Chapter 3 - The Major Philosophies

This chapter really got me thinking about certain things. The definition of philosophy is as follows: "the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct" To understand your own philosophies, you must ask yourself three questions: 1. What is the nature of reality? 2. What is the nature of knowledge? 3. What is the nature of values? Answering these questions will help you figure out which philosophy you might relate to the most. I also learnt that there are three branches of philosophy (metaphysics, epistemology and axiology) and two types of logic (deductive and inductive). The traditional philosophies are idealism, realism and Neo-Thomism, which is "the belief in certain preestablished metaphysical truths." The modern philosophies are pragmatism, existentialism and analytic philosophy, which is "the belief that there are no preestablished truths." After reading this chapter, I tried to see which philosophy I could relate to the most, but I haven't quite figured it out yet. One last quote that really got me thinking... "I think, therefore I am" :)

Teacher Education Handbook

The Teacher Education Handbook had a lot of very interesting details in it. Being a student from Canada, I had no idea how the certification and degree-seeking worked. After having read this handbook, I knew basically everything I had to know. I learnt about the history of our university and that the Education program mission is as follows: "Preparing leaders of vision in a learning community dedicated to academic excellence, spiritual growth and service." I also enjoyed the lists of what these three aspects were. I find that the outcomes of the program are very realistic and I can see myself reaching every single one of them, and improving the skills I already do have. Having everything written in front of you in detail makes decisions a lot easier. I also really enjoy how we are going to be getting so much field experience in our stay at Finlandia, and I think with that experience will come the confidence needed to become an excellent teacher. I also really liked the list about what we will achieve on page 40 and 41 of the handbook. Again, being a student from Canada, I thought it was pretty interesting to read about the Michigan standards, and compare them to the Canadian ones. I saw that the GPA you need to maintain is 2.70 overall, so I guess that means I will have to study hard and do well in all my classes!

Chapter 2 - Development of the Profession

The first thing that caught my attention reading this chapter was the following quote: "Teaching is a work of the most demanding sort, for teachers must make dozens of decisions daily, command a wide body of knowledge and skill, learn to react instantly, and be disposed to act wisely in difficult situations." Teachers are very tough people; mentally, physically and emotionally. They can handle a lot and must know how to work well with kids. In this chapter, I learnt the requirements of a profession, the factors working to improve the professionalization of teaching, the professional development for teachers, the evaluation of teacher performance and the professional organizations for teachers. I learnt about the Code of Ethics and also found out that teachers have a high degree of autonomy. One statistic that I found quite interesting was that 80% of teachers believe they could make a difference in their students life. Personally, from experience, I believe that as a role model, you can make a difference in their life. The National Board Certification is a great way to be recognized as a teacher. Two ways to really help out teachers (new and old!) is by having mentoring programs as well as self-renewal programs. Every teacher needs a break sometimes!! This chapter contained a lot of important information and this is only the beginning of our great adventure on becoming a teacher!!

Chapter 1 - Status of the Profession

The first thing I agreed with while reading this chapter is that a lot of people who became teachers were positively influenced by a former teacher. This is exactly my scenario. My elementary school physical education teacher and my high school guidance counselor is the one person who influenced me the most. Since the day I met her, I have wanted to be a teacher. I learnt in this chapter that a big benefit to being a teacher is having the long summer vacations. One of my teachers in high school told me that those vacations are much needed because by the time the school year is over, some of those kids are to the point where it gets really hard to handle them. There are three main reasons people want to become teachers, and I think the best one to have is the desire to work with kids. I have been working with kids for a very long time. I went from babysitting, to coaching elementary basketball teams, to working at a youth drop-in center, to substitute teaching. If you don't have a desire to work with kids and want to see them accomplish things in their lives and make it to the next level, teaching would probably be a very hard thing to do. Other things I learnt while reading this chapter were the ten standards that teachers need to follow and the different types of salaries for teachers. Most teachers salaries are based on the single schedule salary, which pays the same salary for the amount of preperation and experience. Last, but not least, I learnt that the status of the teaching profession is slowly improving. This chapter was a very good introduction to the profession of teaching and I can't wait to learn more about it!!