Courtney+Hollingsworth

= Expertise Statement =

Courtney Hollingworth September 15, 2013 Edc 102 Growing up in a family that is not Italian makes some people think that I never learned how to make a good pizza. Well, ha! Those people have not met my mother. I loved to watch my Mom make pizzas, as she rolled out the dough, pulled it apart with her hands, sprinkled on some Basil, Oregano, and other spices before she dumped her family recipe of Marinara Sauce and freshly shredded Mozzarella cheese to create the perfect combination. Watching my Mom make dozens of pizzas was the first step in my education on how to make a great pizza. Growing up, she would let me help her with small steps in the process of creating a crispy, homemade, perfectly baked pizza. As I got older, pizza became something I would make myself quite often. When I started at URI as a freshman in 2007, I brought an original idea to the bland, colorless food in the dining hall. My idea was to take pieces of food from different corners of the dining hall, and to create an ultimate English muffin pizza. The English muffin pizzas became very popular, as they were a big hit with the football team. I am not able to say that the idea of the English muffin pizzas was mine, as I learned about them from my Dad growing up. I am able to say that it was because of me, and my knowledge of how to make different types of pizzas, that they are now “famous” at URI. When people ask me how to make a good pizza, I tell them that it is all in the dough. I recommend that the dough is fresh, and rises for five- six hours before being handled. For my sauce, I use either Pastene tomatoes, or my Mom’s recipe for Marinara sauce. I have become a better cook because I have learned to observe and practice.

= Reflection on Elementary School =

Courtney Hollingworth

September 22, 2013

Reflection on my own experiences in Elementary School

My experience as a student in Elementary School was very different from those of the children in the Elementary Schools of East St. Louis and inner city Chicago. My experience growing up bears more resemblance to the children who live in the suburbs of Chicago.

I will start off by saying that I started my years in Elementary School at a Catholic school and I completed my final three years in Elementary school at a Public School. In my Catholic school, we were cherished young learners. We started every day with a prayer and asked for a blessing for our work and for our blossoming friendships. Similar to the young students in the schools talked about in “Savage Inequalities,” I trusted my teachers and thought of them as role models.

While reading Chapter Two in “Savage Inequalities,” I noticed a section that discusses one of the schools in North Lawndale. One of the Fifth Grade teachers at this school, seemed to be bored with the lesson and because of that, half of the students appeared to be dazed or sedated. I don’t remember ever being bored or losing interest in what we were doing because I think that the teachers were doing the most they could to make sure that all of the students were engaged.

When I began third grade at a Public School, I remember being so incredibly nervous and not wanting my Mom to leave me with what seemed like millions of strangers. Although my older sister would also be in this new school, she would be in Fifth grade, in a totally different room with a different teacher and different lunch. My years spent in this Public Elementary School were not what any child would expect them to be. That is, if a child knows what to expect out of a new school. My Third Grade teacher reminded me of a Dinosaur and yelled so loud; I thought she was going to explode. In my years as a student, I really believe that I learned in Third Grade, with this nightmare of a teacher, that I HATED math. Mrs. Flanagan was her name and she was awful. She scared the living daylights out of me and every other thirty-pound child. That school year with Flanagan convinced me that I hated school and would hate it forever.

My teachers in Fourth and Fifth grade helped me to remember that I didn’t actually hate school, it was just that I was not good at Math, and because of that, I hated Math. These two teachers brought life to the classroom just like Mrs. Hawkins did at the school discussed in Chapter Two. My Fourth and Fifth grade teachers were funny, smart, entertaining, engaging, well spoken, and to this day, are two of the best teachers I’ve ever had.

=**Review of Chapters 2 & 3**= Courtney Hollingworth Edc 102 September 29, 2013 Review of Chapters 2 &3

While reading Chapter 2 in “Foundations of American Education” I found a lot of the material familiar; remembering some of what I learned in High School History classes but it was nice to refresh my memory and learn new facts. One of the things that I find surprising after reading the beginning of Chapter 2, was that the early progression of Elementary and secondary education was slow for all children. This is surprising because prior to reading this chapter, I assumed that Elementary education consists of basic knowledge, and that the Colonists would want their children to read and to be aware of what was happening around them. Some other facts that I read in the beginning of Chapter 2 that I find interesting are the origin of a very common teaching method and the origin of the seven liberal arts. This teaching method dates back to 470-399 BCE when Socrates was alive when he invented the Socratic method, and the seven liberal arts were originated sometime between 735 and 804 but are very much so the core part of education today. Over the years, the federal government has involved itself more and more in the Public education system in the U.S. I am glad that I am fortunate enough to live in a country where the government wants everyone to be educated and successful; however, with all of the governmental problems happening right now, I don’t think that the members of the House or Senate should be criticizing teachers and telling them how to do their job, when they can’t seem to get along and sometimes, act like children themselves.

