Eng 311

Well,
hello again. This is my second opening entry for this blog, this one is for my Eng 311 class. I don’t have a lot more to say in this post that I didn’t say in my 310 post. I think the subjects we are learning about in this class and the subject we are preparing to teach is incredibly important. I also believe that it doesn’t always get taught correctly in school (as we’ve already addressed in class), and this is not good. Currently, I think that most of the problems come from a faulty measuring system…NCLB. Standardizing kids and standardizing the way they think is neither helpful to them or to society. If we can change the way we think about writing and reading that will invariably change the way we teach it. I really believe that by going into this profession and learning the things we are learning we will be able to change education for the better. So, overall I’m excited for this class and I’m excited to learn (dorky, I know but what can I do?)

So, what resources will i be using to help me on this blog? Well, first I have an RSS feed through my google reader account from the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, BBC News, NPR (and several others). Also, I have a connection on this page to a blog called Edspresso which is an education blog that deals with issues that teachers face (such as NCLB). I chose the New York Times and Chicago Tribune for two main reasons: 1) they are both well-respected and higly circulated newspapers so they deal with a wide geographic area. 2) because of this they have very well-informed education sections and print stories dealing with education or school districts quite often. I chose Chicago Tribune for a third reason as well, I plan on teaching in Chicago at some point.

I chose BBC News because its international and will have a somewhat more unbiased view of the American education system. Also, because its international it has many sources from which it gathers its news. I believe in simply explaining what the Edpsresso blog was I explained why I chose it, that is because its a blog dealing with issues that teachers face, mainly NCLB. This gives opinions and insights from practicing teachers, and this is helpful to anyone preparing to enter the field.

–Hannah