My time at Hathaway Brown School was one that I will truly never forget.  All of the experiences that I was able to take away from each individual class will allow me to better myself in my attempt to become a high school History teacher.  There were certain things I was able to notice that I can take away as positive influences to the classroom as well as a few that I should try to stay away from. Having a program in our education system at John Carroll where I am able to see first hand what a high school classroom is like from the perspective of a teacher only reaffirms my ambitions to become one myself.  There were questions in my mind that I was able to answer base on what I saw on a day to day basis.  My time spent in class as a student was also brought back into the light.  Things that I found to be boring and useless as student were shown to me in  a way that not only made them necessary but also beneficial to the learning of the students.  I would like to thank the HB community for allowing me to sit in on their classes as well as a special thank you to Mr. Hoffman for setting up the times for me to come in, as well as his colleagues for taking the time to make me feel welcome as both a future educator as well as a student of what it means to be an influential teacher in today's education system.

My fourth day at HB was spent with Mrs. Day, a fellow history teacher of MR. Hoffman.  The discussion that took place was on apartheid.  What I found to be interesting was before showing the movie that the class had been preparing for in days prior, she took a short amount of time to made sure that all of her students were on the same page.  I felt it was very important to make sure that the students' minds were active as not to let the content of the movie simply enter through one ear and leave out the other.  The movie itself which was played in both classes I observed was stopped at various points throughout the showing-something I hated as a student, but find to be necessary as a teacher- to make sure that everyone was still focused as well as understanding how the video showed examples of what was relevant to the lesson itself.  This is important because no teacher should be showing a movie for the sake of showing it or filling up a class period so as not to have to stand at the front of the class and teach.  One of the things I found to be most impressive was that when a question by a student was posed, there was no BS answer that would be thrown back at them.  If the information wasn't known Mrs. Day wrote it down on the pad of paper that sat at her desk and she promised to find out the answer, and inform the students the following class.  This proved to be important to me because it showed that she truly cared about the learning of her students.  Liker them, she would be learning as well.  That is the beauty of a classroom, teachers have the ability to learn something new everyday as well.

On my third day of observation I found myself in a whole new environment, a place that contained both unfamiliar faces as well as a new topic.  Although English is also one of my strongpoints with my academic standing, my interest level is not as high as it is in a historical setting.  English class was an experience all the same.  Though the subject was different, the structure of the classroom was the same.  In order for the class to be productive, all students would have to attempt to be engaged.  Whether that be shedding their own light on the book that was being discussed, or asking questions pertaining to the topic.  History itself is more about facts the outcome as a result of passed events.  The english class that I had the pleasure of sitting in on talked more about the structure of the paper that the students were preparing for.  The students were also preparing for midterms the following week, so many questions pertaining to the exam were thrown around over the course of the class.  One thing that I found to be very interesting was that snacks and drinks were allowed as long as they were not distracting to the teacher or other students around.  I myself was never allowed to have food in class.  That sense of freedom and responsibility was honestly refreshing to me.  The students were eventually paired up and went over a review packet for the exam the following week.  The constant struggle with this is whether or not all groups were being productive.  I felt as though the teacher did a good job with circulating and listening in on the different conversations that were being had.  Every so often students would be asked questions almost as a test to see if they were actually on task.  This is a little trick I may have been able to pick up for my classes in the future.The second class that I attended for the day was a community service based class.  Selected students attended the class so there were only 7.  This class was devoted to volunteer work both inside and outside the class that met twice a cycle.  During the class a video was shown on what they class would be doing after christmas break, and all seemed to be enthused on the task at hand.  This teacher, like Mr. Hoffman, shared life experiences that were relatable to what was being talked about in class.  In all it was an enlightening experience to see what it was like outside of a History class setting.

