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Sequoyah's Alphabet
Sequoyah had created a Cherokee alphabet using 86 characters. While missionaries wanted to develop written Native American languages for translating religious texts, Sequoyah created his alphabet as a way to preserve Cherokee culture (Spring, 2011). -
Horace Mann
Horace Mann accepted a position on the newly created state board of education in Massachusetts. He believed that children are more "malleable" than adults.
I agree with this idea. After all, "you can't teach old dogs new tricks." But rather than using school to conform children to one set of beliefs, I want to work with this very informative stage to help build confidence and self-esteem. -
Early Common School Period
Before 1831, German immigration made up only 5% of total immigration. However, between 1831 and 1840, German immigration rose to 25% of total immigration. This obviously posed a threat to the Protestant majority's language and culture (Spring, 2011). -
McGuffey Readers
William Holmes McGuffey created these Readers as a text for schools. "The readers were very moralistic in tone. They presented the White, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant as the model American (Shannon, n.d.)." This easily goes along with a major theme from our class: Americanization and deculturalization. -
Literacy for Enslaved Africans
Even though literacy was a crime for enslaved Africans in the South, "by the ourtbreak of the Civil War in 1860, it is estimated that 5 percent of slaves had learned how to read" (Spring, 2011). Literacy has always been a source of knowledge and power. -
Great Gandpa
My great grandparents moved to Ohio from Greece. They opened up a restaurant in East Liverpool and made for themselves a stable and happy life. This type of dedication and hard work can be seen in much of my family's history, and it has a great influence on me. -
Language in Texas Schools
Texas legislation required that English be the only language used in schools (Spring, 2011). -
National Association for Retarded Children
The 1950's saw the beginning of organizations created for the aid and protection of children with disabilities. This one is now known as the Arc of the United States (Segal, 2011). I have an aunt with mental retardation, and two cousins wth autism, so I find it very important to protect their rights and provide them with equality. -
Civil Rights Act
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed racial and sexual discrimination and segregation. I can't believe how recently this took place. It is so important to remember that this wasn't too long ago, so it's something that we need to keep in mind and keep working on. -
Head Start
The Head Start program began as a part of the War on Poverty. "Head Start is a federal program that promotes the school readiness of children ages birth to 5 from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social and emotional development ("Head Start Services, 2012)." -
National Organization for Women
This group formed as a women's rights organization, and they put much focus on gaining equality for women in education. My mother has always told me how important it is to educate yourself, and make sure that you can be independent. Thank goodness I have the opportunities to do so. -
Bilingual Education Act of 1968
"Citing its recognition of 'the special educational needs of the large numbers children of limited English-speaking ability in the United States,' the Act stipulated that the federal government would provide financial assistance for innovative bilingual programs. Funding would be provided for the development of such programs and for implementation, staffing and staff training, and long-term program maintenance (Bilingual Education Act, 2010)." -
Sesame Street
Sesame Street was created to provide educational values to children watching T.V. It teaches social interactions, numbers, letters, and so much more. -
Accountability Movement of Early 1970's
Accountability goes hand-in-hand with standardized testing. The public was beginning to hold schools and teachers more accountable for their chidren's education by having them report their accomplishments and failures (Spring, 2011). -
Title IX
"Title IX is a law passed in 1972 that requires gender equity for boys and girls in every educational program that receives federal funding (History of Title IX, 2012)." -
A Nation at Risk
Ronald Reagan issues the report "A Nation at Risk," which places the blame of America's difficulties to compete internationally on the public school system. -
I Start Kindergarten
Through all of my schooling, I always had this underlying assumption that everyone starts school at the same level. I think this is because my hometown was not very diverse culturally or economically, so everyone seemed to be going in to school with the same background. I now understand that so much development happens to young children before they even start preschool. -
30 Million Word Gap
At the completion of a two and a half year study, more than 1,300 hours of observation, Betty Hart and Todd Risley had found that the average child on welfare was having experience with about 616 words per hour, while the average child in a professional family was experiencing 2,153 words per hour (Hart & Risley, 1995). -
Mom Graduates College
After supporting my Dad through his undergraduate degree and dental school, and having two children, my Mom began studying at community colleges when she was 31. She completed her degree in physical therapy from Ohio State University in 1996. -
My Brother's English Teacher
My brother had grown up with a love of writing, but when he started high school, his first English teacher told him that he was a bad writer, and should not pursue it. It took my brother 7 years before he finally got back to his passion, and went for his Masters Degree in creative writing. -
Dad Opens Dental Practice
After working with another dentist in a small office for 6 years, my father opened his own dental practice. He is such a role model for hard work and dedication. His motto has always been "Work hard. Make good decisions. Enjoy all of life." I think it's a pretty good motto to go by. -
My Cousins
Ten years ago, my little cousin Allison was born, and two years later, her brother Gary. Both children have autism (Allison's is less severe), and have always needed some form of specialized education. I've always been happy to hear that they have great teachers! -
My Brother Comes Out
In his senior year of high school, my brother told me and my parents that he was gay. We were all fine with it. My mother, though, was worried for the longest time that my brother would be ridiculed, hurt, or even killed for being gay. After a while, though, she became more comfortable and less afraid. -
High School
By the time I was a senior in high school, I did not like to read. I would use Cliff Notes for any book I was supposed to read in English class. I never thought then that I would have my current love of reading. -
I Apply for College
I was a senior in high school and did not know where to apply for college, or even what I wanted to study. I love theatre and acting, but having grown up with my very practical father, it didn't seem a reasonable thing to study. It was in December of my senior year that my brother sat down with me and asked "Don't you like acting?" My response was yes, of course. "Well," he said, "thats what you should do." Thanks to my brother, I spent four years studying the thing I loved most. -
A Love of Reading
Growing up, I never enjoyed reading. The summer after my Freshman year of college, I realized that I should enjoy reading. It would be good for me if I enjoyed reading. So I decided to start by reading something I knew I would like (the Narnia series). After that, I started branching out on my reading, and now I love it! I want to be able to help students to enjoy reading from an early age! -
Matthew Shepherd Act
Matthew Shepherd Act is signed into law, extending the Federal Hate Crime Law to include crimes motivated by sexual orientation ("Milestones in the American Gay Rights Movement," 2011). -
Common Core Standards
This was the year that Ohio adopted the Common Core Standards. "These standards define the knowledge and skills students should have within their K-12 education careers so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing academic college courses and in workforce training programs ("About the Standards," 2011)." -
Master's Degree
I had known for a while that I wanted to go back to school to study Early Childhood Education, but I was new to Cleveland and was having a hard time figuring out what type of program I should do.
I discovered John Carroll University's School-Based program, and I knew that this was what I wanted...so I began studying for the GRE's. -
Teacher Education
This was the first day of our Teacher Education program. I love my Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum class! -
"Why Reading Fluency Should be Hot"
This journal article opened my eyes to the fact that fluency tends to be equated with reading quickly (Rasinski, 2012). It is so important to remember that fluency also involves comprehension, background knowledge, and expression. There is so much to it, and I can't wait to be teaching it to young children!