=**Chapter 4 Reflection**= Courtney Hollingworth October 6, 2013 Edc 102 FAE Chapter 4 Reflection

The concepts of thinking as a Philosopher were explored in the beginning of Chapter 4. Two important thinking styles that philosophers use are Analytic Thinking and Prophetic Thinking. These two types of thinking styles may impact the way a teacher approaches his or her lesson plan. If a teacher who thinks analytically were faced with the challenge of students’ lack of interest, their first approach would be to consider what motivates the students. For instance, students like to be interactive and have fun while learning. The teacher would have to consider the possibilities of having games, contests, and rewards. Finally, the teacher would need to evaluate the rationality of using games and contests to engage the students. If a teacher who thinks prophetically were faced with the same challenge, first s/he would develop a vision about what should be. This teacher would consider the individual needs of the students and be empathic toward their individual challenges. The teacher is faced with reality and has to consider the gap between what they really want and what is realistically possible. The hope that this teacher has is ultimately to change the educational philosophy to focus on each child’s needs.

=**Chapter 5**= Courtney Hollingworth 10/21/13 Edc 102 Chapter 5

After reading Chapter 5, I felt more confident in my belief that there is not an ideal philosophy for schools of education to abide by. I think that pieces of each idea from philosophers (mentioned in the Chapter) such as Isaac L. Kandel, John Dewey, Samuel Bowles, and Herbert Gintis need to be combined depending on where a school is, what the population of the school is, and what kind of experience the teachers have. For example, Isaac L. Kandel strongly believed in the essentialist educational philosophy movement and became a leader by advocating for change in a course called adaptation. Adaptation is a concept that affirms the “importance of promoting stability in schools and enabling the individual to adapt to the larger environment.” Kandel’s philosophical belief in adaptation is something that proves true every year, regardless of where the school is and the population of the school. Children need stability at home and in school to grow in a healthy way. John Dewey is a philosopher who believes in schools being a part of social change. I tend to agree with Dewey in addition to agreeing with Kandel. Students can be at a school in a poor area and have everything rooting against them, but if they have the stability in school, which Kandel voted for, then they have a better chance of coming out alright and being a positive role model for the younger children in their poor neighborhood. Dewey also argued that schools are crucial in a societal change. He said that schools need to provide an environment where students can learn analytic skills and they need to provide an environment where the students can take part in helping society determine their ultimate direction. The example that I previously stated backs up Dewey’s theory and Kandel’s theory of stability. Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis are driven by the philosophical idea of humanism and their focus is on dialect. Dialect in this case, is another word for a conflict between the individual and society. They argue that teachers are caught in the middle of the dilemma between the individual and society and are forced to mediate and simultaneously support both sides. Bowles and Gintis argue that teachers should develop a participating democracy in which all interested parties pursue their issue and resolve the conflicts rationally. The idea that Bowles and Gintis support is something that I think every teacher should support. The idea gives both sides the opportunity to argue their sides and the teacher makes decisions about what they think is right. Overall, I think that the philosophical schools of thought that I presented above are more or less supported by administrators in schools depending on where the school is and who fills the student population. My experience in working with children supports the schools of thought by John Dewey and Kandel, however, I value each idea that was presented in Chapter 5, and I think that as I continue my education in teaching, my support of these philosophical ideas will vary.

=Chapters 7&8=

Courtney Hollingworth November 3, 2013 Edc 102 Response to Chapters 7&8

After reading Chapter 7 and getting a better understanding of the word “diversity,” I think my parents made the right decision in sending my sisters and I to both public schools and Catholic schools. Starting our educational careers in a Catholic school gave us the sheltered, protected space, and as we got older, we spent six years from our final years in elementary school and through middle school in public schools. We attended public schools that are considered very diverse because they have kids attending who live in the projects of Cranston/Providence, kids who have just moved here from the Middle East, kids who live in a safer, quieter area in Cranston, and kids who take the public bus from Providence. From the years I spent in middle school, I remember this one boy who had recently moved to America from Turkey. We never really talked, mostly because he was in ESL all day, but I remember something he wrote in the 8th grade yearbook. He wrote a couple of paragraphs about his traumatic experience in trying to leave Turkey and how his Dad and older brother were literally beat to a pulp, and the fact that his Dad had a hole in his head and they needed to get to America fast to get his Dad the medical attention he needed. The next year I went to a Catholic high school and it is definitely not the most diverse school in Providence.

=**"Savage Inequalities"**= Courtney Hollingworth November 24, 2013 Final Discussion for “Savage Inequalities”

