Prompted Post #2: A Teacher's Code of Ethics

A code of ethics is a very important set of rules pertaining to every profession. However for teachers, this code is taken extremely seriously. The Preamble of the National Education Association states: “The educator, believing in the worth and dignity of each human being, recognizes the supreme importance of the pursuit of truth, devotion to excellence, and the nurture of the democratic principles. Essential to these goals is the protection of freedom to learn and to teach and the guarantee of equal educational opportunity for all. The educator accepts the responsibility to adhere to the highest ethical standards”.  This statement stood out to me the most in the whole document because it recognizes how important the profession is, and demonstrates how teachers need to teach with the utmost skill and importance.

A teachers code of ethics relates to my personal code of ethics by giving equal opportunity to everybody. I believe that nobody should be at a disadvantage to anything, especially education. The NEA explains right off the bat in their Preamble that it is essential to have the guarantee of equal opportunity, which is something that I strongly believe in as well. The Code of Ethics is divided up into 2 main principles: Commitment to the Student and Commitment to the Profession, basically a system for the people you work with, and you and your job. I find this very crucial because a profession stems under many different categories and it is important to have defined ethics for each one. How teachers act around their young students is not going to correlate to how act around their supervisors.

Outside of the field of teaching, I believe that people perceive that teachers follow their code of ethics very well. This is because in order to become a certified teacher, there are many prerequisites and lots of inspection into the teacher beforehand. Every job requires extensive interviewing and a processing period, but when it comes to teaching, more steps are needed in the process in order to ensure that children will be taught to the greatest extent at the highest level, that they will be safe in the classroom, and that the teacher knows how to handle personable situations. There are so many factors into becoming a teacher that it would be impossible to make one general code of ethics.

The code of ethics in every job is coming to take very seriously. When it comes to teachers, there is a lot more content that is easily taken for granted so in order to prevent this, a more specific code of ethics is developed. Just because a profession’s code of ethics comes off as daunting, it does not mean that you should stray away from it. If anything, it is teaching you how to become more successful.

-Jenna

Source:

"Code of Ethics." Rss. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.

Career Opportunities for Political Science Majors

Once somebody hears that you’re a political science major, the automatic questions that you’re going to be asked are: Are you going to law school? Or do you want to hold a political office? I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been asked that and my answer to both is just simply no.          

While these two professions are options for political science majors, they’re not the only options out there. Remember that political science deals with the systems of government, and analyzes political behavior and activity, this leads to a wide variety of career opportunities.

Here are just a few:

Government & Advocacy Jobs

· working at local, state or federal level

· range from being in the human resources department at city hall to legislature to CIA Intelligence

· According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), about 55% of political scientists worked for the federal government in 2015

· some political scientists advocate for a cause or community, this can be done through working at a particular organization that advocates for that issue

Lobbyist Professions

· lobbying the government on behalf of interest groups & nongovernmental organizations

· work closely with various stages of the government

· negotiates with elected officials

· influence policy to advance their agenda

Business Field

· this degree can lead to careers in business

· with banking, advertising, public relations, etc.

Journalism

· Graduates with interests in media can pursue journalism

· report on domestic/international policy

· political correspondents, editors, news directors, etc.

Teaching

· teacher certification is also required to be a teacher

· at any level (elementary, middle, high, college) teach a subject regarding government/political science

There are many jobs for political science majors, and these are only some of the more popular options besides becoming a lawyer or an elected official. It's important that people know that there are a variety of career options associated with this major, then what they see on the surface because that could change their career path, you never know.

-Riley

Sources:

                    " (2008) President-Elect Barack Obama's Election Night Victory Speech, Nov. 4th, 2008 | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed." (2008) President-Elect Barack Obama's Election Night Victory Speech, Nov. 4th, 2008 | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2016.

                   "What Can I Do with a Political Science Degree?" Study.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2016.

 Yacucci, Ted. "Exploring a Career Choice to Be a Lawyer..." Delaware Family Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.

A Positive Outlook On The Future of Teaching

Hello again! To start off one of my last blog posts, I am going to react to an article that I stumbled upon online. Throughout all of my research on teaching, this article made me walk away feeling content about the state of this profession. The article I read was titled “More People With Higher SAT Scores Are Going Into Teaching, Says Study”, and if that doesn’t get you excited then I don’t know what does.

Most of the articles that I have discussed have had somewhat of a negative connotation to them. However, this article discusses the incline of competition and ability in order to become a teacher. These changes are resulting in a higher prestige in the viewpoint of teachers, especially in the state of New York. Not only has teaching become more competitive, requiring higher SAT scores in order to obtain a teaching degree, but people in New York are viewing the profession at a higher level. This is such great progress to the teaching world because not only is there more people interested in teaching, but now there will be more educated teachers able to teach a much larger range of students in need.

