(Part 3)own experiences. “All high school students are required to take a certain number of academic courses- English, math, social studies- and these courses were among the most tracked; the content and mode of instruction of, say, an English course taken by vocational students would typically be quite different from that offered to those preparing for college. (In my case, I moved from a curriculum heavy with grammar worksheets and occasional short writing assignments to a Homer-through-Hemingway reading list and critical essays on literary and philosophical themes” (168).
What does this have to do with illiteracy? Well, nothing on the surface. The students placed in vocational tracks are not illiterate and as stated above take academic courses. But is being placed on a track and taught a trade producing someone that could function in society outside of his or her profession? Are they literate in multiple mediums like someone in the college preparatory track might be? Are they being prepared to read more than just their bills? The previous example of Jenny and her family come to mind. Their story is not from the time that Mike Rose was growing up, the article was printed in a more recent 1997, but Donny was still passed onto second grade without being able to read anything but his name. Assuming his teachers continued to pass him up to the next grade, would he be placed in a vocational track in high school? According to Rose the National Center for Research in Vocational Education says, “Vocational teachers emphasized job-specific skills to the almost complete exclusion of theoretical content. One result was that the intellectual development of vocational students tended to be limited at a relatively early age” (170). Assuming that Donny would learn to read some things based on his two years at the university-based literacy center and continued schooling, would that be it? Would those be the reading skills he takes with him to high school to have them only be ignored to teach a trade? Would he even be given the opportunity to learn more than a trade and learn different forms of literacy?
How exactly do illiterate or marginally illiterate children grow up to be productive members of society? According to Susan L. Lytle, there is an estimated 20-60 million adults nationally that characterize themselves to be illiterate in some capacity (1991). Like Donny she goes on to say that, “although most of these adults attended school as children and adolescents, they are assumed to have failed in, or less often, to have been failed by, the system” (Lytle 1991). Also similar to Jenny and her family, Lytle says that illiterate adults trying to function in society use efforts that are collaborative, “Often these efforts are collaborative, utilizing a network of family or friends, requiring these learners to experiment, take risks, and assume increasing responsibility for their own education as writers and readers” (1991). These adults know that they should be literate and that they need to be, so they take their education into their own hands and go to a literacy center to learn how to read.
Not many illiterate adults want to stay that way. They have to learn how to get by in society to the best of their abilities and use what they can do as a way to over shadow their inability to read. Jenny and her family are a great example of that. They got by fine all things considered. They were on food stamps but Big Donny worked, the boys went to school, and Jenny took care of the household (1997). They faced numerous challenges and had to come up with numerous strategies to overshadow their inabilities to read. Jenny, for example, relied almost entirely on memory and visuals. The following excerpt
As a first grade teacher in Chicago, I am constantly astounded at the wide variety of parenting styles my students experience at home. There are the stereotypically hands-off parents, too involved in themselves to bother helping their child with homework or reading to them at night. There are the overworked parents, working two jobs and only seeing their child on the weekends, relying on grandparents to provide after school care. And then there are the helicopter parents, so consumed with supervising everything their child does, they ask me if they can observe math class to see why their child is struggling. Each parenting style tends to yield a certain type of child: there are the ones who don’t care about school because their parents don’t, the hard workers who can’t wait to play with dad on weekends, and the needy ones who can’t zip their own coat at the age of 7 because it has always been done for them. As a teacher who is not a parent myself, I always feel a little strange making parenting suggestions. In my five years of teaching, though, it has become clear to me that certain parenting styles yield more successful, well-adjusted children. When Amy’s Chua’s “Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother” was published earlier this year, I thought I might finally have the answer: a strict, effective method of parenting that produced straight-A students and musical prodigies in Chua’s two daughters. As I eagerly listened to radio interviews and read book reviews of “Tiger Mother,” however, the sharp edge of Chua’s “Chinese parenting” is revealed. Upon reading the book, I became horrified by the methods Chua uses to create such prodigious children. Chua’s basic principle is solid: School is the number one priority, children should not receive a grade below an A, and they should be far ahead of their classmates (especially in math). Educational research has repeatedly found that children will live up to high academic expectations, whether they are set by their parents or teachers. Research has also found that an authoritative parenting style like Chua’s, while it may create academically successful children, also leads to unhappy, emotionally troubled children. As a case in point, at the end of a family dinner in which Chua demanded her younger daughter Lulu try cavier, Lulu yelled, “You don’t love me. You think you do, but you don’t. You just make me feel bad about myself every second. You’ve wrecked my life. I can’t stand to be around you.” While most teenagers will occasionally have outbursts towards their parents, the recurring nature of this child’s anguish makes it clear that Chua has not raised a happy, emotionally well-adjusted child. So again we are back at square one. How do you raise a successful, well-adjusted child if not by force? Here’s another place research can help. Authoritative parents who set clear, consistent boundaries for children, wed with emotional responsiveness, are most effective. I would recommend that Amy Chua ease up the pressure a bit and stop the emotional abuse.
Getting Our Children to Read: Alternatives to Silent Sustained Reading
With the increasing demands placed upon school districts to increase student performance on high stakes testing, many educators and school administrators are in a frenzy to find the “silver bullet” intervention that will quickly and efficiently raise test scores in order to prevent the punitive sanctions imposed upon schools that do not make the cut. For many, the first school wide intervention that comes to mind is increased reading time in the form of Silent Sustained Reading (SSR). And why not? SSR is simple to implement, cost free, and requires no additional teacher training. What belief is held in higher esteem than the idea that encouraging children to read improves their reading skills? However, the question remains: Does school wide SSR really increase reading performance? The answer is not as obvious as one might think.
Let’s begin with a clear definition of SSR. During a typical SSR session, student read selected text silently for a period of 10- 30 minutes a day. Students self-select this material and little or no emphasis is placed on readability level. No assignments, book reports, or grades are given. During this time the teacher also silently reads self-selected materials, modeling good silent reading behavior. This seemed to be a beautiful thing and schools all over the country began implementing SSR, giving this period catchy names such as DEAR (Drop Everything and Read). Some schools even extended SSR to the entire building staff, including administrators, secretaries, and custodians. However, these practices came into question with the release of the Report of the National Reading Panel (2000). The National Reading Panel (NRP) report stared that “..the handful of experimental studies in which this idea has been tried raise serious questions about the efficacy of some of these procedures.”
As one can imagine, a virtual firestorm ensued. Responses against the report stated that the NRP made serious errors in reporting studies and altogether missed others. Others stated that the case for free reading should consider factors other than experimental evidence. In 2006, Krashen came out in support of SSR. He stated that the NRP found no students in which SSR students performed less well than controls and that SSR is at least as effective as conventional teaching methods. He went on to say that teachers and students find SSR much more pleasant than regular skill building and that children become better readers by reading. Accordingly, a response by Shanahan (2007) indicated that research does not support the fact that encouraging reading in itself improves reading and that some studies that didn’t find a benefit “claimed one anyway.” Shanahan concluded, “SSR is probably not such a good idea.”
There are clearly advocates on both sides of the issue. However, there are some common criticisms of SSR. One common issue centers on the lack of teacher accountability as to whether students are actually reading during this time. Others are concerned with the lack of teacher guidance in the selection of appropriately challenging text and little or no teacher interaction or feedback. Still others cite the lack of student accountability, purpose, or goals for reading time.
Given the controversy over SSR as well as the current focus on research based interventions, where does this leave educators with regard to the longstanding tradition of Self-Selected Silent Reading? Fortunately there are several options that appear worthy of consideration.
(part 2)In an article entitled “Making Data-Driven Decisions: Silent Reading,” Heidi Trudel makes a case for a modified SSR session she identifies as “Structured Independent Reading.” In Structured Independent Reading (IR), the teacher provides guidance in the students’ text selections. In this modified version of SSR, the teacher provides mini-lessons on choosing appropriate books in IR assisting students in selecting texts that are interesting to the student and also at an appropriate reading level. The teacher and students also participate in occasional discussions on texts. The students keep a record of what they read by recording the title, author, genre, date finished, as well as a rating of the text in a reading log. Unlike SSR, the teacher does not read her own self-selected texts, but spends this time conferring with students and occasionally modeling good reading during her reading conferences.
Trudel used her teacher researcher skills in order test the effectiveness of IR. She decided to investigate the effects of IR on attitudes toward reading and student engagement. The initial results were of some concern. When analyzing the results of a reading attitude scale, Trudel noticed a slight drop in the scores of 11 of her 16 students. However, upon examining student behavior during IR as well as reviewing notes of student conferences, Trudel determined there was an overall increase in the reading attitudes of her students. Other benefits included an increase in the amount of time on task, and an increase in the number of students taking an active role in choosing books that they were of interest to them as well being at their independent reading level.
Another approach that appears worthy of consideration is Scaffolded Silent Reading (ScSR) (Reutzel, Jones, Fawson& Smith). ScSR was designed to incorporate recent findings of effective reading practice and eliminate ineffective practices associated with SSR. In using ScSR, the teacher attempts to provide students with support, guidance, structure, accountability and monitoring. In implementing the Scaffolded Silent Reading approach, the teacher begins by explicitly teaching students book selection strategies. These strategies include teaching children to choose books at their independent reading level unless they are extremely motivated or knowledgeable about the topic or theme of the text. Each ScSR session begins with a brief (5-8 minutes) mini-lesson on a reading comprehension strategy or element of fluency using a teacher selected text.
During the silent reading portion of ScSR, the teacher conducts a brief assessment in order to monitor the child’s reading fluency and comprehension. This is accomplished by having the child orally read a selection of their text for 1-2 minutes. During this time, the teacher takes notes on the fluency and accuracy of the student’s oral reading. Comprehension is monitored by prompting the student to tell about what he has just read. These weekly conference conclude by having the student set a goal for finishing the text as well as selecting a method of sharing the text from a menu of response activities.
A year long controlled experiment was conducted in order to assess the effectiveness of ScSR. This experiment compared the effects of ScSR with a control group of students
I woke up surrounded by silver bars and loud barks from the other dogs near me. Before long, there were humans, some tall and some short, walking past me to visit the others, but no one came to see me. Or so I thought.
I was so busy watching all the people come in and out of the room taking other dogs with them, that I didn’t even notice the lady smiling at me through the glass. When I saw her, I grew so excited that my whole body wiggled.
She came closer and took me out from the cold, metal box I was in and we went for a walk, except I didn’t walk. All I know how to do is run!
I ran circles around her. When she finally caught me, she bent down and said, “Hi Jack. I’m your new Mom.” I didn’t really know what that meant, but it sounded great! So, I stood on my hind legs, gave her a hug, and smiled showing my teeth.
The next six hours went by as fast as I run. We went for a LONG car ride (my favorite) and I got to stick my head out of the window and feel the wind flap around my tongue and ears. Maybe I should have felt sad leaving where I was born, but I didn’t care. I knew I would be happy where I was going.
During our trip, my Mom told me that I was going to have two new friends and a Dad to meet when we got home.
When the car finally stopped, I was so excited that I leapt out and ran up thirteen stairs before going inside a great, big door. As the door opened, my nose went crazy. There were so many new smells that I needed to explore. I darted inside immediately and smelled shoes, garbage, laundry, and a fat, furry, orange and white toy.
“Umm, what are you doing?” asked the toy. “Yelp! Did that toy just talk?” I wondered. “I’m no toy. My name is Hitch.” “Are you my new Dad?” I asked as I smelled every inch of him. I thought it was very nice of Hitch to stand so still while I met him. “No. But, I can be your friend. Let me show you around.” Hitch took me for a tour of my new home.
“This is where we wait for Mom to feed us in the morning. This is where we sleep while Mom and Dad are at work. We sleep on the bed in this room at night. This is where Mom and Dad make their food and sometimes drop pieces on the floor for us to eat. This room is only used when company comes or when we want to play.”
As my new friend took me around the house, I heard strange snake-like noises and noticed two green eyes leering at me in every room. I was scared.
“Hitch, why do I hear a hissing noise and see two green eyes in the darkest spot of every room?” “Oh, that’s Joey. Don’t worry, she does that because she is afraid of you,” Hitch admitted. “Afraid?” I asked. “Why would she be afraid of me? I am so energized and excited to meet her. Is she my other new friend?” “Yes, but I would stay away from her. She doesn’t like animals that look different from her. Plus, you move way too fast and you make her nervous.”
I wanted to meet Joey badly, so I held as still as I do when I see a rabbit outside. Joey came out from the corner. She looked like Hitch but was orange, white, and black. Joey slowly walked around me checking me out. Then, she sat down…just far enough to run away if I couldn’t contain my excitement.
“HISS…who are you?” she asked. “I’m Jack,” I said, wagging my tail. “Wanna play?” “I don’t play,” hissed Joey. “But, I’m your new friend,” I said confused. “You’re not my friend. You look weird,” she said.
I was so happy to be in my new home, but one of my new furry friends wasn’t really my friend after all. I walked into the room with two comfortable couches to lie down and sulk. Hitch followed me.
“Jack, don’t be sad,” he said. “Why doesn’t she like me?” I asked. “Joey is not use to sharing me with another animal her size. She is nervous because she doesn’t know you and jealous because she thinks that her and I won’t be able to play together anymore.” “But I love to play. Can’t we all play together? Mom bought me a tennis ball where she rescued me. I can share that with Joey!” I exclaimed. “It wouldn’t hurt to try. Sharing helps make new friends,” said Hitch.
