The First Forum Of Elementary Schools

Over the years, I feel I have been guided by God to pursue Elementary Education, which narrows my focus to the kindergarten classroom. I will clearly define the most helpful theories that may be implemented throughout the kindergarten learning environment. Effective teacher characteristics will be identified and why they are imperative for this particular age group. Young children have different learning characteristics and it is important for teachers to recognize and accommodate to the needs of their students. Throughout this course, I have discovered certain characteristics about myself and I will elaborate on my unique learning styles.

An elementary educator also needs to have a wide personality. By “wide” I mean they should be prepared to multitask, learn not to get distracted easily and really know how to connect with children. Teaching a child is not easy, so they need to demonstrate self-control, concern, independency, tolerance, and flexibility. A good teacher is known as a teacher who is willing to help others and learn how to cooperate.

America’s Education System has drastically changed from the 17th century up until now, many events have occurred that have shaped and made what education is today. The concept of education reform was very much alive during the 17th century when educators developed new ways of thinking about education. During the 17th century dame schools became common. Dames were respected women who usually learned to read and write without schooling and turned their homes into schools. Dame schools were essentially the first American elementary school and virtually consisted of all boys, girls usually stayed home and learned homemaking skills, they were allowed to attend the Dame schools but the curriculum was much different.

While there are many ways to be an outstanding teacher, every high-quality teacher should, in my opinion, have these skills and dispositions:

At Mac Gregor Elementary my fifth grade students take online test sent from the district every Friday. The test includes a math, reading and vocabulary subjects. The teacher often attempts to create a lesson plan based around the things that are going to be on the test. Many of activities include critical thinking, grade level vocabulary words, and math problems. The curriculum has been almost completely affected by these testing and the standards. In order to pass the students have certain requirements that they have to be reached, if not an intensive meeting with the student and his or her parents will take place so that everyone is on the same page.

Public schools originated in 1647 in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and soon spread across New England. They began with an elementary school for every fifty families and a Latin school for every one hundred families. Their mission was to “ensure that Puritan children learn to read the Bible and receive basic information about their Calvinist religion.”1 By 1840, conflict was at a climax in New York City. The public schools had taken on a “common school” education that included a

History classes have always been a requirement for high school students to graduate. Some of these classes include United States history, Government, and World History. Although, there is a lack of any classes dealing with local history. State history alone only receives attention in the elementary school system and about a week in Government class. All school systems should include, in the required classes to take to receive a high school diploma, a local history class, so that the students may have a knowledge of the place where they live.

Most children were taught at home. There were not very many schools in 1774, in Williamsburg, Pennsylvania. Parents taught their children to read and write using a hornbook, which is the alphabet, the Lord’s prayer,

The readings from the first class surfaced many controversial and prevalent themes. The readings called into question the role education plays in creating a Godly society, a cure for societal ills, enhancing fear, as well as the importance of religious ties. In this paper, I will react to the following themes through a lens of how these beliefs still hold true today.

It seems many times that there is no time for instruction that is not test related including gaining skills that are needed to be able to lead a successful life. The assessments that educators are preparing students for prove to be long and time consuming. According to Hagopian, educational testing has been referred to as “testocracy”, “having amassed so much power and wealth” (Hagopian, p. 4). Much needed skills such as cooperative learning, cursive handwriting and spelling are being axed to make time to meet the standards that will be assessed. These important tasks are left out, although children need to learn how to work with others as well as how to sign their own name. There are no times for fun in the classrooms or love of learning to take place as it once did in education. President Obama commented in an article from Common Dreams that the current testing was “Taking the Joy out of Teaching and Learning” (Hagopian 2015). Curriculum is set and must be followed on a daily basis to cover the material before tests are given. It seems children are constantly preparing for the big test. Year after year curriculum and standards are getting more and more intense and require more

Supporters state that American schools need only to provide the education necessary for the average student to survive in the world independently. The American school system gives its students the basic core knowledge that everyone needs. “All American children...need to learn about the Pilgrims, Valley Forge, Duke Ellington, Apollo 11...All students need to learn the iconic stories” (Murray 224). The present structure is effective at teaching these essential concepts.

In 1780, Robert Raikes taught children in Sunday school how to read “so they could read the bible”. Another man, “John Pounds would have kids come play with his disabled nephew” (Picard, Liza). Once he realized he had 30 or 40 kids he started a class, “and taught the kids to read the bible because [it was the only book easy to access]”(Picard, Liza). The idea of this class spread to London so they had even more schools and classes, “by 1861 they were teaching more than 40,000 children”(Picard, Liza). They had many different schools systems. There were church schools who mostly taught elementary children, and they had a system where the children who knew the most and was the brightest taught the other children, which those other children would do the same and it would just go on. Eventually that system was replaced with actual teachers.

Teaching is a difficult occupation. Teachers play an important part in training children, teenagers… So, a good teacher must have some special qualities. They are: knowledge, creation, confidence, empathy, sense of humor and passion.

Being a teacher is not an easy task as many people could think. To be a teacher does not only imply to know the subject to be taught, it also includes being willing to constantly improve oneself integrally, as much as updating the resources and materials one uses in teaching. Reflecting and analyzing over and over again the best way to teach to learn and how to make students to extend what has been learned. The many hours spend in the classroom will never be enough to plan lessons, prepare materials, review pupils tasks and exams, as well, all the administrative requirements one has to cover for whatever institution we work. Besides all this a good teacher, a professional one, will have to find the time to keep preparing to improve

“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning,” was once said by Brad Henry, a politician. This quote summarizes one of the many reasons I aspire to be an elementary school teacher. My family life teacher, Mrs. Amend, was one of the best teachers in my years of schooling. She is who I see when I read this quote. She not only encouraged me to do my best in school but also helped me figure out my love for working with children and that is how I decided I wanted to become an elementary school teacher.