Memoir final

Jessica Swanson                                                                                                                

Holly Pappas

English 101

March 6, 2012

Memoir Assignment

My first semester of college was a whole new world to me coming from the high school.  In high school I felt like the teachers did not know how to teach me when I struggled in certain areas.  They would just do the work for me.  How do I learn from that if they do the work for me?  Also I was the shyest girl in the classroom because I was always afraid of people making fun of me if I answered a question wrong.  Also one time in high school a student took my seat in the crowded lunch room and I asked him to move and he wouldn’t move.  After I got the dean involved and he wouldn’t listen to the dean either.   Then the police removed the kid because he wouldn’t listen.  As the student was leaving with the police everyone in the cafeteria started clapping.  This was the worst memory of High School.  Furthermore, this caused me to be afraid to talk in class because most students were not mature enough to handle situations.  However, in college the people and the environment was a lot different from high school. I feel like teachers know how to help me when I struggle in certain areas.  I also feel like the students in college are a lot more mature so it makes me feel comfortable to talk in class.    

 In college I had more supportive teachers than I did in high school.  Even though I had difficulties in certain areas I was able to get through them with the teachers I had my first semester of college.  English 090 was one class I had trouble with that semester.  In English 090 I wrote very well written papers reflecting my life. “Did I get all A’s and B’s on them? No I didn’t because I had trouble with grammar.”  The first paper I got back was a C.  It had notes written all over it saying sentence structure, fragment, run-on, and pronoun agreement.  I ripped up the paper and gave up on writing.  I thought to myself, “I can’t do this and I will never be a good writer.”  I was upset that I didn’t get the help I needed in high school when I had these problems.  Throughout high school I always had sentence structure, fragments, and run-on problems.  All the teachers did were fix the problems for me and didn’t explain to me how to correct them.  Fortunately in college I had a supportive teacher who inspired me and helped every individual.  She taught us about sentence structure, run-ons, fragments and lots of other grammar skills. When I wrote one assignment during class, she would have conferences with each student individually and go over the editing notes she wrote on our papers.  What encouraged me to write was when she would laugh when she read my papers and tell me that she can picture it in her head what was happening.  She would always encourage me to go to her office whenever I needed help. Therefore I ended up learning a lot and that I can become a better writer with practice.

Furthermore, now that you know about my experience in my English class, my first semester of college I also learned how to manage school and my home life.  Trying to figure out how to manage my home life and school life gave me the biggest headache at first and it took some time to figure out how to do both without having stress in my life.   During the first week of college I was sitting in my first class and my English teacher came in the room.  She came up to me and said, “You’re playing games on your phone! Shouldn’t you be studying while you’re waiting?”  After that I built a whole new schedule for me.  Then it was the second week of classes and I sat at my desk and noticed I have fifteen minutes before class.  Therefore I got out a piece of paper and dragged my pencil across the paper and then the teacher came in and looks at me with a smile and says, “I am so proud of you, being a productive student.”  When class is over I headed to the gym and I had sweat going down my face with my eyes going from left to right on a boring textbook.  After I learned how to use my time wisely I didn’t have to stay up till eleven at night doing my homework. Also I was able to have a life with friends and family. 

Another skill I gained in college was confidence and independence.  Having confidence in myself was the hardest thing for me believe it or not.  Throughout my whole years of school I would always be the girl that would sit at my desk with my lips sealed and not one peep out of me while everyone else participated in the discussion.  I was always afraid of kids laughing at me and making fun of me if I asked a question or said a wrong answer.  And then at the end of class I would walk out without understanding anything.  I had a splitting headache when I tried to do my homework because it was like I was learning a new language and I would always go to my mom with water coming out of my eyes and my hair sticking up. I would always tell her, “I don’t understand this ridiculous homework and I am going to get an F if I don’t do it!”  So she told me, “I will email your teachers and explain what is going on for you.”   In college it was a respectful environment full of grown up and mature adults.  When it came to class discussions I would not keep my mouth shut.  In my reading class I would answer ten out of the 13 questions my teacher asked.  Everyone else would sit there with their mouths shut.  I even asked questions when I didn’t understand something and was always going to my professor’s office hours for extra help. 