I jumped off the couch and ran to get my tennis ball. I slowly inched toward Joey as she cocked back her ears and hissed. I remembered that Hitch said she was nervous, so I stopped and nosed my ball towards her. Joey smelled the ball, looked at me, smelled it again, and looked back at me. I waited patiently to see what she would do. Suddenly, Joey rolled over the ball, lifting it up in the air with her two front paws. Now, I heard a new sound, almost like a quiet sledgehammer working very quickly. Joey was purring because she was happy.
Joey did not seem so mean anymore, so I pounced at her playfully. She jumped up and swatted at my nose.
“Ouch!” I barked. “Sorry…you scared me,” Joey said. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I just thought we could play,” I said. “If I promise not to run or jump at you too quickly, and I share my tennis ball with you, can we be friends?” I asked. “Sure!” she exclaimed.
Jack, Hitch, and Joey learned to all play together. Jack was content with his new life and looked forward to the times he could share his tennis ball with his new friends.
Most teachers, doctors, accountants, bus drivers, etc. have one thing in common: they start their day with a fresh cup of Joe, also known as coffee. Coffee has become a staple of the American diet and its sales have prevailed even through tough economic times. According to a Coffee Business Statistics Report, over 50% of America’s population, equivalent to 150 million Americans, drink coffee on a daily basis. It was estimated that in 2011 there would be nearly 50,000 coffee shops across the country that will sell an average of 250 cups of coffee day. Starbucks sells roughly 4 billion cups of coffee a year. It’s no wonder that America has been referred to as “Caffeine Nation.” Researchers have been debating and researching for years the effects of coffee and whether or not coffee is a good or bad indulgence. It seems, however, that research results – good or bad – will not change the way American’s value and rely on their daily cup of Joe.
David Grotto (RD) wrote a book titled 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life and sure enough coffee is listed as one of the foods that will save your life. Grotto explains that coffee comes from an evergreen tree that produces red coffee “cherries”. The process starts by removing the skin of the cherry to reveal a green coffee “bean.” The coffee beans are then dried and roasted to make a brown bean (Grotto, p. 105). Grotto answers the question: “Why should I drink coffee?” by stating that “moderate intake (three six-ounce cups per day) of coffee provides the same amount of hydration as an equal amount of water” (p. 106). He also points out that coffee is one of the top antioxidant beverages consumed worldwide, even though it does not have a lot vitamins or minerals. Grotto has found multiple studies that show how coffee literally has saved people’s lives. For example, an eleven-year study with women found that those who consumed coffee had less risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and in a study of one million people, caffeine consumption was associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease in men (but not in women). Grotto cautions, however, that caffeine, the stimulant found in coffee, can cause jitteriness and irritability (p. 107).
Speaking of caffeine, the caffeine in coffee that makes people feel alert is also what makes it addicting. According to research done by Rome Neal, “caffeine is one of the fastest acting drugs known to man. When we drink it, almost every cell in the body, including the brain, absorbs it within minutes. There, caffeine works its magic by blocking something called adenosine; a chemical the body releases to tell the brain it’s tired. Caffeine intercepts the adenosine, turning the "I’m tired," message into "I’m wide awake." The result is an invigorating buzz coffee drinkers crave”. The buzz that coffee drinkers crave is no joke. Lauren, a recent graduate from Vanderbilt University stated, “Coffee is a part of my daily routine. I love the taste of coffee and the atmosphere of coffee shops. I am very, very addicted to coffee. I get a headache if I don’t have my typical 3-4 cups a day and I feel drowsy.” Lauren also added that she typically spends twenty-five dollars a week on coffee and she has a Starbucks Gold Member Card which allots her a free refill, free syrup, or a free drink for every fifteen cups she buys. Americans have begun to overindulge in their coffee drinking habits, ordering larger sizes, drinking it multiple times a day, and adding more sweeteners.
Whether or not caffeine is harmless is still up for debate. Research done at the University of Arizona has found that caffeine improves memory in seniors. Research done at UCLA found that caffeine improves and repairs memory for elderly women. There have been other studies that say caffeine is therapeutic for everything from depression, to addiction, to gallstones and even skin cancer. (Neal, 2003). On the flip side, caffeine has been linked to high blood pressure and research by Dr. Lane shows that the amount of caffeine many Americans consume each day can raise blood pressure enough to increase risk of heart attack or stroke 20 to 30 percent. (Neal, 2003) This alarming research is reason enough for American’s to begin to consider how important coffee is to their daily routines.
From another perspective, Steve, a personal trainer at Lifetime Fitness, stated that two cups of coffee a day is perfectly fine, as long as you drink it black or with just a little skim milk. “Lots of people drink a cup of coffee before they workout to give them that extra boost they need,” Steve reported. For many Americans, however, drinking coffee black is not easy, especially when they are tempted by so many tasty options when they enter coffee shops: Cocoa Cappuccino (Venti, 290 calories, 11g), Gingerbread Latte (Venti, 440 calories, 21 grams of fat), Java Chip Frappucino (Venti, 560 calories, 21 grams of fat). These tasty, calorie dense, coffee treats could be related to the rise of obesity in Americans as well. On the other hand, one cup of black coffee contains five calories and no grams of fat. Choices and portion control certainly play a key factor in whether or not coffee is a healthy habit or one that needs to be broken.
The American culture has truly embraced coffee as staple of its diet. Coffee makes people smile. It puts a little hop in your step and provides motivation for the day. Coffee also connects people to each other. You may have nothing in common with your next door neighbor, except the fact that you both enjoy a hot, fresh cup of morning Joe. To survive the stresses of our daily lives, coffee might be what every person needs … or is it?
References: Grotto, David. 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life. Bantam Dell. New York, New York, 2008. Neal, Rome. “Caffeine Nation: Is Coffee Beneficial or Bad for Americans?” September 7th, 2003. CBS News.com . “Coffee Business Statistics Report” http://www.e-importz.com/Support/specialty_coffee.htm
(Part 2) notice the print around him; it did not emerge perceptually from the background of his life” (1997). Despite the fact that he went to school, Donny could still not read anything but his name. This just goes to show that literacy is not only taught and acquired in school. His parents never read to him, because they were unable to, and did not incorporate print into his early life. Therefore, he never saw their function and learned to live his life up to that point without print.
The above description makes ones think about how Donny, who was only in second grade, functions in school without being able to read. But even more so, it makes one think about how Jenny and Big Donny function in society as adults when they are unable to help their second grader with his homework. While the article states that Jenny and Big Donny live in an area where illiteracy is common and somewhat excepted, it also says that they get a lot of help from family and friends (who accept their illiteracy and are not necessarily encouraging them to become literate) and that they also use visuals, like signs and logos, as their way of knowing what is what. “Outside of the home, Jenny used physical markers to locate stores, offices, and items on grocery shelves. She noted size of buildings, colors and shapes of signs and logos” (1997). Jenny is able to understand bills without having to read them, using family and friends when bills are different, and Big Donny makes sure he does not have to do anymore than sign his name in regards to literacy and print when working as a roofer (1997).
As asked previously, how does this family survive in a society that is dependant on so many different forms of literacy? Well according to Mike Rose, they find their niche or are given one. The answer used to be different forms of education. Still happening today, yet in a different capacity, students were put on different tracks in high school. Mike Rose goes into great detail about tracking in high schools, especially vocational tracking, in his books. It is something he is familiar with; as a high school student Rose was first put on a vocational track due to his working class background and later, in a rare move, was moved into the college preparatory track (167). His book, The Mind at Work: Valuing the Intelligence of the American Worker (2004), discusses vocational education and other high school tracks. The experiences he talks about in the chapter titled “Hand and Brain in School: The Paradox of Vocational Education” are partly his own and partly experiences of those he has observed. Vocational Educational has a long and varied history. It was started at first during the beginning of the twentieth century to accommodate the largely massive number of students starting to attend high school (Rose, 168). With the very different preparation these students had (Rose, 168) there was no way all the students would be able to successfully attend and complete high school as it was at the time, modeled after the college curriculum (Rose, 167). The answer became to track students based on numerous aspects of their backgrounds. Students were placed in one of around three overall tracks when entering high school; the college preparatory track, the general education track, or the vocational track (Rose, 167). There were a few different reasons why students were placed in the track they were placed in. Many students of working class families were placed in the vocational track, like Mike Rose himself (Rose, 167). There were other criterion according to Rose, like “tests of achievement or ability (in my high school, I believe it was an IQ test), prior records and teacher recommendation, and sometimes parental or student choice” (168). Mike Rose discusses the differences of the tracks in this chapter and explains some of his
Guiding Reading: What is it and why should we use it?
I felt in studying to be a reading specialist it was imperative to know more about what goes on in the classroom, where balanced literacy is concerned. Within balanced literacy many teachers use guided reading, in this paper I will discuss what guided is reading? How is it implemented? As a model how is guided reading a struggle for teachers to implement? And lastly how does one engage students in centers and make them successful? I feel it is important for me to know all aspects of literacy and how to implement them, in order to be a well-informed coach or even a possible literacy teacher in the future.
Guided Reading what is it? How is it implemented? A child who is a poor reader in the first grade is 88% more likely to remain a poor reader in fourth grade (Juel, 1988). Guided reading is seen as an important practice within balanced literacy instruction, guided reading is seen as an appropriate strategy for children who are becoming more fluent and moving towards fluency within the early years of literacy development. Guided reading is seen as a teaching approach for the independent reader as well as the struggling reader, it has three main components in which it addresses, such as meeting the instructional needs of all students of varying abilities, introducing students to difficult text with fluency and understanding, and it uses problem solving strategies to help students figure out unfamiliar words that have complex sentence structures to guide students in understanding work not previously encountered. Guided reading groups are temporary they change according to ability and how the students ability changes over time as new reading strategies are constantly being introduced to the groups, the groups are part of a community in which accommodate different learning paths of readers. The teachers role within these grouped communities is to observe each student so the teacher knows when to move the student according to their newly learned ability, which is the key to successful dynamic grouping. Traditionally the old way of teaching was static and unchanging usually guided only by the teacher with controlled vocabulary and workbook and worksheet exercises, now teachers are there to merely monitor students as they read prompting for new strategies to be implemented and new words to be identified to help build fluency and help students practice their reading while learning new vocabulary. It is important that students work through the text to develop a network of strategies that allows them to delve into information from different sources, not just focus on skills read right from the text as in the traditional model. It is important for the teacher to know the materials being used, literacy processes being implemented when to intervene and when not to and how to explain and model strategies in ways that students can then make their own.
As a model how is guided reading a struggle for teachers to implement?
“Most schools use guided reading as one way of teaching reading. However, its quality in the ineffective schools was unsatisfactory in one third of lessons. Too many teachers did not understand its principles and struggled to teach it successfully” (Ofsted, 2004, p.4). The main reason guided reading becomes a struggle for teachers to implement successfully stems from the fact that the teachers do not understand the principles behind guided reading. Teachers need to understand that reading is no longer just about the deconstruction and response of text, it’s about awareness of text and being able to identify the text and discuss it. When students are put into groups it causes a social interaction creating a cognitive stimulus allowing the students to justify and form opinions. The teacher is to guide the discourse and foster students abilities to become independent and internalize what they read to then become active readers through what is known to what is new, giving students a real voice in discussing text. Going beyond the text offers students a critical perspective, while the teacher evaluates the responses given by the student, which is still being controlled by the teacher who has the student recall episodes from the text that was given “to promote cognitive dialogue and a collaborative problem-solving approach to reading, teachers need to be confident, both in their subject knowledge and their book knowledge” (Fisher, 2008). When text is guided more by the teacher it creates one word responses and more repetition by the teacher, the text needs to be open for discussion and personal interpretation, when students fail at spotting crucial clues they may feel de-skilled. Guided reading develops critical analysis through reader reflection and response, too teacher directed and students will not expand, confer, speculate or question. Without students contributing their own thoughts based on knowledge outside of school or to pose their own questions they lacked on possibilities of developing critical literacy. Good in service support must be provided for teachers it needs to be need specific in order to have a deeper understanding of the cognitive function played by dialogue.
How does one engage students in centers and make them successful?
“Practice of meeting with readers in small groups to provide guided reading instruction is perceived as a critical part of literacy programs designed to create independent, lifelong readers” (Cunningham, Hall, & Cunningham, 2000; Fountas & Pinnell, 1996; Mooney, 1990). Teachers use small groups to scaffold instruction while engaging the learner. In order to make the centers work the teacher needs to know their students and students need to be taught on how to be independent, students need to be engaged in activities that will advance their knowledge about literature they need to move beyond just cutting and pasting they need to interact with the print and be excited about it. Teachers need to design the centers with the literature curriculum in mind, the learner needs to know they will be successful to avoid withdraw from the activity at hand, teacher modeling can be used to help students be successful, “planning centers that operate with instructional density around multiple goals and outcomes is one way to guarantee success” (Opitz 1994). Taking the focus away from the teacher by making the students more independent with minimal transitional time and management, while making equitable use of activities, including an accountability system where prep time is used efficiently and is built around class routines allows for that gradual release of responsibility and makes room for students to finish activities independently. With simple structures set in place transition time for students can be kept at a minimum, equitable use of activities can be encouraged, and accountability on the students end can be ensured, so students can see themselves as independent readers, the ultimate goal of guided reading.
