Community

In my community we have many after school school programs that they children can participate in before and after school. One of the places children can go in my community is called the Neutral Zone. After school is over, if children need a place to go they can go there. The Neutral Zone is more for middle school kids and older. They provide you with snacks, and have games, computers, and televisions. They also have tutors who can assist you in any school work you need help with. It is a good place for children to go after school because they will not be getting into any trouble, and they will not be home alone. For the younger age children we have a center called The Kids club. Children can go to The Kids Club before and after school. In the morning the parents can drop them off and when it is time for school, the employees walk them over to school because it is right across the school. After school, the teacher gathers all the children together that go there, and walks them back. When the parents get off of work, they will come pick them up. The Kids Club also provides children with snacks and games, and puts on movies for them to watch.

As an advocate of community partnership, if there is a lack of partnership, I will explain to the community why the children in the community would need places to go, or things to do after school and it's importance. It is important that children can continue to get an education even if they are not in an educational setting (classroom). If nothing gets accomplished I will take it upon myself to create a community center that is educational for children.

Reflection on Family Conference

I believe my family conference went very well. It was a good experience for me because I was able to see what it will be like in the future when I have to do it in my classroom. I feel as if I will be more prepared for conferences in my future because I at least got a taste of what it will really be like. The hard part about this assignment was making it up, but I'm sure when it's real it will be a lot easier.

The difficult conference was also a good experience because it showed me that all conferences are not going to be easy and there are going to be parents that have issues, and as a teacher I am going to know have to know how to handle that.

Drugs & Alcohol Abuse

The video clip showed a lot of information about what is happening to today's children because of the use of drugs and alcohol use of their parents. I don't think it's fair to the children that they have to born into a home that is unstable because their parents cannot contorl their addictions. There are so many children being taken away from their homes, that their is not enough room for all of them in foster homes. The childen that are being taken away experience child abuse and neglect because drugs are the number one factor. The repated violence and neglect causes long term psychogical affects on children. The violent streak may carry over to the children, and they will do the same things.

If a child in my classroom is in a family where the parents abuse drug and achohol I will have to be able to know how to deal with the situation. Children who are in these families may have a harder time focusing in class, because they have so much on their minds about what they are dealing with at home. The child may also have a hard time getting good grades because they can never get any work done at home, and they may never understand the material.

Poverty in America

Poverty and homelesness is a problem for youth in America because it is hard for them to get out of it. If their parents are poor and homeless, they are also poor and homeless. The young children also have dreams they want to accomplish but cannot beccause they don't have any money, or they have to contribute most of their time being the care taker of their siblings. Once a child is brought up in poverty, it is a struggle for them to get past it. In order for them to stop the line of poverty in their families, they have to overcome many struggles.

As a teacher I will address these problems by helping my students out. I will make sure they have enough help at home and in the classroom. I will have to be understanding about the the situation and remember that the child is having problems at home, and it may contribute to problems in the classroom.

Reflection #1

Entering kindergarten was the most terrifying moment of my life. I was not very shy, but the though of leaving my parents was horrific. I everyday for the first two weeks of kindergarten. I didn't participate an any class activities expect for naptime. One day my kindergarten teacher pulled me aside to talk to me. She explained that I was very smart, and tried to include me in some of the fun activities. Afterwards she sange me a song to try to make me feel better. At that moment I finally started to losen up and have fun. For the next couple of months, I started to enjoy kindergarten and even won a reading contest. My kindergarten teacher started being absent for more than weeks at a time. She was replaced by a very mean substitute that no one really like. The next month arrived and my there was still no sign of my teacher. The next day, I learned my teacher had died of cancer. Although I did not know what cancer was, I was aware that my teacher was gone. At that moment I realzied that she was the best teacher ever, and I wanted to be just like her when I grew up.