Ensuring Full Citizenship

Teachers everywhere should constantly be focusing on ensuring full citizenship in their classrooms and in their communities. Everyone, especially in America, has been given rights, such as the freedom of speech. It is the responsibility of the teacher to honor and uphold the rights and opportunities of each and every one of their students, no matter their background or status. All students, including those with disabilities and exceptionalities, should be able to feel safe and free within their classrooms. Teachers have the ability to ensure full citizenship by monitoring such acts like teasing and bullying within the classroom setting and making sure that those who do commit such acts know that they are wrong and should inevitably change their ways. In my opinion, it is never too early to begin to ensure full citizenship within the classroom. Many elementary school students are sat in “a time out” in order to think about their negative actions. In countries throughout the South Pacific, students who choose not to do well in school are put to work, often in tasks such as wood carving. No matter what the method of consequence in one’s classroom is, however, the important lesson to be learned is that upholding the rights of each student is important and essential to the betterment of humankind as a whole.

Expanding Relationships

Encouraging all students to expand their relationships with individuals who have disabilities, as well as those who don’t, is another one of the many vital lessons each and every teacher needs to teach their students. Throughout their lifetimes, these young individuals will be faced with a variety of different people. Some of the individuals that these students will encounter will be those with disabilities. It is the obligation of parents and teachers to teach children that these “special” people are not to be feared, but instead embraced. Connections are essential to one’s quality of life. Researchers have proven, time and time again, that individuals cannot survive alone for long periods of time due to the lack of interaction they face. Therefore, communication is the key to success, in that people throughout the world have many things to share, as well as many ideas and concepts to learn. Teachers can help establish these connections in the classroom by providing their students with the opportunity to meet their classmates, peers, school staff, and community members. One way that this aspiration can be easily accomplished with frequent off campus excursions that help students build memories with their classmates, as well as become accustomed to the environment that surrounds them. In helping students to expand their relationships, teachers are also building a world where more and more individuals will be able to live in peace and harmony due to the strong binds they have made through these interactions.

Becoming Self-Determined

One of the most effective ways teachers can ensure that their students will take
accountability for their choices is by enabling them to make and act on their own accord. Simply put, it is the duty of the parents and the teachers to instill within youth the proper methods of conduct and basic academic knowledge to become successful individuals. With the same respect, however, enabling students to act on their own inclinations based on their ethnic, social, and academic background is a basic part of allowing students to take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it to “real life.” If every teacher metaphorically held the hand of each and every child they taught, those students would never grow into self-sufficient adults. Instead, they would be permanently stuck in the mind frame that someone else was responsible for making their decisions, resulting in a worthless educational system. Therefore, it is important to recognize the fact that although parents and teachers alike have the responsibility to help their children grow into smart and responsible adults, it is also very important to allow students to become self-determined in planning their own route through life’s obstacles and complications.

Building on Strengths

Building on all students’ inherent strengths is another value that teachers need to embrace in order to make necessary connections of trust and fellowship with their students. Throughout their lives, each and every individual has had the opportunity to develop their own inborn talents, as well as develop those they desire to learn. Teachers in general need to continue this trend by providing their students with abilities to show and share their capabilities with others. This concept can be simply accomplished by including students in class discussions and presentations. In many elementary schools, young children are able to share what are commonly referred to as “show-and-tell” items. In high school and universities nationwide, more and more youth are able to present topics to their classes through the use power points and presentation boards. The opportunity these students will have to communicate with their peers provides youth with the chance to emphasize, recognize, and build upon their strengths. Therefore, as a teacher, this is one of the best ways that I will be able to keep my students actively involved in the lecture, especially those children who have exceptionalities where physical impairments and disabilities are concerned.

