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The first kindergarten was founded in Wisconsin by Margarethe Meyer Schurz. She shared this idea with teacher Elizabeth Peabody who helped start kindergartens all over the United States. This is a crucial point in education because this first stepping stone introduces children to the basic foundations they need to start their learning journey.
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The first Department of Education was formed. The Department of Education was started to help fund and establish public schools and colleges. This organization helps develop curriculum and decides the requirements needed to start school and move forward. It also sets the standards to help the states have a successful and sufficient school system.
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Herbert R Kohl published "The Open Classroom". This publication helped modernize and change classrooms. This concept was used to have students become hands on learners. It allowed learners to come into contact with other students, books, and centers. This allowed for teachers to accommodate each students needs by working in small group instruction. This practice is still widely used today and extremely successful.
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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was created to make sure that every individual was able to attend public schools with other student who did not have a disability. The IDEA provides a blanket of security by protecting the families of individuals with disabilities. This protection ensures that the student receive the personalized care and services to address their specific needs. It also helps the individual become a working and productive member of society.
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National Commission of Excellence in Education was formed to provide solutions to Americas failing educational system. They created a set of standards the schools would be accountable for throughout the school year. The commission would hire qualified teachers and increase pay for educators. This system led to more rigorous standards and would prepare teacher more than before to reach the high expectations that were set.
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Starting a love of learning. In 1990 I started kindergarten at the only elementary school in my town and moved on to the only jr. high and high school we had. I did not attend preschool or daycare before I enrolled in all day kindergarten. I remember loving school and wanting to learn more everyday. My love for education started for me this year and has continued and will continue for the rest of my life.
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I can not remember ever being interested in reading books until I met my high school literacy teacher, Mrs. Rotunno. She introduced new types of literature to me and made reading enjoyable. Before I had her class I read because I had to, not because I wanted to. If I had someone like Mrs. Rotunno earlier in my school year, I think I would have had more opportunities to grow and learn.
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In '09 I graduated from The College of Education, my specialty was in math and science since there was a need for more teachers in that area. I enjoyed math and teaching it exclusively in TX. However, when I was interviewing for jobs in PA, I had no clue how literacy was taught. I did not have enough knowledge on how to successfully teach elementary reading to students. This lack of knowledge lead me to want to understand how to make students successful in reading, writing, and spelling.
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This is the year I realized my son was not a "natural reader". He had to work hard to learn how to read. He still struggles and has to practice reading everyday now. This is when I realized reading does not come natural and has to be taught through phonics, spelling, and phonemic awareness. He spent his summer going into 2nd grade with a tutor to fill in the gaps that he missed in kindergarten and first grade. He is a better reader now, but will always have to work to stay on grade level.
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I started a new position in CDSD and wanted to become a better teacher and really help my students become great readers. I had a struggling son and knew what it meant for those students to be able to understand what they were looking at and grow on their foundations set in kindergarten and fist grade. This is when I realized I needed training in this field. I started my journey to get my Masters to help those students and myself.