We as educators, and future reading specialists need to understand that the traditional method just isn’t working. Balanced literacy with a focus on guided reading is one great way to know our readers better and push them to the next level. In order to implement guided reading the teacher must know the material, as well as the students being taught in order to make students more independent and allow for the gradual release of responsibility to take place. Overall there must be support from administrators when implementing such activities as well as professional development for all who want to include this type of teaching method within the classroom.
Chicago School Bans Bag Lunches: What Are Students Being Taught About Nutrition?
Part I
Just this week at Little Village Academy, a public school on Chicago’s West Side, Principal Elsa Cormona has banned students from bringing lunches to school from their homes. Her intention is to “protect students from their own unhealthful food choices” (Eng and Hood, Chicago Tribune, April 11, 2011). In response to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, sponsored by Michelle Obama and signed into law December 13, 2010 by President Obama, schools across the nation have been required to provide more healthful meals to students in an effort to stem the tide of childhood obesity in the United States. The act authorized funding for federal school meal and child nutrition programs while increasing access to healthy food for low-income children. However, the school-prepared lunches at Little Village Academy are not universally liked by the students, and according to Eng and Hood (2011) many students throw “most of it in the garbage uneaten.” How does this promote better nutrition for kids? They are receiving food that they will not eat. It seems common sense that if they don’t get enough to eat at school, they will come home even hungrier, and load up on high-calorie, low-nutrient food items. Shouldn’t school be a place where children learn about nutrition so they can make informed decisions about healthful eating? How is this to be done?
US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced the release of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans on January 31, 2011 the federal government's evidence-based nutritional guidance to promote health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity through improved nutrition and physical activity. For the first time, according to Andrew Martin (The New York Times, January 31, 2011), “they issued their bluntest nutrition advice to date: drink water instead of sugary drinks like soda, fill your plate with fruits and vegetables and cut down on processed foods filled with sodium, fat, or sugar.” Americans are finally being told to “Enjoy your food, but eat less.” This advice is long overdue. Are children learning about these recommendations? Could parent groups in schools work to inform everyone about these guidelines? It seems like there is an abundance of information out there.
Chicago School Bans Bag Lunches: What Are Students Being Taught About Nutrition?
Part II
It is certain that we are all growing fatter, and not all of the information we get is really helping people eat healthfully. The federal government has had to alter its safety rules and weight guidelines for transportation vehicles. The average flier is estimated to weigh 190-195 pounds. The average boat passenger weights 185 pounds, and the average bus passenger is estimated to weigh 50 pounds (Cooper, The New York Times, March 24, 2011). Proposed rules have been released requiring chain restaurants and other businesses that serve food to post calorie counts on menus and menu boards (Neuman, The New York Times, April 1, 2011), yet movie theaters that serve extremely high calorie sacks are exempt. We are told that the “Mediterranean diet” is the most healthful, because it is rich in olive oil, whole grains, fish, fruits, vegetables, and wine. However, “according to data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Mediterranean people have some of the worst diets in Europe . . . Greeks are the fattest: about 75 percent of the Greek population is overweight” (Ciezadlo, The New York Times, April 1, 2011). We are surrounded by nutritional advice and diet plans, yet we grow fatter and fatter, yielding a host of medical problems.
One story stands out in the face of these gloomy prognostics: “Miracle worker in the school kitchen: Chef Paul Boundas creates healthy meals from scratch for less than $3 per lunch—and the kids even like the food” (Eng, Chicago Tribune, March 17, 2011). How did this happen? Chef Boundas serves scratch-cooked meals to 4,800 private school students daily. Fortunately he is sharing his secrets at a conference sponsored by Harvard University and the Culinary Institute of America to attendees, which include U. S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin. Reproducing Boundas’ techniques in other schools sounds highly desirable. One of his secrets is that he doesn’t tell students what they have to eat. He asks what they like, and then he makes a healthier version of it. He serves things like stir-fried vegetables with brown rice, and uses whole-grain pasta. He has gradually increased the amount of whole-wheat and unbleached flour in his desserts and breads, while also eliminating trans fats. Finally, it sounds like someone is enlisting common sense in the preparation of school lunches, but it’s just a first step. Perhaps policy-makers will take note, and work to replicate this success on a larger scale. Now if only we can educate students and their parents ways to eat more healthfully at home. Then students could either bring their lunch to school or eat the school-prepared meal and not have to worry. In any case it seems like teaching students about making sound nutritional choices would be more effective than banning home-prepared lunches and serving food that no one will eat.
Somewhere My Love The old woman was normally one to dress in lavender, or as she likes to call it, orchid. Blouses with embroidered flowers, yellow short-sleeved sweaters, lilac polyester pants, perfectly creased; her unscuffed, low heeled pumps peeking out. But this year, as she celebrated her seventy-seventh birthday, an acquaintance gave her a red dress, worn once or twice, but outgrown. On her own well-maintained, voluptuous frame, the garment wraps all the curves she has forgotten about, and she is radiantly red. The pull of the dress about her hips when she walks, the showy gold belt, and the swishing crimson shell reminds her of the last red dress she purchased upon his return from the war. His insistence that she return the dress, which made her look “cheap,” meant she lived fifty years in pastel politeness. Now, each holiday, she wraps herself in its sheath: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Gone are her festive holly green and pinks of spring. The woman claims her place at the head of the table; her redness washes out her sons, their wives, and her granddaughters. She thinks of him, five years gone. He would have seated himself opposite her, winking his one good eye, pushing green beans to and fro, lacking the depth perception to spear them. Because she found him funny, she would have laughed, and because he loved the way her throaty giggle pushed up and pursed her mouth in a rose petal, the lines around his own tight mouth would have softened. Tonight, she thinks of her husband again as she (radiantly red) and her oldest friend mount bar stools after attending a wake. Ordering up Old Styles and Brandy Manhattans, the elderly gentleman at the end of the bar makes his way over and tells her that she is beautiful. The woman meets his gaze and sipping from her icy amber tumbler, politely accepts his Italian toast of “Salud.” She wonders if somewhere in the great beyond, her husband has winked his one good eye, he has heard, he has acknowledged, he has thought that she is beautiful in red too. Returning home, she stands in their bedroom as she unclips her gold earrings and strips off her coffee-colored thigh highs. She knows that somewhere he is watching her, the fixed foot of her compass,* moving simultaneously with her own evolution. She inspects her radiant red self in the mirror, and knows that if he had come home with her this evening and sat on the bed to take off his shoes, he would have also caught her reflection in the mirror. Studying her in scarlet, he would have lifted himself from the bed and disappeared in to the living room. Creaking the lid of the big, old box stereo, he would set the needle to their song, returning to pull her through the hallway and into the center of the worn yellow carpet. Together they would have danced; he cooing harmony in her ear, and she, a curve of red radiance wrapped into his arm. *”A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,” John Donne.
On October 15th ABC’s 2020 aired a piece titled “Bullied to Death in America’s Schools” in response to the recent suicide of college freshman, Tyler Clementi and the 13 other bullying-related suicides this year. Bullying has become an increasing concern for schools and parents. Stories such as Tyler Clementi and Phoebe Prince have inspired national outrage and caused many to ask why schools are failing to react to the ongoing torment of students. Schools are accused of turning a blind eye to bullying and are increasingly becoming the target of victims’ parents as school districts are taken to court for negligence. What responsibility do schools have to address this issue? As bullying is increasingly pushed into the spotlight, how will schools react to this increased scrutiny?
Traditionally, images of bullying conjure up scenes of weaker students being physically intimidated by stronger, more popular students. Most often those images involved males. However, relational aggression, a nonviolent form of bullying is becoming much more prevalent in schools, with both male and female students. Relational aggression refers to behaviors that harm others through damaging their relationships, feelings of acceptance, inclusion in social groups, and friendships (Buchanan, Merrel & Tran, 2006). Relational aggression can be described as actions that involve indirect, verbal, and covert acts meant to harm others. They argue that schools are where students spend most of their time learning and negotiating social situations, expectations, hierarchies, and conflicts in larger groups, and therefore should be proactive about addressing relational aggression.
However, not all incidences of school bullying are reported. In a survey conducted by Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast for the Institute of Educational Services, they found that 64% of bullying victims did not report incidences of bullying to school officials. They found that students were more likely to report acts of bullying when bullying involved injury, physical threats, destruction of property, actual physical contact (pushing, shoving, and the like), greater frequency, multiple types, more than one location, and at least one occurrence on a school bus.
How to address these behaviors is an important question for educators as they become increasingly more responsible for taking action against bullying behaviors. Providing staff with inservice training in how to deal with incidences of bullying, regardless of whether this is a current concern in school, is an important first step. Buchanan, et al. caution against subscribing to a packaged program to address this issue. Rather they suggest schools addressing specific issues unique to their school population. They also caution against an approach that solely deals with reducing relational aggression and bullying. “Rather than target relational aggression as the exclusive focus of intervention, a better approach in our view would be to emphasize relational aggression within the context of broader and more comprehensive intervention programs to promote positive social behavior and healthy emotional development, and to reduce antisocial behavior in general (Buchanan, et al., 2006). They suggest focusing on social and emotional learning that teaches students to recognize and manage their emotions develop caring and concern for others, make responsible decisions, establish positive relationships, and handle challenging situations effectively.
My last year teaching second grade I had a group of girls who together caused harm to a few others in the classroom. This was an ongoing challenge for me all year, one that involved my administrator, school support staff, and the parents of all those involved. Despite all I did, at the end of the year I still felt like I had failed in changing these girls. As much as I tried to target and shape their social and emotional development, I don’t feel like I made any lasting changes in their behavior. Now that I am a parent, this issue hits me harder as I imagine my daughter dealing with this in the future. I believe that all schools need to begin a dialogue about this issue and how as a school community they will address it. There needs to be a cohesive front with all staff committed to confronting incidences of aggression and towards developing a kinder school community.
Buchanan, Rohanna, Merrel, Kenneth W., Tran, Oahn K. (2006). Relational Aggression in Children and Adolescents: A Review with Implications for School Settings.
Institute of Educational Services. (2010). What characteristics of bullying, bullying victims, and schools are associated with increased reporting of bullying to school officials.
According to the American Justice Department 1 out of 4 kids is bullied and 1 out of 5 kids admits to being a bully, or doing some “bullying”. Surveys show that 77% of students are bullied mentally, verbally, and physically. As a teacher and a mother these statistics are disturbing to see.
Unfortunately for Eric, he was one out of the four kids that is bullied. Eric was a student in one of my classes. Eric was a happy outgoing at the beginning of the year, but I began noticing a difference in the way he was acting and was frequently absent. I was concerned and referred him to the schools guidance counselor. I later found out that he confided in a friend that he was gay, who later told all his friends. A couple of the students decided to bully him because he was gay.
In the beginning Eric didn’t confide in any of the school staff about what was happening. He thought that they would eventually stop and leave him alone. When he couldn’t take it anymore, he felt that ending his life was the answer. Thankfully, Eric didn’t succeed in his plan and he finally got the help that he needed. The problem is that he should have gotten help before he was desperate.
I believe that we need to implement a plan like house bill 11-1254 that targets anti- bullying policies in our schools. I also believe that a class should be taught as part of the school curriculum that targets tolerance and how to deal with bullying and peer pressure. I also feel that teachers and staff need to be better educated and trained on how to deal with situations having to do with bullying.
Prevention is key, and I believe if we educate our students on tolerance and being able to love and respect themselves than we won’t have student’s like Eric turning into another statistic.
Identity as Academic Agenda Part 1 In high school classrooms, narrative and personal writing are often viewed, at least unofficially, as less rigorous and less valuable forms of writing than expository, persuasive, and literary analysis writing. We often communicate personal writing’s low priority by devoting little instruction and curricular attention to it. I am extremely concerned that when personal writing is a low priority in writing instruction, our students’ identities take a low priority as well. Personal writing opens bridges between in- and out-of-school literacies. According to Nakkula and Toshalis, healthy identity development requires that students be fully engaged and present with their full identities (p. 115). Furthermore, Franzak (2006), indicates that teachers’ role should be to value students and their cultural backgrounds (p. 228). Yet teachers and schools have traditionally valued dominant cultures and problematized identities that some youth may value, such as gang-affiliation (Moje, 2000). When adolescents sense that part of their identity is not respected by teachers or the school, they may react by devaluing school or disengaging from academics. In fact, adolescents who feel that their identity or values have been disrespected by a teacher my resist subsequent opportunities to reveal or explore their identities through literacy (Moje, 2000). Resistant students can benefit from the use of mentor texts with ideas that are relevant to students’ lived experiences. Within the context of supportive classroom discussion and writing, students can explore issues that speak to their own challenges and barriers (Tatum, 2005). According to Atwell (1998), writing about her own life helps her live her life. Writing and thinking are closely related, so when students are prompted and supported with writing about their own lives, they engage in reflection and introspection about events and their significance. In fact, Caulkins (1994) explains, When I sit down at my desk, I’m like my students. “Nothing happens in my life,” I say. I feel empty-handed. I want to get up and rush around, looking for something Big and Significant to put on the page. And yet, as a writer I have come to know that significance cannot be found, it must be grown. (p. 7) Caulkins’ realization is important for writing teachers—we must work as writers alongside students so we can speak authentically about the challenges of writing and help students overcome obstacles through guidance and well-structured, well-supported assignments.