Enhancing Positive Contributions

The ability to envision in great expectations for all students is one of the most important perspectives that teachers in general should have towards their students. I remember being tested for the Special Education program several times throughout elementary school because I had very poor reading comprehension skills. The fact of the matter, however, was not that I needed to be in the classified as a SPED student, but that I needed more educational guidance and assistance in reading. My second grade teacher was uncommitted to helping me improve these lacking abilities simply because she was convinced that I was just one of her many students and that she should therefore be focusing on the class as a whole rather than each student individually. Due to her negative attitude, my reading comprehension skills improved very little, if at all, while I was a member of her class. I still remember her telling me that because I could not read very well, I should focus on my academic talents in math instead. As a result of her lack of commitment towards helping me improve in my troubled areas, I was not able to develop defined reading skills as early as I could have. Instead, I was forced to wait until my third grade teacher, Mrs. Patricia Akiyama, was willing to help me improve my by reading proficiency having my parents and I regularly visit the library and read nightly bedtime stories. Mrs. Akiyama’s dedication to helping me overcome this scholastic weakness instilled within me the confidence I needed in order to excel as a student. Following this experience, I eventually embellished enough self-believe and faith as to where I eventually graduated from my island’s largest and most highly accredited high school with valedictory status. Due to her hard work and compassion towards me as her student, Mrs. Akiyama was able to envision and nurture great expectations for me. It is for committed teachers such as she of whom I am eternally indebted to and grateful for.

Envisioning Great Expectations

The ability to envision in great expectations for all students is one of the most important perspectives that teachers in general should have towards their students. I remember being tested for the Special Education program several times throughout elementary school because I had very poor reading comprehension skills. The fact of the matter, however, was not that I needed to be in the classified as a SPED student, but that I needed more educational guidance and assistance in reading. My second grade teacher was uncommitted to helping me improve these lacking abilities simply because she was convinced that I was just one of her many students and that she should therefore be focusing on the class as a whole rather than each student individually. Due to her negative attitude, my reading comprehension skills improved very little, if at all, while I was a member of her class. I still remember her telling me that because I could not read very well, I should focus on my academic talents in math instead. As a result of her lack of commitment towards helping me improve in my troubled areas, I was not able to develop defined reading skills as early as I could have. Instead, I was forced to wait until my third grade teacher, Mrs. Patricia Akiyama, was willing to help me improve my by reading proficiency having my parents and I regularly visit the library and read nightly bedtime stories. Mrs. Akiyama’s dedication to helping me overcome this scholastic weakness instilled within me the confidence I needed in order to excel as a student. Following this experience, I eventually embellished enough self-believe and faith as to where I eventually graduated from my island’s largest and most highly accredited high school with valedictory status. Due to her hard work and compassion towards me as her student, Mrs. Akiyama was able to envision and nurture great expectations for me. It is for committed teachers such as she of whom I am eternally indebted to and grateful for.

Second Life

After having put this SPED 200 assignment off for what seemed to me like eternity, I was just recently able to experience the http://secondlife.com site. To be completely honest, I despise spending too much time on the Internet or with technology in general because I think life is much too precious to just sit in one's room and not regularly interact with the "real" world.

After participating in this virtual online experience on this site and several others, including http://neopets.com, I have mixed feelings about the so-called "benefits" technological advancement have in modern society. Many wonderful things are being accomplished today, such as improvements in medicine, most of which are directly connected to technology. I still remember being a fourth grader in Maui and learning how to open a word processing program on the computer. Nowadays, most college students are experiencing "paperless" courses, where all of their assignments and communication with their professors outside the classroom are completed online. Although all these advancements are for the definite benefit of humankind as a whole, I am still convinced that nothing beats the "old fashioned" way of life.

I experienced the Second Life website as an avatar under the givern name "Leka Aeon." That name itself upset me because I thought "now, what the heck is wrong with my real name?" Another things that bothered me was that the avatars that were available for me to choose from were all Asian or Caucasian looking, making me feel like an outsider. Another aspect of Second Life that I did not like were other virtual people I interacted with, such as "Scrappy Whacko." I don't know what real-life mother would name her child that, so I'm glad I remember I was in a "virtual world" when I saw that name :).

In a nutshell, I am opposed to students, especially those that are fairly young, being exposed to sites such as these. What happened to parents telling their children "never talk to strangers!" or "did anyone you didn't know bother you today?" On the contrary, it seems like parents are seeking resources such as the Internet to raise their children more and more, especially this day in age. In my opinion, it is the duty and obligation of the parent, as well as that of the child's teacher, to help them lead successful lives instead of solely relying on an Internet game. I appreciate the fact that I was invited to experience this virtual on-line experience, but as a future mother and teacher, I must say that I prefer the old school style of parenting, teaching, and basically the traditional way of life that I am accustomed to and have grown to admire.