Education

Education is something that is is very close to my heart. The majority of my family is or has been in education at some point in their lives. Making the decision to become an educator was something that I did not go into lightly. I fought it for so many years because I saw first hand how challenging it could be having a child's future in my hands. The thought of that alone sometimes scares me, but makes me strive to be the best teacher I can be. I fought it and fought it, but God had other plans for me. He has blessed me with the patience to work with children of the much younger ages, and I am so happy that I get to spend the rest of my life doing His will.

I've heard about the documentary Waiting for Superman since this past fall. In my block class we watched a trailer for the documentary and I was hooked. I made a pledge to see it. Unfortunately, documentaries such as this one never make their way into theatres in towns such as Starkville, MS. After much research, I found out that the documentary would only be showing in a select few states. Fortunately, it is now in Redbox. You can check out the offical synopsis of the documentary here, but I will give you a brief summary of Waiting for Superman. It follows 5 students and their families struggle to give them a great education, something that is hard to come by in places such as the Bronx, L.A., the Silicon Valley, Washington D.C. and Harlem. (These are the cities that are in the documentary, but there are numerous more places that lack the means to give our students an adequete education.) These students are all wonderful, hardworking students, who look for education as a way out of their current life situation. They want to work hard to become a doctor, teacher, or scientist. These students face many obstacles in their life, but the lack of "a great American edcuation" because of where they live is one of the biggest obstacles they face. Waiting for Superman shows us that not all children in America are getting the best education they can get, but it does show us ways we as teachers, parents, and communities can provide each student with "a great American education".

Michelle Rhee, Washington, D.C. public schools superintendent brings the harsh truth about the American Public School System with her statement "Public schools fail when the children's education becomes about the adults." It's true, all of it, and it makes me sad. It's not fair to any student who works hard in school to make a better life for themself in the future. It's not fair that because a student lives in a specific part of town, they are denied a great education by a school that is not in that same part of town. This is where charter schools come into play. Now, I'm not about to get the explanation of charter schools wrong, so thanks to good ole Wikipedia here is an explanation of what a charter school is, for those of you who may not know much about them: Charter schools in the United States are primary or secondary schools that receive public money (and like other schools, may also receive private donations) but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter.[1] Charter schools are opened and attended by choice.[2] While charter schools provide an alternative to other public schools, they are part of the public education system and are not allowed to charge tuition. Where enrollment in a charter school is oversubscribed, admission is frequently allocated by lottery-based admissions. In a 2008 survey of charter schools, 59% of the schools reported that they had a waiting list, averaging 198 students.[3] Some charter schools provide a curriculum that specializes in a certain field — e.g., arts and mathematics. Others attempt to provide a better and more efficient general education than nearby public schools.

This brings me to my next point: Testing, testing, and more testing of our students takes the fun out of education and what it used to be. The problem is not our students' ability to be able to perform a certain task, it is the lack of motivation by the parents, teachers, and community. It's like we've put education on the backburner, when it should be the most important thing for our children who are the future. Here's something that I've learned: Good teachers make education fun for their students. Their students learn by having fun. That's what makes students succeed in school. Waiting for Superman brought a pretty scary statistic to me: Out of 29 developed countries, the United States ranks 25th in science and math. 25th out of 29 countries. The United States was at the top of the education game 20-30 years ago, so what happened that made us 25th out of 29? I'm not going to lie about it. I believe it's our lack of great teachers. I know that we have millions of GREAT teachers who go into work every day and know that they WANT to educate children. They know it is not something they HAVE to do. But sometimes I feel as if there are some people who just picked a career out of a hat and said "Okay....I'll be a teacher". I'm not just talking about the teachers of today, I remember being in school and having teachers who used the same monotone voice day after day after day. Who learns from that? What child would want to come to school to hear a monotone voice tell them to do their worksheet and recite their multiplication tables?


I'll leave you with these quotes that I got from the documentary, but before I do, I ask that if you care about education, if you care about your child's future, your future children's future, and the future of America, that you watch this documentary. It's in Redbox Rentals, stores, video rental stores. This documentary only reaffirmed what I already knew what I wanted to do with my life, and that is educate the future doctors, teachers, scientists,writers, artists, athletes, and political leaders of America. These children are OUR future, don't you want them to be all they can be? Take action now!


"We've tried money, passing laws, and the lastest reforms, but those of us who work in the trenches know you can't have a great school without great teachers."


