Field Trips

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Class field trips are the events that most students look forward to the most during the year. Whether the field trip be to somewhere on the school campus, somewhere within the town's city limits, or to a destination that is hours away. Field trips provide students with the opportunity to learn outside of the classroom setting. Many times field trips involve hands-on activities that students will participate in. 
Although these trips bring much joy and excitement the the students, they can easily bring about much stress to parents and school faculty and staff. Much planning must go into organizing a school field trip. Contact must be made to individuals in charge of the destination of the field trip, permission slips must be signed, and the funds to support the expenses of the trip, must be available. A nice alternative that would avoid all of these issues, would be to take a virtual tour. By going to websites like http://www.uen.org/utahlink/tours/ and http://www.internet4classrooms.com/vft.htm , teachers can skip the hassle of planning and organizing an extravagant trip, and can visit locations all across the world without ever having to leave the classroom. While it is still fun to partake in field trips outside the school walls, in times where the time and resources aren't available, technology provides a great alternative with these virtual tours. 

Technology in the Classroom

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The days of schools just having computers located in a computer lab are long gone. Almost all schools these days have at least one computer located in each classroom. Many schools now have computer stations with multiple computers for student usage, and a personal computer for the teacher. Also, the percentages of internet access in classrooms has made a great jump from that in past years. This progression in technology has proven to be very beneficial for students. Teachers that have computers in the their classroom with Internet access, have unlimited classroom resources at the click of a button. Teachers can use these computers to create various lesson plans to present to their class. They may also instruct the students to use the computers to complete assignments or to conduct research. Children develop many important skills while using computers. It is key for children to learn and develop computing skills, and while some children still might not have access to a computer at home, having computers in the classroom is a nice alternative. Organizations such as Computers for Schools, strive to refurbish retired computers and place them back into schools for educational use. This organization was founded in 1991, and since then have placed over 25,000 computers into school systems. Overall, having computers in the schools and classrooms, equips teachers with a more efficient, interactive way of teaching.

Cursive Writing

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In an article found in the USA Today, Megan Downs discusses the debate of whether or not to continue teaching cursive writing in schools. In an age where letter writing is somewhat "old-fashioned," handwriting skills are not as stressed upon as they once were.  I remember learning cursive writing in school, and it was something that most students looked forward to. Up until high school, our teachers required us to do all papers in cursive writing. Once we entered high school, the days of writing in cursive quickly disappeared. Some teachers would actually get angry if students would write in cursive, because they thought that it was harder to read. All work could be done in one's individual handwriting, and papers were now expected to be typed on a computer. The only time that I find myself writing in cursive now, is when I have to sign my name on something. Downs states that"Others blame the rise of the Internet, combined with a push to ensure that children are technologically literate, for rendering delicate handwriting an art of yesteryear" (Megan Downs, 2009). Although many teachers might argue that teaching cursive writing takes up too much time, I believe that it should continued to be taught in schools. As technology is quickly becoming the number one way of communicating, there are certain situations in which a hand-written note is necessary. In the future, I will, just as my mother did, make my children write hand-written thank you notes upon receiving a gift. One's signature is something that is used almost daily, whether for credit cards, checks, or at the end of letters. For all of these reasons, I feel as if it is important to keep teaching cursive writing in schools.


-Downs, M. (2009, January 23). School debate: Is cursive writing worth teaching?. USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-01-23-cursive-handwriting_N.htm

Keeping the Arts in Schools

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My third grade teacher was the one who all kids prayed that they would have to teach them. She was not only fun and exciting, she was also known for the art projects that she would have students do in class. She was great at taking materials from lessons being taught at the time and tying them into some sort of artwork. This allowed us as students to learn in a fun, hands-on manner. We were taking what we had previously learned in a lesson, and turning it into a tangible form. The artwork would later be displayed around the classroom or on the bulletin board in the hallway. These projects also served as a reminder of what exactly we had been learning. Not only is art in the form of painting or sculpting an important thing to have within schools, but so is music, theater, and all other forms. These programs help develop numerous skills beneficial to a child's growth. Arts education "makes a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every child and has been proven to help level the "learning field" across socio-economic boundaries" (James S. Catterall, 1998). These programs also help develop creativity and problem-solving skills. Americans for the Arts is a site dedicated to providing information about and promoting the arts within schools and at home. It contains facts about the benefits of these types of programs, and also gives links to websites that contain additional information regarding this issue. Just as many schools are removing physical education from their curriculums, so are school choosing to do away with the art programs. The Department of Education offers professional development and funding programs for arts education. If one's child attends a school where the art departments are lacking, it is extremely important for the parents to participate in these activities at home. For more ideas on activities to do with your child at home, go to http://www.americansforthearts.org/Public_Awareness/get_involved/004.asp.