Knowing what to expect made the second go round a lot easier.  My second time at HB was on the fourth of December, and yet again I found myself in in Mr. Hoffman's history class.  As I've stated in my final project as well as numerous times in class, I am a big advocate for technology being used in class.  I feel as thug if it is used correctly than it will be able to enhance discussion in the classroom, and therefore better the learning environment as a whole.  But at times over the course of this history class I felt as though it was more of a distraction than anything else.  Students often typed out the notes that were on the board or things that were being said by classmates.  The only problem with this is that once a question was posed for the class, there was no one to respond because they were all busy attempting to get the information down in their notes.  One of the aspects of the class that I enjoyed and will most definitely take into my own teaching methods is when Mr. Hoffman was able to link a story of his own life into the lesson itself, making it not only more entertaining, but also more relatable.  As a result the students felt more inclined to share their own stories causing for more class discussion and problem solving.  In order for classrooms to be successful it cannot just be the teaching standing at the front of the class attempting to shovel knowledge into the minds of the students.  The learners must be able to conceptualize the material themselves, and I feel Mr. Hoffman does a very good job of facilitating such a task.  I thoroughly enjoy being in Mr. Hoffman's class because along with the stories that he tells that are relatable to the topic at hand, he also has the hands on experience to deal with the awkward silences, and the abrupt halts that are inevitable while teaching a class.  I feel that part of a classroom is my biggest fear.  I must learn to overcome those silences and encourage engagement for the sake of the whole class taking away as much as they can from the lesson plan that I have prepared.

After years of avoiding eye contact, secretly texting, and staring at the clock until it was time to leave, I finally had the opportunity to see a classroom environment from the other side of the glass-what a view!  Not only did it feel awkward to be standing in front of my peers as an authority figure, but it also gave me a sense of pride that the profession I had longed for since I was in third grade was now just peaking over the horizon.  But then the glorious moment ended, and that ray of sunshine over the horizon blinded me with the reality that I now had to teach a lesson, one that these students would actually be able to learn from, there needed to be something that these peers of mine would be able to take away from all of the information I was about to throw their way.  I was the provider of the knowledge, as well as the facilitator of the learning.
Starting off the class with the background knowledge of the information that had been provided through chapter 13 of Educational Foundations was both necessary and informative in my eyes.  But at the same time I couldn't help but feel like I lost some interest right off the bat.  One of the biggest struggles throughout the class was whether or not I was going to be able to be informative while also maintaining a maximum level of interest.  That was where I thought the activity with the song lyrics brought that interest level back.  A song that presumably everyone had heard at one point and was popular relatively recently was now being used as a teaching tool in the classroom.  But despite the excitement that came with the activity, the students didn't really seem to get out of it what I wanted them to.  That was the hardest part for me.  Being able to come up with an activity that would meet the focal point of my topic, while maintaing the illusion that all we were doing was looking at a song and having fun.  It is definitely something I will need to work on-making activities more relatable to the subject at hand.

On Tuesday December 2nd, I way fortunate enough to sit and observe two of Mr. Carl Hoffman's US History class at Hathaway Brown.  It was certainly a different feeling when I realized I was one of two male's in  room of 20. It also gave me a view of how the other side lived as I myself had attended and all boys high school, and always wondered if our sister schools were run the same way. It was apparently so-with quite a bit of knowledge being thrown at the students they attempted to contribute to the class while maintaining adequate notes on their laptops for next weeks test.  Although the atmosphere was the same as my own experience in high school, I did notice some differences in the way classrooms were structured.  As appose to the "traditional" desks set up in rows, the students, as well as Mr. Hoffman, all sat around a large oval-shaped table.  This to me, was something new, something fresh, a way in which the class is more able to become discussion based, where ideas can be thrown every which way and learning can be exciting and fun.  That being said, from a students' perspective it could also be seen as a burden-there is nowhere for students to hide at an oval-shaped table.

On this particular day the class talked, listened, and learned about the civil war.  Being a history buff, I myself was riveted to relearn about the events leading up to the civil war, the secessions from the Union, and then finally the battle at Fort Sumpter.  But the first class, I cannot say with absolution, felt the same way.  Many of the students appeared disinterested based on their posture, and only contributed after many moments of awkward silence after a question had been posed.  The second class on the other hand was a talkative bunch with much enthusiasm and much to say...just not very much on topic.  The beginning of class, which eventually ended up being about 20 minutes, was spent talking about the Ferguson shooting and riots-which is far from the topic of the civil war.  Nevertheless, some discussion is better than no discussion.  It was interesting to see both sides of the coin.  By that I mean, I was able to see what it is like to be in a classroom with engaged students, and another classroom where the majority would rather sit back and let a handful answer all the questions.