Even though college was a big transition for me coming from the high school and I had throbbing headaches, I got through it all and learned a lot about me.  I can do anything I put my mind to and I can get through anything and shouldn’t let obstacles get in my way.  Also even though I was frustrated that I didn’t get the support I needed in high school it’s a whole new education for me and I can start off brand new and look at how far I gone in college with all the struggles I had.  

Ethnography final

Jessica Swanson                                                                                                                

Holly Pappas                                                                                                                                      

English 101

April 10, 2012

Ethnography Essay

I have always been interested in little kids and how they learn. I am also going into the early childhood field. I babysit two twin girls right now and I have babysat them since they were three years old. Therefore I have had a lot of experience with them and wanted to know what a classroom environment was like for preschoolers. I expected to see cubbies for the kid’s belongings and different areas for the kids to play in. The areas were reading, art, block, science, computer, and dramatic play.  One thing I always wondered is how they discipline the kids because everyone has a different perspective on disciplining kids’ behavior. 

As soon as I walk into the environment of infants, toddlers and preschoolers there are lots of things going on. My main focus is on the preschoolers. I walk on to a soft carpet near the main entrance and in front of me about four feet away I see the kid’s cubbies where they put their coats, lunch boxes and bags.  The toddlers play on the other side of the cubbies. Then on the right side of the entrance I see a dramatic play area. There is a play kitchen and a small sized kid’s closet that has dress up clothes in it.  Lots of shelves in the classroom create the boundaries of each play area.  Then there is a math area with puzzles and other fun games. On the other side of the dramatic play and math area is where the infants play. On the left side of the entrance is the block area there are big, medium, and small blocks.  In the classroom on the tile flooring stands the art area. There is a shelve of art supplies and in front of the supplies is a red shaped kidney table.  There is a reading area filled with books and two cushioned chairs.  Next to the reading are remains the science area with tools, orange goo, weighing scale and a rectangle shaped table. Next to the science area be located the computer center. There are two computers that the kids can play learning games on. Nearby there is a bubbler and the restrooms.  The walls are half white and half blue and there is the kid’s art work of cat and the hat faces hanging up on the wall and yellow painted circles that look like suns. There are windows in the dramatic play area, block area and the infant and toddler area.

 The preschoolers are all dressed up either in jeans and long sleeve or short sleeve shirts or dresses. Some of the girls were fashionable boots and the rest of the boys and girls where sneakers. Also some of the girls either have their hair up in a ponytail or braids.

At school the preschoolers have a schedule that they follow every day. First they come in and hang up their princess and Spiderman and batman backpacks in their cubbies. Then they do free play for about an hour and play at the different centers. Then at about nine o’clock they get into circle and they listen to a story and sing songs. I heard one song that they would sing which is “What’s the Weather?” I see all the kids sitting nicely on their bottoms and I hear the kids singing along with the teacher, “What’s the weather? What’s the weather? What’s the weather like today? Is it foggy, partly cloudy, is it raining or is there snow. Is it windy, is it cloudy or is there sunshine today. What’s the weather? What’s the weather? What’s the weather like today?” Then the teacher would have cards with activities on them that each individual child would have to do. The teacher would call up one child at a time and the child would pick a card and the teacher would read it to the child. One child picked a card that said, “Where do you live?” Then the child would answer. Another card that a child picked was it said, “Find something green.” So the child would go around the room and touch something green. After the child has picked a card and accomplished the activity the child hopped to the bathroom like a bunny and washed their hands because it was snack time. At snack time they all had a bowl of purple yogurt and a cup of water. After they had their snack they had free play.  At the math area three kids were building a puzzle together.  When the kids were building the puzzle one child was trying to figure out where a piece goes.  Therefore a friend of her says that piece doesn’t go yet. Then she suggested her friend to try another piece.  Then I noticed a preschooler decided to take decorative grass and bring it to the dramatic play area while she walked it over to the area she was dropping pieces of it on the floor.  So when the teacher saw it she said, “Who of my friends dropped all this grass on the floor?”  No one would answer so she said, “I am going to turn around and count to ten and by the time I turn around I want to see it all picked up.”  As soon as she started counting four kids started picking it up immediately and as fast as they could.  Then it was time to go outside.

