Journal # 6

 

 The court case my group and I choose was Goss V Lopez and I found the whole case very interesting. I had never heard of the case before so I was excited to research it when we finally decided which one we were going to do. The main thing that stood out to me in this case was the fact that these nine students were suspended, without a hearing, and parent notification, for ten days. I thought that was a huge deal and I can completely understand why this case made it to court. When students break the rules, there are consequences, I understand that, but when the students don’t get the proper process that comes along with the consequences, then I believe they have every right to fight back.

I found this particular thing to be most interesting because I feel like it goes on a lot in schools. Although the students did wrong (and I’m not defending them on that part), they still deserved a proper hearing in which they could have said their side and at least defended themselves. The principle jumped so fast on the issue that parents weren’t even called to be notified that their child was suspended! I would agree that these student’s due process rights were violated and I think that they deserved the proper hearing. However, the state didn’t require a hearing to be held, but as a principle, I would think that he would know the proper thing to do. I just feel like this court case could have been prevented if the principle just gave the students a proper hearing and suspended them under the right terms, even though this case has changed the ways schools act upon disciplinary actions. I was just shocked that the school thought it was fine to suspend these students without a hearing and without parent notification and that they thought they were going to get away with it.

In class we have briefly touched on amendments and student/teacher rights. I would agree with the community that these students fourteenth amendment was violated and that they deserved a proper hearing to conclude their suspension. Student’s rights are a huge deal in schools and if they are violated, problems are going to occur. Schools need to respect students and their rights so that situations like this don’t occur. I’m not saying that what the students did was right, because in no means was their behavior appropriate, but I am saying that they have the right to a proper hearing which would then inform their parents and themselves as to why they are being suspended for ten days. As a teacher I know that I have to respect my student’s rights, and treat them with respect. I would never violate my student’s rights because I would never want my rights to be violated. I was raised to treat people with respect and I would hope that the school I was working for would treat not only their faculty and staff with respect, but also their students.

This court case has taught me so much valuable information. For one, I now had the chance to see what a suspension could do to whole school district. I also had the chance to learn about consequences that could take place in my future school due to the principle being in the wrong. This case became so big and schools have become what they are because of this case. I’m pretty sure that a lot of schools hold hearings for their students if their being suspended for a certain amount of days and parents are notified right away. I know that if my future child was in this situation I would want a fair hearing to discover what really happened. I would also want my child to be fairly punished and I would want to be notified right away, not two days later. This case really opened my eyes and helped me to better understand why hearings are held when students are suspended. I believe that the school should have acted in a more professional manor and they should have handed the situation in a better way. Either way I believe the students should be punished for their consequences, but again, they deserved the proper and most fair way of punishment. Professionalism is everything when working in the education field and I think that the principle acted unprofessional. He should have known better especially because he wasn’t new to the job. However, everyone makes mistakes and learns from them and this mistake went worldwide and has helped to mold our education system into what it is today.

Goss V Lopez Court Case

Case # 73-898, Goss v Lopez

Goss vs. Lopez was a very significant hearing that not only went to Federal Court, but also on to Supreme Court for a final ruling. The case was brought about after nine students were suspended for ten days without any kind of hearing or parental notice prior to their suspension. The reason these students were suspended was because they caused destructed damage to school property and it was getting out of control. However, Ohio’s law did not require the principle to conduct a hearing prior, but, many people felt that the students fourteenth amendment was violated and, because of that, the principles actions were challenged.

In federal court the judges ruled that the student’s rights were in fact violated and that the school was in the wrong, because of this the case was appealed and then moved on to the Supreme Court. The federal court felt that the principle violated the students’ due process and that they should have held a hearing before suspending. In the Supreme Court, Thomas Bustin, who defended the students’, argued, that the students had the right to know why they were being suspended and that suspending them without a proper hearing was wrong.

The main issue that the Supreme Court had to decide on was whether or not the school violated the students’ due process rights when suspending the nine students without any formal hearing (Oyez 2011). In my opinion I would say that the school was wrong, I believe that the students deserved a proper hearing regardless of the situation. I think that the principle jumped to fast on the situation and didn’t properly suspend the students in the manor that they deserved. Although the students were doing wrong, and deserved to be suspended, they also deserved to have a chance to explain and defend their actions. The principle just suspended the students for ten days without even knowing perhaps, the whole story.

