Chapter 3: Who Are Today's Students in a Diverse Society

The Start of Bilingual Education

Issues involving bilingual education are not new to society and have been discussed for hundreds of years. The state of Ohio was the first state to adopt a bilingual education law in 1839 for German-English instruction, but Ohio would not be the last. Several states followed suit including Louisiana for French-English instruction in 1847 and New Mexico in 1850 for Spanish-English instruction. By the end of the 1800’s, a dozen states had enacted their own laws regarding bilingual education in other diverse languages such as Norwegian, Czech, and Cherokee to name a few. At the beginning of the 1900’s, 4% of American children were recieving part or all of their instruction in German. This percentage is higher than all the children we have enrolled in Spanish-English instruction today.
This trend toward bilingual education began to change during the First World War when people began to question the loyalty of those that didn’t speak English. Bilingual education programs were replaced by English-only instruction laws as a way to “Americanize” the children that didn’t speak English. English-only instruction became the norm for limited English proficient or LEP students until these students began to fall far behind their English speaking classmates and drop out of school.
To help solve this growing problem, the Bilingual Education Act of 1968 was enacted. This act provided federal funding so schools could begin teaching children not only in English but their primary language as well. Individual states began to enact their own bilingual education laws after the Bilingual Education Act of 1968 was passed. The Supreme Court case, Lau v. Nichols, was an extremely important turning point. The case required schools to take affirmative steps to help non-English speaking children overcome language barriers which were holding them back, however the federal government didn’t mandate how these children should be taught. On the other hand, these laws do require that non-English speaking students have the same equal opportunities as their English speaking classmates.

Website:
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/12_03/langhst.shtml

Chapter 14: What Can the New Teacher Expect?

It’s My First Day of Class…What Do I Do Again?

New teachers face many challenges their first year of teaching. How are they going to handle a classroom with 30 students, teach all the required material, keep all the children occupied for 6 hours a day 5 days a week, and how are they going to find time to fill out all the paperwork for administration plus grade papers? It’s enough to make anyone feel overwhelmed however this difficult time will also be filled with feelings of excitement, enthusiasm, and accomplishment.
The first thing new teachers need to do is realize they are not alone. If your first day of class brings tears to your eyes, you are not the first teacher this has happened to. If your students rip through your lesson plan at record time, and you don’t know how to occupy the children for the rest of the day, you are not alone. It is important to realize that you as the teacher are an important part of each student’s life and even if you feel overwhelmed, the children will still love you anyway. Lastly, always remember that June is right around the corner.
The second problem many new teacher face is how to handle the issue of discipline and the consequences that come along with it. Before your first discipline issue arises, make sure you have your plan set ahead of time. Don’t create an elaborate plan that is difficult to remember, and try to think back to strategies that have worked in the past. Explain the rules of the class to the students on the first day and make sure they understand. Praising students for good behavior is extremely effective and if a student does break a rule be consistent with your consequences. If you as a teacher say you are going to send a student to the office or give them detention, follow through with what you said so the children know you’re telling the truth. If you feel like you are being too harsh, you can change your consequences later. Always remember, you are in charge of the classroom not the students.
The third and last issue involves paperwork. Remain as organized as you can and create different files for homework, class work, assessments, forms from the office, notes from home, and handouts. For young children, you can color code the stacks so that they understand where each piece of paperwork goes. Finally, keep all the notes from students and parents that compliment you so that when you are having a difficult day, you can pull those papers out and remember why you chose to become a teacher in the first place.

Website:
http://www.essortment.com/family/advicenewteach_smym.htm

Chapter 1: Why Teach?

What Motivates A Teacher?

People often wonder what motivates a teacher to teach. What makes these educators get up out of bed everyday and get ready? With their coffee in one hand and a stack of papers in the other, they head to a classroom with more than 30 sometimes screaming children or unruly teenagers? It all comes down to intrinsic rewards and the help teachers can receive from supportive administrators. Intrinsic rewards are not one’s salary or benefits, but the feeling of self-respect, accomplishment and personal growth that can only be understood by the person experiencing those rewards.
Theorists agree that what motivates people inside is a psychological complex process but no comprehensive theory exists. However, a theorist named Abraham Maslow believed that people want to satisfy their lower level needs as well as their higher level needs. Lower level needs include security, belonging, and the need for love while higher level needs are self esteem, self actualization, and achieving one’s full potential. A study conducted by Pastor and Erlandson in 1982 found that teachers measure their job satisfaction by participation in decision-making, having both freedom and independence, experiencing a challenge, and lastly, by having the opportunity to learn and be creative. Another study by Sergiovanni found that teachers get great satisfaction when they affect the lives of their students and experience both recognition and the feeling of responsibility.
Administrators can also encourage their teachers to do their best everyday. In 1983, a survey by Brodinsky and Neill found that shared governance, in-service education, and supportive evaluation were all effective polices which helped motivate educators. Shared governance is said to promote harmony among the teachers and administrators while giving teachers a vested interest in school performance. In-service education is also helpful because it allows teachers to share ideas and discuss professional concerns with other fellow teachers. These sessions and seminars can improve a teacher’s techniques while giving them new ideas to try in their own classroom. Lastly, a good evaluation system provides teachers with feedback so that they can grow as educators.

Website:
http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-921/motivating.htm