According to Tatum (2005), “Although identity construction is central to one’s literacy development, many teachers responsible for teaching adolescent students of color are unaware of their students’ multiple identities and how these identities can be used or should be built on during literacy instruction . . . because many of these teachers have had their own identity construction marginalized or overlooked by curricula orientations in schools that defined their education” (p. 66). Despite intentions to help students overcome skill deficits, teachers may reinforce social divides and privilege dominant groups and cultural identities, furthermore, teaching from a curriculum that fails to counteract the marginalization that many adolescents have experienced may fall short in addressing some of the greatest barriers that adolescents face achieving healthy development and academic success. With either to goal of healthy development or building academic skill, literacy and adolescent identity are linked. The challenges of writing about personal experiences mirrors and perhaps interact with the process of identity development. As they develop their identities, adolescents seek to make sense and find meaning in their lives and experiences (Nakkula & Toshalis, 2006). Although not all schools prioritize identity development within the curriculum, teachers can work with adolescents to create and explore identities (Nakkula & Toshalis, 2006). According to Jarrett (1997), high-poverty neighborhoods may not have sufficient resources that support healthy development for adolescents. Schools, therefore, can play a pivotal role in supporting development since adolescents may have limited access to support outside of the school. Since literacy and writing is a tool for demonstrating or performing identities (McCarthey & Moje, 2002), identity development has a natural fit within classes where literacy skills are taught. Teaching literacy within relevant and culturally responsive contexts can foster resilience as well as appreciation for reading and writing (Tatum, 2005). When teachers create contexts where students are able to critically respond to texts through discussion and through written response, students are able to support each other (Tatum, 2005).
Students who write about their experiences and identities also strengthen their relationship with the instructor when they sense that their voices are respected and honored. According to Lee and Burkam (2003), the risk of dropping out is reduced for students who have regular contact with teachers or students with whom they share their struggles. Additionally, Lee and Burkam note, “students are less likely to drop out of high schools where relationships between teachers and students (as perceived by the students) are more positive” (p. 385). Creating a safe space for students to share their personal writing gives students a purpose and audience for writing, but also helps students align with like-minded students and staff as they work through crises. Howard, Dryden & Johnson (1999) note that there is no age limit as to when children can turn their lives around, and that positive relationships are key in nurturing resilience. For marginalized youth, hiding a portion of one’s identity can deplete energy and interfere with healthy development (Nakkula & Toshalis, 2006). While I reject the notion that a classroom can achieve complete or total safety for all students and staff, an increase in safety can lead in an increase in the truths that adolescents are able to express about their identities and experiences. As students are able to tell more of their truths, they are able to remove or overcome barriers and be more fully present in class, and beyond the school context, having an adult advocate is important as teens respond to experiences of oppression (Nakkula & Toshalis, 2006). Discussing and composing texts can help students “realize that they are responsible for determining their life’s outcomes” (Tatum, 2005, p. 118). By the time students reach adolescence, many have decided what subjects they like, which ones they are good at, and which ones they will resist as much as possible. For English and reading teachers, engaging teens as readers and writers can be a constant struggle. One source of adolescents’ boredom with writing is that writing assignments are often viewed as irrelevant to their experiences (Graham et al., 2007). While students have different reasons for resisting engagement in reading and writing, prior experiences that fail to validate their experiences or do not allow students to express their voices may cause some students to invalidate school-mediated literacies (Franzak, 2006; Moje, 2000). For these adolescents, school-based literacies need purposes that the youth themselves can appreciate. According to Franzak (2006), literacy that is related to meaningful questions about adolescents’ identities is motivating.
In the summer of 2009 the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governor’s Association began their work on the creation of national standards for grades K-12 for college and career readiness. After they received multiple rounds of feedback from different states, teachers, researchers, higher education and the general public, the final standards, known as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were released in June of 2010. These new standards are scheduled to go into affect here in Illinois in 2014. Currently, all but eight states and four U.S. territories have adopted the Common Core. Without the Common Core, every state is working with their own academic standards within their schools. With that being said, there is not a common academic expectation being held across the country; every public education student in each state is learning to different education standards. Under the Common Core, every state will be held to the same national standards, which will allow students to compete with other students across the country. These standards are aligned with college and work expectations with the idea that when students graduate from public institutions, they will be ready for what awaits them. They include rigorous content and an application of knowledge through higher order thinking skills. The standards are also internationally benchmarked, allowing our students to not only compete with students across our nation, but also with other students from around the world. The CCSS serve as a living document that is intended to be updated and added onto as new and better evidence arises. The CCSS takes an interdisciplinary approach to literacy, calling for it to be taught across subjects as opposed to strictly in language arts or reading class. One of the reasons behind this interdisciplinary approach came from the research that found a need for college and career ready students to be proficient in reading complex informational text independently in a variety of subject matters. They also build upon each other from year to year, taking a “staircase” approach to literacy. This staircase approach is important as new information is used to build upon a foundation that was previously laid. Students are able to perform harder tasks because of the literacy foundations that have been built beforehand. One of the most important parts of the CCSS is that it explicitly states that these standards are not the end-all, be-all of what should be taught in today’s classrooms. The people who created them understand that teachers have a wealth of knowledge from their experiences and that they can and should add what the standards don’t address. A great way for a school to successfully use the standards is to take a deep look at them to become familiar with them. Any holes that are missing could be filled in using teachers’ knowledge as a resource. After the holes have been filled in, benchmarks could be created off of the Common Core that grade levels will use to guide their teaching. These standards provide a great backbone to teacher, acting as a map for teachers as opposed to acting as a basal. With the appropriate use and attention, the Common Core could be a great accompaniment to intentional teaching. Imagine the possibilities!
Red Light Cameras: Supporting Safety or Money Monsters? by Lauren
In many intersections around the world, the flow and turn taking of traffic is controlled by traffic lights. The universal color code of red, yellow, and green symbolize to drivers and pedestrians alike when it is safe to proceed, when one needs to slow down, and when it is necessary to stop. When these guides are followed by all, traffic flowing from various directions can share the roads safely and with little confusion or debate.
However, when these signals are not obeyed, intersections can quickly become unsafe, and even fatal. One action that adds to the danger of an intersection occurs when a driver proceeds through an intersection after their light has turned red. This is commonly known as “running a red light.” This action presents a dangerous conflict because the driver is moving through the intersection when lights in other directions have turned green, giving other drivers or pedestrians the right of way and the belief that they can safely proceed. When traffic is moving through an intersection in multiple directions at once, there is an increased opportunity for an accident to occur.
According to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, approximately 22% of all car accidents occur when drivers run red lights. In 2008, 762 people were killed and approximately 137,000 were injured in accidents that involved red light running. (1) These accidents result in nearly seven billion dollars in property damage annually.
In an effort to prevent red light running and the accidents that result, many cities and states have turned to using red light cameras to regulate intersections and ticket drivers who cross an intersection after the light is red. Red light cameras are installed at intersections and are connected to sensors that are set off when a car enters the intersection above a preset speed and after the light has turned red. The camera typically takes pictures of the vehicle entering and proceeding through the intersection as well as pictures of the license plate. The date, time, and speed of the vehicle are also usually recorded. This information is reviewed by an officer, and if the driver is found guilty of running the light, the evidence is mailed along with a ticket to the person to whom the vehicle is registered. Fines for running a red light vary between cities and states. Currently, the fine for receiving a red light camera ticket in Chicago is $100.00.
The cost of installing a red light camera varies depending on the type of camera used and the specifics of the intersection in which it is used. However, the instillation of a camera costs approximately $100,000. Cities typically enter into contracts with private companies such as American Traffic Solutions or Redflex Traffic Systems who install the cameras and then usually receive a portion of the revenue generated.
Research has shown that the amount of revenue that cities generate from traffic violations greatly increases when traffic cameras are introduced. For example, the year after traffic cameras were installed in Kingsport, Tennessee, the revenue from traffic violations in the city increased to four times the amount generated the previous year. (2) The city of Chicago generated 58.9 million dollars from red light cameras in 2009 alone. (3) However, a large portion of this money, usually somewhere between 45-85 percent, is remitted to the camera companies with which the cities or states have a contract.
The safety benefit of red light cameras has been an issue of debate. While some studies have shown a decrease in front-to-side collisions, which are the type of collisions most closely tied to red light running, others have shown an increase in rear end crashes. The rear end accidents are presumed to be a result of drivers stopping suddenly at intersections in attempt to avoid getting a ticket.
Proponents of the red light cameras argue that these devices help to enforce the law and prosecute violators without monopolizing the time or jeopardizing the safety of police officers (who usually have to proceed through a red light themselves to catch offenders). When police officers do not have to monitor intersections themselves, they may be freed up to attend to other safety issues.
Those against the use of red light cameras question their safety benefit and often argue that there are other ways of improving the safety of intersections, such as increasing the length of yellow light intervals. Many also question the underlining purpose of the cameras, believing that governments care more about increasing revenue rather than increasing the safety of the roads. In some cities, studies have found that cameras are often not placed in the most dangerous intersections, as determined by the number and severity of the accidents at those sites. For example, in Washington, D.C., four of the top ten crash causing intersections were not given red light cameras when the city installed the monitoring systems. (4) Many people against the system claim that cities determine where to place the cameras based on where there is high traffic flow and more promise for revenue, rather than taking into account the safety concerns of the intersection. However, according to the city of Chicago, the city determines the placement of cameras in the city by analyzing data and placing them in intersections where there are a high number of right angle crashes (5) There are currently fifteen states which have banned the use of red light cameras for automatic ticketing.
1.Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. http://www.iihs.org/research/qanda/rlr.html
2.(2008, September 23). Red Light Cameras in the Volunteer State: Unsafe, Unconstitutional, and Unnecessary. Clarksville Online. Retrieved from:http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/09/23/red-light-cameras-in-the-volunteer-state-unsafe-unconstitutional-and-unnecessary/
3.Guarino, Mark. (2010, February 27). Illinois Considers Ban on Red Light Cameras. Retrieved from: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/illinois-considers-bill-banning-red-light-cameras/story?id=9956030
4.Labash, Mark. (2002, April 1) Inside the District’s Red Lights. Weekly Standard. Retrieved from: http://www.motorists.org/photoenforce/home/inside-red-light-cameras/
5.City of Chicago. http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdot/provdrs/red-light_cameraenforcement.html
Dear Editor, The US needs to get out of Libya NOW! On March 19, 2011 about 100 US missiles struck targets inside Libya. This was the first phase of attacks by the US military since President Obama authorized the strikes. The biggest problem with the attacks is that the US does not have a clear goal but, the US has mentioned that it wants to defend the rebels against ongoing attacks from Mommar Gadhafi and enforce the UN No-Fly Zone policy. However, there is no end in sight and the US risks being sucked into another sinkhole similar to that of Iraq.
Libya is a country that has many different ethnic groups. When Mommar Gadhafi came into power he unified these groups. In doing so, he became an oppressive ruler that kept the military, political, and social institutions weak. Although this is not acceptable, it is none of our business and our intervention will result in a failed state. Since we do not have an agenda, it is unclear what will result from our ongoing attacks. It is clear that if Mommar Gadhafi is ousted from power, the state of Libya will not have a viable alternative to replace him. The rebel groups are not strong enough to unify everyone, they do not have military backing to keep the country under control, and there are no strong players in the other political and social institutions that could rise up and take charge. A failed state will result because there will be nobody to control the borders and the citizens and an anything goes mentality will take over.
There are major consequences that could occur when Libya becomes a failed state. A civil war is one consequence that could result from our actions. Because of the rival ethnic groups and the fact that the government will be wide open for the taking, will spark conflict between these groups as they vie for power and political control. During the ensuing chaos, a terrorist state could arise. Powerful and organized groups like Hamas and Al Qieda love situations like this. In Palestine and Afghanistan respectively, they came in, organized different tribal factions, and took control. Obviously having terrorist groups in control in an area that is close to several of our allies puts us in another unique position where we will be forced to continue our intervention and risk our own citizen’s lives to prevent world conflict. If we attempted to quell these situations after the failed state occurred, we would have to step in and try to establish another US run democracy, and we all know how that has turned out in the past. After seven years of our “help” in Iraq, there is still a non-existent democratic state there.
So what is our purpose? Why are we involved? Are we trying to replace Gadhafi with a new government? Are we trying to help the rebels take power? If we are just there to bomb the hell out of things and claim it is for “protection” the results are going to be more terrifying than allowing an oppressive ruler to maintain his control over the country.
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ReplyDelete(Part 3)own experiences. “All high school students are required to take a certain number of academic courses- English, math, social studies- and these courses were among the most tracked; the content and mode of instruction of, say, an English course taken by vocational students would typically be quite different from that offered to those preparing for college. (In my case, I moved from a curriculum heavy with grammar worksheets and occasional short writing assignments to a Homer-through-Hemingway reading list and critical essays on literary and philosophical themes” (168).
ReplyDeleteWhat does this have to do with illiteracy? Well, nothing on the surface. The students placed in vocational tracks are not illiterate and as stated above take academic courses. But is being placed on a track and taught a trade producing someone that could function in society outside of his or her profession? Are they literate in multiple mediums like someone in the college preparatory track might be? Are they being prepared to read more than just their bills? The previous example of Jenny and her family come to mind. Their story is not from the time that Mike Rose was growing up, the article was printed in a more recent 1997, but Donny was still passed onto second grade without being able to read anything but his name. Assuming his teachers continued to pass him up to the next grade, would he be placed in a vocational track in high school? According to Rose the National Center for Research in Vocational Education says, “Vocational teachers emphasized job-specific skills to the almost complete exclusion of theoretical content. One result was that the intellectual development of vocational students tended to be limited at a relatively early age” (170). Assuming that Donny would learn to read some things based on his two years at the university-based literacy center and continued schooling, would that be it? Would those be the reading skills he takes with him to high school to have them only be ignored to teach a trade? Would he even be given the opportunity to learn more than a trade and learn different forms of literacy?