This change is a strong step in the right direction for the world. Our children's/future generation’s educators becoming more educated, therefore resulting in an overall more intelligent world. Who knows what is going to come out of that. We will just have to wait and see what these future adults are going to accomplish. All thanks to their teachers helping them along the way.

-Jenna

Klein, Rebecca. "More People With Higher SAT Scores Are Going Into Teaching, Says Study." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.

Prompted Post #7: Abortion

To this day, political science has a variety of different definitions associated with it, it just depends on the person you ask that day. According to the Oxford Dictionary though, it’s defined as the branch of knowledge that deals with the state and systems of government; the scientific analysis of political activity and behavior. I know that’s a mouthful so we’ll just say that political science deals with the government and everything that surrounds that.

One word that can always be used to describe this field is controversial, especially when it comes to the policies of the ideological parties that run the government. There are always people that will either love or hate each issue, and one is abortion. The two stances on this issue are pro-life and pro-choice. In this blog, I will lay down the facts of each stance and explain why it’s controversial. Which side you pick is ultimately up to you.

Pro-Life

• believe that the government has an obligation to preserve all human life, regardless of intent, viability or quality-of-life concerns
• the pro-life ethic is considered to be conservative
• one quote: "even a non-viable, undeveloped human life is sacred and must be protected by the government"
• believes that all life is equal in its right to exist
• A new individual human being begins at fertilization, when the sperm and ovum meet to form a single cell

Pro-Choice

• believe that humans have unlimited autonomy with respect to their own reproductive systems, as long as they don't breach the autonomy of others
• a comprehensive pro-choice position asserts that all of the following must remain legal: celibacy/abstinence & contraception
• Federal Abortion Ban: abortion becomes illegal in the second trimester of pregnancy
• individual states have their own laws
• the pro-choice ethic is considered to be liberal
• varied views on when a fetus becomes a human life

Controversial

These two issues are completely opposite of each other, and that's where the debate comes from. People are divided when it comes to: When does a human life start? Is it right? The stance you take deals with your morals and religion could come into play too. This is a very controversial, yet personal topic but there's one point at where both sides agree with each other.

The pro-life and pro-choice movements overlap to an extent in that they share the goal of reducing the number of abortions. They differ with respect to degree and methodology. 

Conclusion

This is a very big, controversial and personal topic that people get really heated about. Whatever stance you take, it's important that you know the facts that each side has to offer so you know that in the end, you are making an informed decision.

-Riley

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Sources:

NARAL. "Anti-Choice Statements - Pro-Choice Responses :: NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin." Anti-Choice Statements - Pro-Choice Responses :: NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

National Right to Life. "When Does Life Begin? | National Right to Life." National Right to Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

"Political Science - Definition of Political Science in English | Oxford Dictionaries." Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford Dictionaries, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

"What Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice Supporters Believe." About.com News & Issues. N.p., 13 Oct. 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

It's The Little Things That Matter Most

Going into eleventh grade, I had nothing to do for the summer. After months of debating, I decided to start working at Camp Ramah Day Camp in Nyack New York a year earlier than most staff. In other words, I would be one of few staff that do not live at camp because I was a year too young. I would be doing it with one of my best friends so it was a good plan knowing I would work at the camp the next summer as well to live there with my friends. After being hired, I expected to work with younger kids as I had coached the assistant director's son in a basketball mini camp for three to five year olds. A few weeks before the start of the summer, I received an interesting phone call. It was the assistant director, asking me to be a shadow for a boy with special needs. I would function as a normal councilor in the bunk however I would provide special attention to the at the time six year old Jake. After about of week of deciding what to do and talking it over with my mom, I decided to be the shadow for the boy. I had no idea that this decision would make my summer as amazing as it was.

The camp never really told me what was wrong with the boy, and I still am unsure until this day. Camp began and as the weeks went on, the other boys began to realize that he had some issues. Obviously at six years old they had no idea why he took so long to change after swim or why he walked slowly or wasn't very good at sports. However they still included him in everything they did.

The one thing that always bothered this boy was that he could never put his socks on. I would always have to do it for him and it would frustrate him to no end. Everyday we would work at it and by the end of the summer, he was able to do it by himself. At the time I had no idea what I was doing. I was just a sixteen year old boy trying to take care of kids with no prior experience, but this seemed like the normal thing to do. At the end of the summer I got a letter from the boy. In the envelope was a picture he a drawn, as well as a note from his mom. In the note she thanked me being his shadow for the summer going on about how he loved camp, the usual note from a parent. At the end of the letter she told me that the boy was now able to put his socks on by himself it had changed his life. He was so proud that he could do it by himself that he would yell at anyone for even trying to help him. This and that summer taught me that its the little things that make the big differences. I learned very quickly that not only do you impact your campers, but your campers impact you for the rest of your life.