In closing the Supreme Court ruled a 5-4 vote for Lopez (who was one of the students involved in the case) (Oyez 2011). They felt that Ohio had no right to take away their citizens’rights or violate their fourteenth amendment. The court also felt that the students deserved a proper hearing prior to their suspension and that the principle was out of line with the way he handled the situation. The court agreed that the principle should have called for a proper hearing prior to suspending the nine students and he should have given them a chance to speak on their behalf.

This court case has become a huge case because of the result that it caused. Not in any way did the Supreme Court side with Lopez and the other eight students or condone what they did, but it was important to determine that students are equally deserving of their rights (CaseBriefs LLC 2013), especially when they are involved in disciplinary actions that could potentially lead to legal issues such as this case. The court ruled on Lopez’s behalf because they felt that the students’ rights were violated and that the principle didn’t go about the situation in a professional manor. Everyone has rights and amendments that they are entitled to and what happened at this Ohio school caused many people to reevaluate just exactly what they are.

I am glad that the court ruled on Lopez’s behalf because I believe that the students should have had a formal hearing. I don’t think that there is any excuse as to why they were being destructive, but I do believe that a formal hearing should have been held before being suspended. The students had no say or even any notice as to why they were being suspended and I believe that the principle went about that in the worst way possible.

Work cited:

CaseBriefs LLC (2013). Goss V Lopez. CaseBriefs. Retrieved from

http://www.casebriefs.com/blog/law/constitutional-law/constitutional-law-keyed-to-chemerinsky/fundamental-fights-under-due-process-and-equal-protection/goss-v-lopez/

Oyez (2011). Goss V Lopez. The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Retrieved from http://www.oyez.org/cases/1970-1979/1974/1974_73_898/.

Journal # 5

I do firmly believe that teachers should be beholden to a code of ethics. I believe that it is our duty to be professional and positive role models for our students. Without a code of ethics I’m not really sure how many teachers may be fit for the position. I think that it is just important to be professional when you are in the field of education because children look up to you, they idolize you, and many want to grow to be like you one day. If you weren’t professional, why would parents or even the students want to look up to you? I believe that it is important teachers follow the code of ethics because they play a huge part in children’s lives and these children will always remember teachers, whether it was for their professionalism or how bad they were.

I know that I want to be the best teacher I can possibly be. I will strive to make sure that I follow the code of ethics to a tee because I want my students to remember me for good things. I want them to be able to look up to me and to look at me as a role model. I believe to a positive influence and good educator means that you are professional and strive to be a role model for your students. I know that I will never forget some of my teachers in the past because they were very unprofessional, however, I remember other teachers because of how professional and caring they were towards their students. For example, my second grade teacher hated teaching. She was always yelling at us and never had a positive thing to say. She scared me and I never wanted to speak because I always felt my answers weren’t good enough. She, to me, was very unprofessional and for that I will forever remember how rude she was. My first grade teacher on other hand loved when we gave our input. She asked us questions all the time, she had us help her and participate frequently. She always recognized when we did something good and she made it known that she cared for all the students. For this, I will always remember her class and to this day she is still my favorite teacher!

I also believe that teachers need to follow the code of ethics for certain things that may occur in the classroom, or even outside of the classroom. If a teacher is going to report child abuse she/he needs to be aware of the students feelings as well as how the parents will react when and if social services thinks the case is strong enough to go through with. The teacher needs to be sensitive to that student as well if it is true that they are being abused. Abuse with children is a very touchy subject and many children won’t come out and say that they are being abused. They normally hide behind the pain and struggles and secretly pray that someone will help them. Child abuse is such a hard subject and it’s hard to believe that people actually commit it! However, it happens all the time and it’s something that teachers need to be aware of, especially the signs. Being professional is only going to make the child who may be being abused feel comfortable and cared for. That is especially important because this child may not get this attention at home and that’s tough to deal with on its own.

I also think it’s important to follow the code of ethics because children can get out of hand. They will speak what they want and depending on their background, they may be completely out of control. As a teacher you can’t lash out on them, they are only children. You just need to calmly speak to the child about his/her behavior. This is where punishment comes into play and teachers have to be professional. I don’t believe in corporal punishment and I am so glad that NY State doesn’t allow it as well, but I do believe that students need discipline for doing wrong. When it comes to punishing your students, I believe that teachers need to be able to do it in a professional manor so that the students learn, but, still respect the teacher and understand why he/she is being punished. I think the code of ethics is extremely important for educators to follow and I know that when I do become a teacher I will make sure that I am following the code of ethics and I hope that I will be the best role model I can be for my students.

