Philosophy Statement

Why are schools not preparing students for college, for the real world, or how be successful in the work force? Many Americans ask this question and do not understand that Career and Technical Education (CTE), once called Vocational Education, do exactly that (Estacion, Deluca, Plank 346). They believe that all that schools teach are how to write, solve math problems, use the scientific method, and absorb the information discussed in history courses. Career and Technical Education uses experimental learning that gives students skills and motivation to graduate high school and be successful afterwards. Experimental learning is a concept that uses practical thinking and activities to grasp contexts and make learning information and skills easier (Fletcher and Hernadez-Gantes par. 3). Career and Technical Education give students opportunities to better themselves, and stay in school to create success in all aspects of their lives.

At NBIS, I worked with Ms. Ducharme, who I had for my Spanish I teacher. I spent many hours observing her teaching style as well as her classroom’s attributes. Both aspects helped me better understand what teachers need in order to be successful. One thing I did in order to head start my own classroom was purchasing latinoamericanos flags and several posters. I discussed with Ms. Ducharme different theories of how a Spanish class could be taught. My thought, now, is to teach in the target language while connecting it to students’ native language. In addition to observing, I made copies, preparing for upcoming lessons, and even was able to teach a class when Ms. Ducharme had a substitute for a period. During that time, I proctored a commonly asked question, “¿Cómo es tu amigo?” for students to respond in their journals. I also reviewed the five forms of

One of the best ways someone can determine if they really would like to go into a certain field is by simply observing and talking to does already in that career. This is fairly important for a future teacher because even if you don 't realize it as a student, teaching is one of the most difficult jobs that requires a lot of patience and determination in oneself. While observing big diverse classrooms of students who have various levels of knowledge on the subjects and having the teachers trying to reflect the learning styles of all the students through the curriculum I noticed one thing they try their hardest to help every single one of those students. I have learned so much so far on many different aspects of teaching while observing these summer teachers at school Plummer Middle School.

I have dedicated my life to public service as an activist and social worker, and while I am transitioning into a second career, I do not want to stray from my commitment to helping others. I find that teaching is another form of public service that I am drawn to, as it is a role that supports people in reaching their goals.

When living in America, the chances of one having received some form of general education are high. Schools come in all shapes and sizes to accommodate the needs and preferences of parents and students; they can range between the extremes of religious to liberal arts and private to public education. In E.B. White’s “Education”, he describes his son’s shift from a city private school to a country public school. In contrast, the public education I received before entering college was very different from the experiences of White’s son as a child.

The public education system has been in place for enough time to know the many goals it has for students. Horace Mann allowed his sole purpose to present equal opportunity to students so they can experience wealth. The idea that if a person attends public school they will have the equal opportunity to be wealthy and have any career they wish. However, “equality does not mean that everyone will have equal incomes and equal status” (Spring, 2013, p. 66).

Everyone is entitled to have the opportunities to succeed in their education, however, not everyone has the privilege to receive a great education from the start. Due to the factors that might interfere or hinder education, such as economic and geographic matters, many programs have been developed in order to help students with their journey throughout college and high school. The Puente Project is one of the many programs that has been around for three decades assisting underrepresented students to further their education. The program believes in the potential of their students, especially when given the right tools and opportunities to achieve academic success.

I earned both my Bachelor’s of Arts in Liberal Education and my Master’s in Education-Urban Education at Langston University in Tulsa, OK; Langston is a Historically Black College with a commitment to educational focus on diversity and underrepresented populations. While pursuing both degree programs I worked full time as a teaching assistant and, later, as a teacher in a high poverty school whilst taking my courses in the evenings, weekends and summers. During my Master’s program I was able to use my course work on topics like Jonathan Kozol’s The Shame of the Nation or Savage Inequalities directly from the college classroom to my own class of students.

I, Weronika Rzucidlo, desire to pursue an undergraduate degree in World Language Education because it effortlessly joins together my sole two passions: language and education. As a child going through the public school system, whenever I was asked the standard question of what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always responded, “a teacher.” However, as I have grown up and have been exposed to different situations, I have developed an affinity for the Spanish language. It started as a language requirement in high school and transformed into a language class that I had to have every semester or else I would have felt lost. I felt a connection to the language, the culture, and its people; I knew that not continuing my studies in the language at a college level would serve as an immense disservice to myself. Throughout my undergraduate career, I have had various opportunities to solidify my desire to teach not only in a general manner but to specifically teach the Spanish language.

After graduating high school, several students decide to go off to college while many others find want to take a break from school, then continue later on. Sometimes, there are people that have entity approach intelligence where they believe that college is not for them and therefore find something else to do, so they look for jobs and decide to work. They believe that if they try to get into this new environment, they will not even achieve anything; therefore, they do not even want to try. Some of them cannot go because of financial reasons. Once they start going, they drop out because their savings are depleted. Because financial reasons is considered as one of the factors that triggers a lot of people to drop out of school, I believe that there should be a reduction in the cost of college.

The achievement gap, I could have swear I heard that word every parent teacher conference. I just never payed attention until lately when I notice I fall under that criteria. What is the achievement gap in education refers to the many different levels of academic performance of students from , ethnic and economic backgrounds. The lack of access to high-quality education in a child 's early years has a deep and enduring impact on development and academic achievement. This mostly happens in the public school system. I have never heard private school having trouble with the achievement gap. Basically if someone is a minority and comes from a poverty neighborhood that kid will struggle in achieving in school.

If you had changed so much then and developed new ways of seeing things, think about what can be achieved when you are consciously pondering and eagerly

Becoming an educator is what I want to be in life and when I do become an educator I want to be more than just an average teacher. My objective as a teacher is to be able to teach students the basic skills in different subjects to increase their cognitive development to prepare them for the path that the future holds for them. I want to be an educator who helps individuals succeed. As a future educator for English language learners I have learned that teaching goes beyond core instruction. I want to teach my students manners, compassion toward others, empathy, sympathy, cultural awareness to help them to become the best they can be as a person and as a student. I want my students to develop their own moral and ethics. Preferably, I want to teach younger students and I have a great interest in teaching students English as their second language. Being bilingual I have developed a passion in helping students who speak another language and come from other countries because it reminds me of my family. My parents came to the United States knowing no English and now they have accomplished so much as well as learned how to speak English. Growing up in Storm Lake, Iowa I was fortunate enough to be around a diverse group of students. I have always been intrigued by all the different cultures, values, and beliefs of my high school peers. I believe becoming an educator will be a wonderful journey in which I will shape the minds and skills of diverse learners who will also shape my

In every classroom, there will also be students who come different backgrounds. Students will come from different cultures, various levels of poverty, numerous religions, and assorted family structures. When there are a variety of cultures represented in a classroom, it is the job of the teacher to make every student feel welcome and special. Getting to know students and parents and having a warm, inviting classroom culture are a few ways to help students from different backgrounds have the best experience in school they can.

When considering to take a job before or instead of going to college you should think of the almost 40 thousand dollar per year pay difference that a college graduate and a high school drop out have. When you join the workforce right out of high school or instead of high school you essentially cut off any of the connections you can make through college because not only is college a source of knowledge is a source of connections. Throughout college you have experiences and classes that prepare you for the rest of your life and the career path you want to follow this is something major you might miss out on if you go straight into the workforce. Not only do you miss out on all of these experiences and connections education is a major part of everyones it effects who we are and it is something we continue to experience even after college. With all of this being said I believe that no matter what you are going to be better off in life if you focus on your education and finding yourself before entering the workforce full force.