What Home Schooling Really Is Essay -- Home School Education Learning

What Home Schooling Really Is The educational thesaurus defines home schooling as provision of compulsory education in the home as an alternative to traditional public/private schooling- often motivated by parental desire to exclude their children from the traditional school environment (ERIC [EBSCO]). Home schooling is also defined by The Well Trained Mind website as Home schooling occurs when parents take charge of their children's education -- organizing subjects, teaching lessons or arranging for tutors, evaluating progress, and supervising social contacts. Home school parents believe that one-on-one attention and individualized study produce the best education possible; most also think that peer groups are NOT the best "socializing agent" for their children. Home schooling is legal in all fifty states, and home schooled children consistently score very highly on standardized tests and other measures of academic performance. Although many home school families are two-parent households with one breadwinner and one stay-at-home parent, many other families arrange home schooling around dual careers, single-parent schedules, and other less traditional arrangements ( Wise and Bauer , www.welltrainedmind.com/homeschool.html). Statistics on Home Schooling Surprising statistics on home schooling can be found on many varying websites. Many individuals in society do not understand how many children are being home schooled, how popular home schooling currently is and how much it seems to increase yearly. â€Å"During 2002-2003 school year, an estimated 1.7 million to 2.1 million K-12 level students, or 3-4% of the school-age population, were home schooled† (Old Schoolhouse Magazine, P. 1). Also, â€Å"in nearly every state, the number ... ...l 5, 2005 from www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp?state=MD#2. This source is the home school legal defense association. This site provides the laws pertaining to home schooling, current legislation on home schooling and current cases on home schooling. Laurel Springs School: Personalized K-12 Distance Learning Program. (2005) Retrieved April 17, 2005 from http://www.laurelsprings.com This source allows home schoolers not only to learn at home but to also learn with a curriculum that is especially tailored to them. Well Trained Mind. (1999). Retrieved April 15, 2005 from www.welltrainedmind.com/homeschool.html. This source provided many links to home schooling websites as well as providing an accurate description of what home schooling is. Online Encyclopedia (2005). Home Schooling Information. Retrieved April 17, 2005 from www.encyclopedia.com.

