One of the things we talked about this week was bullying.  That includes verbal and physical.  I know that this Girls are terrible with this type of action.  They need to be reminded what it would be like for them to be on the outside, so they don't do it.  Verbal bullying can even happen from people in the education system.  I know of a child were the para was constantly bullying them.  This has since stopped because the school system was alerted to this happening.  The bad part of bullying is that silent, quick type that hardly anyone notices but puts a huge impact on the child.

Webquest

This week we are learning in the technology course about webquest.  As I searched the Native American Indian subject on webquest, I found that many of the internet site links are no longer in use.  This makes the site really useless.  It reminds me that you need to maintain these sites if you plan to use them in the future.

This week we are studying inclusion in the classroom.  There are pro's and con's to this.  The pro's being the interaction opportunities for all students.  The con's are the possibility of disruption in the classroom and the teachers not given the proper tools to deal with inclusion.  I think this is very dependent on each situation.  If this is an EBD child it may not benefit anyone where as a minor learning disorder may enhance the child's ability to succeed in life.  This is very touchy and emotional to parents, students and teachers!

Discrimination

This week we learned about discrimination.  The best part of this week has been a video of a conference called "Everybody Wanna be A Nigga but Nobody Wants to be a Nigger".  One interesting fact was the lynching that occurred in Duluth MN.  The book to read about this is "They were just Niggers".  Amazing how we a a supposedly civilized and intelligent creature can be so barbaric.

Philosophy of teaching

This week we continue to study on what makes a good teacher.  One of the basics for all teachers is to have a good philosophy of teaching.  This will help a person to remember the direction they want to take as a teacher.  One critical piece I have encountered is the partnership that needs to exist between students, teachers and parents.  Another important factor is that each student is a unique individual and should be treated with respect, in turn the student will respect the teacher.

What is a good teacher and how does poverty affect the child.
Children are normally affected by poverty in ascertaining learning skills because of the other outside factors.  No parental support, not proper living conditions, lack of nutritional food and lack of medical care.  A good teacher will boost the child's self esteem which will create a personal drive in the student.  Many times I have seen the children become the adults in the family. That along with a good teacher will make a child succeed.