How exactly do illiterate or marginally illiterate children grow up to be productive members of society? According to Susan L. Lytle, there is an estimated 20-60 million adults nationally that characterize themselves to be illiterate in some capacity (1991). Like Donny she goes on to say that, “although most of these adults attended school as children and adolescents, they are assumed to have failed in, or less often, to have been failed by, the system” (Lytle 1991). Also similar to Jenny and her family, Lytle says that illiterate adults trying to function in society use efforts that are collaborative, “Often these efforts are collaborative, utilizing a network of family or friends, requiring these learners to experiment, take risks, and assume increasing responsibility for their own education as writers and readers” (1991). These adults know that they should be literate and that they need to be, so they take their education into their own hands and go to a literacy center to learn how to read.
Not many illiterate adults want to stay that way. They have to learn how to get by in society to the best of their abilities and use what they can do as a way to over shadow their inability to read. Jenny and her family are a great example of that. They got by fine all things considered. They were on food stamps but Big Donny worked, the boys went to school, and Jenny took care of the household (1997). They faced numerous challenges and had to come up with numerous strategies to overshadow their inabilities to read. Jenny, for example, relied almost entirely on memory and visuals. The following excerpt
Dear Editor,
ReplyDeleteAs a first grade teacher in Chicago, I am constantly astounded at the wide variety of parenting styles my students experience at home. There are the stereotypically hands-off parents, too involved in themselves to bother helping their child with homework or reading to them at night. There are the overworked parents, working two jobs and only seeing their child on the weekends, relying on grandparents to provide after school care. And then there are the helicopter parents, so consumed with supervising everything their child does, they ask me if they can observe math class to see why their child is struggling. Each parenting style tends to yield a certain type of child: there are the ones who don’t care about school because their parents don’t, the hard workers who can’t wait to play with dad on weekends, and the needy ones who can’t zip their own coat at the age of 7 because it has always been done for them.
As a teacher who is not a parent myself, I always feel a little strange making parenting suggestions. In my five years of teaching, though, it has become clear to me that certain parenting styles yield more successful, well-adjusted children. When Amy’s Chua’s “Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother” was published earlier this year, I thought I might finally have the answer: a strict, effective method of parenting that produced straight-A students and musical prodigies in Chua’s two daughters. As I eagerly listened to radio interviews and read book reviews of “Tiger Mother,” however, the sharp edge of Chua’s “Chinese parenting” is revealed. Upon reading the book, I became horrified by the methods Chua uses to create such prodigious children.
Chua’s basic principle is solid: School is the number one priority, children should not receive a grade below an A, and they should be far ahead of their classmates (especially in math). Educational research has repeatedly found that children will live up to high academic expectations, whether they are set by their parents or teachers. Research has also found that an authoritative parenting style like Chua’s, while it may create academically successful children, also leads to unhappy, emotionally troubled children. As a case in point, at the end of a family dinner in which Chua demanded her younger daughter Lulu try cavier, Lulu yelled, “You don’t love me. You think you do, but you don’t. You just make me feel bad about myself every second. You’ve wrecked my life. I can’t stand to be around you.” While most teenagers will occasionally have outbursts towards their parents, the recurring nature of this child’s anguish makes it clear that Chua has not raised a happy, emotionally well-adjusted child.
So again we are back at square one. How do you raise a successful, well-adjusted child if not by force? Here’s another place research can help. Authoritative parents who set clear, consistent boundaries for children, wed with emotional responsiveness, are most effective. I would recommend that Amy Chua ease up the pressure a bit and stop the emotional abuse.
NV
Getting Our Children to Read: Alternatives to Silent Sustained Reading
ReplyDeleteWith the increasing demands placed upon school districts to increase student performance on high stakes testing, many educators and school administrators are in a frenzy to find the “silver bullet” intervention that will quickly and efficiently raise test scores in order to prevent the punitive sanctions imposed upon schools that do not make the cut. For many, the first school wide intervention that comes to mind is increased reading time in the form of Silent Sustained Reading (SSR). And why not? SSR is simple to implement, cost free, and requires no additional teacher training. What belief is held in higher esteem than the idea that encouraging children to read improves their reading skills? However, the question remains: Does school wide SSR really increase reading performance? The answer is not as obvious as one might think.
Let’s begin with a clear definition of SSR. During a typical SSR session, student read selected text silently for a period of 10- 30 minutes a day. Students self-select this material and little or no emphasis is placed on readability level. No assignments, book reports, or grades are given. During this time the teacher also silently reads self-selected materials, modeling good silent reading behavior. This seemed to be a beautiful thing and schools all over the country began implementing SSR, giving this period catchy names such as DEAR (Drop Everything and Read). Some schools even extended SSR to the entire building staff, including administrators, secretaries, and custodians. However, these practices came into question with the release of the Report of the National Reading Panel (2000). The National Reading Panel (NRP) report stared that “..the handful of experimental studies in which this idea has been tried raise serious questions about the efficacy of some of these procedures.”
As one can imagine, a virtual firestorm ensued. Responses against the report stated that the NRP made serious errors in reporting studies and altogether missed others. Others stated that the case for free reading should consider factors other than experimental evidence. In 2006, Krashen came out in support of SSR. He stated that the NRP found no students in which SSR students performed less well than controls and that SSR is at least as effective as conventional teaching methods. He went on to say that teachers and students find SSR much more pleasant than regular skill building and that children become better readers by reading. Accordingly, a response by Shanahan (2007) indicated that research does not support the fact that encouraging reading in itself improves reading and that some studies that didn’t find a benefit “claimed one anyway.” Shanahan concluded, “SSR is probably not such a good idea.”
There are clearly advocates on both sides of the issue. However, there are some common criticisms of SSR. One common issue centers on the lack of teacher accountability as to whether students are actually reading during this time. Others are concerned with the lack of teacher guidance in the selection of appropriately challenging text and little or no teacher interaction or feedback. Still others cite the lack of student accountability, purpose, or goals for reading time.
Given the controversy over SSR as well as the current focus on research based interventions, where does this leave educators with regard to the longstanding tradition of Self-Selected Silent Reading? Fortunately there are several options that appear worthy of consideration.
(part 2)In an article entitled “Making Data-Driven Decisions: Silent Reading,” Heidi Trudel makes a case for a modified SSR session she identifies as “Structured Independent Reading.” In Structured Independent Reading (IR), the teacher provides guidance in the students’ text selections. In this modified version of SSR, the teacher provides mini-lessons on choosing appropriate books in IR assisting students in selecting texts that are interesting to the student and also at an appropriate reading level. The teacher and students also participate in occasional discussions on texts. The students keep a record of what they read by recording the title, author, genre, date finished, as well as a rating of the text in a reading log. Unlike SSR, the teacher does not read her own self-selected texts, but spends this time conferring with students and occasionally modeling good reading during her reading conferences.
ReplyDeleteTrudel used her teacher researcher skills in order test the effectiveness of IR. She decided to investigate the effects of IR on attitudes toward reading and student engagement. The initial results were of some concern. When analyzing the results of a reading attitude scale, Trudel noticed a slight drop in the scores of 11 of her 16 students. However, upon examining student behavior during IR as well as reviewing notes of student conferences, Trudel determined there was an overall increase in the reading attitudes of her students. Other benefits included an increase in the amount of time on task, and an increase in the number of students taking an active role in choosing books that they were of interest to them as well being at their independent reading level.
Another approach that appears worthy of consideration is Scaffolded Silent Reading (ScSR) (Reutzel, Jones, Fawson& Smith). ScSR was designed to incorporate recent findings of effective reading practice and eliminate ineffective practices associated with SSR. In using ScSR, the teacher attempts to provide students with support, guidance, structure, accountability and monitoring. In implementing the Scaffolded Silent Reading approach, the teacher begins by explicitly teaching students book selection strategies. These strategies include teaching children to choose books at their independent reading level unless they are extremely motivated or knowledgeable about the topic or theme of the text. Each ScSR session begins with a brief (5-8 minutes) mini-lesson on a reading comprehension strategy or element of fluency using a teacher selected text.
During the silent reading portion of ScSR, the teacher conducts a brief assessment in order to monitor the child’s reading fluency and comprehension. This is accomplished by having the child orally read a selection of their text for 1-2 minutes. During this time, the teacher takes notes on the fluency and accuracy of the student’s oral reading. Comprehension is monitored by prompting the student to tell about what he has just read. These weekly conference conclude by having the student set a goal for finishing the text as well as selecting a method of sharing the text from a menu of response activities.
A year long controlled experiment was conducted in order to assess the effectiveness of ScSR. This experiment compared the effects of ScSR with a control group of students
Jack’s New Life (Children’s Story)
ReplyDeleteOn May 26th, my new life started.
I woke up surrounded by silver bars and loud barks from the other dogs near me. Before long, there were humans, some tall and some short, walking past me to visit the others, but no one came to see me. Or so I thought.
I was so busy watching all the people come in and out of the room taking other dogs with them, that I didn’t even notice the lady smiling at me through the glass. When I saw her, I grew so excited that my whole body wiggled.
She came closer and took me out from the cold, metal box I was in and we went for a walk, except I didn’t walk. All I know how to do is run!
I ran circles around her. When she finally caught me, she bent down and said, “Hi Jack. I’m your new Mom.” I didn’t really know what that meant, but it sounded great! So, I stood on my hind legs, gave her a hug, and smiled showing my teeth.
The next six hours went by as fast as I run. We went for a LONG car ride (my favorite) and I got to stick my head out of the window and feel the wind flap around my tongue and ears. Maybe I should have felt sad leaving where I was born, but I didn’t care. I knew I would be happy where I was going.
During our trip, my Mom told me that I was going to have two new friends and a Dad to meet when we got home.
When the car finally stopped, I was so excited that I leapt out and ran up thirteen stairs before going inside a great, big door. As the door opened, my nose went crazy. There were so many new smells that I needed to explore. I darted inside immediately and smelled shoes, garbage, laundry, and a fat, furry, orange and white toy.
“Umm, what are you doing?” asked the toy.
“Yelp! Did that toy just talk?” I wondered.
“I’m no toy. My name is Hitch.”
“Are you my new Dad?” I asked as I smelled every inch of him. I thought it was very nice of Hitch to stand so still while I met him.
“No. But, I can be your friend. Let me show you around.” Hitch took me for a tour of my new home.
“This is where we wait for Mom to feed us in the morning. This is where we sleep while Mom and Dad are at work. We sleep on the bed in this room at night. This is where Mom and Dad make their food and sometimes drop pieces on the floor for us to eat. This room is only used when company comes or when we want to play.”
ReplyDeleteAs my new friend took me around the house, I heard strange snake-like noises and noticed two green eyes leering at me in every room. I was scared.
“Hitch, why do I hear a hissing noise and see two green eyes in the darkest spot of every room?”
“Oh, that’s Joey. Don’t worry, she does that because she is afraid of you,” Hitch admitted.
“Afraid?” I asked. “Why would she be afraid of me? I am so energized and excited to meet her. Is she my other new friend?”
“Yes, but I would stay away from her. She doesn’t like animals that look different from her. Plus, you move way too fast and you make her nervous.”
I wanted to meet Joey badly, so I held as still as I do when I see a rabbit outside. Joey came out from the corner. She looked like Hitch but was orange, white, and black. Joey slowly walked around me checking me out. Then, she sat down…just far enough to run away if I couldn’t contain my excitement.
“HISS…who are you?” she asked.
“I’m Jack,” I said, wagging my tail. “Wanna play?”
“I don’t play,” hissed Joey.
“But, I’m your new friend,” I said confused.
“You’re not my friend. You look weird,” she said.
I was so happy to be in my new home, but one of my new furry friends wasn’t really my friend after all. I walked into the room with two comfortable couches to lie down and sulk. Hitch followed me.
“Jack, don’t be sad,” he said.
“Why doesn’t she like me?” I asked.
“Joey is not use to sharing me with another animal her size. She is nervous because she doesn’t know you and jealous because she thinks that her and I won’t be able to play together anymore.”
“But I love to play. Can’t we all play together? Mom bought me a tennis ball where she rescued me. I can share that with Joey!” I exclaimed.
“It wouldn’t hurt to try. Sharing helps make new friends,” said Hitch.
I jumped off the couch and ran to get my tennis ball. I slowly inched toward Joey as she cocked back her ears and hissed. I remembered that Hitch said she was nervous, so I stopped and nosed my ball towards her. Joey smelled the ball, looked at me, smelled it again, and looked back at me. I waited patiently to see what she would do. Suddenly, Joey rolled over the ball, lifting it up in the air with her two front paws. Now, I heard a new sound, almost like a quiet sledgehammer working very quickly. Joey was purring because she was happy.
ReplyDeleteJoey did not seem so mean anymore, so I pounced at her playfully. She jumped up and swatted at my nose.
“Ouch!” I barked.
“Sorry…you scared me,” Joey said.
“I didn’t mean to scare you, I just thought we could play,” I said. “If I promise not to run or jump at you too quickly, and I share my tennis ball with you, can we be friends?” I asked.