The kids got their coats on and the teacher gathered beads and string to bring outside. There is a fenced in play area so the kids can’t run away. There are two plastic jungle gyms that have slides. One jungle gym is triangle shaped and has holes that the kids can climb through and then there is a slide. The other jungle gym is a little bit bigger and it has stairs and two slides. In one corner of the play area there is a triangle shaped sandbox. There are two kids’ sized plastic tables and there is also a wooden house the kids can play in. Talking to kids is very different from talking to adults. When we were outside a child stepped on a castle that a child was making. When the teacher came up to the sandbox, Olivia said in an upsetting tone, “He stepped on my castle.” The teacher said, “You look very upset about it, and asked the boy, did you step on her castle on purpose or was it by accident?” The boy said, “I did it by accident” and the teacher said, “Can you say sorry to her?” Another time I saw was Emma was filling a truck with sand and Hannah comes up and says, “I will help you.” So the two girls start playing together. Then Emma says, “What are you doing?” “Digging for treasure”, says Hannah. “Me too”, says Emma. Outside some kids were making bracelets and necklaces too. Olivia made a necklace and I tied it for her after she was done and then later on she comes up to me and says, “I made this necklace for you. “Thank you Olivia! It was very nice of you and it’s beautiful.” After two minutes pass she came back up to me and says, “Actually I made that for me.” So I hand it back to her. That moment just made my day even though she took it back after.

Then it was time for all the kids to line up and get ready for lunch. When all the kids have hung up their coats and washed their hands they sit at the table and wait for their lunch to be served. Some of the lunches the kids have are peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, and spaghettio’s. I can hear all the preschoolers being quiet while they eat their lunch. After they ate their lunch, one child got all the lunch boxes from all the preschoolers’ cubbies for all his/her friends and passed them out so they could eat their snack.  After they eat their lunch they are allowed to have two snacks from their lunch box. Then they are done eating the lights go off and light music is playing while the kids go to sleep on their cots.

Over all, I have had a good experience with the preschoolers. One thing that surprised me was that when I found out the teacher has her own kid as a student. This surprised me because usually kids can’t have their own parent as a teacher. I watched the interaction between the mom and son in the classroom environment because I thought that would make it tough to teach. The son would always sit next to his mom during snack and lunch time. Then during reading time all the kids would sit nicely on the floor will the son would be leaning on his mom’s lap.  Also, whenever his mom told the kids to do something and they wouldn’t listen right away the son would always speak up and tell them what to do like he is in control.  One main thing I noticed in the preschoolers’ behaviors is that if one child did something another child would copy their behavior.  

argument essay final

Jessica Swanson

Holly Pappas

English 101

April 24, 2012

Argument Essay   

 Are you someone who has always struggled developing basic math skills? Well you are not the only one, suffering from this because this has been stated that it has been a worldwide issue for many years.  Many people are not taught right in basic math and this is when technology affects the teaching of obtaining basic math skills. A lot of people now a days use calculators to figure out the sales price and tax on clothing and other items.  Elementary school students should not be able to use calculators in school until they have thoroughly mastered arithmetic skills.

