Reflection # 20

The Puritans left England because they committed a crime of treason trying to reform the church of England. According to the passage, the Puritans looked to the New World to escape from both political and religious problems in England. Puritans believed in religion and politics joined together as one. The Puritans believed that schools would be good for the religious community to teach people how to read so that they could understand the Bible and battle against the devil with scriptures. During the early seventeenth century Thomas Jefferson wanted to go beyond educating small religious groups. So now white people regarding their state of wealth or them being poor they were granted the right to be educated at any public school. Girls were usually educated in Dame schools. Dame schools were schools that were taught by women in their own house. Boys were taught in Latin Grammar schools.

A new secondary school replaced the Latin Grammar schools, they were called Academy. Academy schools were free from any religious influence. These schools offered a variety of subjects such as math, astronomy, athletics, navigation, drama and bookkeeping. Franklin Academy was the first Academy established it was free yet still the most important secondary school in all of America. Francklin's Academy offered education for both boys and girls.
Horace Mann established the first common school or as we know it today the first elementary public school.

The democracy in schools was the thought that not everyone was in favor of free schools. The idea that there would be free schools available to anyone brought up the thought that America may become over educated.

Massachusetts was the first state with a secondary school or as we know it to today, a public high school. The school was established in Boston in 1821. This school enrolled 176 students all boys. In 1852 Boston then established another secondary school for girls. High schools in the nineteenth century seemed very similar to private schools. They were not free educational institutions. The push that forced the creation of free public high schools was the resistance to paying school tax. In 1874 the courts verdict was that taxes could be used to support the funding for free secondary schools.

Teacher Interview

For my teacher interview I decided to interview the teacher that I did my field experience project with, Mrs. Valarezo. Mrs. Valarezo is a second grade teacher t Charles David Wyche Elementary. She has been teaching for about nine years. We began the interview by discussing her career goals prior to her becoming a teacher. Her response was that she never really wanted to be a teacher. When she arrived here to America from El Salvador she wanted to work in an environment that would allow her to be with and near her children.

My first question for Mrs. Valarezo was, "What abilities and characteristics are needed to be a teacher? She provided great knowledge of some communication skills of which this career demands, and they are as follows: A projective voice, stable eye contact, understanding, willing to be co-cultured, assertive when necessary, and willing to listen. One other skill that Mrs. Valarezo advised of is patience. This is one that I actually knew of, but never actually valued its importance. She actually lectured me on this skill for a while but the main point was that everyone takes understanding, interpretation, and learning to their own levels. Therefore teaching isn't as easy to do as it is pronounced.

After she discussed with me the importance of patience in this field, I asked her a few questions on her thoughts on requirements and duties this job entailed. Her comeback was to be patient, understanding, flexible, and having an open mind. I didn't quite understand what she meant by flexibility but she explained that it is always better to stay in school and get higher degrees that way your availability is not so limited because of the different areas you can work. Also the more knowledge you have the more you are able to provide for your students.

Another question was of her own knowledge what are her duties and responsibilities as a teacher. Her response was to help students from one place to another, helping in any area that her students needed help in, not just subject matter. Another responsibility she takes upon herself is to expose students to what is in the real world.

The next question I asked Mrs. Valarezo was what did she like most about her job. Her response was that class is never the same as yesterday, it's never redundant. Sometimes it's a loud day, talkative, or goofy day, but when it's too quiet she suspects something odd.

The interview lasted for about 45 minutes, but I couldn't leave until I asked her my last question. The question was how would you advise someone coming into this career or preparing for this job? Her response was " You must be willing to learn as much as you are willing to teach, you must set boundaries, know how to manage and not control, be willing to be co-cultured and available, and last but not least be prepared to change or be the stepping stone to someone else's future.

Reflection # 19

Dame schools in Colonial times were schools for women. The teacher of a Dame school was also a woman and the schools would take place in the teachers house. The schools were called Dame schools because during colonial times the women were called dames. So if you translated the word dame then the schools would be called women schools Dame Schools were like primary or head start schools. Women that wished to be educated at least the basics such as learning their alphabets, and how to read would most likely attend a dame school. Dame schools were usually opened to women who were not allowed an eduction in a Latin Grammar Schools. Dame schools were important facilities for education they were the main schools for women and they were used extensively for the first century of colonial development.

