Chapter Six

Chapter six informs the reader about the development of common schools and secondary education in America. Thomas Jefferson created a bill in the Virginia legislature in 1779 titled Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge which established public schools for the masses. Tuition was free for all white males and females for three years. The common school movement was from 1830 to 1865 which increased publicly funded schools for common children. Many social groups viewed the common school as a way to control social unrest and crime. In 1831, the first US comprehensive high school was opened in Massachusetts. Higher education slowly became more readily available to women and minorities.

Chapter Five

The oldest schools were between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Sumer (Mesopotamia). Temple schools were also in ancient Egypt. The Socratic Method is a dialectal teaching method employed by Socrates using a questioning process based on the student's experiences and analyzing the consequences of responses, leading the student to a better understanding of the problem. Toward the end of the middle ages, there were about eighty universities. Chapter five explored Humanism which is the dominant philosophy of the Renaissance that emphasized the importance of human beings and promoted the literature and art of Rome and Greece. Chapter five also explored Naturalism which is a philosophy that emphasizes the natural world, the freedom if the individual, and the development that is natural in humans. Chapter five was quite interesting because the reader was able to see how much education has progressed over the course of many years. It is truly incredible!

Chapter Four

After reading chapter four I found it interesting how many different theories/philosophies of education there really are. Some of them I find a little "out there" and others I think are acceptable. At the end of the chapter the reader is asked to identify their own philosophy of education. After re-reading the chapter I cannot say that I fit into any of these theories/philosophies perfectly. However, "Most educators are eclectic and sample a variety of ideas, propositions, principles, or axioms that represent a smorgasbord of views. p. 93" I guess if I had to pick one theory I guess I would fall into Progressivism.

Chapter Three

Chapter three describes philosophy, types of logic, and axiology in detail. Contemporary philosophies and their educational implications consist of pragmatism which is also known as experimentalism. Existentialism focuses on personal and subjective existence. After reading the Analytic Philosophy paragraph I learned that many of these philosophies lack clarity and make normative judgements trying to account for all.

Teacher Education Handbook

The Finlandia University Teacher Education Handbook was very informative regarding the historical framework for education and how Finlandia views the mission and philosophy of education. The handbook lists what is required of the education student pursuing a bachelor's degree. Student teaching is broken down into detail and how the student is to be assessed. Admission to the Elementary Education program at Finlandia requires that a student achieve at least a 2.70 GPA and complete an essay entitled: "Why I Want to be an Elementary School Teacher." The handbook outlines entry level standards and code of ethics for educators. Lastly, Teacher Certification is discussed in detail.

Chapter Two

After reading chapter two it is great to see how standards have been raised regarding professional development. Professional development is very positive because teachers need to keep up with changes in education through workshops, professional organizations, etc. There are several organizations for teachers including the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. In Michigan, teachers belong to the Michigan Education Association. Mentoring programs give new teachers the extra support needed regarding how the school works as well as how to handle everyday problems in the classroom.

Chapter One

After reading chapter one I thought that it was interesting that elementary teachers tend to spend more hours per week than secondary education instructors. Many students were positively influenced by their former teachers. Student teaching takes an average of ten to twelve weeks and is required by most stat es. After a student completes their education, they must be certified by the state they wish to teach in. There are two ways a student can obtain their certificate:

1.) Student can make their own application to the state who will decide if the candidate meets the requirements.

2.) The student can be recommended for certification after graduation from an approved teacher preparatory program.

The salary of a teacher is determined by numerous factors including union activity, availability of teachers, prevailing wage rate, and wealth of tax base in district's area.