Charter Schools

A few years back i broke my leg pretty bad, i had the best physical therapist in the world! We talked everyday i was there, she was the best. Right before they gave me an extension in the rehab, she told me she was leaving she found a job teaching at a charter school. I thought that was the name of it or something, turns out charter schools are very unique and helpful to families.


Charter Schools were authorized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Education Reform Act of 1993. The best way to describe them was how the website described it, saying that "charter schools are independent public schools that operate under five year charters granted by the Commonwealth's Board of Education." www.doe.mass.edu/charter

There is a charter school located in a tiny space in East Boston, right next to where i live, its great that im researching it now because know one ever knows what it is! Basically, charter schools are elementary and secondary schools that recieve funding from the state. In a 2008 a survey shows that 59% of the schools had a waiting list, averaging 198 students.

Some charter schools provide a curriculum that specializes in a certain field including arts, mathematics, etc. Others attempt to provide a better and more efficient general education than nearby public schools.

There are two main guidlines charter schools must follow. First is that they will operate as autonomous public schools, through waivers from many of the procedural requirements of district public schools. The second is that charter schools are accountable for student achievement.

This type of school interests me, it gives other students with unique learning abilities to get the education they deserve without worrying about tuition.

Enviromental Justice

Environmental Justice is the fair treatment of our environment. Below, i found something doing my research about Enviromental Justice, that just kind of sums it up from top to bottom.

1. Environmental justice affirms the sacredness of Mother Earth, ecological unity and the interdependence of all species, and the right to be free from ecological destruction.

2. Environmental justice demands that public policy be based on mutual respect and justice for all peoples, free from any form of discrimination or bias.

3. Environmental justice mandates the right to ethical, balanced and responsible uses of land and renewable resources in the interest of a sustainable planet for humans and other living things.

4. Environmental justice calls for universal protection from nuclear testing, extraction, production and disposal of toxic/hazardous wastes and poisons and nuclear testing that threaten the fundamental right to clean air, land, water, and food.

5. Environmental justice affirms the fundamental right to political, economic, cultural and environmental self-determination of all peoples.

6. Environmental justice demands the cessation of the production of all toxins, hazardous wastes, and radioactive materials, and that all past and current producers be held strictly accountable to the people for detoxification and the containment at the point of production.

7. Environmental justice demands the right to participate as equal partners at every level of decision-making including needs assessment, planning, implementation, enforcement and evaluation.

8. Environmental justice affirms the right of all workers to a safe and healthy work environment, without being forced to choose between an unsafe livelihood and unemployment. It also affirms the right of those who work at home to be free from environmental hazards.

9. Environmental justice protects the right of victims of environmental injustice to receive full compensation and reparations for damages as well as quality health care.

10. Environmental justice considers governmental acts of environmental injustice a violation of international law, the Universal Declaration On Human Rights, and the United Nations Convention on Genocide.

11. Environmental justice must recognize a special legal and natural relationship of Native Peoples to the U.S. government through treaties, agreements, compacts, and covenants affirming sovereignty and self-determination.

12. Environmental justice affirms the need for urban and rural ecological policies to clean up and rebuild our cities and rural areas in balance with nature, honoring the cultural integrity of all our communities, and providing fair access for all to the full range of resources.

13. Environmental justice calls for the strict enforcement of principles of informed consent, and a halt to the testing of experimental reproductive and medical procedures and vaccinations on people of color.

14. Environmental justice opposes the destructive operations of multi-national corporations.

15. Environmental justice opposes military occupation, repression and exploitation of lands, peoples and cultures, and other life forms.

16. Environmental justice calls for the education of present and future generations which emphasizes social and environmental issues, based on our experience and an appreciation of our diverse cultural perspectives.