"Sometimes I think it's easier to think of millions of children who are in our schools and look at the numbers and all the problems, scratch our heads, throw up our hands, and give up, rather than look at just one and ask ourselves "Did we do the right thing? Did we do enough?"


"If we give up, what are the results?"


"Our [Public School] system is broken, and feels impossible to fix, but we can't wait."


"What happens when a school fails a child? What happens over time?"


"It's possible, we CAN fix education"

Finally!

I am finally in my Phase I Placement for student teaching! I am currently in my 2nd week of 6 weeks total in the placement. I am teaching second grade and I love every minute of it! I'm not going to lie, it isn't very easy to get up at 6:00 am to get ready for a day that doesn't end until about 3:30 or 4:00, but once I'm there, I'm in my element. I truly believe that God designed me to be a teacher, and I have no doubts about it. It takes someone of patience to teach 2nd graders. In a conversation with one of my friends the statement "God bless you for a heart to teach the little ones". It made me giggle and smile because I love that I get to wake up every morning and go to a job that I am being trained for that I know I will love! I have been truly blessed during my placement to have a mentor teacher who is truly amazing at what she does.


I have officially completed my first month as worship leader for Starkville FUMC's Pathways service. It has truly been a blessing in my life. I was so nervous starting out, especially since the person I replaced was both a vocalist and guitar player for the praise band. I prayed that God would show someone who could play the guitar to help with the instrumental part of the worship team. Here's one thing that never ceases to amaze me about our wonderful God: He always provides! Not only has He provided us with a guitar player, He has provided the Pathways service with multiple singers and musicians. Praise God, Praise God! 


A few weeks ago we had an abundance of snow. Stefan and I went on campus where I took pictures and he filmed some of the beautiful scenery.  First of all, I would like to inform you of how much I LOVE snow! I think it's because I don't really see much of it, living here in the South. Here are some of the pictures that I took:

I love purple flowers! I used my macro lens with this photo.

Stefan at work taking a few shots of the snow!

The Last Year

I have successfully completed the first 5 days of my last year as an undergrad. It's weird to think about this being my last year. I look back on past college years and I think about what I could have done differently if I had the chance. Here's the list for all you future high school graduates:

1. Go away for college, for at least a year. Don't do what I did and just stay there for one semester. You'll regret it later. If you try it for a year and don't enjoy it, then you can go back to a college/university that is closer in distance to your home.
2. Get involved in something, whether it's a campus club, a Greek organization, or a campus ministry (or all 3)!
3. Study Abroad as an undergrad. I did not do this as an undergrad, but I wish I had.
4. Budget your money. Budget, budget, budget.
5. Study, study, study.
6. Manage your time wisely
7. Buy a planner. Trust me, you'll need it.
8. Exercise at least twice a week. It will catch up with you if you don't.
9. Be a healthy eater. Sure those Oreos look great and taste divine, but that doesn't mean you have to eat half a pack.
10.  Be open-minded to the people you meet and the experiences you encounter. This is the most important piece of advice I want to give to you. College is all about embracing different things and different people. You are going there to get an education. Be educated in different cultures and in new experiences.
11. Don't get married in college. Your friends do not have the money to pay for multiple bridesmaid's dresses, shoes, wedding gifts, lingerie presents, and bachelorette parties. 

I'm looking into my options for being a teacher. I know I don't graduate until May, but the sooner I research all the options, the better informed I will be about what I truly want to do with my Education degree. I have had advice from family and friends about Teach For America. I did a little research on it this afternoon and I like what I see. However, I feel a little uncomfortable going to teach in an inner city, high poverty area, but I think it's due to the fact that I'm not used to being around it. I'm not opposed to teaching in these areas by any means. It is something that I will be praying about. It would mean stepping out of my comfort zone entirely, but isn't that what serving God is all about? Another option that I have considered is Teaching English as a Foreign Language. I can go to Prague and study to teach English as a foreign language. Once I complete the 4 week program, I would be certified for a lifetime to teach English as a foreign language. If I choose to not teach once the program is complete, I can still do it when ever I would like. The school works with you to ensure that you get a great job in one of the many countries in the world. Either option would be a wonderful experience, and I can do both, but I'm not sure which one I'm being called to do at this point. I ask all you readers out there for your prayers as I start to think about where God wants me to be and what He wants me to do with my degree. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Peace and Love,

Laura Kate