                I am one that has always struggled in basic math because I was given a calculator at a young age before I even knew how to solve basic math problems like multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction.  Since elementary school they would give me a calculator to solve these basic math problems and continued throughout high school.  This problem affected me so much because when it came to taking state tests I couldn’t use a calculator on most of the problems and didn’t know how to divide or multiply on my own which caused me to obtain a low grade. Then when I got to college I had to take a basic math class and heard that I couldn’t use a calculator for most of the chapters.  When I heard I couldn’t use a calculator I got so scared that I wouldn’t be able to pass without the help of a calculator. I was so frustrated that I had to learn arithmetic’s in college when I could have learned it when I was younger.  Knowing that this has been an issue for a long time helps me know that I am not the only one.

            Some may argue that calculators are okay to use before students in elementary school have thoroughly mastered arithmetic skills.  Some may say that students can get more practice on solving problems with the use of calculator using whatever operation that is presented in the problem.  Yes students can get more practice with math problems but they don’t learn the steps of solving the operation in the problem.  Also some may believe that students gain confidence in their mathematical skills by using a calculator. (“Erin McCauliff”)  I agree that students gain confidence in math by using a calculator because I felt the same way in school.  However I relied on it too much, therefore when it came to solving math problems without a calculator my confidence in math went down a lot.  Therefore students should not be able to use a calculator until they have thoroughly mastered their arithmetic skills.                    

 There are many concerns that teachers and parents have when a calculator is introduced to a child before having basic math skills.  Teachers and parents panic that students will lack simple math problems and effect them from solving everyday math problems without a calculator if they introduce calculators into the program.  Parents and teachers state the concern and question of the use of calculators: “We don’t see how that is going to strengthen students’ ability to do any mathematical operations.  Indeed, why should the student bother to learn any mathematics at all, so as long as he can get a machine to think for him?”  (“Calculators”).  I have always had that question in my head as I went through my math classes in elementary through high school.  Therefore I believe in everyone’s concern in the use of calculators.  Also students can lose confidence in solving math problems on their own when they are given a calculator even when they are just checking answers.  I believe in this 100% because this happened to me when I was given a calculator and I got lazy and too attached to the calculator that I relied on it too much. Then when I had to take a math class in college without a calculator I didn’t have confidence in myself.

           Also using calculators in school before learning arithmetic can affect your future.  It can affect students when they move on into college.  In most classes for basic math students are not allowed to use calculators.  That was the position I was in and don’t want to see other kids go through that because it was very frustrating.  There are schools that made a prerequisite for students to know basic math before enrolling in the school.  For example, in 1745 Yale College was the first American school that made a prerequisite for students to be able to add, multiply, divide, and subtract before applying for any classes.  Not only does it affect your education but it can also affect you when dealing with money and paying bills. “The 1972-73 National Assessment of Mathematics, part of a nationwide educational testing program conducted every five years, found that 92 percent of 17 year-olds and 86 percent of adults could correctly add a series of dollar-and-cents figures.  At the same time, a three-digit decimal subtraction problem was computed correctly by 78 percent of teenagers and 74 percent of the adults. Yet only one percent of the 17 year-olds and 16 percent of the adults could solve a moderately complicated checkbook balancing problem.”  (“Calculators”)  This shows that not learning properly can affect teenagers and adults later on in their life.  Also in the article that was written in 2011 it says that, “Almost 17 million adults have the math skills of a nine year old.” Also, “at least two million have the math and literacy skills of a five year old.  According to the Skills for Life survey, which questioned 7,000 adults, the problem is getting worse.” (“Calculator ban on young pupils”)  It seems as though the usage of calculators has been going on for a long time and the problem is still not solved.