“Sure!” she exclaimed.
Jack, Hitch, and Joey learned to all play together. Jack was content with his new life and looked forward to the times he could share his tennis ball with his new friends.
Sarah Davy
ReplyDeleteA Cup of Joe – or No?
Most teachers, doctors, accountants, bus drivers, etc. have one thing in common: they start their day with a fresh cup of Joe, also known as coffee. Coffee has become a staple of the American diet and its sales have prevailed even through tough economic times. According to a Coffee Business Statistics Report, over 50% of America’s population, equivalent to 150 million Americans, drink coffee on a daily basis. It was estimated that in 2011 there would be nearly 50,000 coffee shops across the country that will sell an average of 250 cups of coffee day. Starbucks sells roughly 4 billion cups of coffee a year. It’s no wonder that America has been referred to as “Caffeine Nation.” Researchers have been debating and researching for years the effects of coffee and whether or not coffee is a good or bad indulgence. It seems, however, that research results – good or bad – will not change the way American’s value and rely on their daily cup of Joe.
David Grotto (RD) wrote a book titled 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life and sure enough coffee is listed as one of the foods that will save your life. Grotto explains that coffee comes from an evergreen tree that produces red coffee “cherries”. The process starts by removing the skin of the cherry to reveal a green coffee “bean.” The coffee beans are then dried and roasted to make a brown bean (Grotto, p. 105). Grotto answers the question: “Why should I drink coffee?” by stating that “moderate intake (three six-ounce cups per day) of coffee provides the same amount of hydration as an equal amount of water” (p. 106). He also points out that coffee is one of the top antioxidant beverages consumed worldwide, even though it does not have a lot vitamins or minerals. Grotto has found multiple studies that show how coffee literally has saved people’s lives. For example, an eleven-year study with women found that those who consumed coffee had less risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and in a study of one million people, caffeine consumption was associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease in men (but not in women). Grotto cautions, however, that caffeine, the stimulant found in coffee, can cause jitteriness and irritability (p. 107).
Speaking of caffeine, the caffeine in coffee that makes people feel alert is also what makes it addicting. According to research done by Rome Neal, “caffeine is one of the fastest acting drugs known to man. When we drink it, almost every cell in the body, including the brain, absorbs it within minutes. There, caffeine works its magic by blocking something called adenosine; a chemical the body releases to tell the brain it’s tired. Caffeine intercepts the adenosine, turning the "I’m tired," message into "I’m wide awake." The result is an invigorating buzz coffee drinkers crave”. The buzz that coffee drinkers crave is no joke. Lauren, a recent graduate from Vanderbilt University stated, “Coffee is a part of my daily routine. I love the taste of coffee and the atmosphere of coffee shops. I am very, very addicted to coffee. I get a headache if I don’t have my typical 3-4 cups a day and I feel drowsy.” Lauren also added that she typically spends twenty-five dollars a week on coffee and she has a Starbucks Gold Member Card which allots her a free refill, free syrup, or a free drink for every fifteen cups she buys. Americans have begun to overindulge in their coffee drinking habits, ordering larger sizes, drinking it multiple times a day, and adding more sweeteners.
A Cup of Joe -- or No?
ReplyDelete(continued)
Whether or not caffeine is harmless is still up for debate. Research done at the University of Arizona has found that caffeine improves memory in seniors. Research done at UCLA found that caffeine improves and repairs memory for elderly women. There have been other studies that say caffeine is therapeutic for everything from depression, to addiction, to gallstones and even skin cancer. (Neal, 2003). On the flip side, caffeine has been linked to high blood pressure and research by Dr. Lane shows that the amount of caffeine many Americans consume each day can raise blood pressure enough to increase risk of heart attack or stroke 20 to 30 percent. (Neal, 2003) This alarming research is reason enough for American’s to begin to consider how important coffee is to their daily routines.
From another perspective, Steve, a personal trainer at Lifetime Fitness, stated that two cups of coffee a day is perfectly fine, as long as you drink it black or with just a little skim milk. “Lots of people drink a cup of coffee before they workout to give them that extra boost they need,” Steve reported. For many Americans, however, drinking coffee black is not easy, especially when they are tempted by so many tasty options when they enter coffee shops: Cocoa Cappuccino (Venti, 290 calories, 11g), Gingerbread Latte (Venti, 440 calories, 21 grams of fat), Java Chip Frappucino (Venti, 560 calories, 21 grams of fat). These tasty, calorie dense, coffee treats could be related to the rise of obesity in Americans as well. On the other hand, one cup of black coffee contains five calories and no grams of fat. Choices and portion control certainly play a key factor in whether or not coffee is a healthy habit or one that needs to be broken.
The American culture has truly embraced coffee as staple of its diet. Coffee makes people smile. It puts a little hop in your step and provides motivation for the day. Coffee also connects people to each other. You may have nothing in common with your next door neighbor, except the fact that you both enjoy a hot, fresh cup of morning Joe. To survive the stresses of our daily lives, coffee might be what every person needs … or is it?
References:
Grotto, David. 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life. Bantam Dell. New York, New York, 2008.
Neal, Rome. “Caffeine Nation: Is Coffee Beneficial or Bad for Americans?” September 7th, 2003. CBS News.com .
“Coffee Business Statistics Report” http://www.e-importz.com/Support/specialty_coffee.htm
(Part 2)
ReplyDeletenotice the print around him; it did not emerge perceptually from the background of his life” (1997). Despite the fact that he went to school, Donny could still not read anything but his name. This just goes to show that literacy is not only taught and acquired in school. His parents never read to him, because they were unable to, and did not incorporate print into his early life. Therefore, he never saw their function and learned to live his life up to that point without print.
The above description makes ones think about how Donny, who was only in second grade, functions in school without being able to read. But even more so, it makes one think about how Jenny and Big Donny function in society as adults when they are unable to help their second grader with his homework. While the article states that Jenny and Big Donny live in an area where illiteracy is common and somewhat excepted, it also says that they get a lot of help from family and friends (who accept their illiteracy and are not necessarily encouraging them to become literate) and that they also use visuals, like signs and logos, as their way of knowing what is what. “Outside of the home, Jenny used physical markers to locate stores, offices, and items on grocery shelves. She noted size of buildings, colors and shapes of signs and logos” (1997). Jenny is able to understand bills without having to read them, using family and friends when bills are different, and Big Donny makes sure he does not have to do anymore than sign his name in regards to literacy and print when working as a roofer (1997).
As asked previously, how does this family survive in a society that is dependant on so many different forms of literacy? Well according to Mike Rose, they find their niche or are given one. The answer used to be different forms of education. Still happening today, yet in a different capacity, students were put on different tracks in high school. Mike Rose goes into great detail about tracking in high schools, especially vocational tracking, in his books. It is something he is familiar with; as a high school student Rose was first put on a vocational track due to his working class background and later, in a rare move, was moved into the college preparatory track (167). His book, The Mind at Work: Valuing the Intelligence of the American Worker (2004), discusses vocational education and other high school tracks. The experiences he talks about in the chapter titled “Hand and Brain in School: The Paradox of Vocational Education” are partly his own and partly experiences of those he has observed. Vocational Educational has a long and varied history. It was started at first during the beginning of the twentieth century to accommodate the largely massive number of students starting to attend high school (Rose, 168). With the very different preparation these students had (Rose, 168) there was no way all the students would be able to successfully attend and complete high school as it was at the time, modeled after the college curriculum (Rose, 167). The answer became to track students based on numerous aspects of their backgrounds. Students were placed in one of around three overall tracks when entering high school; the college preparatory track, the general education track, or the vocational track (Rose, 167). There were a few different reasons why students were placed in the track they were placed in. Many students of working class families were placed in the vocational track, like Mike Rose himself (Rose, 167). There were other criterion according to Rose, like “tests of achievement or ability (in my high school, I believe it was an IQ test), prior records and teacher recommendation, and sometimes parental or student choice” (168). Mike Rose discusses the differences of the tracks in this chapter and explains some of his
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAn essay by Tiffani Kuhn Part I
ReplyDeleteGuiding Reading: What is it and why should we use it?
I felt in studying to be a reading specialist it was imperative to know more about what goes on in the classroom, where balanced literacy is concerned. Within balanced literacy many teachers use guided reading, in this paper I will discuss what guided is reading? How is it implemented? As a model how is guided reading a struggle for teachers to implement? And lastly how does one engage students in centers and make them successful? I feel it is important for me to know all aspects of literacy and how to implement them, in order to be a well-informed coach or even a possible literacy teacher in the future.
Guided Reading what is it? How is it implemented?
A child who is a poor reader in the first grade is 88% more likely to remain a poor reader in fourth grade (Juel, 1988).
Guided reading is seen as an important practice within balanced literacy instruction, guided reading is seen as an appropriate strategy for children who are becoming more fluent and moving towards fluency within the early years of literacy development.
Guided reading is seen as a teaching approach for the independent reader as well as the struggling reader, it has three main components in which it addresses, such as meeting the instructional needs of all students of varying abilities, introducing students to difficult text with fluency and understanding, and it uses problem solving strategies to help students figure out unfamiliar words that have complex sentence structures to guide students in understanding work not previously encountered. Guided reading groups are temporary they change according to ability and how the students ability changes over time as new reading strategies are constantly being introduced to the groups, the groups are part of a community in which accommodate different learning paths of readers. The teachers role within these grouped communities is to observe each student so the teacher knows when to move the student according to their newly learned ability, which is the key to successful dynamic grouping. Traditionally the old way of teaching was static and unchanging usually guided only by the teacher with controlled vocabulary and workbook and worksheet exercises, now teachers are there to merely monitor students as they read prompting for new strategies to be implemented and new words to be identified to help build fluency and help students practice their reading while learning new vocabulary. It is important that students work through the text to develop a network of strategies that allows them to delve into information from different sources, not just focus on skills read right from the text as in the traditional model. It is important for the teacher to know the materials being used, literacy processes being implemented when to intervene and when not to and how to explain and model strategies in ways that students can then make their own.
Part II
ReplyDeleteAs a model how is guided reading a struggle for teachers to implement?
“Most schools use guided reading as one way of teaching reading. However, its quality in the ineffective schools was unsatisfactory in one third of lessons. Too many teachers did not understand its principles and struggled to teach it successfully” (Ofsted, 2004, p.4).
The main reason guided reading becomes a struggle for teachers to implement successfully stems from the fact that the teachers do not understand the principles behind guided reading. Teachers need to understand that reading is no longer just about the deconstruction and response of text, it’s about awareness of text and being able to identify the text and discuss it. When students are put into groups it causes a social interaction creating a cognitive stimulus allowing the students to justify and form opinions. The teacher is to guide the discourse and foster students abilities to become independent and internalize what they read to then become active readers through what is known to what is new, giving students a real voice in discussing text. Going beyond the text offers students a critical perspective, while the teacher evaluates the responses given by the student, which is still being controlled by the teacher who has the student recall episodes from the text that was given “to promote cognitive dialogue and a collaborative problem-solving approach to reading, teachers need to be confident, both in their subject knowledge and their book knowledge” (Fisher, 2008). When text is guided more by the teacher it creates one word responses and more repetition by the teacher, the text needs to be open for discussion and personal interpretation, when students fail at spotting crucial clues they may feel de-skilled. Guided reading develops critical analysis through reader reflection and response, too teacher directed and students will not expand, confer, speculate or question. Without students contributing their own thoughts based on knowledge outside of school or to pose their own questions they lacked on possibilities of developing critical literacy. Good in service support must be provided for teachers it needs to be need specific in order to have a deeper understanding of the cognitive function played by dialogue.
Part III
ReplyDeleteHow does one engage students in centers and make them successful?
“Practice of meeting with readers in small groups to provide guided reading instruction is perceived as a critical part of literacy programs designed to create independent, lifelong readers” (Cunningham, Hall, & Cunningham, 2000; Fountas & Pinnell, 1996; Mooney, 1990).
Teachers use small groups to scaffold instruction while engaging the learner. In order to make the centers work the teacher needs to know their students and students need to be taught on how to be independent, students need to be engaged in activities that will advance their knowledge about literature they need to move beyond just cutting and pasting they need to interact with the print and be excited about it.
Teachers need to design the centers with the literature curriculum in mind, the learner needs to know they will be successful to avoid withdraw from the activity at hand, teacher modeling can be used to help students be successful, “planning centers that operate with instructional density around multiple goals and outcomes is one way to guarantee success” (Opitz 1994). Taking the focus away from the teacher by making the students more independent with minimal transitional time and management, while making equitable use of activities, including an accountability system where prep time is used efficiently and is built around class routines allows for that gradual release of responsibility and makes room for students to finish activities independently.
With simple structures set in place transition time for students can be kept at a minimum, equitable use of activities can be encouraged, and accountability on the students end can be ensured, so students can see themselves as independent readers, the ultimate goal of guided reading.
We as educators, and future reading specialists need to understand that the traditional method just isn’t working. Balanced literacy with a focus on guided reading is one great way to know our readers better and push them to the next level. In order to implement guided reading the teacher must know the material, as well as the students being taught in order to make students more independent and allow for the gradual release of responsibility to take place. Overall there must be support from administrators when implementing such activities as well as professional development for all who want to include this type of teaching method within the classroom.
An Editorial--
ReplyDeleteChicago School Bans Bag Lunches:
What Are Students Being Taught About Nutrition?