17. Environmental justice requires that we, as individuals, make personal and consumer choices to consume as little of Mother Earth's resources and to produce as little waste as possible; and make the conscious decision to challenge and reprioritize our lifestyles to insure the health of the natural world for present and future generations.
(http://eelink.net/EJ/whatis.html)

Environmental Justice in schools consists of the students and faculty being exposed to clean water, air etc. A school should not be built next to a dump or an airport, because it wouldnt be healthy air. Pipes should be changed so the drinking water is clean. The students should also be tought to keep their environment clean. Throwing away trash, cleaning up after themselves, washing hands etc. will create a healthy and clean place.

SOCIAL JUSTICE =)

After reading an article on Social justice, it opened my eyes to a whole different out look. In the article written by Herbert Khol, he gives his thoughts on what social justice is. He writes:

• First, don't teach against your conscience. Don't align yourself with texts, people, or rules that hurt children; resist them as creatively and effectively as you can, whether through humor or by developing alternative curricula. Try to survive, but don't make your survival in a particular job the overriding determinant of what you will or won't do. Don't become isolated or alone in your efforts; reach out to other teachers, community leaders, church people, and parents who feel as you do. Find a school where you can do your work and then stand up for the quality of your work. Don't quit in the face of opposition; make people work hard if they intend to fire or reprimand you for teaching equity and justice.




• Second, hone your craft as a teacher. When I first began teaching, I jumped into struggles for social justice. During one of my efforts a community person asked: "So, what's going on in your classroom that's different than what you're fighting against? Can your students read and do math?" I had to examine my work, which was full of passion and effort but deficient in craft. I realized that I needed to take the time to learn how to teach well before I extended myself with authority and confidence in organizing efforts. This is essential for caring teachers. We have to get it right for our own students before presuming to take on larger systems, no matter how terrible those larger systems are. As educators, we need to root our struggles for social justice in the work we do every day, in a particular community, with a particular group of students.




• Third, look around at the many effective ways of teaching children. I don't believe there is a single technique or curriculum that leads to success. Consequently, pick and choose, retool and restructure the best of what you find and make it your own. Most of all, watch your students and see what works. Listen to them, observe how they learn, and then, based on your experience and their responses, figure out how to practice social justice in your classroom.




• Fourth, it is not enough to teach well and create a social justice classroom separate from the larger community. You have to be a community activist, a good parent, a decent citizen, and an active community member as well




• Protect and nurture yourself. Have some fun in your life; learn new things that only obliquely relate to issues of social justice. Walk, play ball or chess, swim, fall in love. Don't forget how to laugh or feel good about the world. Have fun so that you can work hard; and work hard so that you and your students and their parents can have fun without looking over their shoulders. This is not a question of selfishness but one of survival. Don't turn teaching for social justice into a grim responsibility, but take it for the moral and social necessity that it is.

I agree with all of this. It is impossible to pick one style of teaching and success in your classroom, every student has a unique way of learning, and they all needed to be tendered to one way or another. Every year will be different as well, your going to have to pick different activities and figure out different ways to make your lessons a success each year, because your going to always have a new group of students with new learning capabilities.
I also feel as though it is important to not let the book teach the students, you need to teach them. In some places, there are schools filled with teachers who are not creative or motivated, and teach straight from the book. But little do these teachers know that thats putting their students to sleep before they can even register what theyre learning!


What i'm saying is, teachers should not teach their students to pass tests, they should teach them enough that they should be able to pass a test. And teaching along social justice is something i would highly consider in my future career.

Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori born on August 31, 1870 died on, May 6, 1952) was an italian physician, educator, philosopher, and humanitarian. She is best known for her philosophy and the Montessori method of education of children from birth to adolescence. Her method is still highly used to this day.
She was born in Chiaravalle, (he province of Ancona, Italy). She became the first female physician in Italy upon her graduation from medical school in 1896.


The Montessori method is an alternative educational method based on different child developement theories.It was mainly used in preschool and elementary school settings. Its method of education is characterized by emphasizing self-directed activity on the part of the child, and clinical observation on the part of the teacher to show the importance of the child adapting to his/her new learning environment and to his or her development level.


