The History of Education in America

In response to the prompt, the public view of teachers has shifted greatly since the early days of American education. Those who were once highly respected and held as valuable members to the community are now severely under appreciated and demonized by public generalizations. When you ask the majority of American people, whether they enjoyed an enriching education experience or not, they will give a very critical view of our current education system. Often times this ridicule is founded in an unfair or overly exaggerated conflict the individual experienced during their schooling. Common criticisms boil down to calling the teacher unfair, rude, or too strict. What many fail to realize is just how hard these teachers work and how many of them are truly inspiring to the students who see the value in their teaching. Some individuals may be cursed with apathetic teachers or an attitude that prevents them from seeing the bounty of hard work. When someone isn't prepared to commit themselves to staying focused in class and listening to the teacher's instruction, it is easy to fall behind and quickly develop a sour taste of school. Unfortunately this outlook has spread among many individuals leading them to hold a grudge against anything school related. And what better target for your frustration than the teacher you see everyday, running the classroom? These connections are overlooked by the majority and teachers are given a bad reputation for what is often no fault of their own.

The Water is Wide Reflection

Recently we viewed the movie, The Water is Wide, in  my Principles of Education and Training class. You can find my responses to the Reflection Prompt below.

3. Conventional teachers are often very regimented and routine. Their schedules and assignments are predictable and oriented towards groups- not individualized. This is not necessarily a "bad" way of teaching, it is just more rigid and impersonal.

5. Mr. Conroy showed that he respected the students on an individual level. It was clear in his efforts that he did his best to support the community with honest intentions and the community eventually returned the support. Through a constant welcoming and positive nature, Mr. Conroy was able to prove the school is a place the community should be invested in.

6. The children were initially hesitant to play by Mr. Conroy's out of the box principles. This new structure was foreign to them and caused for some growing pains.

Mrs. Brown was certainly ver strict and hard-pressed into her own "fundamental" ways. The two had conflicting fundamental view points on the principles of education. Through patience and commitment, the two were eventually able to see eye to eye.

With his youthful, outgoing nature, Mr. Conroy stuck out like a sore thumb on the island. Many dismissed him for having his head and the clouds therefore making them reluctant to compromise.

8. Mr. Conroy's persistent positivity and good heart serves as a model of excellence for any person put in a position of instruction. His method of really connecting with people on an honest and personal level builds a connection of respect and understanding not achieved through impersonal discipline. I know that this approach to helping others is the smoothest way to break boundaries and create respected relationships. I plan to incorporate this philosophy in any field of my life. It's just the right thing to do!