-(Involvement in the Arts and Success in Secondary School, James S. Catterall, The UCLA Imagination Project, Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, UCLA, Americans for the Arts Monograph, January 1998)

Backpacks

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When I was in elementary and high schools, our hallway lockers were abnormally small. Because of this, not all of our textbooks and school materials could fit inside at one time. They were also not large enough to store our backpacks, so we were forced to carry them around all day. Student normally had to carry several books in their backpack at one time. An issues that is big on parents' minds today, is how the weight being carried in these backpacks is affecting children's backs. Most students are carrying around more than the suggest 10-15% of one's own body weight in their backpacks. Several studies have been done to show that the extra weight from homework and textbooks being carried around in children's backpacks, and also backpacks being improperly worn can have long-term damage on a growing spine. Some people have chosen to use rolling backpacks instead, but these can be bulky, hard to store in a school setting, loud, and hard to maneuver in large crowds and up stairs. Dr. Berkebile from Berkebile Chiropractic, has a website dedicated to backpack safety. This website can be found at http://www.dcberk.com/factsaboutbackpacks.html, and provides facts about backpack usage, tips for backpack safety, and additional contact information. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also provides tips for parents on the right backpack. There are many steps that can be taken towards eliminating the issues and concerns of backpacks in schools. Teachers can allow students more opportunities to go to and from their lockers to retrieve their materials. Schools or individual teachers could adopt a method of posting assignments and homework and testing materials online, so that heavy textbooks do not have to be taken home. Parents should make their children aware of safe backpack practices, and should encourage them to never carry unnecessary materials around that may be causing extra weight to be put on them. By making schools and students aware of safer backpack practices, these negative issues regarding backpacks can easily be taken care of. 

Physical Education in Schools

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During elementary and middle school, PE class was something that my friends and I looked forward to each day. It was a chance for us run around and play with each other. For that short amount of time, we were not being made to use our "inside voices," and were free to run around and use up all the energy that had been storing inside us all day. Many times, our PE class was fairly unstructured and to some extent were allowed to do as we pleased. Very rarely did we have organized exercises that everyone must participate in. The children who chose to no run around and play games were free to sit and talk to friends if they wanted to. I feel as if this is the case in many school systems today. At the time, I was excited to have this type of freedom to do as we pleased rather than do organized exercises. I now realize just how big of a role physical education plays in children's lives. The American Heart Association states that "Nearly 10 million children and adolescents in the United States ages 6–19 are considered overweight" (American Heart Association, 2009). Many schools are choosing to cut resources for physical education classes, or to cut the class altogether due to budget issues. The schools doing this, see physical education classes as being a low priority, rather than seeing just negatively these decisions will affect the students. Due to advancements in technology, many children today choose to play with computers or gaming systems rather than being active. The exercise that students receive in PE classes while at school, is only activity that many kids will take part in throughout the day. I believe that is very important to not only keep PE classes part of the curriculum in school systems, but to also provide these classes with better resources so that a positive change in children's health may result from it.

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American Heart Association. (June 27, 2009). Physical Education in Schools. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3010854

-Picture from http://www.narragansett.k12.ri.us/Curriculum/PE/Curriculum%20PE%202007%20Overview.htm

Class Pets

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Not only can having a pet in the classroom be a fun, enjoyable experience, but it can also provide the students with lesssons about nature and responsibility. Because not all students will have the opportunity to have their own pet at home, having a class pet is a great alternative. Students can learn how group effort and interaction can result in an easier, smoother-flow, when it comes to handling the responsibilities of taking care of the pet. Teachers can tie almost any subject to the class pet. Skills in science, language, ethics, and even math can be taught within the lessons pertaining to the class pet.
From the very beginning, the class as a whole can participate in the process. Books such as How to Lose Your Class Pet by Valerie Wilson Wesley, can be read during story time to bring entertainment to the topic of having a class pet.
One can teach their students how to use the library for research by taking them there to check out books and search the internet for information regarding good pets for a classroom setting. Charts can be made to determine which students will do chores to take care of the pet. One teacher has even created a website that has links on how to go about getting a class pet, to listing the chores and tasks that the students must do in order to be successful in taking care of the pet. This website is availabe at http://www.teacherweb.com/IN/PNC/Cassady/index.html. Being able to use something as engaging and as a pet, is a great way to be able to make learning exciting and fun.

*Picture from http://www.abcmousehouse.com/images/sciencecntr.jpg

Healthy Eating in Schools

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Because of the busy schedules that most families have these days, nutrition and a healthy diet is not always the first priority. Throughout the day, balancing the requirements of one's everyday schedule and one's diet can become hard for many people to balance. Many people today find it easier to eat a quick bowl of cereal, run through a fast-food drive-thru, or warm up a frozen meal, than to put the time into planning a healthy, well-balanced meal. This can eventually play a negative role on students throughout their day at school. It is key to introduce to students the importance of establishing healthy eating patterns. "Five leading medical associations and the U.S. Department of Agriculture challenge schools and communities to promote healthy eating among the Nation’s students (USDA,n.d)." Because many children these days are facing obesity and the negative consequences of eating unhealthily, the USDA along with others are encouraging schools and communities to promote healhty eating habits into all schools. They believe that by establishing a more balanced diet into school's meals, and by making students more knowledgeable about this topic, in the long run, students will reep the benefits of a healthier lifestyle.



Recently, some schools have removed the normal cafeteria meals from schools and have introduced a more healthy way of eating. These schools brought chef's in to teach student's new, healthier ways of eating. Some children were able to go on field trips and have hands on experience with how and where these foods and vegetables were grown. (Kelly,2009)


USDA.(n.d.)Promoting Healthy Eating Behaviors: The Challenge.http://www.fns.usda.gov/TN/Healthy/healthyeatingchallenge.html
(Kelly,2009)Children, meet your vegetables.http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.taste26may26,0,3286159.story
*Picture from http://www.neath-porttalbot.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=2482&pr_id=1894
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