Hi, everyone!
This past week in seminar, there was some discussion about the presidential candidates and their views on education. I think everyone learned that there is a lot to be learned about the candidates and their views before the election in November!
For this week's blog, please find one quote, fact, paragraph, statement etc. that tells us something about either Obama or Romney and his stance on education. It can be any issue that touches on education (NCLB, school choice, etc.). Reflect on what you find.
“In South Korea, teachers are known as "nation builders." Here in America, it's time we treated the people who educate our children with the same level of respect. We want to reward good teachers and stop making excuses for bad ones. And over the next ten years, with so many Baby Boomers retiring from our classrooms, we want to prepare 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. In fact, to every young person listening tonight who's contemplating their career choice: If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation; if you want to make a difference in the life of a child -- become a teacher. Your country needs you. Of course, the education race doesn't end with a high school diploma. To compete, higher education must be within reach of every American…”
ReplyDeleteThis is a quote said by Obama on his viewpoints of education. I think that is a very powerful statement. Something that really stands out in this quote to me is when he says “..if you want to make a difference in the life of a child – become a teacher. Your country needs you.” Although he is saying our country needs us, it is still tough to find a job in this field and teachers lack respect from other job professions. I am glad that Obama notices this and realizes that in America it is time to start treating teachers with more respect.
We all know that education is extremely important; it's the foundation on which people build the rest of their lives. We have always been told that knowledge is power and in order to have knowledge you must learn. Not all learning is done in school, but school is critical in order to grow up as a productive, knowledgable citizen who can actively participate in society. A President is a role model that everyone knows and can choose to look up to. When he is making such important decisions that impact our country, it is great to see that he does support what we do as teachers, and the importance that we also see of education for our students. We want other people to have high respect for teachers because of the important job that we do. People need to see that education is important for everyone. Having a President that sees education as a huge importance to society is great as a teacher to have that support, and it is also great to have him as a role model as a supporter of education.
DeleteShannon I love this quote! I think so many people, even to this day, view teachers as people who like having summers off, like having benefits, and don't mind spending every waking moment with kids. What they don't realize is that teachers are the people who shape kids into becoming adults and active members of society. They don't get enough respect, and it's about time they do! I love the fact that he is encouraging people to become teachers and acknowledging the important and powerful things they do in the profession of education!
Delete"We've got poor kids and some kids who have deep troubles at home, but there's no doubt that we can step up our game," Obama said. "And this is a big argument and a big difference that I've got with Governor [Mitt] Romney in this election, because they talk a good game about reform, but when you actually look at their budgets, they are talking about slashing our investment in education by 20 percent, 25 percent." - Resident Obama, via The Huffington Post.
ReplyDeleteI've done a bit of research on the candidates' view of education, and this selection from the Huffington Post highlights some of my concerns. It is hard to find straight information from either party, but based on many of his quotes, President Obama understands much of the underlying factors that effect a child's Education- the societal and economic backgrounds that have so much to do with how a child performs, how they feel at school. Much of Romney's stance on "education reform" involves "hiring better teachers"... to which there is no follow up on how, save that if we have better teachers the government won't need to fund schools. He wants to put the money behind struggling students to allow them to change schools... somehow with less funding? Naturally, I want to hear their opinions during the debate, but none of Romney's position make any sense- or seem consistent- to me at all.
I agree with your thoughts on Romney's stance concerning hiring better teachers. How can we really know that better teachers are the answer. I think that Obama's focus on the NCLB policy better suits the factors that both candidates are addressing. I agree that it will definitely be interesting to see what both sides have to say at the debate on Wednesday.
Delete"Michelle and I are here only because we were given a chance at an education. I will not settle for an America where some kids don’t have that chance. I’ll invest in early childhood education. I’ll recruit an army of new teachers, pay them higher salaries and give them more support. In exchange, I’ll ask for higher standards and more accountability. We’ll keep our promise to every young American--if you commit to serving your community and your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education."
