by Cliff Adelman, Bob McCabe and others give us a sense of the commitment and controversy of developmental education, especially on the college level. The journal article is stating that money needs to be spent in order to provide remedial help for a growing number of students. Because more students are going to college, both junior college and four-year colleges and universities, more students will be requiring remedial help. The critics of developmental education are blaming the elementary, middle schools, and high schools for the lack of college preparation and they do not think it should be up to the college to fill that gap. As far as I’m concerned, if the students are in college, they need to be educated. If the student needs help, he or she should be given help. Yes, these programs cost billions of dollars according to the article, but the fact is college students need to learn. Frankly, if the high school did not prepare the student well, it is by no fault of the student. Someone needs to provide the help, and if the student is in college, it should be the college. El Paso Community College is working with the local high schools to provide help in bridging the academic gap, this to me, is a good way to start. If the colleges and high schools worked together, they would know what is expected, and the high school could help out in the preparation of the students. Before reading this article, I was not aware of the controversy surrounding developmental education in higher education, but it only makes sense to me that the schools should work together, if possible, to benefit their students.

Camp fire work

I have been working at camp fire this past week. Generally the day goes like this. We meet as leaders to discus what is happening during the day, then the children start to arive. We give them a snack. They eat for about ten minutes before homework time. during home work time if they do not have any they can write or draw in their journals or do other activities. After homework time we usually have our large activity for the day. On wedness day for example we had people come in and give the kids eacha pumpkin to draw on. After the activity is finished we usually have a little bit of free time before the parents come to pick the kids up at 5:30.

Journal Reaction

Journal: Middle School Journal, Volume 40 #5 May 2009
Article: Changing Times Require a Changing Middle Grades Research Agenda
Author: Vincent A. Anfara, Jr.

I agree with this article for the most part. Schools are changing and education is changing. Researchers need to research and discover better ways to reach these students. Our world today needs to be proactive in the ways that we educate. But, I do not believe in anyway should we lower our expectations on students. Although there are difference in the current student generations than past generations, there is no reason to expect less out of them than others. I agree with the quote from the article that says, "Schools have changed less than young people have in the last 20 or 30 years". This is true and there can definitely be some changes that would benefit students. But we must not stray too far from traditional education standards, because in doing so standards are lowered and this is turn will have and extremely negative effect on our nation's students and youth.

Using Picture Books to Engage Middle School Students

Journal: " Middle School Journal:
Article: "Using Picture Books to Engage Middle School Students"
Author: Patricia Murphy


In this article it talks about the advantages of using picture books when trying to teach middle school students. Picture books are very common and helpful because they are not only usually short in length, but also they tend to engage the student more in the story with the colorful pictures that are used. I know that when I was little I so much enjoyed reading picture books, not only because I could do so by myself usually but also because the pictures helped me to be more engaged in the story that I was reading. I believe that picture books are gppd for some children at ages, but when children reach a age that they can read on their own I think picture books may harm them more that help them. If children rely too much on pictures and not so much on the reading part they will not be able to develop proper reading skills that they will need in the future.



This article is from: " Middle Achool Journal" National Middle School Association, Vol. 40 November 4. March 2009

Campfire

I work at campfire and it has been a very interesting experience! I really do enjoy being there and being around the children. Sometimes there are barriers because most of the children like to speak spanish so they do not always speak english. I have one little kid that gets home sick while he is in campfire and he does not know any english at all so it is kind of hard to communicate with him when he is upset and crying.

Getting Started.

I have gone to campfire just a few times and have so much enjoyed it and the experience that it has provided me with. The first time I came to campfire a little girl came up to me who I had never met and gave me a big hug and a picture that she had colored. It was so sweet because she was so cute and kind and I didn't even know her. The children at campfire are so cute and are all in need of TLC for sure=)

blog 1

I have not had a chance yet to volunteer at campfire. The weeks leading up to this week have been so busy that I couldn't get in. Then I called Jill last Friday to try to come in Monday the 12th but no response. So I emailed her yesterday to see if I could volunteer today but still no response. But I am still excited to start volunteering with these kids! Does anyone have any recommendations on getting a hold of Jill? Or is there someone else I have to talk to to start?

Sarah

9/29/2009- Volunteered at campfire for 2 hours

The beginning of the program we help the group wash their hands and get ready for snacks. I helped with the 3rd and 4th graders...they couldn't even walk down the hallway without talking. It was interesting trying to keep them all together. Then we worked on homework and went to freerice.com for awhile. I didn't realize that most of the ESL kids' who had spanish as a first language could only speak it, and not read it.