Bill Ayers talks a lot about this idea of building bridges in order to achieve greatness in the classroom.  Although these bridges seem to have a positive affect on the classroom, some of those bridges may or may not take place in the classroom itself.  Sure it is safe to say that an educator must form a relationship with his or her students in order to be able to connect with them and know what their strengths and weaknesses are, but there are many other dynamics at hand in order to achieve that success.  A teacher must also build a bridge with those connected to the student when they are not in a classroom environment.  It is essential to maintain a steady relationship with the parents or guardians of students in order to reaffirm the notion that everyone in the students' learning process is on the same page.  Above all else both teachers and students should be looking out for the best interests of a students.  This "bridge" is that link between parents wanting to see their children succeed, and teachers allowing said student to perform in the classroom using the tools and skills they have attained through prior experiences.
One pattern that often sticks out when it comes to the evolution of a child's learning ability is their growth in communication.  Being able to find one's voice is an enormous aspect to finding ones identity both as an individual, as well as a student.  Whether it is asking questions or giving informative answers when it comes to class discussions, a student should be able to become more and more engaged the higher into their education that they get.  Another pattern that can be argued for is the link from grade to grade.  In order for students to obtain knowledge and not simply regurgitate information, they must build off of what they had already previously learned.  This happens from grade to grade regardless of the subject.  For example, statistics builds off of algebra the same way US History ties into the American Revolution.  Each grade is a building block taking a student higher and higher.
In making a lesson plan for a high school history classroom, my topic would be the Battle at Lexington and Concord during the Revolutionary War.  There are a few key points that I would need to make sure that I cover in order to be sure that the students had fully grasped what this particular battle, one of many, was all about.  I would definitely need to cover who it was fighting in this battle, both sides as well as the views in which these two parties were fighting for.  I would also need to touch on the fundamental strategies in which the battle was fought (who was stationed where/tactical successes or errors made by military leaders).  And of course the outcome of the battle and what this meant for the rest of the War.  Of course the Battle of Lexington and Concord was really the first skirmish between the British and the Colonists.

Blog Post 6

Chapter 8 of Educational Foundations talks a lot about the banking concept of education.  Much like depositing checks into one's bank account, teachers are sought to deposit checks filled with knowledge into the minds of their students.  The problem with this is that students are not being communicated with, but are instead being lectured and being told the difference between right and wrong.  The learning abilities of these students are not being judged on how they come to certain conclusions, but is instead being measured by whether or not the students are able to temporarily regurgitate the information they are fed, back onto a formal assessment.  It is this concept that leads on the idea that teachers do not necessarily care whether or not the students are comprehending the material.  This, above all else, puts students at a disadvantage when it comes to being able to articulate what it is that they are learning in school.  "Any situation in which some individuals prevent others from engaging in the process of inquiry is one of violence.  The means used are not important..."(Freire 114).  A prime example of this is when parents ask their children what they did at school that day.  Many people would say that it is a rebellious child that says "nothing", but what if they actually don't have the faintest idea until they cram for the test the night before.  Personally I find nothing that is influential about the banking concept of education.  By this I mean that students have nothing to take away from this style of teaching other than being able to obtain knowledge through 5 hour-cramming sessions, if you consider that a skill.  A classroom is made for both  student and a teacher to learn and feed off of each others' ideas.

One of the main things that I was able to take away from visiting Beachwood Middle School was how different a 7th Grade history class is from what I experienced.  Although Material may still be the same, the technological advances made in the past 6 or 7 years has allowed new ways of learning to progress in today's classrooms.  Just from observation and walking around the classroom while students worked, I was able to get an idea of how these new tools were being implemented into their curriculum.  Students were using laptops to write blogs and share their own ideas on the contents in which they were submerged.  Talking to the teacher in the class room, he was able to share with me the fact that textbooks weren't used during lessons.  7th grade history teachers in the local community were able to develop a webpage or "web quest" in which the students would be able to learn the same material, but in a more fun and interesting way.  Not only using the technology that was generally frowned upon while I attended middle school, but the students also had the luxury of learning at their own pace.  Upon completion of the web quest, it seemed apparent that students were able to retain more knowledge than they would a regular textbook.  This goes along with the idea that students should be able to understand the material and be able to articulate their thoughts and ideas on the matter, as appose to simply regurgitating information onto a formal assessment. On top of all of this, classroom discussion seemed to be more apparent as a result of the students' understanding of the material.  The teacher emphasized the fact that he never wants to lecture his students, reiterating the fact that the information during a lecture could simply go in one ear and out the other.  His style of teaching allowed students to conceptualize the information in front of them, and formulate their own ideas and views pertaining to the subject at hand.  This to me makes me wish I was in 7th grade now as appose to 6 years ago.  But then again don't we all?

