Board Meeting

Monday evening, I had the opportunity to attend my first ever school board meeting. I got to learn more of how the board decides and approaches issues that involve the school. I didn't know that these meetings were open to the public. Overall, this was a good experience.

There was a total of 10 or 12 board members that sat in the front of the room and they faced the public. Other folks that didn't sit with the public sat in the back taking notes on their computers. There were two big screens that displayed everything that they were talking about, one in thr front and one in the back. This helped a lot when analyzing the meeting.

Based off of the things that the school board talked about, I say that they make some very important decisions for the schools, especially with money being involved. I say they also have a good classroom connection with all the schools in the community. I say this because I went to school in Goshen K-12 and I would always see these board members at the schools trying to help out.  During the first 30 minutes of the meeting, they congratulated students on their academic achievements. This was really nice and it made one see that they value students. I could feel the love and support that the schools give to them. It made me see that the board really wants to have a strong connection to the classroom. 

After this, they went ahead and jumped into the progress of certain programs that they had installed in schools. An example of this is when the assisant principal of the high school gave the progress of laptops in the school. They also talked about other things that were related to the school. One person from the public came up front and introduced a new after school music program. I say that the value of the school boards is really big. Their purpose is to help schools to be successful, which in turn help students be successful in life. Education is important for the future of the town and if they don't make the right decisions they will most likely fail. This is why the school boards are very important to have. They have the power to either help improve learning in schools or decrease it. 

The meeting went pretty much how I imagined it would go. I saw cameras, principals, teachers, and a few people from the community. What surprised me a little was how the board members voted. I thought there would be a few "Nays" on certain issues, but they voted the same. This is a good thing because it shows that they want whats best for the community. There wasn't really any hot topics discussed other then the transportation issue, which was about the cutting of transportation for students. I didn't stay long enough to hear what the public thought about the issue or board memeber's reasons to cutting it out, but based off of the classroom discussion it sounded not very good.

Grant And Gillette's 9 Elements

The power of the mind is such an interesting and wonderful thing. It is vital to the success of every individual in this world. The moment a mother gives birth, the baby starts to explore and learn about its new surroundings. It has been proven by many scientists that babies are active learners. This is really extraordinary and intriguing. As these babies grow older and start going to school, they begin question and wonder more about their surroundings. The development of the mind is crucial and this is where teachers come into the picture. Teachers help develop the mind of these children by teaching them new things about our world and our society. These children in the end of their schooling are impacted by teachers because of the immense hours that they're in school. In order to develop and impact children in a good way, it is important for a teacher to follow Grant and Gillette's 9 elements. It is very important to understand and apply these elements when it comes to teaching. These elements put emphasis in the student's ways of learning and it gives teachers an idea on how to teach diverse learners.

When it comes to the 9 elements that Grant and Gillette talk about, I have some experience with Element number 4, it states that one should have involvement in the community and act as a good role model. The summer before my first year of college, I had the opportunity to coach in Goshen's Junior Football league. I was the assistant coach for a group of 4th-6th grade students. There I got to not only teach young children about the game of football, but I also taught them things that they would be able to apply to their lives. An example of this was when I told the team that they should learn how to work well with one another and be respectful of their teammates because in the end they're all in the same boat and that is to have fun and play the game of football. Besides the coaching aspect of this, I didn't feel as a role model to these kids till I started to build a bond with them. Some of these kids came from unstable homes and some didn't have father figures in their lives. When I started to think about these issues I started to see myself as a role model. It no longer was about the game of football, that I love, but it was more about the children and their success as a person. After this wonderful experience, I decided to dedicate my time and knowledge for the youth of the community.

The second element that I have some experience with is the fifth element of Grant and Gillette's 9 elements. When I was in High school I volunteered for many youth sports camps. There I got to work with kids who were diverse learners. Being Hispanic and helping out in American sports was really different at first. This is where I learned a little more about the American culture. I learned to work well with other volunteer adults, who had different beliefs (religions), morals, and backgrounds. Despite the differences, I learned quite a lot about myself and their ways of thinking. So joining groups that involve people of very different backgrounds can help shape the perspective of one.

All of these elements are needed to be successful in the education field. A couple of elements that I have no experience with, but I feel like they’re very important, are the 1st and 9th elements of Grant and Gillette.The 1st element talks about getting experiences with all types of learners and their families. Every teacher wants to be successful and to be able to make an impact on students lives. In order to do this, teachers should get to know the learners that they are working with. Depending on the family, will determine the emphasis on school and I know this first hand. Growing up my parents didn’t really care whether or not I did good in school. They just wanted me have somewhere to go to while they worked. They also had this idea that an American Education is a lot better then a Mexican one. Making them believe that I was in good hands and that they didn't need to get involved? It was my 4th grade teacher who changed their perspective on education. I was a below average student who had “OK” grades, but I needed more support to reach my full potential. This is where my teacher stepped in and told my parents to help me more at home. After my 4th grade year, I went from being a below average student to a very good student. My fourth grade teacher really impacted my life and all she did was talk to my parents. We also live in society where everything is so structured and this really affects how students learn. I saw this quite a lot in my high school; everyone was taught the same way and if a student didn’t get what was going on, they were either forced to stay quiet or had to ask for help individually. This structured way of teaching assumes that everyone learns the same way and that is false! Getting to know the learners is very key to their success academically because once a teacher gets a grasp of their learning styles, learning will become much easier. This is by far the most important experience that every teacher should get.

The 9th element is also very important to becoming a teacher. This element states that one should study effective teachers. This is a very good opportunity to see how good teaching is done. This will help mold or create the teaching philosophy of a newer person in the teaching field. I know I have little experience with this, but I strongly believe that in this experience one can take out a lot. One can see what is working well for the students and what is not. When seeing an effective teacher I would take out good techniques and ideas that the teacher has and apply them to my teaching persona. In the end the mind is so powerful that it sees no limits. Because of this I would like for all students to enjoy learning and to reach their full potential as a learner.