Teaching: a Noblest Profesion

For the last 50 years, educators have devoted a great deal of energy to the debate whether teaching can be considered as a profession. Unfortunately, this turns out to be a wrong question, and so led us to the wrong sort of answers. Teaching is really a noble profession. Every one of us, including our nation’s President is the product of teaching. The teacher is the one who molds a child into what he will be in the future. In this study, we will learn about the teachers, and the nature, history, the art, essentials, strategies, cycle and imperatives of teaching.Teacher Teacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students. The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing. Origin The word â€Å"teacher† is the noun form of the verb ‘teach’, the word ‘teach’ derives from the English word tà ¦can which means to show, point out or give instruction. In 1290, the word teacher began to be used for the index finger or one ‘that point s out’. By 1300, it took on its modern meaning, or ‘one who teaches’. Teach in old English first meant â€Å"to present or to point out, instruct† and the word is Germanic origin.The word teacher was first used to mean ‘that which points out’ and then quickly became used in the sense of â€Å"instructor†. Great Teachers A teacher shapes the personality of his student. They help child reach the highest possible degree of personal development. A good teacher not only shows the right path that the students should follow but also prepares the human resource for the further development of the nation. Most Famous Teacher Some of the most important men in history have been teachers. The most famous teacher in the western world was Jesus of Nazareth.His teaching had two aspects, both vitally important and closely connected. He taught his own pupils, the Jewish people, his pupils were with him all the time. They were all poor, ordinary men, simp le and good. He also taught the general public. He read out a piece of the scriptural books and then explains it to the others. But more often Jesus delivered short speeches in the open air, huge crowds gather to hear him, and simply hoping they would learn something. Nature of Teaching Teaching is regarded as the noblest of all professions in the world.It is an occupation that will not give you a promotion on very easily base on your performance. In its broadest sense, teaching is a process that facilitates learning. The choice of learning activities whereby the goals of education are realized in the school is the responsibility of the teaching profession. Teachers vary in their views of nature of teaching. Over the years many have debated on whether teaching is an art or a science or both. Others view teaching as a system. As an art, teaching calls for intuition, inspiration, talent and creativity.Teachers who adhere to this view look at students as individuals with different abil ities and backgrounds. These teachers believe that teaching requires an ability to see through and respond to individual differences among learners. As a science, teaching requires knowledge of scientific discoveries regarding the teaching- learning process, the objectives of education, subject matter and the nature of learners. Teacher who believes in this point of view consider knowledge and applications of techniques already tested to bring out learning as vital in their success as teachers.When viewed as both, teaching requires striking a balance between the application of proven instructional principles and the use of intuitive approach of an artist. Teaching as a system, requires an understanding of the role of the more mature, experienced members of society in stimulating, managing and guiding the immature. Teaching Teaching is all about inspiring, engaging, and empowering our children and young people. It is about making a difference to future generations. History In ancient India, China, Egypt and Judea, teaching was often performed by a priest or prophet, and the teacher enjoyed prestige and privilege.Among the Jews, many adults considered teachers the guide to salvation and urged children to honor their teachers even more than their parents. By the Middle Ages in Europe (5th century to 15th century), the Roman Catholic Church had taken over the responsibility for teaching, which was conducted in monasteries and specially designated learning centers. In North America a commitment to education played an important role in colonial development of the continent. They also valued the role of higher education.They considered education not only a means of harnessing talent in the nation, but also a means of teaching people the demands of democratic citizenship. The Art of Teaching Teaching has defined not simply as a process of imparting knowledge nor getting a message across but rather a process of communicating aimed at affecting desirable changes in the behavior of the learner. It holds the key to character of its people. Teaching is not an easy task. It’s an art form; one that requires craft, sensitivity, creativity, and intelligence. Essentials of Good Teaching There are different ways of good teaching.The primary characteristic of the teacher is to like children. A teacher must not only like the young because they are young. He must enjoy their company in groups. Meanwhile, it is enough to point out that there are many pupils than teachers in the world. Others include, proper training, patience, sense of humor, excellent attendance, hardworking, skill in lesson planning, interest in each child, patience and creating a positive learning atmosphere and developing a good rapport without showing favoritism. Hardest Jobs in Teaching The teachers play many roles.The roles they played include the following: controller, assessor, a resource, coach, tutor, organizer, facilitator, counselor, an instructor, a provider of experiences , model, motivator, authority, arbiter, examiner, disciplinarian, balancer, mentor, prompter, participant, performer, rapport builder, public relations, specialist and parents surrogate. There are many jobs in teaching, but one of the hardest jobs is to be a leader. As a leader she is first to act to show ready, willing and active participation, first to show how things should be done correctly, and first to take a principal role in any group undertakings.Above all, she is able to move the members, has full command and authority and can influence others to follow. Teacher leadership roles also vary in accordance with the professional development experience of the teacher. Teaching Strategies There are varieties of teaching that instructors can use to improve student learning. Listening At the four language skills, listening has been sadly neglected. Students listening comprehension usually lags behind. They lack the ability to comprehend the spoken language.Because language is basic ally oral, students should develop their listening and speaking skills side by side with their reading and writing skills. Speaking In language teaching, the teacher serves as a model to the students. Teacher should therefore, be able to produce the vowel and consonant sounds correctly for the student’s imitate. Before the students can actually communicate in sentences, they have to know the sound system of the language. Hence, from the kindergarten to the sixth grade, pronunciation lessons are a must.Students should know the proper stress of words, phrases and sentences and observe the proper stress of words, phrases, sentences, and observe the proper pauses when speaking to avoid misinterpretation of what they hear and to be understood by other. Reading Teaching strategies in reading are based on the philosophy and theories regarding the meaning, nature and structure of reading. They are also based on the important foundation disciplines such physiology, linguistics and soc iology. Reading is the process of making and getting meaning from printed word symbols.Efficient reading is an active dialogue between author and reader. The efficient reader is ready to evaluate, challenge and criticize reading materials. The man who read well is the man who leads. Writing Before one can teach properly, however, one must first have a clear idea of what good writing is and how it is produced. Based on the concept of writing as a thought process, the teacher of writing is concerned with developing in the learner ability to marsh all his ideas in such a way that he is able to select what are important and relevant to his purpose, at the same time to present them in a coherent and logical order.The pupil must learn to manipulate English patterns in order to produce texts that are grammatically acceptable, and they are required to learn how to organize sentences in a way that a definite communication purpose is served such as narrating, arguing, defining, explaining, de scribing, etc. Planning for Effective Learning and Teaching These days, many people can be a teacher, but the question is, are these people can be an effective teacher? Clearly, to be an effective teacher is more complicated and difficult than many people think.Effective teachers are distinguished by their dedication to the students and to the job of teaching, and feel responsible for the achievement and success of the students and own professional development. Effective teachers really believe that all students can learn, although all learn differently. Teachers will benefit when they learn how to plan for effective teaching and learning. Planning lessons for a whole school year can be challenging, but they can be successful if they start early and continue modifications throughout the year. Effective learning in school doesn’t happen by accident. Good lessons have to be planned for.It is important that a teacher understands clearly what he should do to bring about desirable learning in the students. This is his main role. He needs to plan his work. Planning for effective teaching is a lengthy process, but teaching the lesson, requires implementation and skill. Planning effective learning and teaching experiences are one of the skills the teacher has to develop. Planning insures more or less the direction that his efforts will take. Careful planning can give the teacher a sense of confidence in overcoming nervousness and preventing wastage and confusion especially during the first days of teaching.Teaching Imperatives In order to guarantee a continuing professional development of teachers these three distinct concerns must be applied: Knowledge Teachers must be sensitive, daring and ready to explore and widen the scope and coverage of the content they are teaching. They must not only be grounded in the basics of discipline, steep in recent trends, new understandings and logical predictions characteristics of professional growth, but more importantly we ll-versed in assimilating and sustaining valuable learning.Skills Teachers play a significant role in developing the same skills and creativity in using the technologies must appropriate for the kind and nature of learning desired. They will be the most effective to provide such assistance only if they have been sufficiently trained and prepared for it. Attitudes and Values Knowledge and skills will undoubtedly enhance and nurtured if some valuable personal and professional values are firmly developed.Teachers whose main responsibility is to mold the minds of the young should e imbued with such values as critical mindedness, creativity and innovativeness, strong motivation, to grow professionally and to adopt to the challenges of societal changes. In conclusion, teachers are the guiding light to students. Teachers are miracle workers when it comes to trying to get every student to pass a test. Teachers are also a knowledgeable worker, transporting much knowledge while shaping the mi nds of our youth and thus have a responsibility and image to uphold. In order to maintain structure of professionalism in the educational environment, education systems need to take steps to make sure they handle this task efficiently.

