Evaluating "The No Excuse University"

The No Excuse University

 The textbook, “No Excuses University” written by Damen Lopez, is a manual about creating the perfect school for 21^st-century learning. I found the text to be encouraging and informative.

Structure of the Text

The chapters in the text are structured in a way that made it easy for me to follow. Each chapter is one page long. At the top of the page, the key concepts are listed, creating an outline of the chapter. The main body of the text explains the key concepts. At the bottom of the page, the “Theory to Practice” sections asks questions on how you apply what you learned in the chapter.

Important Applications

            The concepts presented in this book are very useful in creating my tutoring business. I want to be able to fill my students with the knowledge they will need to make it in the 21^st century. This text is like a guidebook on how to create a successful 21^st-century school.

Key Concept. “Successful schools simplify their focus” (Lopez, 2013, Ch. 4). I am currently working on opening my tutoring business, and this statement made me stop and think about my curriculum plans. After looking at my curriculum choices, I realized I was incorporating too many different programs into my lesson plans. I am now re-evaluating my choices, and choosing what would work best.

Theory to Practice. “As a school, decide on one goal that drives everything that you do. Get it in writing and live by it. If you have several goals, stop thinking of them as “goals” and start thinking of them as steps to help you achieve your ONE GOAL” (Lopez, 2013, Ch. 5). I have many goals for my business, and it was a bit overwhelming. By deciding on ONE GOAL, it seems more achievable.

Experiencing “My Moment”

I have always enjoyed working with children. When I was a teenager, I helped my mother with the children’s group in church. But I did not always want to teach children. I earned my Associate’s Degree in Psychology, and was working toward my Bachelor’s when my son was born. I decided to take time out to raise him, and would finish when he started school. When he was in preschool, he started having panic attacks in crowds. Going to school was going to be very difficult for him. Homeschooling was the answer. When he started high school, I decided to go back to school so I could start work as soon as he graduated. Going back to psychology didn’t interest me any longer. I had been involved in teaching for so long, I felt like I belong in the teaching field. I decided to pursue a degree in education, and I really love it.

 Avoid Losing Commitment  

As teachers, we need to be careful that we don’t fall victim to stresses that cause us to become jaded and lose their enthusiasm. Families that are poor and barely able to provide for their children can dishearten good teachers. Parents can cause undue stress on teachers which causes them to lose faith in their ability to help the children. Other teachers who have become jaded are filled with negativity which can be contagious. The biggest cause of teachers becoming jaded is the stress of the government changes in education and standardized testing.

If negativity starts getting to us, we need to look for ways to regain their enthusiasm. First, we need to turn to other teachers who are filled with enthusiasm. Positivity can be as contagious as negativity. Find ways to remind yourself of the students with who you were successful. I suggest a file with little notes written about each success. When I get down, I can go back and read about my students. This will help me remember why I started teaching in the first place.

References

       Lopez, D. (2013). No excuses university: How six exceptional systems are revolutionizing our schools (2nd ed.).Turnaround Schools Publications.

What is Literacy?

“Literacy is not, as it is considered in our schools, a PORTION of education. It IS education. It is at once the ability AND the inclination of the mind to find knowledge, to pursue understanding, and out of knowledge and understanding, not out of received attitudes and values or emotional responses, however worthy, to make judgments” (Richard Mitchell).

Literacy is not just a part of education, but the basis of all education. Literacy allows us to gather information, and determine our own conclusions. By learning to read, we learn to think for ourselves and seek the truth rather than accepting what we are told by others.

The 4 C’s of 21st Century Learning

After reading about the Partnership for 21^st Century Learners (P21) and the AASL’s Standards for 21^st Century Learners, I noticed that all of the 21^st century learning systems incorporate some combination of the 4 C’s: Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Creative Thinking. The problem is they are not using all 4 in most of them. All 4 of these skills are required for students to succeed in the 21^st century.

Collaboration

Students who have skills in collaboration are at a distinct advantage in the 21^st century workplace. Teamwork is a major aspect of many jobs today, both corporate and blue collar.

Critical Thinking

The children of today will be filling jobs that do not presently exist. The best way to accommodate this is to teach our students how to make inquiries and solve problems based on the answers. Problem-solving ability is one of the most important skills a person can have today.

Communication

Technology has made it possible to go to class, conduct business, and visit with family even from different countries. This makes communication skills even more important than ever before. Students need to learn how to communicate using print, broadcasts, and digital forms.

Creative Thinking

            Many careers today and in the future are dependent on creativity and innovation. Technology is the evolving at a drastic rate, and developers of technology need to create new technology based on the demands of the public.

These are just a few of the reasons that the 4 C’s are necessary for students to be prepared for the future careers they will need to fill.  I feel the standards that do not cover all 4 of these skills are neglecting a major part of the students’ education.

Finding My Independent Voice

What are your thoughts, feelings, vision, concerns, and outlook on your current profession or the one you plan to pursue? 