Part I
Just this week at Little Village Academy, a public school on Chicago’s West Side, Principal Elsa Cormona has banned students from bringing lunches to school from their homes. Her intention is to “protect students from their own unhealthful food choices” (Eng and Hood, Chicago Tribune, April 11, 2011). In response to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, sponsored by Michelle Obama and signed into law December 13, 2010 by President Obama, schools across the nation have been required to provide more healthful meals to students in an effort to stem the tide of childhood obesity in the United States. The act authorized funding for federal school meal and child nutrition programs while increasing access to healthy food for low-income children. However, the school-prepared lunches at Little Village Academy are not universally liked by the students, and according to Eng and Hood (2011) many students throw “most of it in the garbage uneaten.” How does this promote better nutrition for kids? They are receiving food that they will not eat. It seems common sense that if they don’t get enough to eat at school, they will come home even hungrier, and load up on high-calorie, low-nutrient food items. Shouldn’t school be a place where children learn about nutrition so they can make informed decisions about healthful eating? How is this to be done?
US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced the release of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans on January 31, 2011 the federal government's evidence-based nutritional guidance to promote health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity through improved nutrition and physical activity. For the first time, according to Andrew Martin (The New York Times, January 31, 2011), “they issued their bluntest nutrition advice to date: drink water instead of sugary drinks like soda, fill your plate with fruits and vegetables and cut down on processed foods filled with sodium, fat, or sugar.” Americans are finally being told to “Enjoy your food, but eat less.” This advice is long overdue. Are children learning about these recommendations? Could parent groups in schools work to inform everyone about these guidelines? It seems like there is an abundance of information out there.
An Editorial--
ReplyDeleteChicago School Bans Bag Lunches:
What Are Students Being Taught About Nutrition?
Part II
It is certain that we are all growing fatter, and not all of the information we get is really helping people eat healthfully. The federal government has had to alter its safety rules and weight guidelines for transportation vehicles. The average flier is estimated to weigh 190-195 pounds. The average boat passenger weights 185 pounds, and the average bus passenger is estimated to weigh 50 pounds (Cooper, The New York Times, March 24, 2011). Proposed rules have been released requiring chain restaurants and other businesses that serve food to post calorie counts on menus and menu boards (Neuman, The New York Times, April 1, 2011), yet movie theaters that serve extremely high calorie sacks are exempt. We are told that the “Mediterranean diet” is the most healthful, because it is rich in olive oil, whole grains, fish, fruits, vegetables, and wine. However, “according to data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Mediterranean people have some of the worst diets in Europe . . . Greeks are the fattest: about 75 percent of the Greek population is overweight” (Ciezadlo, The New York Times, April 1, 2011). We are surrounded by nutritional advice and diet plans, yet we grow fatter and fatter, yielding a host of medical problems.
One story stands out in the face of these gloomy prognostics: “Miracle worker in the school kitchen: Chef Paul Boundas creates healthy meals from scratch for less than $3 per lunch—and the kids even like the food” (Eng, Chicago Tribune, March 17, 2011). How did this happen? Chef Boundas serves scratch-cooked meals to 4,800 private school students daily. Fortunately he is sharing his secrets at a conference sponsored by Harvard University and the Culinary Institute of America to attendees, which include U. S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin. Reproducing Boundas’ techniques in other schools sounds highly desirable. One of his secrets is that he doesn’t tell students what they have to eat. He asks what they like, and then he makes a healthier version of it. He serves things like stir-fried vegetables with brown rice, and uses whole-grain pasta. He has gradually increased the amount of whole-wheat and unbleached flour in his desserts and breads, while also eliminating trans fats. Finally, it sounds like someone is enlisting common sense in the preparation of school lunches, but it’s just a first step. Perhaps policy-makers will take note, and work to replicate this success on a larger scale. Now if only we can educate students and their parents ways to eat more healthfully at home. Then students could either bring their lunch to school or eat the school-prepared meal and not have to worry. In any case it seems like teaching students about making sound nutritional choices would be more effective than banning home-prepared lunches and serving food that no one will eat.
Somewhere My Love
ReplyDeleteThe old woman was normally one to dress in lavender, or as she likes to call it, orchid. Blouses with embroidered flowers, yellow short-sleeved sweaters, lilac polyester pants, perfectly creased; her unscuffed, low heeled pumps peeking out. But this year, as she celebrated her seventy-seventh birthday, an acquaintance gave her a red dress, worn once or twice, but outgrown.
On her own well-maintained, voluptuous frame, the garment wraps all the curves she has forgotten about, and she is radiantly red. The pull of the dress about her hips when she walks, the showy gold belt, and the swishing crimson shell reminds her of the last red dress she purchased upon his return from the war. His insistence that she return the dress, which made her look “cheap,” meant she lived fifty years in pastel politeness.
Now, each holiday, she wraps herself in its sheath: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Gone are her festive holly green and pinks of spring. The woman claims her place at the head of the table; her redness washes out her sons, their wives, and her granddaughters. She thinks of him, five years gone. He would have seated himself opposite her, winking his one good eye, pushing green beans to and fro, lacking the depth perception to spear them. Because she found him funny, she would have laughed, and because he loved the way her throaty giggle pushed up and pursed her mouth in a rose petal, the lines around his own tight mouth would have softened.
Tonight, she thinks of her husband again as she (radiantly red) and her oldest friend mount bar stools after attending a wake. Ordering up Old Styles and Brandy Manhattans, the elderly gentleman at the end of the bar makes his way over and tells her that she is beautiful. The woman meets his gaze and sipping from her icy amber tumbler, politely accepts his Italian toast of “Salud.” She wonders if somewhere in the great beyond, her husband has winked his one good eye, he has heard, he has acknowledged, he has thought that she is beautiful in red too.
Returning home, she stands in their bedroom as she unclips her gold earrings and strips off her coffee-colored thigh highs. She knows that somewhere he is watching her, the fixed foot of her compass,* moving simultaneously with her own evolution. She inspects her radiant red self in the mirror, and knows that if he had come home with her this evening and sat on the bed to take off his shoes, he would have also caught her reflection in the mirror. Studying her in scarlet, he would have lifted himself from the bed and disappeared in to the living room. Creaking the lid of the big, old box stereo, he would set the needle to their song, returning to pull her through the hallway and into the center of the worn yellow carpet. Together they would have danced; he cooing harmony in her ear, and she, a curve of red radiance wrapped into his arm.
*”A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,” John Donne.
Bullying
ReplyDeleteby, Nicole Jackson
On October 15th ABC’s 2020 aired a piece titled “Bullied to Death in America’s Schools” in response to the recent suicide of college freshman, Tyler Clementi and the 13 other bullying-related suicides this year. Bullying has become an increasing concern for schools and parents. Stories such as Tyler Clementi and Phoebe Prince have inspired national outrage and caused many to ask why schools are failing to react to the ongoing torment of students. Schools are accused of turning a blind eye to bullying and are increasingly becoming the target of victims’ parents as school districts are taken to court for negligence. What responsibility do schools have to address this issue? As bullying is increasingly pushed into the spotlight, how will schools react to this increased scrutiny?
Traditionally, images of bullying conjure up scenes of weaker students being physically intimidated by stronger, more popular students. Most often those images involved males. However, relational aggression, a nonviolent form of bullying is becoming much more prevalent in schools, with both male and female students. Relational aggression refers to behaviors that harm others through damaging their relationships, feelings of acceptance, inclusion in social groups, and friendships (Buchanan, Merrel & Tran, 2006). Relational aggression can be described as actions that involve indirect, verbal, and covert acts meant to harm others. They argue that schools are where students spend most of their time learning and negotiating social situations, expectations, hierarchies, and conflicts in larger groups, and therefore should be proactive about addressing relational aggression.
However, not all incidences of school bullying are reported. In a survey conducted by Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast for the Institute of Educational Services, they found that 64% of bullying victims did not report incidences of bullying to school officials. They found that students were more likely to report acts of bullying when bullying involved injury, physical threats, destruction of property, actual physical contact (pushing, shoving, and the like), greater frequency, multiple types, more than one location, and at least one occurrence on a school bus.
How to address these behaviors is an important question for educators as they become increasingly more responsible for taking action against bullying behaviors. Providing staff with inservice training in how to deal with incidences of bullying, regardless of whether this is a current concern in school, is an important first step. Buchanan, et al. caution against subscribing to a packaged program to address this issue. Rather they suggest schools addressing specific issues unique to their school population. They also caution against an approach that solely deals with reducing relational aggression and bullying. “Rather than target relational aggression as the exclusive focus of intervention, a better approach in our view would be to emphasize relational aggression within the context of broader and more comprehensive intervention programs to promote positive social behavior and healthy emotional development, and to reduce antisocial behavior in general (Buchanan, et al., 2006). They suggest focusing on social and emotional learning that teaches students to recognize and manage their emotions develop caring and concern for others, make responsible decisions, establish positive relationships, and handle challenging situations effectively.
My last year teaching second grade I had a group of girls who together caused harm to a few others in the classroom. This was an ongoing challenge for me all year, one that involved my administrator, school support staff, and the parents of all those involved. Despite all I did, at the end of the year I still felt like I had failed in changing these girls. As much as I tried to target and shape their social and emotional development, I don’t feel like I made any lasting changes in their behavior. Now that I am a parent, this issue hits me harder as I imagine my daughter dealing with this in the future. I believe that all schools need to begin a dialogue about this issue and how as a school community they will address it. There needs to be a cohesive front with all staff committed to confronting incidences of aggression and towards developing a kinder school community.
ReplyDeleteBuchanan, Rohanna, Merrel, Kenneth W., Tran, Oahn K. (2006). Relational Aggression in Children and Adolescents: A Review with Implications for School Settings.
Institute of Educational Services. (2010). What characteristics of bullying, bullying victims, and schools are associated with increased reporting of bullying to school officials.
Dear Editor,
ReplyDeleteAccording to the American Justice Department 1 out of 4 kids is bullied and 1 out of 5 kids admits to being a bully, or doing some “bullying”. Surveys show that 77% of students are bullied mentally, verbally, and physically. As a teacher and a mother these statistics are disturbing to see.
Unfortunately for Eric, he was one out of the four kids that is bullied. Eric was a student in one of my classes. Eric was a happy outgoing at the beginning of the year, but I began noticing a difference in the way he was acting and was frequently absent. I was concerned and referred him to the schools guidance counselor. I later found out that he confided in a friend that he was gay, who later told all his friends. A couple of the students decided to bully him because he was gay.
In the beginning Eric didn’t confide in any of the school staff about what was happening. He thought that they would eventually stop and leave him alone. When he couldn’t take it anymore, he felt that ending his life was the answer. Thankfully, Eric didn’t succeed in his plan and he finally got the help that he needed. The problem is that he should have gotten help before he was desperate.
I believe that we need to implement a plan like house bill 11-1254 that targets anti- bullying policies in our schools. I also believe that a class should be taught as part of the school curriculum that targets tolerance and how to deal with bullying and peer pressure. I also feel that teachers and staff need to be better educated and trained on how to deal with situations having to do with bullying.
Prevention is key, and I believe if we educate our students on tolerance and being able to love and respect themselves than we won’t have student’s like Eric turning into another statistic.
F.R.
Identity as Academic Agenda Part 1
ReplyDeleteIn high school classrooms, narrative and personal writing are often viewed, at least unofficially, as less rigorous and less valuable forms of writing than expository, persuasive, and literary analysis writing. We often communicate personal writing’s low priority by devoting little instruction and curricular attention to it. I am extremely concerned that when personal writing is a low priority in writing instruction, our students’ identities take a low priority as well.
Personal writing opens bridges between in- and out-of-school literacies. According to Nakkula and Toshalis, healthy identity development requires that students be fully engaged and present with their full identities (p. 115). Furthermore, Franzak (2006), indicates that teachers’ role should be to value students and their cultural backgrounds (p. 228). Yet teachers and schools have traditionally valued dominant cultures and problematized identities that some youth may value, such as gang-affiliation (Moje, 2000). When adolescents sense that part of their identity is not respected by teachers or the school, they may react by devaluing school or disengaging from academics. In fact, adolescents who feel that their identity or values have been disrespected by a teacher my resist subsequent opportunities to reveal or explore their identities through literacy (Moje, 2000).
Resistant students can benefit from the use of mentor texts with ideas that are relevant to students’ lived experiences. Within the context of supportive classroom discussion and writing, students can explore issues that speak to their own challenges and barriers (Tatum, 2005). According to Atwell (1998), writing about her own life helps her live her life. Writing and thinking are closely related, so when students are prompted and supported with writing about their own lives, they engage in reflection and introspection about events and their significance. In fact, Caulkins (1994) explains,
When I sit down at my desk, I’m like my students. “Nothing happens in my life,” I say. I feel empty-handed. I want to get up and rush around, looking for something Big and Significant to put on the page. And yet, as a writer I have come to know that significance cannot be found, it must be grown. (p. 7)
Caulkins’ realization is important for writing teachers—we must work as writers alongside students so we can speak authentically about the challenges of writing and help students overcome obstacles through guidance and well-structured, well-supported assignments.
