My philosophy is that the educator is a necessary component in a child's life and that, as remarkable educators have taught us again and again -- such as Marva Collins who created her own low-cost private schol for African-American children whom the public schol system had labeleld as learning disabled and who taught third grade students to read at ninth grade level, four-year-olds to read in a few months, second-graders ro study Shakespeare -- I believe that a teacher can always affect the child's level.
To that effect, therefore:
"If a child lives with hostility," he need not necessarily 'fight.'
"If a child lives with ridicule" he need not 'be shy.'
For with the teacher's help:
The child can teach himself confidence.
The child can learn to appreciate.
The child can learn to find love and friendship in the world.
Inspirational teachers, such as Marva Collins and Booker T. Washington, have had enormous and astounding ramifications on chidlren. I aim to simulate these teachers.
The role of community in serving the needs of all students.
Challenges to the educational system abound from culturally related reasons.
A case in point is the story of "Stinky": Robotics and Immigration (Melendez, Apr. 23, 2005) that illustrates the theme that there are many bright immigrants who, because of their parents' illegal crossing over the U.S. borders, are prevented from receiving a college or university education and, hence, from finding employment that is on a par with their abilities. Even those who pay their way to college are, later, impeded by inability to purchase the necessary documentation in order land a job commensurate with their abilities.
The robotics team was one of the fortunate few who found their way to fame and to breaking their hurdle by winning a national robotics competition against promising students from top national universities. 4 poor boys from Phoenix, one of whom juggled a 30-horu workweek with part-time coursework at Phoenix College in order to study aroused worldwide support with nearly $53,000 has poured into a "La Vida Robot Scholarship Fund" to enable them to attend college.
Some states have granted undocumented students the cheaper in-state tuition, whilst a bill in Congress called Dream Act hopes to legalize undocumented students who graduate form U.S. high schools, but the current anti-immigrant environment is strong and the Center...
Some receive sponsorship from firms that recognize their merits, but these students are few and far between. Too may are lost between the cracks because of their undocumented status.
In the meantime, with America's growing immigrant population, the American education system has become far more sensitive to the importance of recognizing and acknowledging cultural differences and, instead of attempting to merge all in one 'melting pot' as was the fashion two centuries ago, American now goes out of its way to acknowledge, investigate, and address the concerns often, teaching multi-cultural subjects in one school. Huge focus is placed on diversity in education and on the need to educate teachers in meeting diversity in education and to acknowledge different cultural needs.
America's educational system has certainly changed widely from that which it started with in the beginning of the 17th century.
References
Altenbaugh, R.J. (1999) Historical Dictionary of American Education online edition Retrieved 2/13/2011
http://www.questia.com/read/113034151?title=Historical%20Dictionary%20of%20American%20Education
Anderson, G.J. (1998). Fundamentals of educational research. UK: Routledge
Gorard, S., & Taylor, C. (2004). Combining methods in educational and social research. U.S.: McGraw-Hill International
Lodico, M.G., Spaulding, D.T., & Voegtle, K.H. (2010). Methods in Educational Research: From Theory to Practice. John Wiley and Sons
"Marva Collins Seminars, Inc." Marvacollins.com. Retrieved 2/13/2011
http://www.marvacollins.com/comments.html.
Melendez, M. (Apr. 23, 2005). Ingenuity brightens future. The Arizona Republic, Retrieved 2/13/2011
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0423robotics23.html
Kansas school board's evolution ruling angers science community. CNN.com (1999). Retrieved 2/13/2011
Parkerson, DH & Parkerson, J.A. (2001). Transitions in American Education: A Social History of Teaching. Routledge Sex Education in America -- General Public/Parents Survey. NPR/Kaiser/Harvard survey (2004). Retrieved 2/13/2011.
Summary Tables on Language Use and English Ability: (2000). United States Census (2000). Retrieved 2/13/2011
http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t20/index.html
