Tenure or Renewable Contracts?

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After viewing the video from NBC regarding teacher tenure i leave with a somewhat confused view about teacher tenure. I believe tenure is a great way to make teachers feel secure about their careers and not have a looming consequence constantly on their shoulders but i also feel some teachers take advantage of tenure. As they said in the video many teachers see tenure as a way to relax and this may cause teachers to not put in 110%. But many states now are seeing that many teachers aren't performing at the correct levels so a few states are adopting "renewable contracts". These renewable contracts offer teachers a two year contract, but the teacher is subject to performance evaluations. I feel that this is a great way to make sure teachers are on top of their game and are making sure they put in 110% at all times. Although this is a great way to make teachers become more consistent with their teaching i feel that without job security for teachers they may go into work with a bad attitude reflecting it on their teaching then the students suffer. Also the video states this costs even more money and documentation then before and the overall reason for this is to save money. As future educators what do you guys think? Should we use renewable contracts or tenure?  

12 Hours a Week....... FUN!

After watching the video of Sam and his mother and the commitment they both put in to the sport i do not in any way oppose to what they are doing. At the young age of 11 i do not believe a child needs that much training but in Sam's case he enjoys his gymnastics. Many parents force the sport on their child and the hours of practice along with it. This type of parental pressure can drive the child away from the sports when they get older. I also agree with what Sam's mother said about how gymnastics is not as easily accessible than football in the neighborhood. And that its something they use to bond with each other.   Another thing I really liked was how Sam stated, " I like it a lot, it takes a lot of work, but after your done with a competition it feels really cool." That type of mentality is going to take Sam very far in his future gymnastics career and it really supports his decision to put in the time he does put in. The video shows how Sam is interacting with his friends and coaches and the ability of these young kids. I feel Sam isn't being pressured and he has the support of his family so the 12 hours of work is not a bad thing. What do you think?

Title IX

Physical education is aimed to educate students about the necessary skills and values of living a healthy lifestyle from childhood to adulthood. This is true for everyone regardless of age, sex, or ethnicity, or so we think. In some instances woman can be victimized by having unequal opportunities inside the physical education setting. Female athletes of the 1970’s went through a completely different experience then the female athletes of today’s generation.   Today, we do not see these inequalities as much as we did approximately twenty to thirty years ago. Laws similar to Title IX have been issued in order to make major steps into making the physical education and sport settings much more equal. The Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education enforces Title IX, prohibiting specific discriminatory activities; however, some men and women believe Title IX its self was discriminatory.

This act known as Title IX was an Equal Opportunity in Education Act which was enacted on June 23, 1972. The law states, "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance”(Wikipedia).   According to a poll, from 1971-1972, the amount of female athletes in high school was 294,015; in 2007-2008 where there was 3,057,266(AAUW). These figures show an increase of approximately 940%. This increase has a direct correlation to the issuing of Title IX; the lack of increase in male high school athletes provides further proof in this theory.  In 1971-1972, the amount of male athletes in high school was 3,666,917 compared to 2007-2008 where there were 4,372,115(AAUW); this is an increase of only about 19%. In the NCAA setting there was also dramatic changes; from 1971-1972 there was 29,972 female athletes compared to 2004-2005 where there was 166,728, an increase of 456%. In conclusion you can see that the increase is in favor of females dramatically, with Title IX being the primary reason for this increase.

Although the issuing of Title IX, made drastic increases in the opportunities set forth for women in sports, it also could be said it drastically changed men’s sports.  Slashing programs was just one of the many ways men felt they were treated unfairly by the new Title IX law.

Why Athletes are Good Role Models…

With athletes facing game-fixing accusations, Michael Vick accused of dog-fighting, and Barry Bonds' problem with steroids it now seems that professional athletes are the last to look up to.  In today’s day and age the media covers pretty much every aspect of every celebrity’s lives and nothing is kept secret. If the media stopped for a second and looked at all for the positive contributions athletes have made they would be enthralled, but instead they only show the negative situations. Professional athletes do much more then the things the media shows. They contribute more than just with their athletic ability.  For centuries people have admired and envied professional athletes and the success they have achieved. Many athletes are more than an athletic figure, they are reasons for kids to believe and dream. They can motivate children to stay on the right track and pursue their dreams no matter how big they are. An example of a great role model would be Lance Armstrong. Hard work and dedication made it possible for him to overcome cancer and accomplish the Tour de France. He instills faith in all people suffering from deadly illnesses to never give up and never quit. How about all the donations and volunteering most professional athletes do on a regular basis. This part of their lives is often overlooked.  I hope the media starts perceiving Athletes with the good they do in the community instead of all the negative aspects of their lives.    

Is class time related to student achievement?

Waking up at 6:30 AM for that 7:30 class isnt a real motivating way to start your day. Many students dread waking up early for class, so the question is; do early classes effect student achievement? In my opinion class time can affect the students achievement levels. There are many factors that contribute to my theory. An example is; A student's alarm goes off at 6:30, he or she doesnt feel motivated to get up so they turn off the alarm oversleeping and missing class. The student wasnt in class so he doesnt recieve credit for pop quiz, recieveing a zero, and the teacher assigns an important assignment and the student doesnt hand it in the next day because he didnt know it was due. That one lazy act of turning off the alarm causes the student to lose credit on the pop quiz in class and misses an important assignment, on top of not retaining the information braught up in class. On the other hand a student has a 7:30PM night class. All of his buddies are going out on this beautiful Thursday night. The student may hesitate to even go to class and if he does go to class he wont be focused on the information being taught. The student may even leave class early to meet with his friends. These are just two factors that can contribute in a negative way on student achievement.
If you have any ways class time can relate in a positive way please leave a comment!