Identity as Academic Agenda Part 2
ReplyDeleteAccording to Tatum (2005), “Although identity construction is central to one’s literacy development, many teachers responsible for teaching adolescent students of color are unaware of their students’ multiple identities and how these identities can be used or should be built on during literacy instruction . . . because many of these teachers have had their own identity construction marginalized or overlooked by curricula orientations in schools that defined their education” (p. 66). Despite intentions to help students overcome skill deficits, teachers may reinforce social divides and privilege dominant groups and cultural identities, furthermore, teaching from a curriculum that fails to counteract the marginalization that many adolescents have experienced may fall short in addressing some of the greatest barriers that adolescents face achieving healthy development and academic success. With either to goal of healthy development or building academic skill, literacy and adolescent identity are linked.
The challenges of writing about personal experiences mirrors and perhaps interact with the process of identity development. As they develop their identities, adolescents seek to make sense and find meaning in their lives and experiences (Nakkula & Toshalis, 2006). Although not all schools prioritize identity development within the curriculum, teachers can work with adolescents to create and explore identities (Nakkula & Toshalis, 2006). According to Jarrett (1997), high-poverty neighborhoods may not have sufficient resources that support healthy development for adolescents.
Schools, therefore, can play a pivotal role in supporting development since adolescents may have limited access to support outside of the school. Since literacy and writing is a tool for demonstrating or performing identities (McCarthey & Moje, 2002), identity development has a natural fit within classes where literacy skills are taught.
Teaching literacy within relevant and culturally responsive contexts can foster resilience as well as appreciation for reading and writing (Tatum, 2005). When teachers create contexts where students are able to critically respond to texts through discussion and through written response, students are able to support each other (Tatum, 2005).
Identity as Academic Agenda Part 3
ReplyDeleteStudents who write about their experiences and identities also strengthen their relationship with the instructor when they sense that their voices are respected and honored. According to Lee and Burkam (2003), the risk of dropping out is reduced for students who have regular contact with teachers or students with whom they share their struggles. Additionally, Lee and Burkam note, “students are less likely to drop out of high schools where relationships between teachers and students (as perceived by the students) are more positive” (p. 385). Creating a safe space for students to share their personal writing gives students a purpose and audience for writing, but also helps students align with like-minded students and staff as they work through crises. Howard, Dryden & Johnson (1999) note that there is no age limit as to when children can turn their lives around, and that positive relationships are key in nurturing resilience.
For marginalized youth, hiding a portion of one’s identity can deplete energy and interfere with healthy development (Nakkula & Toshalis, 2006). While I reject the notion that a classroom can achieve complete or total safety for all students and staff, an increase in safety can lead in an increase in the truths that adolescents are able to express about their identities and experiences. As students are able to tell more of their truths, they are able to remove or overcome barriers and be more fully present in class, and beyond the school context, having an adult advocate is important as teens respond to experiences of oppression (Nakkula & Toshalis, 2006). Discussing and composing texts can help students “realize that they are responsible for determining their life’s outcomes” (Tatum, 2005, p. 118).
By the time students reach adolescence, many have decided what subjects they like, which ones they are good at, and which ones they will resist as much as possible. For English and reading teachers, engaging teens as readers and writers can be a constant struggle. One source of adolescents’ boredom with writing is that writing assignments are often viewed as irrelevant to their experiences (Graham et al., 2007).
While students have different reasons for resisting engagement in reading and writing, prior experiences that fail to validate their experiences or do not allow students to express their voices may cause some students to invalidate school-mediated literacies (Franzak, 2006; Moje, 2000). For these adolescents, school-based literacies need purposes that the youth themselves can appreciate. According to Franzak (2006), literacy that is related to meaningful questions about adolescents’ identities is motivating.
Common Core
ReplyDeleteby Kari Corsi
In the summer of 2009 the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governor’s Association began their work on the creation of national standards for grades K-12 for college and career readiness. After they received multiple rounds of feedback from different states, teachers, researchers, higher education and the general public, the final standards, known as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were released in June of 2010. These new standards are scheduled to go into affect here in Illinois in 2014. Currently, all but eight states and four U.S. territories have adopted the Common Core.
Without the Common Core, every state is working with their own academic standards within their schools. With that being said, there is not a common academic expectation being held across the country; every public education student in each state is learning to different education standards. Under the Common Core, every state will be held to the same national standards, which will allow students to compete with other students across the country.
These standards are aligned with college and work expectations with the idea that when students graduate from public institutions, they will be ready for what awaits them. They include rigorous content and an application of knowledge through higher order thinking skills. The standards are also internationally benchmarked, allowing our students to not only compete with students across our nation, but also with other students from around the world. The CCSS serve as a living document that is intended to be updated and added onto as new and better evidence arises.
The CCSS takes an interdisciplinary approach to literacy, calling for it to be taught across subjects as opposed to strictly in language arts or reading class. One of the reasons behind this interdisciplinary approach came from the research that found a need for college and career ready students to be proficient in reading complex informational text independently in a variety of subject matters. They also build upon each other from year to year, taking a “staircase” approach to literacy. This staircase approach is important as new information is used to build upon a foundation that was previously laid. Students are able to perform harder tasks because of the literacy foundations that have been built beforehand.
One of the most important parts of the CCSS is that it explicitly states that these standards are not the end-all, be-all of what should be taught in today’s classrooms. The people who created them understand that teachers have a wealth of knowledge from their experiences and that they can and should add what the standards don’t address. A great way for a school to successfully use the standards is to take a deep look at them to become familiar with them. Any holes that are missing could be filled in using teachers’ knowledge as a resource. After the holes have been filled in, benchmarks could be created off of the Common Core that grade levels will use to guide their teaching. These standards provide a great backbone to teacher, acting as a map for teachers as opposed to acting as a basal. With the appropriate use and attention, the Common Core could be a great accompaniment to intentional teaching. Imagine the possibilities!
Red Light Cameras: Supporting Safety or Money Monsters?
ReplyDeleteby Lauren
In many intersections around the world, the flow and turn taking of traffic is controlled by traffic lights. The universal color code of red, yellow, and green symbolize to drivers and pedestrians alike when it is safe to proceed, when one needs to slow down, and when it is necessary to stop. When these guides are followed by all, traffic flowing from various directions can share the roads safely and with little confusion or debate.
However, when these signals are not obeyed, intersections can quickly become unsafe, and even fatal. One action that adds to the danger of an intersection occurs when a driver proceeds through an intersection after their light has turned red. This is commonly known as “running a red light.” This action presents a dangerous conflict because the driver is moving through the intersection when lights in other directions have turned green, giving other drivers or pedestrians the right of way and the belief that they can safely proceed. When traffic is moving through an intersection in multiple directions at once, there is an increased opportunity for an accident to occur.
According to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, approximately 22% of all car accidents occur when drivers run red lights. In 2008, 762 people were killed and approximately 137,000 were injured in accidents that involved red light running. (1) These accidents result in nearly seven billion dollars in property damage annually.
In an effort to prevent red light running and the accidents that result, many cities and states have turned to using red light cameras to regulate intersections and ticket drivers who cross an intersection after the light is red. Red light cameras are installed at intersections and are connected to sensors that are set off when a car enters the intersection above a preset speed and after the light has turned red. The camera typically takes pictures of the vehicle entering and proceeding through the intersection as well as pictures of the license plate. The date, time, and speed of the vehicle are also usually recorded. This information is reviewed by an officer, and if the driver is found guilty of running the light, the evidence is mailed along with a ticket to the person to whom the vehicle is registered. Fines for running a red light vary between cities and states. Currently, the fine for receiving a red light camera ticket in Chicago is $100.00.
The cost of installing a red light camera varies depending on the type of camera used and the specifics of the intersection in which it is used. However, the instillation of a camera costs approximately $100,000. Cities typically enter into contracts with private companies such as American Traffic Solutions or Redflex Traffic Systems who install the cameras and then usually receive a portion of the revenue generated.
Research has shown that the amount of revenue that cities generate from traffic violations greatly increases when traffic cameras are introduced. For example, the year after traffic cameras were installed in Kingsport, Tennessee, the revenue from traffic violations in the city increased to four times the amount generated the previous year. (2) The city of Chicago generated 58.9 million dollars from red light cameras in 2009 alone. (3) However, a large portion of this money, usually somewhere between 45-85 percent, is remitted to the camera companies with which the cities or states have a contract.
Red Light Cameras
ReplyDeletePart 2
The safety benefit of red light cameras has been an issue of debate. While some studies have shown a decrease in front-to-side collisions, which are the type of collisions most closely tied to red light running, others have shown an increase in rear end crashes. The rear end accidents are presumed to be a result of drivers stopping suddenly at intersections in attempt to avoid getting a ticket.
Proponents of the red light cameras argue that these devices help to enforce the law and prosecute violators without monopolizing the time or jeopardizing the safety of police officers (who usually have to proceed through a red light themselves to catch offenders). When police officers do not have to monitor intersections themselves, they may be freed up to attend to other safety issues.
Those against the use of red light cameras question their safety benefit and often argue that there are other ways of improving the safety of intersections, such as increasing the length of yellow light intervals. Many also question the underlining purpose of the cameras, believing that governments care more about increasing revenue rather than increasing the safety of the roads. In some cities, studies have found that cameras are often not placed in the most dangerous intersections, as determined by the number and severity of the accidents at those sites. For example, in Washington, D.C., four of the top ten crash causing intersections were not given red light cameras when the city installed the monitoring systems. (4) Many people against the system claim that cities determine where to place the cameras based on where there is high traffic flow and more promise for revenue, rather than taking into account the safety concerns of the intersection. However, according to the city of Chicago, the city determines the placement of cameras in the city by analyzing data and placing them in intersections where there are a high number of right angle crashes (5)
There are currently fifteen states which have banned the use of red light cameras for automatic ticketing.
1.Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. http://www.iihs.org/research/qanda/rlr.html
2.(2008, September 23). Red Light Cameras in the Volunteer State: Unsafe, Unconstitutional, and Unnecessary. Clarksville Online. Retrieved from:http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/09/23/red-light-cameras-in-the-volunteer-state-unsafe-unconstitutional-and-unnecessary/
3.Guarino, Mark. (2010, February 27). Illinois Considers Ban on Red Light Cameras. Retrieved from: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/illinois-considers-bill-banning-red-light-cameras/story?id=9956030
4.Labash, Mark. (2002, April 1) Inside the District’s Red Lights. Weekly Standard. Retrieved from: http://www.motorists.org/photoenforce/home/inside-red-light-cameras/
5.City of Chicago. http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdot/provdrs/red-light_cameraenforcement.html
I Am From
ReplyDeleteBy Kari Corsi
I am from a bed that’s always made next to a red nightstand and a cell phone charging in the night
I am from board games, reminiscing and lots of laughter with sighs
I am from the ideas where “people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones,” and “it is what it is…”
I am from tennis shoes everywhere, gym clothes hanging on the radiator and weight lifting gloves lying around
I am from sleeping in on Saturday, church on Sunday and working on Monday
I am from yummy pasta dishes on special occasions to warm and savory soups on a chilly day
I am from trips back and forth to and from Kentucky and a trip to the beach every summer
I am from Facebook when I’m bored, watching TV at night and reading a book on the CTA bus
I am from kicking around a soccer ball, going on long, leisurely walks and cheering on the Kentucky Wildcats as they make their way to the Final Four
I am from the memories of my past that I hold dear, the drive for success that pushes me everyday and the dreams that rule my future
Letter to the Editor
ReplyDeleteBy: Jenny Vaughn
Dear Editor,
The US needs to get out of Libya NOW! On March 19, 2011 about 100 US missiles struck targets inside Libya. This was the first phase of attacks by the US military since President Obama authorized the strikes. The biggest problem with the attacks is that the US does not have a clear goal but, the US has mentioned that it wants to defend the rebels against ongoing attacks from Mommar Gadhafi and enforce the UN No-Fly Zone policy. However, there is no end in sight and the US risks being sucked into another sinkhole similar to that of Iraq.
Libya is a country that has many different ethnic groups. When Mommar Gadhafi came into power he unified these groups. In doing so, he became an oppressive ruler that kept the military, political, and social institutions weak. Although this is not acceptable, it is none of our business and our intervention will result in a failed state. Since we do not have an agenda, it is unclear what will result from our ongoing attacks. It is clear that if Mommar Gadhafi is ousted from power, the state of Libya will not have a viable alternative to replace him. The rebel groups are not strong enough to unify everyone, they do not have military backing to keep the country under control, and there are no strong players in the other political and social institutions that could rise up and take charge. A failed state will result because there will be nobody to control the borders and the citizens and an anything goes mentality will take over.
There are major consequences that could occur when Libya becomes a failed state. A civil war is one consequence that could result from our actions. Because of the rival ethnic groups and the fact that the government will be wide open for the taking, will spark conflict between these groups as they vie for power and political control. During the ensuing chaos, a terrorist state could arise. Powerful and organized groups like Hamas and Al Qieda love situations like this. In Palestine and Afghanistan respectively, they came in, organized different tribal factions, and took control. Obviously having terrorist groups in control in an area that is close to several of our allies puts us in another unique position where we will be forced to continue our intervention and risk our own citizen’s lives to prevent world conflict. If we attempted to quell these situations after the failed state occurred, we would have to step in and try to establish another US run democracy, and we all know how that has turned out in the past. After seven years of our “help” in Iraq, there is still a non-existent democratic state there.
So what is our purpose? Why are we involved? Are we trying to replace Gadhafi with a new government? Are we trying to help the rebels take power? If we are just there to bomb the hell out of things and claim it is for “protection” the results are going to be more terrifying than allowing an oppressive ruler to maintain his control over the country.