6 passages that I found interesting: 1) Page 113. “Chaos and anonymity overtake some of the elementary schools as well. “A child identified as a chronic truant,” reports an official of the Rheedlen Foundation, a child welfare agency in New York City, “might be reported by the teacher- or he might not. Someone from the public school attendance office might try to contact the parents and might be successful, or he might not. The child might attend school again. Probably not.” Several children of my acquaintance in the New York City schools were truant for eight months in 1988 and 1989 but were never phoned or visited by the school attendance officers.” 2) Page 111. “A first- year English teacher at another high school in the Bronx calls me two nights later: “I’ve got five classes- 42 in each! We have no textbooks yet. I’m using my old textbook from the seventh grade. They’re doing construction all around me so the noise is quite amazing. They’re actually drilling in the hall outside my room. I have more kids than desks in all five classes.” 3) Page 62. “The White House, in advancing the agenda for a “choice” plan, rests its faith on market mechanisms. What reason have the black and very poor to lend their credence to a market system that has proved so obdurate and so resistant to their pleas at every turn?” Placing the burden on the individual to break down doors in finding better education for a child is attractive to conservatives because it reaffirms their faith in individual ambition and autonomy. But to ask an individual to break down doors that we have chained and bolted in advance of his arrival is unfair.” 4) Page 59. “Those very few who graduate and go to college rarely read well enough to handle college- level courses. At the city’s community colleges, which receive most of their students from Chicago’s public schools, the noncompletion rate is 97%. Of 35,000 students working towards degrees in the community colleges that serve Chicago, only 1,000 annually complete the program and receive degrees.” 5) Page 193. “A black South African social scientist says this of the in-turned violence and hate among the people living in that country’s settlements: “If you degrade people’s self-respect on a daily basis, over centuries, you are bound to produce monsters…” People ruled by the needs of the flesh, she says, are systematically separated from their spirit. Political anger is turned in against one’s wife or children. It is, she says, “the way that animals behave.” 6) Page 208. “The foundation program, in its pure form, operates somewhat like this: (1) A local tax upon the value of the funds required for the operations of the public schools. (2) In the wealthiest districts, this is frequently enough to operate an adequate school system. Less affluent districts levy a tax at the same rate as the richest district- which assures that the tax burden on all citizens is equally apportioned-but, because the property is worth less in a poor community, the revenues derived will be inadequate to operate a system on the level of the richest district. (3) The state will then provide sufficient funds to lift the poorer districts to a level (“the foundation”) roughly equal to that of the richest district.”

6 Questions 1) In Kozol’s video presentation and in the text in “Savage Inequalities,” I don’t think he realizes that he’s being a bit of a hypocrite. Kozol talks about the “rich conservatives” and how they are all about policy, numbers, and using the kids to make the economy better, but on the other hand he is all about embracing the words of Martin Luther King and being united and on the same level. Does he realize that for our education system to work sufficiently with everyone working together, it can’t be about the conservatives v. liberals? It needs to be about the fact that in the end, we all want the same thing for our children. 2) With the handcuffs that were bought by the New York City Office of Schools safety, who puts the handcuffs on the kid that are out of control? Is it the teacher? 3) When did the idea and practice of the selective schools in New York first start? 4) Is Head- Start really working in the inner- city schools in New York City, Los Angelos, and in Chicago? 5) Why do the children get crowded into classrooms and schools that aren’t big enough? Why don’t they just go to one of the other public schools that are close? 6) Who came up with the “norm” or average grades expected on the standardized tests? From what material and was it from rich communities and poor communities?

=**Synopsis of group lesson plan**= Courtney Hollingworth 12/1/13 EDC 102 Brief synopsis of group experience

My group and I focused on nutrition within schools in the United States. The main points of our research were in the number of obese students in the elementary schools, the amount of money that the government is providing for school meals, the types of foods that are being served, and how many students in the elementary schools are eating the provided food. Our introduction was centered on the idea of getting our peers involved by giving them the opportunity to choose an apple, either from a bucket, or from a pretty plate. The reason for this activity to be included in the introduction was to capture the attention of our audience, and to teach (by example) that people are more drawn to things presented in an attractive way. I think that the way Meaghan went about presenting this activity relates to pragmatism and existentialism, which were discussed in Chapter 4 (pg 98). Pragmatism and existentialism are based on a student- centered approach to education because they give more opportunity to students to create their own meaning. By Meaghan giving the students a chance to select the apple, it demonstrated the belief that students make their own decisions when it comes to their education.

=**Chapter 13 Highly-effective teacher**= Courtney Hollingworth 12/7/2013 EDC 102 “Highly-effective teacher”

Becoming an effective teacher in a changing world is a bit of an intimidating chapter. It focuses on all of the concepts in education that are changing every day and what is expected of the young teacher candidates. Yikes! Chapter 13 taught me about the policy response in 2009 by Congress which was to pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The goals of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act were to put more money into education through providing early-education with $5 billion dollars and providing K-12 education with $77 billion. The rationale behind this act was to “link improving the nation’s economic competitiveness with every child receiving an education that will enable them to succeed in a global economy that is predicated on knowledge and innovation.” The key rationale behind the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is what I think is the goal of every highly- effective teacher in today’s schools. Effective teachers constantly challenge students to be their very best and to achieve the highest numbers to get to the top so that they can one day be successful. High-quality teachers also communicate frequently with parents or caregivers of their students. That topic in chapter 13 reminds me about concepts that were taught in chapter 4 which are pragmatism and existentialism. Chapter 4 explained that pragmatism and existentialism focus on the individual and view the classroom as a community of learners. To me, the ideas of existentialism greatly represent those of a highly- effective teacher, apart from the fact that existentialists generally feel as though tracking de-emphasizes the individual. The existentialists focus on the ideas of what to teach and how to teach. Those two questions will be a major factor in my future as a teacher, because I see myself more as an existentialist in terms of the way teaching should be done. In terms of everything else, I am more of a realist.