An Educator 's Pedagogical Content Knowledge

In addition to these standards, rights, and responsibilities, all teachers need to be consciously aware of possible problems dealing with students on an individual basis. In their mission of providing for the safety and welfare of all students, teachers can sometimes find themselves in situations that may be detrimental to themselves and their students. In practice, knowing how to avoid these situations is key. Dr. Troy Hutching’s presentation (Developing an Ethical Framework for Teacher Student Relationships: A Continuum of Responsibility, Nov. 1, 2011 Northern Arizona Univ.) was an eye opener. He provided the following startling facts: Shakeshaft (2004) reported 9.6% of grade 8-11

High school students can be grouped into three categories: overachievers, underachievers and those who appreciate a healthy school-life balance. Overachievers go above and beyond their teachers’ assignments, perfecting every detail of every sentence they write. However, contrary to popular belief, an overachiever is not always the most intelligent student in the class. Overachievers have tendencies to add unnecessary material to their work, just to exceed the required word count. Overachievers may also be sleep deprived or anxious because of their “workhorse” nature. On the complete opposite of the spectrum are the underachievers, those who do the bare minimum of what is required of them. These are the people you see in the cafeteria copying

With the expectations set for students by parents, high schools, and colleges, students find themselves in difficult positions. Should they study for a test or try to get a few hours of sleep? Does a homework assignment take priority over an extracurricular competition? About

When the alarm clock sets off at 6:00 A.M., it's another grueling morning that follows with making the bed, washing up, dressing, and leaving to take the bus by 7:00 A.M. Sometimes, you're lucky enough to get a ride or drive yourself to school to get an extra five to ten minutes of sleep and squeeze in breakfast, hoping you make it in time for first period at 7:45 A.M. A daily routine like this is all too familiar and high school is a challenge for students, more than just academically. For four years, high school students face a similar routine of waking up in the early hours of the morning to head to school before 8 o'clock, for five days a week.

In December 2011 Suleyman Avci conducted a study on 508 first grade students to learn the relationship between self-regulation and the delay of gratification in doing well in academics. Most people are aware the more time they put into something the better the results will turn out and the bigger the reward will be. This theory applies to almost anything including academics. The more one studies the better they will do on a test however, not all students understand this, which explains why some students are more stressed than others. In order to perform well in school students need to set goals for the future and not get distracted by things in the present, like watching television or playing video games, instead of studying for a test. I am completely aware of this; nevertheless, it is still hard to do because my “hot system” wants the instant gratification of doing something fun rather than homework. Future success is hindered by the need for instant gratification. Students who achieve higher levels of academic success are those who realize academic rewards are more important than temporary satisfaction. Those

In college, predicting academic success is a difficult challenge facing institutions of higher education. Unfortunately, before completing degrees, majority of students leave. Andrew Carnegie once said, “Anything in life worth having is worth working for.” High academic achievement in college certainly requires a great deal of effort over an extended period of time and is undoubtedly worth having. However, students who have high levels of frustration intolerance are at particular risk of falling into patterns of procrastination. But those who are more willing to tolerate frustration in pursuit of academic achievement tend to have higher GPA’s. In most students, studying for exams, writing for papers, and engaging in other academic behaviors

At a young age, we as a collective society have experienced the first-hand the struggles of attempting to be successful. We are told that excellence inevitably leads to success. We are told as children that one must go to college in order to be successful. As a result, children aspire to go to college only because we are told it is essential to be successful in life. The path to be a success is a stressful one and requires a great deal of work. There is too much homework, too many tests, and too much needless pressure is put upon the shoulders of young children by their parents. In her essay “Is the Drive for Success Making Our Children Sick?” Vicki Abeles argues and exposes the harmful effects of the drive for success. Abeles incorporates other ways to improve a child’s drive for success with consideration to the children’s health. One of her strategies for a healthier drive that would be beneficial and adopted by both college educators and fellow students is a limit on homework and weekend and holiday homework ban. Although a drive to be successful is essential for achieving excellence, limiting homework would be beneficial because it is less overwhelming for students, provokes less stress and

