Gannon,Ryan+Richard

Ryan Gannon 9/14/12   EDC 102 __HW #1__ When a fisherman first approaches a body of water, there are a variety of things going through their mind in regards to how they can have as much success as possible. Some factors to consider would be the layout of the pond itself, as well as what types of bait you would want to be using. Many people would try to avoid things like trees, stumps, rocks and other debris which are scattered around a pond. However, the fact is that most fish will actually be gathered around these structures, waiting to feed. Knowing where to cast my line on a pond wasn’t something that I just knew off the bat when I started fishing. Equally important is the bait which one chooses to use. You would want to firstly consider what type of fish you will be trying to catch. This is also something that comes with knowledge and experience. Different fish will strike different baits. Not only that, but the time of year and a variety of other factors will influence what they will or will not go for. All of this hardly scratches the surface of fishing knowledge, but gives you a general idea of the vast amount of knowledge and skill that any fisherman must have if they wish to be successful. While I certainly wouldn’t consider myself to be anywhere near a professional fisherman, I can say with confidence that I have a vast array of knowledge when it comes to fresh water fishing, particularly in New England where I live. This is pretty specific because of the fact that freshwater fishing is very different than salt water fishing, and different regions of the country can have completely different types of water and fish. Most of this knowledge has become second nature to me and I can usually approach any pond and know right away how I want to fish it. I learned all of this information from experience, trial and error, and by watching those who were older and more experienced than me. Growing up, my brothers were constantly going on fishing trips at many of the hundreds of ponds and lakes in our small Connecticut town. I would frequently tag along, and although I had no clue what I was doing at the time, I was actually absorbing loads of knowledge on how to fish under almost any circumstance. By watching where they would fish, what type of bait they would use, and how successful they were, I became a very good fisherman myself. When I grew to be a little older and would fish with my friends, it became very clear to me that I had a much better idea of how to fish than they did. I unknowingly learned tons of information about ponds, lakes, rods, reels, baits, and all types of fish. Besides learning from my older brothers, I also learned a great deal from trial and error. When going out on my own I would try all different baits and all different methods of fishing until I learned what worked best for me. Although the majority of what I know was learned through watching others and doing as they did, I also learned a great deal of information through reading books, websites, and watching videos online. It is interesting because most of what I knew was learned from my brothers, and in a way this almost limited my knowledge. Once I had begun to look online, in books, and other sources I was able to gain even more knowledge which I would not have had otherwise. I think this was a great way to learn because I was first able to get a solid base of background information and then from there I was able to gain extra information on my own. Clearly, I really enjoy fishing so this was not like typical learning in school. I was a student of something that I was very passionate about and gave me a lot of joy. To this day, I continue to fish and I continue to learn and research every single time.

Ryan Gannon 9/14/12   EDC 102 HW #2 For my research I have chosen Central High School in Providence which is grades 9-12. As I continue to do my research and come to realize what it is like to be a student as this high school, it will be very interesting to compare it to my experience as a high school student. I myself attended South Windsor High School in Connecticut for all four of my high school years. Although I do not have a lot to compare it to, I would consider myself to be very lucky for the experience that I had. I do feel that the building itself and some of its classrooms do need an update, but as far as the faculty and curriculum went, I feel that I was very fortunate. In comparison to “SI” I would consider my high school and its facilities to be significantly better. The quality of the facilities in which I was learning was never really something that crossed my mind. Reading about how awful the conditions can be for some students, I feel very lucky to have had a nice building, desks, furniture, books and more to come to every single day. I was raised in an environment where the significance of an education was always emphasized, and just about everyone I know attends college or has a degree. By making this the norm, just about everyone in my town that I know attends college. This is very different than it is in our readings. In many low income areas, college is not something that they are familiar with, nor is it something that they can afford. For that reason, hardly any of these students, if any, end up pursuing a college degree. When this is the environment they are familiar with, their children often end up in the same situation, and so the cycle continues. I felt that all of my teachers throughout high school were very good teachers, and encouraged us do to our best at all time. Along with that, all of my teachers were constantly available for extra help and would stay after or meet with you for just about anything you could need pertaining to the class and its material. This is much different than in “SI.” I feel that teachers who are hired into very poorly performing schools do not take their job nearly as seriously as teachers in better performing schools. They probably are just accepting the jobs because it is all they can get and because the students don’t take school seriously, they do not take teaching seriously. In my school, the teachers put a lot of emphasis on getting an education after our high school years. The teachers I worked with always put a lot of thought into their lessons and were always prepared and doing their best to help us learn the material. This is much different than in many low income areas. In high school I always realized the importance of working hard and doing my best because I knew that if I failed to do this my future would suffer. Even at a relatively young age I was able to realize where hard work would take me and where failure would lead. I can see how in some school systems, students may feel that regardless of what they do or how hard they work, it will still lead them nowhere. I can also see how this could often develop into a cycle. As a student at South Windsor High School, I was always able to get all of my books and materials necessary for class without a single issue. The books were always up to date and in at least decent condition. The same goes for calculators, rulers, protractor, and just about anything that a student could need to succeed in class. I couldn’t even imagine being a teacher in a class where none of the students have the books or materials they need. This is setting up everyone involved for failure. I can see how, as a student, it would be hard to take a class seriously when the town cannot even provide you with the things you need to succeed. Thus far it has been very interesting comparing my experience to that of the students in “SI.” I look forward to being able to do this as we continue.

Ryan Gannon 9/29/14   EDC 102 __Week 4 Homework__

Reading chapters 2 and 3 in FAE proved to be pretty interesting. I had never been aware of, or even really thought about how exactly our education system in America came to be. I was also unaware how rapidly it was, and still is evolving, with ever changing dynamics. One thing mentioned that I would definitely agree with is the importance of teachers having an understanding of the history of education. For just about any field, I believe it is always essential for one to have a comprehensive understanding of its history. First and foremost, this can help those involve avoid mistakes that have been made in the past. The way that American education is changing is also something important to focus on. In the relatively distant past, the importance of education was not so well known. However, most people will want a four year college degree these days. This means that more and more people are entering the school system each year. With many people coming to the United States from overseas, there has also been a spike in the diversity of schools. These are just a couple of ways in which the dynamics of American education are evolving. In the past, private schools were more popular and common than public schools. However, as the amount of people wanting to get an education increased, the government realized that they would need to increase funding for a public school system. This is exactly what happened, and as a result public schools are much more common. However, privately run schools are still very common as well. As the structure of American education has been changing, some problems have sprung up as well. These problems include things like bullying and peer pressure from others to make poor decisions. In the past, home schooling was done mostly for reasons of convenience. Yet many parents will choose this route nowadays to avoid of this issues in school systems. Overall, these two chapters were pretty eye-opening in describing how public schools have changed, the reasons behind it, and what brought us to the current state we are in today.