My goal is to teach young children the joy of reading. Reading is the most important skill children need to learn. All education requires this ability. Unfortunately, too many children are getting by without a strong foundation in the ability to read. On average, one in four children grow up illiterate (DoSomething.org, N.D.). This bothers me a great deal. I want all children to experience the joy of losing themselves in a great story.

 

 How do you plan on developing your own independent voice within your professional field?  

I am not sure what my plan for creating my own independent voice in the education field is at this time. I am still undecided in my final career, but all of my choices involve helping children become better readers. My goal is to create a love of reading in as many children as I can.

I might become a teacher and create a curriculum that allows students more freedom in their choice of material. As a student, I remember reading books that I hated, and for some children, that can turn them off of reading. I want to help children see how much fun reading can be.

I may become a librarian and create programs that encourage reading in my patrons.  I would have book clubs, book fairs, story time, and reading challenges that reward students for reading a specified amount of books. I would also have other activities such as movies and game time that encourage student to come to the library.

Becoming a reading specialist is my third option. For this, I will specialize in helping readers who have difficulties. Since this requires one-on-one lessons, I will be able to cater my lesson plans to the student. I can incorporate their interests into the lessons, making them more appealing the child.

Reference:

DoSomething.org (N.D.). 11 Facts about Literacy in America. Retrieved from: https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-literacy-america

Learning Commons Model for Libraries

         After reading about the Learning Commons model for libraries, I believe this will be very beneficial for students to succeed. I have always believed that a good library would be filled with technology that will help the students succeed in their academic goals. Now, I know that the best system is not technology-centered, but user-centered (Harland, 2011). I think the best method is one that takes the users into account to make it useful to everyone.

There are a lot of benefits to the Learning Commons model. There is modern technology that students will need to use for 21^st century learning. Collaboration is a major aspect of modern learning, so providing an area for collaboration in the library makes it easier for students to work together. Most importantly, the Learning Commons model takes the learning needs of the students into consideration when creating the work space, the materials available, the websites, and the services provided. Students can now find what they need to succeed in the 21^st Century.

The local libraries have started working on making the libraries better. They have added comfortable chairs, more tables and group areas, and made only certain areas quiet zones. The one thing they haven’t done is to ask the patrons what they want and need. To implement the Learning Commons, we need to make a questionnaire that will help us understand what the people need or want.

References:

Harland, P. C. (2011). The learning commons: Seven simple steps to transform your library. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Why it is Important to Keep the Library Collections Contemporary

Books that are relevant to the readers are the best choices. It can be difficult to get new and struggling readers to read for recreation. The best way to encourage them to read is to give them books that relate to them in a personal way. Young readers like to read about children experiencing some of the things they are experiencing. As times change, so do the events that effect the students. Books about children in the fifties, while they can be interesting to some, modern children cannot fully relate to them. For English class, I had my son read To Kill a Mockingbird. It is a great book, but he could not relate to children. Today, it is not safe to let the children run all over town until after dark.

Modern writers have a better understanding of what today’s children are experiencing. They can see what the world is like today, and they write about it. Even modern fantasy novels have something that can relate to modern children.  As librarians, we need to make sure we are meeting the needs of our patrons, and keeping the library up-to-date on all the current reading trends and modern authors, is a big part of that. Students hear about a new and exciting author, and they will want to find their books at the library. Librarians need to be prepared by having these author's books available.

Technology has changed a great deal over the years, and many modern books will have that technology being used. Technology is also used to read books in this modern age. Part of purchasing modern books is purchasing eBooks. Librarians need to carry contemporary books in both paper and digital forms, to be able to better serve the needs of their patrons.

My Reading Preferences Then and Now

What did you like to read when you were young? 

I have always been an avid reader. I was very fond of fantasy books. I loved books about princess, witches, dragons, and vampires have always fascinated me. I loved reading Mary Poppins, the Oz books, The Last Unicorn, Charlotte’s Web, A Wrinkle in Time, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. I also likes mysteries. I loves Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, and Encyclopedia Brown. Science fiction was fun to read when I was a child. My favorite Science Fiction books were H.G. Wells classic, The War of the Worlds, and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. I started reading Shakespeare in fourth grade. I loved the comedies, and some of the tragedies.

What do you like to read now? 

            I am still a big fan of fantasy books. My favorite author is Terry Brooks. I also read a lot of historical fiction books. I love stories about the kings and queens of England. The Other Boleyn Girl was one of my favorites. I also tend to read quite a bit more non-fiction than I did as a child. I love reading Shakespeare, I have developed a love of his histories. I also read a lot of poetry.

How have your reading interests changed over the years? 

            The biggest changes in my reading habits are I have lost interest in Science Fiction books. They just don’t interest me anymore. I also have not red a mystery in several years. Now, I like historical fiction, which I hated as a child. I still love Shakespeare, but now, I love all his plays. When I was younger, the only poetry I enjoyed was Shel Silverstein. Now, I love poets such as Robert Frost and Maya Angelou.

What do you think caused the change(s)?

The reason for this change is that as we grow, we mature and our interests change. Our reading preferences reflect these changes. Many thing that we did not understand as children, make sense to us now, and we can appreciate them. And, many things we loved as children, we have simply outgrown.