Summer break can be relaxing, however, students begin to be too comfortable with it; instead of studying during school, they grow to be as lazy as they are during the summer. The Editors, author of the article, Crush of Summer Homework, interviewed the chairman of the psychology department at Duke University, Harris Cooper. He stated, “The long summer vacation disrupts the rhythm of instruction, leads to forgetting, and requires time be spent reviewing old material when students return to school in fall” (The Editors). Consequently, an inactivated studying habit remains unacceptable as the behavior in school requires academic and engaged activeness. Not only do colleges also require heaps of effort, even high school. A.P. classes require to

As I began my junior year, I found myself juggling a rigorous academic schedule, varsity tennis, a social life and a new job. At first, I figured I could balance all of these activities. However, I became humbled by a 32% on an early Physics test triggering sheer panic regarding future applications to college. Knowing my grades needed to trend up as a junior, I dug down and did everything possible to improve my grades. I committed myself to a nightly study regimen consisting of intermittent on-off study blocks. Diligent removal of all distractions, including my I-Phone while studying was a major key. Also, I reduced my hours at work and often went to school early to meet with my teachers to review material. This action plan ultimately led to the improvement of my grades in all classes, culminating with a “B” in Physics and meeting my overall goal of a 4.0 GPA. Yes, I had failed a single test, but the real failure was not prioritizing and planning my activities proactively. The lesson I learned from this

The grind never stops day in and day out. It’s early in the morning and you’re going to school, followed by work or sports or maybe even both. After a long day, you finally come home, eat dinner, shower, text some friends and check social media. Before you know it, it’s 10 at night. Teens are struggling to maintain their academics with balancing their passions and work. As a student athlete, I find it hard at times to maintain good grades and pursuit my passions.

As a student in the Education Department at Saint Mary’s College, I have been assigned a set of eight standards to fulfill before graduation. Having these standards guides all students in becoming the necessary well-rounded teacher candidates needed to go into the field of education and ultimately becoming a successful teacher in the future. Each standard relates to a different area, including having a broad and comprehensive understanding of learning processes, the professional environment, and content. Throughout the last two years, I have had a number of opportunities, both in the field and in my classes at Saint Mary’s, to meet these eight standards.

The first step the teacher should take is discussing the student’s concerns with the teacher. This discussion may lead to admission of guilt or a denial of wrongdoing. The teacher in question, however,

“People need to know why what they are doing is worth the effort and how it connects to their personal and collective mission and values, or the endeavor will soon be stalled. We show that morality is often reflected in the work and used as a means to inspire others.” (Blankstein & Noguera, 2015). The teachers were organized, they ensured constancy and consistency through the teachers and students by having meeting and evaluating the work of the students in all classes. “Improving our school meant that we needed to improve instruction across the school. Quality instruction was the driver of our improvement. When we learned to teach differently, and focus on teaching our students the literacy skills they needed, the students learned the material better.” (Blankstein & Noguera, 2015). And this was the insight that inform my professional practice. In my school, we start working all the teacher as one team since last school year. This school year we are on the same path by improving our grading policy across the school and by helping each other to have a school of excellence. When something is new, fear is going to be there always, but it is our decision if we allowed fear to defeat use, or we can decide to fight our fears and conquer the

All throughout elementary school and middle school, I was always one of those students who simply floated through every class. Despite holding quality grades in the most challenging classes offered, I never in my life had genuinely sat down to study. In fact, just the concept in itself was entirely foreign to me up until high school. This terrible habit is likely one that would have stuck with me not only throughout the rest of my academic career, but my entire life had it not been for Ms. Cohen’s formulaic comments.

“We don’t, however, want to let students make habits that revolve around them staying awake past midnight to do stuff other than homework. How are we to prevent that,” Dr. Wensink argues. And while I do see where that argument comes from, I go back to the point that it should be the student’s responsibility to form habits around balancing their time with their sleep schedule. If students can’t discipline themselves enough to go to bed, the school should punish them instead of the people who only need an extra half an hour to finish an