NOTE: This is something I wrote for one of my classes. I thought the information was interesting, so I decided to share and (as always) would like to know your thoughts and opinions ; )
In short: Humanistic Education puts the development of character before academics in order to create happy, well-adjusted individuals. Webber and Plotts site two major ideals of Humanistic educators: 1) children have an innate ability to learn independently and creatively and 2) schoolwork should be relevant to students' daily lives (p. 122, 2008).
The question being asked is: Do you feel it has application in schools today?
My answer to that is: Absolutely, education of character has always been applicable within the school system; but you are not asking the right question. "To what degree should Humanistic education be taken to in schools?" is a more appropriate question to ask.
Today, teachers are not "just teachers" - we are confidants, we are investigators, we are alternate parents. What was once relegated to the church has come to the schools. As American society turns a more agnostic/atheistic eye, the development of character, morals, and values, rests in the hands of parents, peers, and educators.
However, before we can tackle the extent to which we develop character and moral standing in our classrooms, we must determine the purpose of education. Is it to develop model citizens? To ready them for the workforce? Teach to the test and ensure nice statistics? Social development? Cultural transmission? The list is endless. Perhaps we should teach students how to THINK, how to CHANGE, how to ADAPT, how to be ACTIVE and PREPARED rather than making sure the numbers look good. Once you determine the purpose of education, then you can determine to what degree your curriculum focuses on character development.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
CONFORMITY IN THE CLASSROOM
As I've been reading a chapter on the Psychodynamic Model, I've come across some interesting tidbits of information. I'd really like to know what you guys have to say about any or all of the following (either individually or all in conjunction with one another):
In the early part of the 20th century, conformity in the classroom came to be viewed by some educators as detrimental to a child's natural development.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:
Basic Needs -- Deficiency Needs: safety, hunger, satiation, affection, security, and self esteem
Meta-Needs -- Growth Needs: justice, goodness, beauty, and unity
Only a very few, select people are characterized by autonomy, spontaneity, democratic values, creativity, and a resistance to conformity. They are able to transcend rather than tolerate the environment, which is the final step in becoming full human.
Carl Rogers:
Learning should be self-initiated and congruent with personal experience
Classrooms should offer a climate for experiential learning and teachers should facilitate the learning process
Karen Horney:
A Neo-Freudian who focuses on anxiety and the basic need for conformity. She feels that conflicts such as arrogance, hostility, and anxiety can be avoidable if a child is reared in an atmosphere of security, warmth, love, trust, and respect.
What's your take?
In the early part of the 20th century, conformity in the classroom came to be viewed by some educators as detrimental to a child's natural development.
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:
Basic Needs -- Deficiency Needs: safety, hunger, satiation, affection, security, and self esteem
Meta-Needs -- Growth Needs: justice, goodness, beauty, and unity
Only a very few, select people are characterized by autonomy, spontaneity, democratic values, creativity, and a resistance to conformity. They are able to transcend rather than tolerate the environment, which is the final step in becoming full human.
Carl Rogers:
Learning should be self-initiated and congruent with personal experience
Classrooms should offer a climate for experiential learning and teachers should facilitate the learning process
Karen Horney:
A Neo-Freudian who focuses on anxiety and the basic need for conformity. She feels that conflicts such as arrogance, hostility, and anxiety can be avoidable if a child is reared in an atmosphere of security, warmth, love, trust, and respect.
What's your take?
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
IEP
This afternoon I met with Cayden's preschool teacher to go over his progress and discuss various aspects of his education. It went very, very well. We went over his IEP, what his progress has been and what the expectations for the next quarter is. He's going to be doing a lot more OT and continue his speech therapy. I told her about our trips to the museum and aquarium and how proud we were of him and his behavior. I feel it's important for her to know his progress outside of school too.
So what is an IEP?
In brief: IEP stands for Individualized Education Program. This is used to develop curriculum/manipulate the general curriculum, objectives, and create goals to best educate a child with special needs in the least restrictive environment. In order for a child to have an IEP, they must've been identified, assessed, and determined a qualifying candidate for special services. There is a LOT more that goes in to the IEP process and I will be than happy to elaborate on the details if asked. ; )
In my class tonight, we discussed IEPs and determining the need for functional assessments. It led to a lot of interesting dialogue. I keep reiterating the necessity of fighting for kids and their help.