- Eric

My Life As a Teacher

There’s no better way to see through the eyes of a professional than to immerse yourself into their job itself. This is exactly what I did my senior year of highschool. My high school gives all of their seniors an opportunity to take the last month off of school to pursue an interest in an internship or an individual project. Throughout the whole course of the year there is an extensive application process to whether or not you will be allowed to go on Senior Project. For my project, a friend and I decided to go back to where we attended kindergarten and teach under a young teacher.

We worked in the classroom every morning from 8-12. Kindergarten is only held for half days at this elementary school, so my friend Olivia and I worked with the morning class and then went back to school to go to our AP classes. In these 4 hours we spent in the classroom 5 days a week, so much occurred. For the short amount of time the students had to be there, there was a lot accomplished. Every minute of the day was meticulously calculated to satisfy their learning needs and even more importantly their needs for breaks.

Each one of the students learned at a different speed so having multiple adults in the room was very helpful and it quickened the pace of the lessons. In the short month Olivia and I spent in the classroom we made very close bonds with each of the 20 students. We did everything from help them do school work, to teach lessons, to eat snacks with them, to play tag out on the playground. When the month was over, we were extremely sad to go, but not as sad as the kids. Some of them cried but most of them just pouted.

Overall, the entire classroom experience was amazing. I learned so much from just being in a kindergarten classroom then I ever would have researching on the internet. This experience showed me that if I am interested in something then I needed to go out and pursue it. Senior Project opened my eyes to a potential future profession of mine that I still hold to a very high regard today.

-Jenna

Gay Republicans Explain Why They Are Proudly Supporting Donald Trump

After reading the title, you might think that it probably sounds like the beginning of a fake article, but I assure you it’s not. It’s just an oxymoron, according to society’s views.

We don’t usually see the words “Gay Republican” right next to each other, because liberal policy tends to be more inclusive of the LGBTQ community while conservatives have clung to traditional values. But like everything else in the world, the Republican views are evolving, slowly but surely.

During the Republican National Convention, billionaire and PayPal co-founder, Peter Thiel, became the first openly gay speaker that the convention has ever had. Thiel sums up his stance by saying, “Every American has a unique identity. I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican.” He followed that up by donating $1.25 million to Trump’s campaign.

While on the topic of the RNC, it would be crucial to also add that Trump is the first GOP presidential nominee to positively refer to the gay community in a convention acceptance speech. This fact alone earned Trump some points within this community.

You can like Trump or not, that’s up to you, but these two events that occurred at the RNC this past July, are historical. Forget for a moment the candidates, just notice that the Republican Party, is making progressive steps forward.

This article also talks about Juan Hernandez, a gay Hispanic that is pro-Trump. Based on the media outlets and the scandals in the past year, one might ask themselves how this is possible?

Hernandez goes on to explain how Trump is “the most inclusive presidential candidate that we’ve had in the Republican Party.” Even though Hernandez knows who he’s voting for, that doesn’t mean he’s safe. Hernandez is even scared to put a Trump sign in his yard. He’s cited that he’s been physically attacked for supporting Trump, and more than that, he knows of closeted Trump supporters that are just too scared of the violence to publicly acknowledge their political stance.

That last sentence was scary. Nobody should be attacked for who they believe in, it’s a free country right? Maybe that’s why we don’t hear a lot about this group in the media, not because it is a small fraction of people, but because some gay republicans are too scared to speak out in fear of retaliation of going against the standard view of an LGBTQ member.

I found this article very interesting because this group is a minority that people don’t really see and I think it’s important for them to be recognized and for people to be informed about them too. It's our right as citizens not to agree with them, or anybody else if we choose to, but everybody's opinions deserve respect.

This post was meant to shine light to a growing minority of people. I'll be the first one to admit that 5 years ago, I didn't even know that gay people could even be republican, now I know that anything is possible. For us to be better informed citizens is important, whether you're a democrat, republican, libertarian, etc., knowledge is key to acceptance and success.

-Riley

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Sources:

Chang, Juju, and Marjorie Mcafee. "Gay Republicans Explain Why They Are Proudly Supporting Donald Trump." ABC News. ABC News Network, 23 Oct. 2016. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.

"Three Latinos Arrested after Armed Stand-off with Man over Trump Yard Sign." Fox News. FOX News Network, 10 Mar. 2016. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.

Wildermuth, John, and Joe Garofoli. "PayPal's Thiel's Speech Shows Major Shift in GOP on Gays." SFGate. N.p., 22 July 2016. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.