ReplyDeleteSource: Speech at 2008 Democratic National Convention , Aug 27, 2008
It's great that Obama finds education to be important, because it's important for every child to have the chance at an education. Knowledge is power and an education is a prerequisite for anything you want to do with your future. In comparing statistics between education in our country and education in other countries, we know that we do everything we can to provide every student with an education, because we understand the importance of it. Certain other countries only educate their brightest and direct other children down other paths. This, in turn, skews the statistics because the groups that are being compared have such a diverse range of abilities that the statistics don't seem to be quite fair. Now we are trying to still educate every single child in our country and make it to the top of the list with countries that are not doing the same. It's just an interesting perspective and there are a lot of variables to keep in mind when trying to see where we place on the list of countries academic success.
As a teacher, I feel that not only is it a challenge to educate every single student no matter the range of ability or type of learner, but we are still trying to get our country to be more competitive when ranked with other countries of the world. It's just going to be an incredible challenge and those of us getting ready to enter the workforce are going to be directly effected by whichever decisions are made by the candidate chosen to be president.
It's also interesting to think about whether the government wants the children to succeed, or the country to succeed. Raising standards is great, but extra support also needs to be added in order for teachers to reach all students. If standards are raised, but everything else remains the same, the only changes that will result are over-worked teachers and stressed out students!
DeleteI think it is great how passionate Obama is towards education and every child getting an education. I think that we need a leader for our country who values the importance of an education for all children.
DeletePresident Obama believes that education is a cornerstone of creating an American economy built to last. Building a world-class education system and high-quality job training opportunities will equip the American economy to advance business growth, encourage new investment and hiring, spark innovation, and promote continued economic growth and prosperity. Through several critical investments at the K-12 level, the Administration is fostering the type of growth, innovation, and transformation that is needed to improve our schools and achieve better outcomes for high-need students.
ReplyDeleteThis information I found on the White Houses website where they discuss all of the education issues that President Obama has addressed. I strongly agree with what he says here because to me education is the necessary foundation for what builds our country. Teachers and educators make an impact on every single student that comes through their classroom and goes on to a higher education and a job. I feel that it is important for the President of the United States to recognize education as the foundation of our country and hold educators up to he same standards as they do in most western cultures. The impact that teachers make is immense to the futures of all of our citizens and it is important for whoever wins this election to realize where they came from and what teachers, professors, and educators guided them to where they are today.
While I know next to nothing about politics and different platforms and beliefs, I'll just change it up and post something that Romney said. I haven't researched more into his views, and only know a few things about what Obama stands for, so this is all very interesting for me :)
ReplyDeleteToday in Washington, D.C., Mitt Romney delivered a speech on education and presented his plan for reform that will provide a chance for every child. Romney criticized President Obama’s preference for increased spending over genuine reform, and emphasized the unproductive role that teachers’ unions have played for decades.
Romney outlined a vision for restoring the promise of America’s education system and guaranteeing every student the opportunity to succeed. For the nation’s K-12 schools, his policies will provide more choices for parents, further emphasize responsibility for results, and place a quality teacher in every classroom. For higher education, Romney will ensure that all Americans have affordable options to prepare them for successful careers.
“As president, I will pursue bold policy changes that will restore the promise of our nation’s education system,” said Romney. “Dramatically expanding parental choice, making schools responsible for results by giving parents access to clear and instructive information, and attracting and rewarding our best teachers — these changes can help ensure that every parent has a choice and every child has a chance.”
Romney presented the details of his plan:
Education Reform That Will Provide A Chance For Every Child
As president, Mitt Romney will pursue genuine education reform that puts the interests of parents and students ahead of special interests and provides a chance for every child. He will take the unprecedented step of tying federal funds directly to dramatic reforms that expand parental choice, invest in innovation, and reward teachers for their results instead of their tenure. These policies will equip state leaders to achieve the change that can only come from commitment and action at the local level. He will also ensure that students have diverse and affordable options for higher education to give them the skills they need to succeed after graduation and that, when they graduate, they can find jobs that provide a rewarding return on their educational investment.
