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Week
One: The first day Week Five: How to stay motivated NewsHour Features: Making the Grade: Learn more about teaching Grading
the System Four leading school superintendents evaluate national
education reform. How
to Make a Teacher
Teach
for America Gwen Ifill talks with Wendy Kopp, the founder of Teach
for America, about her new book: One Day, All Children. NewsHour Extra: Year-Round Schooling Explore the debate on changing the public school calendar. (8/8/01) Pass this Test or Else New high-stakes tests are changing the way students are taught at school. (5/2/01)
Education
Reform Changes ahead with President Bush's new education plans.
(1/13/01) Outside
Links:
For
Teachers: |
I would not have to stay in Washington D.C. for summer. I could live at home, see my friends, and eat my mother's homemade food. I could do some community service, which, because of my workload, I didn't really get to do during the school year. I would make some money and even have the option of earning three free credits in Urban Education. My summer internship with Kids Corporation sounded like the perfect package deal. In the end, it definitely worked out well. In the beginning, however, I did not know it would be one of the most trying, eye-opening, frustrating, and rewarding summers I have ever had. I met the recruitment director for Kids Corporation at the government and non-profit job fair at Georgetown University in March. Kids Corporation is a non-profit organization based in Newark, New Jersey. Through a series of after-school and summer programs, Kids Corp. works to provide educational opportunities to inner city-kids. The organization's founder describes his programs as the counter-culture, fighting against failures in the educational system of Newark. I was told that I would be one of two student teachers in a classroom, with one certified teacher and about 20 kids. My application included citing my previous experience with children, providing a few references, and writing a short essay. I also had a phone interview. The bulk of my interview centered on one question: why did I want to work for Kids Corporation this summer? Really, I just wanted to be able to give back. Also, I have a cousin who spent two years with Teach for America, teaching in the South Bronx; the tales from her years as a teacher sparked my interest. So, I went to work in Newark for 6 weeks. From Monday to Friday, I spent 8 PM to 3 PM in a classroom. I was given a basic curriculum guide, which highlighted the skills that my students needed to learn and a directive, "Teach them." Every night, I drafted lesson plans. Every day, I went to school to put them into action. Some plans would work and some plans would fail. When they failed, I took the concept home and re-evaluated the way my students think. I'd come back with a new plan. Very few people are given the chance to have the kind of opportunity I had this summer. Teaching is both the most difficult and the most important profession out there. Teachers are responsible for molding and preparing our future. Children are our most precious resource. Teaching takes real perseverance, open-mindedness, patience, and a balance of compassion and control. You don't get to see the fruits of your labor immediately. This makes it hard to keep going at times. Bureaucracy, funding, and community are all factors that play into education today. The field is explosive with trends and changes and studies and opinions on methods. It is all extremely fascinating. Every day was a challenge, every day was a novelty. I wouldn't trade a moment of it for anything in the world. Want to learn more about what it's like to teach? Read Julie's teaching journal... Week Three: Looks are deceiving |
I
finally found a summer job that was close to home.
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