For me, sexual orientation is in no way a deterrent of whether or not a person is able to be in my life. I have had numerous friends that have come out to me saying that they were gay-a fact that I have always been quite proud of.  Attending an all-boys high school forced me to see that all different walks of life should be able to coexist.  That being said, I think we can all agree that a school atmosphere, high school especially, can be one of the more unforgiving places for a young person to express who they are on the inside and out.  Eric Rofes talks a lot about gender roles, and how they affect an individual in an academic setting.  Not only was my high school an all boys school but it is also a jesuit institution.  The school itself, I felt, did an outstanding job at making sure that all students felt comfortable with learning in the confines of 150 Morrissey Blvd.  It was the students themselves who determined whether or not it would be easy for members of the LGBT community to feel welcome.  I can relate to Rofes when he says that he would always assume the role of a peacemaker.  With divorced parents I have naturally taken on that role myself, and I guess it has carried over into my every day life.  One of the beautiful things about my high school was that no one person was forced into a single group of friends, it was a brotherhood.  But with such a tight-nit group of course there were going to be situations in which confrontation would arise.  Not one day would go by where the word "fag" would not be tossed around the cafeteria or playing field.  In these situations it would normally be a question of "manhood" that came into play.  It was almost as if being gay would take away from a boys masculinity, when in reality there are homosexual professional athletes who compete at the highest level with more masculinity than some could ever imagine.  The question is, why does being gay take away from a persons character? or even their drive to succeed?  In other words making them feel like less of a person because of their sexual orientation.  When in reality, members of the LGBT community are attending school, social events, and playing sports for the same reason as a person that identifies themselves as straight.

I would have to agree with the statement made by Lisa Delpit.  As the reading touched on, by a certain age, students begin to identify with either the religious or ethnic groups they derive from, whether it be for the betterment of their learning experience or not.  The reading spoke about a school in which english was being taught to students in a foreign country.  But the teachers began to notice that in their early teenage years, students began to turn away from the English they were being taught and speaking in their native language instead.  This may or may not have been an act of rebellion, but i believe the leading factor was the influence of belonging to their own culture and obtaining tradition or their native tongue.  The other part that I took from the reading was that a student's identity in class was not solely based off of their ethnicity or religion, it could also be from the very situation they live in.  I had a situation of my own in high school that changed the way I came to school and changed the way I looked at a classroom discussion.  As a freshman in high school having a recently divorced mother, I was forced to put my feet on the ground at home and do my part to make things run smoothly.  The same could be said for the classroom.  It was no longer about participation in  class discussion, but diverging deep into the topic to find the root of the problem and get it solved.  Teachers were no longer teachers to me, but sponges of knowledge that I would have to squeeze at in order to get what I wanted out of them.  I found my voice because of the situation or my own little "community", and I am positive the same can be said for most students, regardless of whether they are in a similar situation or not.

Is it possible for every student in any given class to have their needs met when it comes to the style in which the professor is teaching? There are so many different perspectives from which each student can look in.  How is a teacher possibly capable of connecting to each one of those facets and make sure they are all supplied with the right material that allows each and every student to stay the course?  Without a doubt it is difficult to be able to see whether or not a student is actually retaining the material or if he or she is simply able to memorize and recite.  But the difference between a good teacher and a great one is their ability to reach all different types of learners.  So what if there are students at either end of the spectrum? Say there was a student who was having a very difficult time keeping up in the class, but there is also a student who's ability to comprehend the material is far more advanced than everyone else's.  Which side of the spectrum do you compensate for? do you decide to cut loose the student that has fallen behind? Simply allow him to drown in his copious amounts of homework he cannot understand? Or do you let the student who is sitting on his/her thumbs remain in that stance.  This is the predicament that worries me when it comes to actually going out into the field and teaching.  I don't want to fail any of my students, because then I feel I haven't done my job as an educator adequately.  But I also want every student to get the most out of my class that they can, without having to compensate for my lack of performance with other students.

People Watching

Description: Middle aged woman wearing a long flowered dress with sandals and a long brown hand bag hanging off of her shoulder.  She has long frizzy gray hair that floats behind her as she walked.
Interpretation:  She looked to be in a hurry, as if to be aggravated at someone or something that had just happened.

Description: Young teenage boy wearing skinny jeans with a chain hanging out of his front right pocket.  He is wearing all black with a red and black hat to match his outfit.  Also listening to music through headphones.
Interpretation: He appeared to be completely oblivious to his surroundings and only focused on what he was looking at on his phone.  He looked as if he was trying to give off a rebellious look.