Like I said, a lot of this goes way over my head, but it's just so interesting to see all of the different opinions on the subject of education reform. I really like the idea that a family who has a child in a failing school can choose to send them to another school. I am at Hamilton Elementary in Lancaster, and this is the first year that students going to my school have had that option. The families are allowed to choose a school in the district that isn't failing, and Hamilton Elementary is required to provide transportation to that student. While I like that idea, I think of what Sarah said and how you need to have funding to have other schools to send students to, like charter schools. I like the principle, but you have to have options for those families, and many of those options require some sort of funding. The other point I really like that Romney made is that a school is only as strong as it's teachers. I know that Romney wants to hire better teachers, but doesn't really have a set idea on how to do that. I do believe that teachers who love to teach and want to make a difference are the ones that should be hired, but I have no idea how that would ever happen! I like his idea of rewarding teachers for their efforts and providing grants and what not to help them further their career aspirations, and the fact that he wants to encourage the profession!
"Empowering parents with far greater choice over the school their child attends is a vital component of any national agenda for education reform. To start, low-income and special-needs children must be given the freedom to choose the right school and bring funding with them. These students must have access to attractive options, which will require support for the expansion of successful charter schools and for greater technology use by schools." -Mitt Romney
ReplyDeleteWhile I love Mitt Romney's ideas about rewarding excellent teachers and getting rid of the concept "last to hire, first to fire," some of his comments about school choice don't sit well with me. I agree that parents should have a choice as to what school their child should attend, especially when a school is failing, and I know that private and charter schools can be beneficial to some students, especially those with particular needs; however, Romney's comments seem to hold private and charter schools above the public school system. Having attended both public and private schools, I can honestly say that both gave me valuable experiences. To imply that the expansion of charter schools will allow better opportunities for students than we have seen previously says that Mitt Romney has little faith in the current public school system. As a future teacher, I need all government figures to have faith in what I am doing!
And I’ve said this all across the country when I talk to parents about education, government has to fulfill its obligations to fund education, but parents have to do their job too. We’ve got to turn off the TV set, we’ve got to put away the video game, and we have to tell our children that education is not a passive activity, you have to be actively engaged in it. If we encourage that attitude and our community is enforcing it, I have no doubt we can compete with anybody in the world.” ~~ Barack Obama
ReplyDeleteThis quote tells me a lot about President Obama's view on education. It tells me that the government is going to do their part in properly funding our educational systems. Although I would like to see more of a commitment from my government in properly funding public schools, it is true that we need parents help at home as well. We can have the greatest teachers in the world but if students are not constantly being held to a higher standard, then they will never fully achieve. I think Barack Obama has a realistic view on education.
“Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik, we had no idea how we'd beat them to the moon. The science wasn't there yet. NASA didn't even exist. But after investing in better research and education, we didn't just surpass the Soviets; we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs…
ReplyDelete.. Think about it. Over the next ten years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education that goes beyond a high school degree. And yet, as many as a quarter of our students aren't even finishing high school. The quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations. America has fallen to 9th in the proportion of young people with a college degree. And so the question is whether all of us -- as citizens, and as parents -- are willing to do what's necessary to give every child a chance to succeed…
… In South Korea, teachers are known as "nation builders." Here in America, it's time we treated the people who educate our children with the same level of respect. We want to reward good teachers and stop making excuses for bad ones. And over the next ten years, with so many Baby Boomers retiring from our classrooms, we want to prepare 100,000 new teachers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. In fact, to every young person listening tonight who's contemplating their career choice: If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation; if you want to make a difference in the life of a child -- become a teacher. Your country needs you. Of course, the education race doesn't end with a high school diploma. To compete, higher education must be within reach of every American…”
January 24, 2012: President Obama’s State of The Union Address
I think Obama's stance on education says a lot about his plans for the educational system. When comparing Obama and Romney's views on education, Romney focused on teaching to the test and says that good test scores an indicator of a good education.
However, Obama's view on education is not merely on the here and now and the test scores. He looks at the future and how a good education as a foundation for a successful life and attaining new dreams. I like that Obama used South Korea's term of "nation builders" in relation to teachers because, to use the often cliche turn of phrase, child are our future and as teachers we hold their futures in our hand by providing them with a strong education and building that foundation for our future leaders of the United States.