I have recently been transposing what we have been
talking about to what I would want for my children. I can think of what kind of school I would
want to teach at. But recently I challenged
myself to switch it into what I would want to have for my children. If I had a child who was advanced but not
enough to qualify for gifted I would want a classroom where the teacher would
challenge my child so that she does not become bored. If I had a child who was behind and needed
extra help I would want my child to receive extra help and attention so that
she does not fall behind. So I would
want a school that has tutoring available, special ed, and gifted program. In the classroom I would want advanced
reading and math/science. I would want a
school that has music, art, and PE every week if not every day. I would want a school with a wide variety of
after school clubs such as chess, karate, math club and writing club. I would want a library with a wide variety of
books to suit every child’s need. I
think the ideal classroom would have about 8-12 kids so that the teacher would
have more of a chance to address the needs of the kids without compromising any
other child. Since the classes would be
so small and welcoming there would be no bullying.
While this is very idealistic I wish it was within
reach. I think at the very least we
should be able to have small classes that allow our children to be attended to
individually. It would be far more
realistic to alter our education structure.
I have often thought that kids should be grouped in two tiers, one based
on skill level and one based on learning style.
Perhaps dividing elementary school classes based on age is not the way
to go. If all the level 4 readers were
in a group together then they would be in the same zone of proximal development.
I still feel that there are so many
things that I have to learn to even think I might know what might work in one
setting.
I don't have any kids myself but what you have described is exactly what I would want if I did have children. I tis also the kind of school I would like to work in. Having 30 kids in your class is going to be hard to teach to every child's individual needs. I think that is the biggest struggle most teachers face is not leaving anyone behind while still making sure that the students who are ahead don't get left behind.
ReplyDeleteA teacher should always view teaching their students as if their own children were in that class. Great parents want everything for their child and even more that can be offered. These ideas you speak of may be idealistic but they are all possible. Having a smaller teacher-student ratio is one thing that every school should and could have. Society, or the government, needs to place a higher value on teachers so that more qualified and capable people could teach. Money needs to be spent wisely so that more teachers can be hired and more classrooms can be built.
ReplyDeleteI think your approach to designing a school is very good, namely using the parental perspective. I have had some success with this approach in the classroom. While I don't have any children, I find that using the instincts that a parent would have/use allows for certain organic or natural transmission of education.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that most charter schools that are out there all operate they way you described your ideal school. Small classrooms as well as being able to pay attention to each of the school's students' needs. It seems that the ones in Albuquerque are oversaw by APS but the reins are not that tight which allows the charter school not to have the feelings of a big bureaucracy as most schools in the APS system do.
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