The Trouble with Transferring

Beginning in the fall of ’08, I will be transferring to St. Cloud State University (SCSU). I will be completing two different teaching degrees in special education. Although transferring to a new college is exciting, it definitely is not easy by any means.

It would be very beneficial for transfer students to be given one checklist for entrance into the college and another for acceptance into their chosen major program. With transcripts, test scores, advanced placement scores, post secondary credit, and Praxis test scores, there is a lot for a transfer student to handle.

Last week my registration window at SCSU began on Thursday morning. On Wednesday night, I was frantically faxing test scores that had somehow been misplaced. Not only are they an important document towards the first step of my teaching license, but also, they needed to be received before I could register for my upper level courses.

Sometimes the disorganization or mixed signals that go along with transferring can put a huge damper on such an exciting time is a student’s academic career.

Inclusion of Students in Special Education

For as long as I've been working in and studying special education, there has always been a struggle with whether or not students receiving special education should be included in the mainstream classroom. I've been working on a project for one of my classes to try and figure out how I feel about this issue. I've always thought that it's really important to educate students in the least restrictive environment, but I've been questioning lately whether or not the mainstream classroom is the best setting for all students. To help myself figure out how I feel, I've generate a list of the pros and cons of inclusion:

Pros

•Students stay in mainstream classrooms.
•Inclusion doesn’t segregate or label students with disabilities.
•It is less expensive.
•There can be a lot of support in the school system for inclusion.
•Keeps expectations of students high instead of lowering them as in lower ability classrooms.
•Students develop social skills and interaction skills with their peers that they may not receive in a segregated classroom.
•Teachers are trained in dealing with the student's, sometimes, difficult behavior.
•Students have access to a range of different materials appropriate to their skill level and they receive the necessary support needed to be successful.

Cons

•Segregation may naturally occur in the classroom.
•The quality of education could be lower.
•Teachers may have bad attitudes toward students with disabilities.
•Teachers may not be able to appropriately handle behavior issues.
•Students mat not receive as much individualized attention as needed.
•There are sometimes negative views on inclusion and this may cause a lack of support.
•Curriculum and necessary materials may not be appropriate for a range of ability levels.
•Students may be disruptive to other students learning in the mainstream classroom.

Because of all the above reasons, it is easy to see why inclusion is such a complicated issue. It is really important to always have the students best interests in mind and really to fit them into an environment that is most appropriate for them and that will help them to be as successful as possible.

Incorporation of e-learning programs into High School Classes

I just started a practicum at a high school for one of my classes. I am expected to do 30 hours of observation and to pay special attention to the types of curriculum being used in order to teach new material to the students. I was shocked to hear that since my graduation, students now have the opportunity to post on-line through an e-learning program comparable to WebCT. In about a class of 25, there are 6 laptops available for student use during work time in order to get their postings done.

I believe that the benefit this exposure gives to high school students is priceless. When I started college, I had no idea how to use WebCT and I would have loved to have had some sort of introduction before being thrown into it and expected to just pick up how to use the program.

It's amazing how much technology has an impact on our students today. I wonder how soon will it be required that every student in high school have their own laptop.

I recently read an article called, "Teaching Students to Think," from the Educational Leadership Journal that can be found on-line. After reading this article, I realized just how important the process is for teaching students new material. This article suggests that students sometimes can have problems thinking on their own to come up with solutions. Also, it highlights the issue that in can be hard to always teach lessons that inspire students to think on their own. For example, when the teacher was working on an algebra lesson, it became more important for the students to memorize the steps and not actually to understand why they were learning them this way. The teacher was concerned about their upcoming test and memorization and repetition are sometimes the best way to get students to learn in a short period of time.

However, this type of "rote" teaching can hinder students in the future. They talk about how some college students have difficulties once they enter into higher-level classes. Professors expect them to know how to come up with solutions on the own. Instead of teaching step-by-step through a problem and giving the students examples, they teach the theory as to why this works and expect the students to come up with the rest on their own.

Both of the methods of teaching present a problem to students and teachers. Teachers have a hard job with trying to balance motivating students to think on their own as well as creating useful memorizing techniques to help with difficult problems. Students on the other hand can struggle with transitioning from one teaching style to the other. A student that has always had things laid out for them will find it difficult to come up methods of solving problems on their own.