Let me give you a scenario and I'd really appreciate your input -- whether you're a parent, a teacher, or innocent bystander. What is your take on the following situation:
You're a teacher in a classroom. You have a kid that is showing qualities and characteristics that are inconjunction with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and ADD. You call in a social worker or special needs teacher or someone to do an observation of this student. Their observations support your own observations. After much contemplation and dialogue, you decide to talk to the parents. They say that they're child is fine and doesn't need any aid. So, you, being the wonderful teacher that you are, alter your teaching style and try a few interventions to benefit this child. You document these changes in your classroom to back up your attempts. No improvements are made. The behaviors continue. They're distracting to other students and can, at sometimes, present dangerous situations. You decide to talk to the parents and ask them to have their child assessed. They still refuse the intervention.
What do you do?
So what is an IEP?
In brief: IEP stands for Individualized Education Program. This is used to develop curriculum/manipulate the general curriculum, objectives, and create goals to best educate a child with special needs in the least restrictive environment. In order for a child to have an IEP, they must've been identified, assessed, and determined a qualifying candidate for special services. There is a LOT more that goes in to the IEP process and I will be than happy to elaborate on the details if asked. ; )
In my class tonight, we discussed IEPs and determining the need for functional assessments. It led to a lot of interesting dialogue. I keep reiterating the necessity of fighting for kids and their help.
Let me give you a scenario and I'd really appreciate your input -- whether you're a parent, a teacher, or innocent bystander. What is your take on the following situation:
You're a teacher in a classroom. You have a kid that is showing qualities and characteristics that are inconjunction with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and ADD. You call in a social worker or special needs teacher or someone to do an observation of this student. Their observations support your own observations. After much contemplation and dialogue, you decide to talk to the parents. They say that they're child is fine and doesn't need any aid. So, you, being the wonderful teacher that you are, alter your teaching style and try a few interventions to benefit this child. You document these changes in your classroom to back up your attempts. No improvements are made. The behaviors continue. They're distracting to other students and can, at sometimes, present dangerous situations. You decide to talk to the parents and ask them to have their child assessed. They still refuse the intervention.
What do you do?
Monday, February 1, 2010
PUBLIC PROGRAMS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS KIDS
Let me hitcha with some basic knowledge:
Under IDEA-2004, states are mandated to have programs available for persons with special needs. For children age infant-3 years, there's Early Intervention (for our area it's Child and Family Connections/Easter Seals). For school age children 3-19 years, they are entitled to free, appropriate public education with necessary services provided through the district. Services can be extended over breaks (including summer and holidays) to make sure that progress in continued (this is called ESY - Extended School Year Services).
I was always under the impression that you needed to have a doctor's recommendation to get Early Intervention (EI) services... After talking with one of my professors a few weeks ago, I found out I was wrong. I was happy and pissed off at the same time. I was pissed that we've waited for nothing but happy that I could get the ball rolling. Well, I called 10 days ago and haven't heard a word. When I made the initial phone call, she took some basic information so we were in the system. I called today, we're not in the system. AWESOME.
I feel like I'm constantly having road blocks thrown in our way. I feel like I'm doing other people's jobs. Oh wait, I AM doing their job.
When we went through Easter Seals for Cayden, it was pretty awful. His therapist kept calling off and canceling so he never got the services he needed and deserved. I'm unsure if I had told the story earlier but at the beginning of this school year we enrolled him in preschool, just to get him around other kids to help with socializing and, hopefully, to aid as verbal models for him. In October, we took him to the free screening at the local public At-Risk preschool. At-Risk Preschool is the free, public, appropriate education program in our area for children with special needs. They run the risk of having disorders which would prevent them from being successful in elementary school. Anyway, we went to the screening and he had NOTHING of it. He screamed, he cried, he ran around, laid down on the ground -- he was NOT going to be evaluated... at least not by their standards. It was pretty clear and obvious that this child was in need. The way he was acting, his lack of cooperation, his lack of verbal skills - it should've been flashing neon lights to these people. But you know what I was told by the director? Come back in January.
WAAHHHHAAAAAAATT!?!?! Are you kidding me?
I was so pissed. Thankfully, I have a large support group who told me not to give up and stay on them. So I did. Cayden began going to the preschool December 1st. He has made such wonderful strides, it's amazing. But what else is kind of crazy... I didn't know this... he couldn't received his Occupational Therapy (OT) services until they received his medical records. Now, here's me thinking: Hm, I'll just ask his old preschool to send over his medical records 'cause it'll be significantly quicker and easier than going through the doctor's office. So I call and ask, get a "sure no problem" and I think I'm good. Then I kept getting notices from his new preschool saying they don't have his records. WTF yo? It took me calling his old preschool every week for four weeks for them to finnnaallly fax it over.... two months later. Ugh. AND! We asked for a tuition reimbursement from his old preschool (which they were wonderful and understanding about), but it took TWO MONTHS for them to cut the check. It was kind of ridiculous. Why it took so long? I don't know, but I'm glad it's finally done.
