Factors that Affect Teachers

As teachers, we all know that there are a plethora of outside factors that affect our students, our schools, and ourselves. This week in our Grammar class we read articles that highlighted some of these factors; such as, teacher’s cost of living, schools going green to help with failing test scores, sesame workshop, educating children that were affected by Katrina, and child farm workers just to name a few.

Since I am not in the classroom yet, I chose to focus on the teacher’s cost of living, since the others were about teachers already in the classroom. The article Teachers’ Cost of Living Matters More compares teacher salaries in different cities or regions against the national average or other U.S. cities. The cities are ranked by the adjusted and unadjusted elementary teacher pay. For example, in Memphis is adjusted pay is $50,797 and the unadjusted pay is $45,108, which is one of the higher when it comes to the difference between the two rates.

When I first enrolled in college, I decided to become a nurse. All I heard about growing up was to have a job that paid well and had great job security and therefore nursing seemed the best option for me. I had thought about teaching, but everyone told me I should become a nurse because it paid quite a lot more. So, for my first two years of college, I was a Nursing Major. However, when I met my husband and was miserable in my classes, we discussed me switching majors. The pay did come up because of how low teachers get paid in Tennessee. However, I decided my happiness was way more important than pay.

After reading the article, I was shocked to see that some pay rates dropped when they were adjusted in consideration of the cost of living. If the cost of living lowers the pay rate, I don’t think that would be fair to teachers. Why lower their pay just because the cost of living is lower? That doesn’t make much sense to me. However, if the cost of living is more, I believe teachers should get paid the adjusted rate. Teachers play an important part in society today and the future society. Some jobs that I feel are less important get paid a lot more. For instance, garbage men in larger cities can make up to $65,000, which is more than all of the teacher’s salary based on the chart in the article!!!! I cannot believe that! Teachers put in so much work than just the "work day". There are more things they work with outside of those 8 hours, such as helping children with their home life, staying after to grade or tutor students, research teaching techniques, etc. Hopefully, they will change teacher's salary because teachers use their personal time and money to help better their teaching techniques for the betterment of the children in their classroom.

Multiculturalism in the Curriuculum

The reflection this is week will be based on the following three articles: Organizers See 'New Civil Rights Movement' in Immigration Protests, Multiculturalism in School Curriculum, and Toward a Centrist Curriculum: Two Kinds of Multiculturalism in Elementary School.

From the last post, we learn viewpoints of multiculturalism in general. Now, we take a closer examination of multiculturalism and its role in elementary classrooms. In regards to multiculturalism in the curriculum, there are different viewpoints on what it should look like and how it should be taught in the classrooms. In the article Toward a Centrist Curriculum: Two Kinds of Multiculturalism in Elementary School, Hirsch brings up a lot of good discussion of what a multicultural curriculum would include. Hirsch states that the proposed curriculum by the Core Knowledge Sequence would have the following characteristics: "1) It encourages knowledge of and sympathy towards the diverse cultures of the world. 2) It fosters respect for every child's home culture as well as for the cosmopolitan school-based culture. 3) It gives all children competence in the current system of language and allusion that is dominant in the nation's economic and intellectual discourse". I completely agree that these characteristics need to be incorporated into the curriculum because teachers must facilitate classroom learning as well as social cohesion. Hirsch states "classroom learning cannot go forward effectively unless all students in the class share some common points of reference".

Through teaching multiculturalism in the classroom, a true sense of fairness for all students will be observed. In the article What is Multiculturalism in School Curriculum?, the author brings up a valid point discussing that to teach multiculturalism in the curriculum, a teacher does not have to move away from teaching the traditional curriculum. For instance, I believe in Social Studies if the teacher presents all sides and feelings to events that occurred the students gain a deeper knowledge and respect for all countries or people involved. The article also brings up the fact that some consider multicultural curriculum is demonstrated by teaching African culture solely during Black History Month or about women during Women's History Month. I believe that cultures should be taught throughout the units to integrate the cultures and teach about respect, similarities and differences, and understanding of all cultures. I currently am not teaching in the classroom, however I will incorporate integrating the different cultures and viewpoints to the units in the curriculum. I also believe after presenting the students with the different viewpoints from history events that they discuss them and understand that it is ok to have different opinions as long as you can respectively argue your stance without disrespecting other's views and culture.

After reading the articles, I get a broader understanding of what it means to teach multiculturalism and integrating it in the curriculum. In today schools, I thinks the curriculum, policies, and structure of the schools aren't consciously used as a means of social control. However, in some senses I am very naive. I only know that from here on out the curriculum must change because America is changing. We are growing more diverse and the curriculum should teach to the different diversities and make them feel apart of what they are learning.