 I interviewed my aunt who teaches algorithms along with many other strategies that foster the students overall number sense in a fifth grade classroom. These strategies focus on multiply ways to solve a problem and allowing the students to pick strategies that work for him/her.  In her class the students are rarely allowed to use calculators and are only allowed to use calculators in the graphing unit because they have more complex problems.  In these problems they have to take a fraction and turn it into a whole number and then turn it into a percent and then a decimal. 30% of her class struggle with multiplying, dividing, addition, and subtraction. The students that struggle with this mostly make a silly mistake with one of the basic facts or forget the process of the operation they are using. I also asked her opinion of the use of calculators.  She believes that students should not use calculators for simple equations because they are not gaining any awareness of overall number sense or place value.    Also that calculators cannot become an aid for elementary school students. (“Yost”)

Now that I have taken a basic math class in college this experience has helped me be more confident in math without using a calculator.  I learned that even though I am in college it is not too late to learn how to divide and multiply using paper and pencil.  I would always blame the teachers for not teaching me math the right way but when I was learning how to multiply and divide without using a calculator I said to myself, “I wasted all that time blaming the teachers when I can work on learning how to solve basic math problems on my own.”   This is one important fact that I will remember when learning math, “Calculators may achieve the same status, they say.  Just as spelling is still taught, they observe, students will continue to learn basic mathematical skills.  But pupils will not be able to perform all types of computation, just as few people can spell all the words they need.”  (“Calculators”). 

argument essay

Jessica Swanson

Holly Pappas

English 101

April 24, 2012

Argument Essay   

 Are you someone who has always struggled developing basic math skills? Well you are not the only one, suffering from this because this has been stated that it has been a worldwide issue for many years.  Many people are not taught right in basic math and this is when technology affects the teaching of obtaining basic math skills. A lot of people now a days use calculators to figure out the sales price and tax on clothing and other items.  Elementary school students should not be able to use calculators in school until they have thoroughly mastered arithmetic skills.

                I am one that has always struggled in basic math because I was given a calculator at a young age before I even knew how to solve basic math problems like multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction.  Since elementary school they would give me a calculator to solve these basic math problems and continued throughout high school.  This problem affected me so much because when it came to taking state tests I couldn’t use a calculator on most of the problems and didn’t know how to divide or multiply on my own which caused me to obtain a low grade. Then when I got to college I had to take a basic math class and heard that I couldn’t use a calculator for most of the chapters.  When I heard I couldn’t use a calculator I got so scared that I wouldn’t be able to pass without the help of a calculator. I was so frustrated that I had to learn arithmetic’s in college when I could have learned it when I was younger.  Knowing that this has been an issue for a long time helps me know that I am not the only one.

            Some may argue that calculators are okay to use before students in elementary school have thoroughly mastered arithmetic skills.  Some may say that students can get more practice on solving problems with the use of calculator using whatever operation that is presented in the problem.  Yes students can get more practice with math problems but they don’t learn the steps of solving the operation in the problem.  Also some may believe that students gain confidence in their mathematical skills by using a calculator. (“Erin McCauliff”)  I agree that students gain confidence in math by using a calculator because I felt the same way in school.  However I relied on it too much, therefore when it came to solving math problems without a calculator my confidence in math went down a lot.  Therefore students should not be able to use a calculator until they have thoroughly mastered their arithmetic skills.                    

 There are many concerns that teachers and parents have when a calculator is introduced to a child before having basic math skills.  Teachers and parents panic that students will lack simple math problems and effect them from solving everyday math problems without a calculator if they introduce calculators into the program.  Parents and teachers state the concern and question of the use of calculators: “We don’t see how that is going to strengthen students’ ability to do any mathematical operations.  Indeed, why should the student bother to learn any mathematics at all, so as long as he can get a machine to think for him?”  (“Calculators”).  I have always had that question in my head as I went through my math classes in elementary through high school.  Therefore I believe in everyone’s concern in the use of calculators.  Also students can lose confidence in solving math problems on their own when they are given a calculator even when they are just checking answers.  I believe in this 100% because this happened to me when I was given a calculator and I got lazy and too attached to the calculator that I relied on it too much. Then when I had to take a math class in college without a calculator I didn’t have confidence in myself.