What ELSE pissed me off is that I called I don't know how many times and it wasn't until ADAM called that something happened. And I was sitting right there -- it wasn't as if he a was a jerk or anything, he was very pleasant and it got done right away. Honestly, people, what the hell. Is it 1950 where we need the Man of the House to step in for things to get done? And I wasn't a bitch or anything, either. I was pleasant and asked very courteously and was very VERY patient -- considering it took them two months to do something that takes two seconds. Honestly. Exasperating.
But you know what's exciting? I just got a call and scheduled Kaylee's initial meeting for her EI services, woo! Although it took me calling a second time for them to call me back but whatevs. I've learned my lessons from Cayden - I'm not giving up and I'm staying persistent. They deserve this help and I'm going to make sure that they get it.
I'll be sure to keep you posted as to what the evaluators say about Doodles - we're very curious ourselves ; )
Under IDEA-2004, states are mandated to have programs available for persons with special needs. For children age infant-3 years, there's Early Intervention (for our area it's Child and Family Connections/Easter Seals). For school age children 3-19 years, they are entitled to free, appropriate public education with necessary services provided through the district. Services can be extended over breaks (including summer and holidays) to make sure that progress in continued (this is called ESY - Extended School Year Services).
I was always under the impression that you needed to have a doctor's recommendation to get Early Intervention (EI) services... After talking with one of my professors a few weeks ago, I found out I was wrong. I was happy and pissed off at the same time. I was pissed that we've waited for nothing but happy that I could get the ball rolling. Well, I called 10 days ago and haven't heard a word. When I made the initial phone call, she took some basic information so we were in the system. I called today, we're not in the system. AWESOME.
I feel like I'm constantly having road blocks thrown in our way. I feel like I'm doing other people's jobs. Oh wait, I AM doing their job.
When we went through Easter Seals for Cayden, it was pretty awful. His therapist kept calling off and canceling so he never got the services he needed and deserved. I'm unsure if I had told the story earlier but at the beginning of this school year we enrolled him in preschool, just to get him around other kids to help with socializing and, hopefully, to aid as verbal models for him. In October, we took him to the free screening at the local public At-Risk preschool. At-Risk Preschool is the free, public, appropriate education program in our area for children with special needs. They run the risk of having disorders which would prevent them from being successful in elementary school. Anyway, we went to the screening and he had NOTHING of it. He screamed, he cried, he ran around, laid down on the ground -- he was NOT going to be evaluated... at least not by their standards. It was pretty clear and obvious that this child was in need. The way he was acting, his lack of cooperation, his lack of verbal skills - it should've been flashing neon lights to these people. But you know what I was told by the director? Come back in January.
WAAHHHHAAAAAAATT!?!?! Are you kidding me?
I was so pissed. Thankfully, I have a large support group who told me not to give up and stay on them. So I did. Cayden began going to the preschool December 1st. He has made such wonderful strides, it's amazing. But what else is kind of crazy... I didn't know this... he couldn't received his Occupational Therapy (OT) services until they received his medical records. Now, here's me thinking: Hm, I'll just ask his old preschool to send over his medical records 'cause it'll be significantly quicker and easier than going through the doctor's office. So I call and ask, get a "sure no problem" and I think I'm good. Then I kept getting notices from his new preschool saying they don't have his records. WTF yo? It took me calling his old preschool every week for four weeks for them to finnnaallly fax it over.... two months later. Ugh. AND! We asked for a tuition reimbursement from his old preschool (which they were wonderful and understanding about), but it took TWO MONTHS for them to cut the check. It was kind of ridiculous. Why it took so long? I don't know, but I'm glad it's finally done.
What ELSE pissed me off is that I called I don't know how many times and it wasn't until ADAM called that something happened. And I was sitting right there -- it wasn't as if he a was a jerk or anything, he was very pleasant and it got done right away. Honestly, people, what the hell. Is it 1950 where we need the Man of the House to step in for things to get done? And I wasn't a bitch or anything, either. I was pleasant and asked very courteously and was very VERY patient -- considering it took them two months to do something that takes two seconds. Honestly. Exasperating.
But you know what's exciting? I just got a call and scheduled Kaylee's initial meeting for her EI services, woo! Although it took me calling a second time for them to call me back but whatevs. I've learned my lessons from Cayden - I'm not giving up and I'm staying persistent. They deserve this help and I'm going to make sure that they get it.
I'll be sure to keep you posted as to what the evaluators say about Doodles - we're very curious ourselves ; )
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