Description: A brunette teenage girl wearing black rimmed glasses, a white tank top, exercise pants, flip flops and pearl earrings.  She had an interesting way of walking almost as if she was strutting on a runway.  She was also talking on the phone.
Interpretation: She had a very bright facial expression and appeared to be having a happy conversation on the phone with whoever she was talking to.  She seemed as if she was living care free with nothing going wrong at that moment.

Description: An elderly couple walking out of Sears.  The gentleman wearing a button down shirt and high waisted dress pants and sneakers.  The Woman wearing black pants and a pink wool sweater with a duck on the front.
Interpretation: The couple was only focused on one another.  The husband was curious and kind to his wife, looking her in the eye every time he spoke and listening intently at every word she spoke.  They had to have been married for a long time by the way were interacting with each other.

Description: A middle aged man with long mangled brown hair wearing multiple shirts and old dirty jeans.  He also had tennis shoes caked with mud, and an untamed beard.
Interpretation:  The man looked to be run down, as if life had gotten the best of him.  He could have possibly been homeless, or simply having a rough day.  He moved in a sluggish way with pain in every step that he took.

 Parking Lot/Reflection:

In all honesty I did not enjoy this assignment in the slightest.  I felt very judge-mental while writing down my observations on people I saw.  I felt this way because I was making inferences about people I had never seen or spoken to before, and in that sense I was pre-judging them.  I went against what my mother told me growing up- I judged a book by its cover as appose to reading the first few pages.  What gives me the right to say whether or not the teenage boy walking through the food court was an ignorant, cocky kid that could care less about who is walking behind him, whether or not he is being courteous or if he is disrupting any one else’s good time in the food court. 

            Although I felt bad writing down my judgments of people, I also thought it was interesting how I was able to attach a story to the way people walked or what they were wearing.  After making that connection, I found that I was divulging much deeper than I should have been able to just by looking at the clothes someone was wearing, or the expression on their face.  It was also interesting to see how some people looked similar and yet they carried themselves in completely different ways.  In all, the scenarios that played in my head were triggered in ways that I had never thought about before, it was an interesting expereicne.

Hi, my name is Chris LaLiberte.  I'm from Boston, Massachusetts and I am interested in Secondary Education, preferably History or English.  I have a passion for Hockey and Baseball, playing both sports at the Varsity level in high school, and looking to further my love for competition by playing baseball at John Carroll University.  I have always had success when it comes to communicating with young people, but also feel as though I am most useful to those who are able to converse with me, and not just take what I have to say and run with it.  Classes in which there is much conversation and debate are the ones I am able to thrive in.  Although sometimes discussions turn into heated arguments, my sense of humor tends to always ease the tension. I've always had a bit of a knack for procrastination, which is something I must overcome in order to be successful and orderly.  But my sense of drive and commitment to the task at hand will allow me to rid myself of bad habits and put me on the path to be an influential teacher.  I'm never afraid to ask questions, regardless of how I will be perceived after the words have slipped out of my mouth.  Although I do believe there is such a thing as a stupid question, I feel as though a lot of people may have that question in their head and might be too shy to speak up.  Luckily for them, I don't mind one bit.  Repetition has always been my way of learning.  Whether it be a vocabulary word or a style of offense, being able to have it layer out in front of me numerous times is how I am able to imprint it in my brain.  When I was in 7th grade I had a teacher by the name of Mr. Zuckerman.  He was one of the best teachers I've ever had.  within the first week of school we had begun to talk about different types of government.  Before class he pulled me aside and told me, "just go with what I'm about to do alright?".  To help exemplify what it would be like to live in a totalitarian society, where all of the power is held by one individual, Mr. Z kicked me out of the classroom for no apparent reason. Scenarios like this occurred often in my 7th grade History class, making it both fun and easy to learn.  Mr. Zuckerman's style of teaching intensified my aspiration for becoming a teacher.  One of the most significant issues I have seen in classrooms today is the idea of "pushing cattle through" and making success out to be all about numbers.  Once a student has squeaked through a course he or she is no longer that teachers concern, regardless of whether or not they understood any of the material covered in their classroom.  Mr. Zuckerman did a great job in this respect.  I for one am not the quickest learner, but his dedication to his work and his elaborate teaching style allowed me to excel in his class. Just for clarification I am the one on the left in my photograph, heard there was some confusion with that earlier.