Reflection #2

In this section, it discusses paradigms and the way society views life based on their ideal model and the way they are brought up. It states that religion and cultural values shape very much what our paradigms are. Our paradigms decide our attitudes and the way we act and respond to the situations we are faced with in our daily lives. Soon, it moves on to talk about Paradigm Shifts. It discusses the early mankind Homo Habilis and Homo Erectus. In the early stages, Homo Habilis were very uneducated and ignorant animals. They barely had tools and knew nothing of hunting and defending themselves. They had no way of standing up and defending against prey. They ate from the soil and the earth. Later on, the text begins to discuss the Homo Erectus and all of their new discoveries. They begin to create new weapons and discover hunting. They learned the art of killing prey and turning in into food. They stepped up in the creation of tools and now made different tools for different purposes based on survival. All of this lead up to the paradigm of gender roles and parenting. Mothers now had to spend more time with their children and therefore less time in the hunting. Males went out hunting while the female stayed and cooked. According to the author of this text, all of these inventions lead up to major changes in the Homo Erectus species. Small changes such as the creation of better tools and hunting lead up to emotions and feelings coming from these animals. Before, the sexual acts from these species were involuntary and unchosen. Now, these species began to experience pleasure, thought and the ability of choice. They decided whom they wanted to have sexual intercourse with. All of this happening based on the expansions of their brains and intelligence. This species also now began to feel jealousy and feelings of love and lust. The Homo Erectus were also introduced to fire. Something as small as the invention of fire also lead to a new paradigm and way of viewing the world. Fires created more social activities for these animals, seeing as now they could spend more time at night thanks to the vivid lighting. They began to learn communication through the enunciation of different sounds and noises. These fires definitely increased their communication skills and their family bonding time. I believe this time during the early Homo Erectus has really had an impact on mankind. It is incredible how small inventions such as tools, fire, and hunting have impacted society today. These inventions expanded our intellectual capacities. They helped mankind stand up for themselves and survive during harsh conditions. Thanks to these inventions we now eat red meat and have protein in our systems. It has changed all of societies paradigms of how we view the world and live our everyday lives. Communication being one of our most important features was expanded through something so simple as the start of a fire. Imagining life without these changes would be somewhat crazy.

Reflection #1

Teacher preparation programs have changed drastically over the years. The preparation for teachers in the colonial times was nothing of how it is today. In the colonial times teachers needed no preparation in order to work in a classroom. Most elementary teachers were actually teenagers. Teachers needed no formal education, they received a lot of their information by serving as apprentices for master teachers. Most teachers came straight out of elementary and some had some secondary education. Teaching was not viewed as a career. It was actually seen as a temporary job, kind of like working in Burger King or Mcdonalds now a days. Most teenage teachers held bad records for crimes and drinking. Finally, in 1823 Samuel Hall came up with the idea of creating a Normal School. This school was an advance to provide elementary school graduates with training in teaching skills. Normal schools were usually a two year training program. Teachers were now forced to sign a strict contract upon entering the field. At the advantage of gaining a disappointing 75$ dollars every month, teachers were not allowed to marry, drink, smoke, wear makeup, short dresses, dye their hair and many other things. These restrictions being something absurd today. Stepping into the 1900s, teachers were being demanded more and more. Normal schools expanded their training programs to three to four years. They soon began to give courses in other fields other than teaching. In the 1980s controversy began to stir about professionalism in teaching. There was several reports such as “Tomorrows Teachers” and “A nation prepared” demanding that teachers increase their professionalism. They asked for an end to the undergraduate major and that teachers were to have a Masters level degree. Some universities followed the advice and extended their programs. However, some did not listen. Teaching was still not viewed as a profession. Afterwards the Carnegie Forum created the “National Board for professional teaching standards”. The NBTS targeted in finding excellent teachers with skill and knowledge in their field. They created a Board Certification. Board certified teachers had higher salaries and better recognition. Teachers created portfolios and took tests in order to become certified. We have also been introduced to the Teach for America program. TFA gathers talented and motivated recruits with a desire to teach. Even though TFA seems to be a good program, there are many critics. Some view TFA as irresponsible and lacking professionalism. They say that classrooms require more career preparation. Overall, teaching preparation has gone through a lot over the years, but it has definitely improved. It has gone from having teenagers teaching an elementary class to having the great education system we have today in America.

My name is Yariana Triay. I am nineteen years old and currently majoring in Elementary education. Ever since I could remember I dreamt of becoming a teacher. I remember as a child placing my stuffed animals all over my room with a paper and pen in front of each. I had my very own chalk and marker board. I played teacher all day in my room until dinner time. My mom always knew I wanted to become a teacher. Throughout high school I took four years of early education and did lots of volunteer hours in different preschools and elementary schools. After graduation I worked in two different schools as an after school teacher and as a kindergarten summer camp counselor. I have loved every single ounce of experience I have gained while working with children. In my opinion, children are the best people to work with. They will never put a frown on your face. I have gone to work in the worst of moods, and children always manage to put a smile on my face. They are young and full of energy and they have the desire to learn. Teaching is the basic foundation of society. Thanks to teachers we have doctors, lawyers, cops, dentists and every other career. Teachers shape and mold the lives of children and they are very crucial in the first 15 years of a child’s life. Becoming a teacher has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl and it is a dream I hope to accomplish. After finishing my first two years here at Miami Dade and receiving an associates, I plan to transfer to Florida International University where I hope to major in Elementary Education. I would like to find a job in an Elementary school working as a kindergarten or first grade teacher, being that is my favorite age group. Even though becoming an Elementary teacher is my dream, my biggest goal and strive in life is to open up my own preschool. I would love to run my own school and handle everything that goes on. I enjoy setting up activities and brainstorming creative and fun ways in which children can learn. After working in a preschool, I realized that was definitely what I wanted to do. I worked not only hands on with the children, but I also helped around in the office and got the inside scoop of what exactly it is to run your own school. Well I hope my dream of becoming a teacher and my dream of opening my own preschool do work out. I am going to strive and work my hardest to reach them. I am looking forward to this class and I know it will help me advance and expand my knowledge towards my career.