Maria once said: “The greatest sign of success for a teacher... is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist.""

That is a great quote, all teachers should think to that.

She was Twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize!


Maria Montessori changed education as we know it, i think her philosophy is truly great and helpful. All children learn differently, and some need a little more extra attention than other. Being in the Montessori school system would benefit any child.





http://www.michaelolaf.net/maria.html
http://www.montessori.edu/maria.html
http://www.montessori-namta.org/NAMTA/geninfo/mmbio.html

Y.A.L.E

At home I volunteer at a program called Y.A.L.E. or Young Adults Learning Experience. This program is for severe mentally challenged students that can not move on to a college after there extension at a highschool.

Most students in severe special education classes are allowed to stay in the school until the age of 22, and then from there the school usually helps find them a job, or another program that they can be involved with full time. Where i'm from, they offer both, my teacher Mr. Donnelly helps his students apply for jobs at places such as, local markets, Target, Shaws, stop and shop, and extra jobs around the town or the school. He prepares them all there years to get to the point of working with money, with a cash register, talking to people, taking orders, and organzing things.

On top of working, the students are offered a night program called Y.A.L.E. which is two times a week, which helps continue their education, and stay connected with their peers. They might read books, do activities, paint, color, bake, have parties, and continue their learning.

It's truely a great oppurtunity for the students, and they enjoy it very much.

WINARC is a similar program, you can find your local ARC program in your town.


Thanks for reading =)

Spread the word to end the word. Please Read and pass this on!

I'm using the blog to get a point across about the mentally challenge, or the developmentally delayed. The use of the word "Retard" is completely unethical, and i hope everyone who reads this blog will understand why, and help spread the word. I am apart of an organization "Spread the word to end the word" which is the process of diminishing the use of the "r-word". Working with the mentally challenged is a life changing experience, its what i love to do. What people don't understand is that people with Down syndrome, or autism (etc.) are human beings just like you and I. Are you going to single me out and make a word for me because i'm Anemic? I don't think so. Oh you have asthma, so i'm going to come up for a word to single you out. Completely wrong and unethical.

Where i'm from, you have an option to become part of a class called peer mentoring, which is a class in which you work with many other students with down syndrome, autism, developemental delays, servere ADD and ADHD, prader willy syndrome, and many more, and if you are in this, your a jock, your a cheerleader, your honor society, you best looking, best personality, EVERYONE does it. Doesn't matter who you are, and you get more respect than anyone in the school. ITS NOT COOL TO USE THE WORD RETARD, so stop saying it. ANYONE WHO MAY BE CATEGORIZED UNDER THAT TEAM KNOWS WHAT IT MEANS AND IT IS HURTFUL AND RUDE.

I hear people toss that word around like its nothing here, and i get into fights with people almost everyday, i'm just trying to help end the word, so i am asking you all to please pass this on and understand.

To read more about spread the word to end the word go to http://www.r-word.org/ and make a pledge not to use it, Please. My friends back at home with these disablities read the pledge to you and you repeat after them, and our downsyndrome 18 year old gives you a hug after you make the pledge, it is a life changing experience to make this vow. Please realize using this word offends people with challenges.

It is becoming more popular around the world, and all school systmes are working on abolishing it, Help us out!!



For any more questions you can reply to this, send me an email at r_mustone@salemstate.edu or find me on facebook. Thank you to all who pledge!

Discipline in Schools Today.

Discipline in our school systems has been, and continues to be the number one problem within schools today. Whether the punishment be to harsh, or not harsh enough, it never seems to fit the crime correctly. Many people blame schools for not letting their students handle their problems, and not letting them be accountable for their actions. Although this may be true, many schools also give to harsh of punishments for the students actions. Here are some past experiences/examples.