           Also using calculators in school before learning arithmetic can affect your future.  It can affect students when they move on into college.  In most classes for basic math students are not allowed to use calculators.  That was the position I was in and don’t want to see other kids go through that because it was very frustrating.  There are schools that made a prerequisite for students to know basic math before enrolling in the school.  For example, in 1745 Yale College was the first American school that made a prerequisite for students to be able to add, multiply, divide, and subtract before applying for any classes.  Not only does it affect your education but it can also affect you when dealing with money and paying bills. “The 1972-73 National Assessment of Mathematics, part of a nationwide educational testing program conducted every five years, found that 92 percent of 17 year-olds and 86 percent of adults could correctly add a series of dollar-and-cents figures.  At the same time, a three-digit decimal subtraction problem was computed correctly by 78 percent of teenagers and 74 percent of the adults. Yet only one percent of the 17 year-olds and 16 percent of the adults could solve a moderately complicated checkbook balancing problem.”  (“Calculators”)  This shows that not learning properly can affect teenagers and adults later on in their life.  Also in the article that was written in 2011 it says that, “Almost 17 million adults have the math skills of a nine year old.” Also, “at least two million have the math and literacy skills of a five year old.  According to the Skills for Life survey, which questioned 7,000 adults, the problem is getting worse.” (“Calculator ban on young pupils”)  It seems as though the usage of calculators has been going on for a long time and the problem is still not solved.

 I interviewed my aunt who teaches algorithms along with many other strategies that foster the students overall number sense in a fifth grade classroom. These strategies focus on multiply ways to solve a problem and allowing the students to pick strategies that work for him/her.  In her class the students are rarely allowed to use calculators and are only allowed to use calculators in the graphing unit because they have more complex problems.  In these problems they have to take a fraction and turn it into a whole number and then turn it into a percent and then a decimal. 30% of her class struggle with multiplying, dividing, addition, and subtraction. The students that struggle with this mostly make a silly mistake with one of the basic facts or forget the process of the operation they are using. I also asked her opinion of the use of calculators.  She believes that students should not use calculators for simple equations because they are not gaining any awareness of overall number sense or place value.    Also that calculators cannot become an aid for elementary school students.

Sources for argument paper

Limitations to Teaching Children 2+2=4: Typical Arithmetic Problems Can Hinder Learning Of Mathematical Equivlence

Reversing Education Majors' Arithmetic Misconceptions With Short-Term Instruction Using Manipulatives

Enhancing Arithmetic and Word Problem Solving...

Addition and subtraction by students with Down syndrome

Proposal for argument paper

The issue I want to do is how to improve National Math Scores. I think this is a controversial issue because everyone is going to have different opinions on how math should be taught and if they are teaching it effectively or not.  I have gone through math my whole life and I struggled with it so I feel like something needs to change. I have used a calculator for simple multiplication, division, subtraction and addition from elementary to high school.   Then when I got to college I had to learn how to do that simple math without a calculator and that is what I know so far about this issue from my experience.  I have a lot of sources I can use.  I have an aunt that teaches 5th grade and I know my aunts friend that can help me too and she teaches 1st grade.  I can also connect with my 8th grade math teacher.  I can probably find some books from the library on it.  If I have the chance I can probably connect with the people I know and ask to take pictures on how they present math material or I can get pictures online from different states on how math is taught and at different dates to show how it improves.

How to Improve National Math Scores

The child-driven eduction

I watched the video called, "The child-driven education." This video was mostly about how kids can learn anything when they want to and are interested in learning. He went to south Africa where kids never used a computer or the internet and never seen a computer. The kids were able to figure out things on their own and by working with their peers. They learned to read and write. What surprised me is that kids that have never seen a computer before were able to learn so much without assistance and they were soon able to find their homework online after. I believe experimenting on your own sometimes benefits you to learn more. For example,I had to get behind the wheel of a car to learn how to drive. No one can teach me how to drive because it takes practice. This video was very interesting and makes me think how education will be different in the future.