Interview paper

I really enjoyed Mr. Browley coming into our classroom to speak to us. I thought the answers he gave to our questions were very honest and interesting. I really enjoyed hearing his input on what makes and effective teacher as well. He told us to just “be yourselves, do the best job that you can do, and if an older teacher offers advice, take it!”  He also said to not sweat the evaluations; the more nervous we are the more likely we will mess up. It’s better for us to just be relaxed and do what we know how to do best, teach. I think this is very important because many teachers do get nervous during evaluations. I feel like if I’m doing the best I can, and giving it my all while still being myself, I should be fine.

Mr. Browley was the Oneonta superintendent for 8.5 years before retiring. He is now back at Oneonta high school as an interim superintendent for only 10 months. He was only retired for 13 months when he chose to go back and he says he doesn’t mind it. I thought this part of the interview was very interesting. He said he wakes up early, some days 4:45, and he doesn’t get home until 11:30-12:00 at night. When we asked him if he regretted every leaving his teaching career to become a superintendent, he replied “some days I second guess it, if you would ask me what I had more fun doing I’d tell you teaching and being with the children, but, the superintended has more positives and I leave a bigger effect on the students now than I did when I was their teacher.” I liked how he opened up to us and explained to us in detail his job. He was honest with his responses and that is something that I appreciate and am happy he did because it gave me a better experience.

My uncle is actually the president of my school board back home. He is really good friends with my superintendent so my family and I are actually friends of the superintendent as well. He has spoken with me prior to me graduating high school and just told me to shoot for the stars and to be myself. I find that very inspirational because he knows what it takes to be a good teacher and he believes in me! He has also spoke to me on many things that Mr. Browley brought up in the interview. I am glad that I had the experience to be somewhat close to my superintendent because it helped, and it still continuing to help, me become the best teacher I can be. Mr. Browley had great words to say for all of us as well, and I think he knows that we all have the potential to be great educators, considering were education majors! I’m just glad that we got to hear it from the head person so now I have a clearer picture of what I should be doing.

 We had touched on this a bit in class, how to act, how to get hired and how to be professional, but Mr. Rowley really explained what schools are looking for. He stated that in order to be a candidate for a teaching position at his school, you need to be yourself. You need to go into the interview with a strong head on your shoulders and be very confident and relaxed. He said that he wants to make sure you are a very qualified human being who enjoys kids to the fullest, takes criticism and advice from others and has an amazing personality. If he believes you do, then he will hire you and you will be put on a 3 year probation which in those 3 years you need to prove yourself. If you prove to be the same person from the interview, than you will most likely get offered tenure. If after those 3 years you do not get offered tenure, chances are you will no longer be teaching in that district. In these 3 years however, you also have to prove to be an effective teacher. Your students should excel and be able to reach growth and achievement. You also need to be a team player, your students should be getting along with one another, you should be getting along with your staff and faculty, and you need to keep your personality from the interview. These are the most important traits that you need to be able to get tenure. I believe this is the best advice to receive as a future teacher. It helps me to prepare for my interview process and what should be expected from me in those years leading up to receiving tenure.

When Mr. Browley spoke about the budget there were many connections that I made to the article we had to read for Journal 2. The budget is a huge deal for schools and I think it’s safe to say that it is for Oneonta too. Mr. Browley said that it is just going to get worse and there really isn’t anything they can do about it. I fully agree because NYS doesn’t really seem to put in the actual effort in for schools which kind of leaves them all in the dust. Schools are struggling finically and it’s just getting worse. They are not receiving the proper funds from the government to help them function which is leading to many closings state wide. These issues not only go along with the article we read for journal 2, but they also go hand in hand with our chapter 13 in the book. The government doesn’t give enough funding to schools where needed, especially special education. I think that our government should re-evaluate their funds and consider helping schools out a little more. Schools deserve money, plain and simple and the government doesn’t seem to believe they deserve a lot. However, the government pushes for everyone to continue their education through college yet the prices are ridiculous and many people can’t afford it. I just don’t think it’s fair and I think that something needs to be done. The education system is getting worse and worse lately and I don’t see it going up anytime soon. I’m not sure why they don’t seem to think these issues are a big deal. Budgets are causing many teachers to lose their jobs and many schools to be closing. I believe the government needs to step in and do their part instead of just sitting back and watching.