In Dame schools the women used a sort of textbook called a hornbook. Hornbooks were paddle handle boards that had imprinted on them the letters of the alphabets in both capital letters and lower case letters. The hornbooks also contained the Lord's prayer or scripture. I was also decorated by the wealthy with jewels and leather.

Education in each colony was instructed and enforced differently. In the New England Colonies the Puritans made sure that everyone had a satisfactory education. The Puritans in the New England Colonies constructed their societies education basically upon the Bible. It was important for all Puritans to know how to read so that they could read the Bible. There belief was that illiteracy was from Satan and this curse would stop them from reading biblical scriptures.
In New England Colonies the little boys and girls attended Dame Schools to learn their basics of how to read and write. At least two-thirds of man and one third of women knew how to sign their signature.

About half of the middle colony knew how to sign their names. School in the middle colonies
were not so much enforced as it was in the New England colonies. It was really up to the families if the children would go to school or not. In the Southern Colonies, they believed mostly in moral values. They thought that the child should be trained first in his or her home. They thought if the families couldn't teach their children, then how can strangers teach them anything.

Reflection # 12

A little over 50 years ago Soviet Russia launched the first rocket on October 4, 1957, Sputnik. The launch of Sputnik traveled 7,000 miles into space. No one knew yet but the launch of Sputnik would change the America and the world forever. It was the worlds first satellite. It traveled around the entire world in about 96 minutes. Sputnik was the first man made equipment that ever flew into outer space.


America was astonished and devastated at the same time that one of their enemies were coming up with tremendous inventions such as this. What made America feel even more embarrassed is that Russia a country thought to be so outdated not only invented the first space flying object but it was successful. This embarrassment changed Americas views in schools to teach more about outer space.

Due to the launching of Sputnik, congress passed the National Defense Education Act on September 2, 1958. This act allowed the United States to provide funding to all United States School institutions at all levels. America was no always considerate to the subject of science. Because of the take off of Sputnik Americas interest in engineering and science based on Space was not very important.

When the National Defense Education Act came into effect, funding were given to institutions to higher their standards and capability too do and be just as good in space science as the Soviet Union. The National Defense Education Act also sponsored trainings for teachers and loans and scholarships to students in college that will ensure the nation's future.

Reflection # 18

I do agree that from the very beginning America's view about school was always to improve our society today. When the English came from across the world to populate America their schools were organized by their communties. The communities made sure that the children were educated in a certain way. Establishing an Educated society was important because it was necessary that everyone knew how to write and read. Although there were times when the female students were not valued enough to have equal education with a boy, they were still educated to be good house keepers and to take care of their families. In colonial times the schools had some form of religious education. I believe that religion was important to their society because it allowed the students to acknowledge their being a higher power. It also helped them to stay pure by doing the right thing with thought that along with sin comes death.
Also in Colonial America times teachers were not as educated as they should have been. In fact anyone could could be a school educator. At some point indentured servants were forced to be teachers until a certain amount of years. the fact that someone who knows nothing about teaching would teach what they know not about is crazy. As time went by schools were being established to better prepare the teachers for subject matters. When the profession of teachers did expand throughout the nation, there were high demands for better qualified teachers. Therefore this demand required better education for better teachers. another example of how America's view of schools is always to better society is because of all the different techniques we have and workshops teachers go to. There are a variety of programs on computers just to better education such as ticket to read and success reader for elementary students. In college the majority of books purchased for classes come with a CD-ROM package that includes different subjuect lessons, and practices.

A Perfect Love

This post reminded me of gods love for his children. How even our righteousness are still but filthy rags. We as humans are never good enough to please him and never suffucient enough to repay him for all that he has done is doing and will continue to do for us. But as much as we are imperfect and him being beyond perfect and faithful he will always love you no matter what. An unconditional Love.

consider a bedraggled obatala

I was trying to figure out how can the addiction of alcohol shape the body or image of a child in a mothers womb. Then i thought about the many addictions and iniquities we all have and never thought to stop them because it wouldn't catch up to us. Little did we know that not all curses skip a generation and that we may just have carried these curses off to the generation inside of us. It doesn't look so bad when you have to look at your own flaws thinking no one else knows about it. But when you have to look at your flaws inside and outside your childs life and body and watch them cry out "why am I like this" It hurts deeply to know that it's your fault and you could have prevented before it affected another victim within you.