Personally, I have experienced this difficult transition when I went from my high school calculus class where my teacher was very helpful and did many examples to my freshman college calculus class where my professor stressed theorems, proofs, and theory. Not once during his class did he do an example for us to demonstrate how the theory actually works. Needless to say, his teaching style did not suit my needs as a student nor did it for the majority of the class. It's very frustrating to go in knowing you are a smart student and to be completely leveled by an over-the-top difficult test. I struggled so hard to get a passing grade in the class. In the end I did pass, but I would say about half of my class either dropped or failed by the end of the semester. I really viewed it as lose-lose situation. It had to be just as frustrating for him to see his students just give up.

I definitely think that there is a fine line that teachers need to find in challenging students to think on their own, but also to provide examples and help when things become confusing. To me, a teacher that can find this balance is a great teacher. They are able to understand when things get too hard for their students and instead of having them want to quit, they are inspired to push through and succeed.

Cambridge Baseball Goes to Florida

On March 18th, the Cambridge-Isanti baseball team will be leaving for a week long trip to Orlando, FL. With the support of their families and a lot of fundraising, the boys have been given the opportunity to cover costs for their whole trip. Orlando will be lucky to have a great group of young men playing in their tournament. “The success of this group both on the field and in the classroom is exemplary,” said Coach Todd Smrekar in a previous article.


However, their vacation won’t be all fun and games. The team has a grueling schedule and will be up everyday by 6am in order to practice and get ready for the tournament. “This tournament is going to be a great way to kick off my last season. I’m looking forward to playing with all of my friends and working hard to make it to playoffs again this year,” said senior Kyle Grabowska. With a hint of farewell and a kick-off to the seniors’ last season, the team is hoping to make a great showing in Florida.

Many people are speculating as to why the work and effort put in to taking a trip like this hasn’t happened before in Coach Smrekar’s career. Is this a final farewell to high school baseball for him as well?

Caucus Shmaucus

I don't know what I was expecting when I walked into the caucus at Van Cleave Park in Minneapolis, but what I did not expect was to walk into chaos. Apparently earlier on in the day they decided to split the precinct because they were becoming worried at how many people were going to turn out this year. They were right in doing so, but unfortunately they also forgot to inform everyone of the split. People seemed angry and panicked as they were trying to figure out if they were supposed to stay at the park or if they belonged across the street at the church. I attended the caucus with a friend of mine because I was curious to see how many students at the U of M were supporting this years caucus. However, because of the disorganization I didn't even get a chance to ask questions.

After standing in line and watching the scene unfold before us, my friend and I just decided this was a waste of time. She went to check in and get a ballot to vote. They didn't even ask for her proof of residence or her ID. She was handed a scrap piece of computer paper and was asked to write the candidate's name down. She then dropped it into an ice cream bucket. Like I said, I didn't know what I was walking into, but I was expecting something a little more formal and a lot more organized. I don't see how any good came out of that caucus unless you enjoy wandering around confused.

NCLB and the Negative Impact it has on Students with Disabilities

 This past week, many discussions have begun to crop up at my workplace concerning NCLB.  This stands for The No Child Left Behind Act.  Many people know that the law exists and the basic requirements it makes for our schools.  However, most don't know that NCLB has a hugely negative effect on students, specifically, students with disabilities.  

Under the law, schools are required to make what's called Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).  This means that in order for a school to continue the way it is, a certain percentage of students need to be at the required learning levels or above.  In order to show progress, students are required to take standardized tests in areas like reading and math.  This is where things get difficult for students with special needs.  There is only a limited number of "alternative tests" that these students can take and many students are forced to take a test that is way above their learning abilities.  It just isn't fair.

I work as a Special Education para at an elementary school.  In our school people have started talking about the changes that will need to be made if we do not meet AYP again.  Unfortunately, most people are pointing the finger of blame at students who are receiving special education.  They say that it is our students who are holding the school back and creating stress for the other educators.  I have to ask myself, "Are these accusations justified and do the people making these accusations really understand the struggle that our students go through in order to complete these tests?"

With the accusations flying, the whole issue is bound to have a negative impact on our community.  The most important thing is to get the correct information out to the public and for them to understand just how challenging this law is.  Our State and Federal Governments need to realize that expecting schools to achieve perfect passing scores is impossible and something needs to be changed.