The interview went on and so many good questions were asked and answered, but, overall I thought the interview went very well. I appreciate Mr. Browley coming in to speak to us and giving us the inside scoop. He was a very nice guy and I’m glad we actually had the chance to meet him and conduct this interview. Becoming a teacher is such a scary and nerve wrecking process, especially with all these teacher evaluation tests (which Mr. Browley thinks are dumb!). It felt good to just be reassured that I am in this major for the right reasons and that I will find a job. With the way society has been going lately, teaching jobs especially, I feel good in knowing that there is still hope and that I will someday be able to accomplish my dreams!

Journal # 4

 

We haven’t really begun our class discussion on the courts and the court cases thus far. We briefing touched on the topic quickly. I believe that these cases are significantly large and require a lot of attention. They are meaningful cases (most) and they have good lessons to be learned. These court cases have molded our education system into what it is today and they continue to do so. I know from reading different court cases in other education classes that these are serious. If it made it to the court, then something seriously went wrong. I think in this case it is best to resolve the issue quickly rather than push it off. Parents look out for the benefit of their children and it is own fair that they make sure their child is being treated equally.

I think that the court system should have some authority when it comes to education. I believe that it is important to make sure the court is involved for incidents that may occur or be brought up on a school, teacher, or student. I don’t believe that the court should have authority over things that are occurring in the school in which the principle could solve. As a future teacher it is important to be aware of incidents that could occur in which courts will get involved. Students may be coming from an abused family and as the teacher; I am the one who may report it. In this case an investigation may take place and if it’s found to be true, the courts may get involved. This is something I believe the courts have the right to take action. The main educational purpose I feel that a court has to take part in is when issues are occurring that are bigger than the school can handle. When parents are suing due to their child being neglect, abused, bullied (to a further extent), etc. by their teachers, school administration, classmates, etc. this is when I feel the courts need to step in. Big issues need to be resolved and if the school is doing little to nothing, then I feel it is only right for the courts to jump in to help solve the issue. Not to put all the blame on schools, parents could be in the wrong as well and I believe the school has their rights to defend their grounds in this situation.

As a future educator these court issues are very important. I believe that in my teaching career I will be aware of cases going on in my district or even nearby districts. These cases occur frequently and it is important to be aware of why. I will do everything in my power to make sure that my students get the respect they deserve and that they are protected. I would like to think that the school I will someday be teaching in doesn’t have to experience court cases over law suits of parents but it may happen. Not to mention, if I have a student who is involved in a court case with family issues in my classroom, I need to be aware of the behaviors and effects he/she may go through. This is especially important because sometimes certain parents aren’t allowed around the child and I need to make sure that they don’t show up to the school at any time. Since I started my education process, I have read many different court cases that all involved schools and students. I just think that it is good knowledge for educators to read. These cases are real, and they really happened, with that being said they could really happen in my district as well. This is something that I should be fully aware of.

I believe that being professional and respectful is such a strong aspect for a teacher. I want to make my classroom a home for my students and I want to make sure that everyone is treated properly. I never want my students to feel left out, neglected, disrespected, or physically bullied. In order to create this safe space I need to keep a positive mind set and help to be the best example I can be. I want to make sure that none of my students, or their parents, ever feel like their child is not getting what they deserve out of their education. Every child will be treated the same in my class as well, it doesn’t matter who they are, if they have a disability or not, they are all growing children and they will all be treated the same way. I will also go out of my way to give extra help to those who may need it to make sure they are getting their full educational experience.

Board of Education meeting

 

On February 6, 2013, I attended an Oneonta city School District Board of Education meeting. The meeting was held in the Science wing of the Oneonta High School. The meeting started at 7 and ended 40 minutes later at 740. They had a set agenda for the night, and a good amount of people were in attendance. There were a great number of students from SUNY Oneonta, as well as many parents, teachers and even a few students from Oneonta high/middle school. The Board was made up of 11 members, Lisa Weeks, Susan Kkowski, Alexis Ramsey, Eileen Lishonsky, David P Rowley, Grace Larkin, Roslie Higgins, Bill Grau, Jamie Reynolds, Marilyn Rosas, and Darren Gaisford.

