C4T #2

C4T #2

Stump the Teacher
By: Josh Stumpenhorst

Post #1
September 16th, 2014

Mr. Stumpenhorst's blog post was about his opinion of the new Common Core Standards for ELA. He mentioned the very overwhelming workload now for Reading and Writing. His worry is that because of the amount of work and pressure the teachers are putting on their students, the students will become "burn out" on Reading and Writing. Students will start to hate coming to class and develop a hatred for Reading and Writing. 

My Comment:

"I am a student at the University of South Alabama with the hopes of getting a degree in Early Childhood Education. This blog post brings me back to my high school english classes. I recall the amount of writing and reading I did, and although I have a very deep passion for reading, I didn't like going to my english class. It is a very real thing that students can get "burn out". I graduated in 2012 for Hoover High School in Birmingham, Alabama, and I thought back then that we did a ridiculous amount of work, so I can't imagine doing the work you're describing above, especially since you say that it is even overwhelming for the teachers. I am very curious to see how your school year will end and if the students will become "burn out" or not."

Post #2
September 5th, 2014

Mr. Stumpenhorst's blog post was very interesting. It was about how he told his students to do something and when a student asked "Why?" he gave a detailed explanation on why the activity was important to his learning. The student told Stumpenhorst that he expected him to say "because I said so", and that brought some questioning into the classroom. Stumpenhorst basically started stating that he believed it was important that teachers know why they are doing a certain activity! "As a teacher, if you can’t explain why we are doing something, then should you be doing it? Kids have the right to understand why they are being asked to do things in school and we have the obligation to explain that to them." Quoted by Stumpenhorst. 

My Comment:

I vividly remember getting the "because I said so" from my parents growing up, and would never have really thought to compare it in a classroom setting. You've simplified daily activities by your quote, "As a teacher, if you can't explain why we are doing something, then should you be doing it?" I do really enjoy this sentence; it is simple and smart.