for anyone

Research the basic skills exam required for teacher candidates in your state. What mathematics content, skills, and knowledge will you need to study further to be prepared for the basic skills exam in your state? The state is Alabama.100 word count.

Discussion 2

How might you connect  math concepts in your lesson plan  to the real world? 100 word count

Discussion 3
 what is a math topic you look forward to teaching, and what is a math topic you are not thrilled about teaching? Explain your answer choose from the list below. 
geometry, graph, data and statistical, probability, symmetry , 

respond to student post
Linnea post
 
          For this interview, I interviewed a woman who has a three-year-old son that attends an in-home daycare. For this discussion, I am going to call the mother, Kayla, and her son, Billy. Kayla, Kayla’s husband, and their son, Billy, live in rural Southern Minnesota. Kayla is a registered nurse and her husband is a traveling salesman that sells farming equipment to construction companies in and around Southern Minnesota. In Southern Minnesota, there is a very limited amount of early childcare centers. The childcare centers that are available are only for preschoolers and only offer half-day programs. Because of all of these factors, Kayla found an in-home daycare for Billy. Billy has gone to several in-home daycares over the past few years. When Billy was an infant, he went to the same in-home care for the first year. Once he was one, he went to another in-home daycare. Kayla was not happy with this in-home daycare because she did not appreciate the things he was bringing home with him. For example, kids biting, hitting, kicking, and swearing around her son. Kayla had to have him there for a whole year, since she was unable to find another affordable childcare. Currently, Billy attends an in-home daycare that Kayla really likes. Although Kayla culture closely resembles mine, our lifestyles are completely different; therefore, I decided to interview her. Here are her answers to these questions:

What are some of the biggest issues the parents and child struggle with in regard to education?

Kayla expressed that she has no concerns with his education. She is impressed by how much he already knows for being 3 years and 3 months old. He apparently already knows his alphabet, colors, numbers 1-15, shapes, and many animals. Kayla told me that her and her husband work with him on his academics at home, as well. Also, Kayla expressed that she thinks that her daycare provider does a nice job on working on his fine motor skills, as well as, socializing with peers.

What ways are the school administrators and teachers addressing their needs and providing support to them?

Kayla said that she believes that her daycare provider is doing a great job meeting his needs and that she didn’t have any concerns about his schooling.

How do they communicate with educators about their child and how is the communication reciprocated?

Kayla and her son’s daycare provider communicate during drop off and at pick up. Kayla also said that they text each other quite frequently. Kayla and her husband ask her questions and discuss their concerns with her. She said that she feels very comfortable talking to her about everything and that she even asks her for advice, especially since she has had more experience with children then they have.

Does the parent believe the school supports their cultural and diversity needs and is in sync with their own beliefs toward education?

Kayla answered this question like I would have answered this question years ago, before I took classes about diversity and realized that I have a culture and am diverse too. She stated that she lives in a very rural community, so diversity is very slim. She then went on to say that she thinks the daycare provider would support different cultures and diversity. I then explained to her that diversity and culture doesn’t just mean skin color—it can mean religion, socio-economic status, values, beliefs, and more. Kayla stated that her daycare provider is definitely in sync with their beliefs in education and that the provider focuses on academic skills, which is very important.
 Identify any positive or negative issues related to home-school communication and how or if the school is appropriately addressing diverse needs. How did this interview differ and how was it similar to your first interview?
Kayla’s communication with Billy’s daycare provider is quite special. I personally don’t know anyone that text their student’s parents. It is also special that they have time to talk at both drop-off and pick-up. Once Billy is in k-12, they probably won’t have that same relationship with his teacher. Billy’s daycare provider and I disagree on what is important in early childhood. She is focusing strongly on academics, whereas I focus more strongly on social-emotional development. Since I have known Billy since he was born and have seen his tantrums and aggression towards his parents, I would think that more social-emotional skills should be development first, before continuing on to academics.
            In both interviews, I interviewed two mothers of three-year-olds. In my first interview, the mother came from a Hispanic background, worked as a special education para in my school, and had her daughter in one of the three-year-old classrooms in our school. That mom had concerns about her child’s safety, whereas, this mom was focused on academic skills. Both of these parents have great communication with their child’s teachers/daycare providers.

Mary post

 
This year we have a new principal at our school.  I do recess with a parent every day so I took that opportunity to talk with her about anything that is an issue. These are some the things she had mentioned:

Uniform policy.  There is a strict rules about not wearing anything other than uniform colored socks as well as dress shoes. 
Common core math and the lack of parent knowledge about how to help with it at home
Teachers are very responsive with any form of communication that she has done with them. 

The issues she had are nothing too major.  Her daughter doesn’t like to wear a uniform which is something the school cannot help with.  Part of the policy that you agree to when coming to a Catholic school is the uniform and that your child will follow the rules for it.  Common core math has been in issue not for 2 years and I do not feel the school has really addressed this issue with the parents.  When I was talking to this mom, I told her when I grade the homework if there is something the student forgot how to do and the parent is lost to leave it blank and I will make sure to explain how it is done on the homework page.  She really is happy about the home school communication even when it comes to the principal.  The new principal is very visible every day and her door is always open to any parent who wants to talk.  We as teachers also have a very good reputation when it comes to quick responses to parents.  Email is the most common and because the school I teach at is not very culturally diverse, I have never had a need for an interpreter; I am very lucky and I do realize this.