The meeting opened up with roll call, and then to accept the minutes of the January 23, 2013 meeting. Once this was done, it was opened up to the public to speak out.  Mike Raven and John Paul (both community members) proposed the idea of having a mountain biking club for the middle and high school students at Oneonta. When they spoke, they gave full on details about mountain biking as a sport, the history behind it, and all of the scholarship opportunities that are involved with it. I was actually very impressed that these two men took the time to research all of this information! It showed how dedicated these two were to help and try to get the board to consider this club. They said it would be a strictly volunteer led organization and that they weren’t and wouldn’t ask for funds. These two men also brought along some of the boys who would participate in this club if the board chose to allow it. I thought that was also interesting. I think the board was impressed with the amount of information and work these two men put into this idea; they thanked them for their research and told them they would get back to them soon.

Another woman also spoke during this time, but, her issue was about the rumors that had been
spreading. She said that she had been hearing lately that the 6^th grade would be moved into the middle school next year to save money. The board assured her that the rumors were in fact true and then she started to get really angry. She asked if anyone had announced it publically or if it was going to stay hidden but the man on the board said that it had been addressed a little in the last meeting. I thought that was kind of wrong because some people can’t attend every meeting which means that they lose the chance to find out important information. This woman was very angry and worried for her son at the same time. She asked if the board had taken into consideration how big of a change this would be not only on the child’s mental state, but on the actual school times as well. I thought she was going to freak out on the board members; it was getting really heated in the room. The man on the board told her that it wasn’t a set in stone thing yet and that it had just been proposed. The final decision should be made by March and will then be made public. He told her that this was a way to save money for the school and that they needed to do what was best. She then asked if this would cut programs such as band, chorus, etc., the board said that was a possible affect, however, it’s a finical necessity and they are going to do what is needed to be done for the school. The parent was very angry.

The school however, brought up a good point about the budge in my opinion. Like the article we had to read for journal #2, schools are struggling with the budget and aren’t getting the proper money that they need. Oneonta schools are no different and they are just trying to do what is best for them finically. When this parent brought this issue up, and grew as angry as she did, I was confused because my elementary school was K-5, my middle school was 6-8 and my high school was 9-12. To me, having the 6^th graders in the same building as the 7^th and 8^th graders was nothing new. However, this is something I would agree with the school board on because schools don’t really get the money that they actually need. Money is a huge issue when it comes to schools and I feel that if this change will help them to save money, they should do it. I think it’s really weird that the Oneonta elementary school is K-6 as it is, putting the 6^th with the 7^th and 8^th graders will only make them like most schools, and will help them finically, I beleive.

After these two people spoke, the board moved right along. I found it very confusing how they went through everything. It happened so fast, it was almost as if they were mind reading rather than speaking it out. They had an agenda, but I have no idea what half of what they spoke about meant. They also went very fast and all’s they really did was say “I do”. The board did a lot of the speaking, especially towards the end.  Again, it was all very confusing, I felt like I was in a foreign language class! The meeting also went by very quickly and I always thought that they were hours long. We were only there for 45 minutes, and in those 45 minutes I feel like a lot was discussed. It was very fast and I think I could speak for a lot of the people who attended, the board didn’t really explain much to the community, and they more or less just spoke in their heads which I don’t think was right.

I never had gone to board meeting so I wasn’t sure what to expect beforehand. I knew that there would be a group of board members, and then community, parents, teachers, etc. I was actually pretty amazed at how the whole thing worked. What I was even more amazed at was that people who attended actually spoke about issues that upset them and/or proposed new ideas for the board to consider. I know as a future teacher and parent I will most likely have things that need to be brought up but right now, as a college student, that isn’t something I worry about and I just found it really interesting. I actually would like to attend another school board meeting just to see other issues brought up. It was just cool to actually see what goes on behind the scenes of schools.

I think schools board meetings are very beneficial. As a future teacher, these issues are the things that we need to know about daily. For parents, it can benefit them as well because it is a way to have say in this crazy education system. I think that the board should be more open to including teachers, parents, and the community in these meetings. These issues not only are affecting the school, but they are affecting the community in which the school is located and I think that it is only fair for the people to help better their community. Overall I thought this meeting was very interesting. I thought it was a little dry and boring, but it was very cool to see this entire thing take place. It made me even more excited to get out there in the field and start my career!

 

WIKI Project

https://sites.google.com/site/educ206group4wiki/home