It was my junior year of high school, as a cheerleader we all wore our uniforms the day of games, so it must have been a friday. I went threw the lunch line to pay for my drink and the lady at the cash register was sitting there talking to someone, i counted how long she was talking and ignoring the line, it was 11 minutes. Lunches at my highschool were only 22 minutes long. There was 5 minutes left in my lunch until i finally just said excuse me, im going to leave my money right here, and walked out among 5 other kids. Out of a crowd she searched for me, and just me. Asking other students "where the little bitch with the uniform was" and saying "wait till i find her". I was a very respected person in highschool, always helping out, never rude or mean. Finally, i walked up to her and asked her what the problem was and she started fighting with me calling me a little bitch and then im rude and i threw my money at her face. (which was completely false). The principal walked up to us asked what happened, completely ignored anything i had to say and gave me a detention. Even though i apologized and said im sorry if you thought it was rude, but i need to eat. I got in trouble for that, but none of the other kids that did it as well did. Come to find out, she had a bias with cheerleaders and that is why she got me in trouble.

A lot of times, kids make friends with the assistant principal and the principal etc. and when they get in trouble, they just let them go. But if its someone else who does the same exact thing, they get suspended or something taken away from them. No school has a fair discipline system, and it almost seems as though sometimes they just don't feel like dealing with it and blow some things off.

I think a way to really fix it, is to make a set of rules known to all students with the consequences with them. That way, it all moves faster, and it is fair for all, no student can complain about a punishment, or get their way out of it because they have already expected it.


Some sites that i read up on this topic, are:
http://cnx.org/content/m14625/latest/
http://nces.ed.gov/Pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=98030

Do schools spend to much time teaching their students HOW TO DRESS?

Sometimes i wonder if schools spend waaayyyyy to much time worrying about what students wear, rather than teaching them what they're there to learn. Yeah, i understand its hard for 16 year old boys to concentrate when the girl thats sitting next to him has a short skirt on and a low cut shirt. My high school would suspend people if too much was showing, just because of something worn to school. Being 5'8.5'' i have really long legs, so a pair of shorts that i wear looks a lot shorter on me as to a girl who 5'1''. It got to the point where my principal BANNED FLIP FLOPS. How ridiculous is that? No tank tops were allowed to be worn if the straps weren't the width of three fingers. I understand some rules, like the skirts and the really low cut shirts. But what about the boys whose underwear is hanging out and the shorts are down to there knees? Another crazy rule my principal had was no sweat shirts with hoods. Who wears hoodless sweatshirts right now? All sport teams and activites make sweatshirts... with hoods. Thats like asking all of your students to go out and buy a new wardrobe to wear to school. My school also had no heat or air conditioning, so isn't it a little bit much to ask your students not to wear jackets or sweatshirts when its negative 50 in your school? Or not to wear shorts when its 100 degrees? I think so. It doesnt let the students express themselves, or who they are. I feel as though it takes away from the atmosphere as a school, when everyone looks the same.

DOES ANYONE ELSE AGREE?

First blog!

Hello readers! My name is Rachel Rose Maria Mustone, I'm from Winthrop, MA and I just turned 19 on July 25th. I am a second semester freshman at Salem State College. I spent my first semester at Lasell College in Newton, MA. There was a lot i didn't like about that school, it was too small, too many similar people, and not enough classes to choose from. I tried to transfer to Salem last January, but Lasell didn't send my transcript over in time for the transfer to go through so I was stuck working 3 jobs that semester and threw the summer. SO MISERABLE. But I am very happy at the school I'm at now, lots of nice people and a lot to do. There's never a dull moment around here. I am an elementary education and psychology major, and i can not wait to be done! Classes seem so overwelming right now, i hate this whole online thing. I thought i would like it but it just stresses me out. I'm taking two online classes, and one hybrid class. Which is half online and one class a week. I have a lot of free time, but the internet here is awful and shuts off all the time! I think i might be trying out for the cheering team here, ahh im so stressed out!

thats all for now! Night!