Taking a Look at the Old Testament - 868 Words

Introduction The Old Testament is a very complicated book. The meaning of the Old Testament is embedded in the history of the writers,people who read , people who passed it on, people who rewrote it and people who read it again. This statement implies that Old Testament was not written in one place or at one time. Some of the parts that make Old testament a rich literature is its complexity that resulted from its composition and redaction, which is believed to have took place a long time ago. One cannot simply avert that Old Testament’s literature power lies in this long process. The early Judaism and acient Israel had particular traditions that were very vital to them. This led to writing of a form that was read, revised, interpreted and reread. The outcome of this reflects a complexity and diachronic richness that should be accounted for in every discussion if its composition and redaction. The Old Testament is tied and linked closely to the ears where those traditions were correct ed, script down, edited, re-scripted, and finally joined to form this book, which is termed as the Old Testament. Old Testament literature can be easily compared to a cathedral that had been set up over centuries and decades. This can help us identify different methods and different epochs that were used when the building work was being done to complete the cathedral. In many options, there are no sign of style or unity. Form criticism(Sitz im Leben) Form criticism is a biblicalShow MoreRelatedThe Hays Essay784 Words   |  4 PagesD03 Applying Old Testament Laws Today by Derrick Burney November 6, 2014 Christian and the Old Testament Laws (1) J. Daniel Hays approach is to give a principle factor to the Old Covenant laws which makes them practical for today’s believers. Hay’s believes that the New Covenant takes believers up from under the rules of the Old Covenant Laws (Romans 7:1-6), except when the laws have been restated by Jesus. One of the laws Hays gives from the Old Covenant lawsRead MoreThe Old Testament And New Testament1704 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Old Testament to discover the story and character of God that is concealed within the pages of the Old Testament stories. By taking a little time to understand the context of the stories in the Old Testament readers can see the faithfulness, loving nature, and kindness of God. Most times people are dissuaded from reading the Old Testament books because they assume God is mean and harsh within those pages, but that simply isn’t the truth. God is revealed in every story in the Bible – Old TestamentRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Storm On The Galilee 1656 Words   |  7 Pageshis oil paintings of biblical scenes from the Old Testament. Christ in the storm on the Galilee is an oil painting done by Rembrandt, which depicts one of the most important moments in the old testament. Not only is it mentioned before the crucifixion of Christ, but also after his resurrection. In order to understand how Christ was seen and the significant moments of the old testament, the Sea of Galilee needs to be investigated. In the Old Testament, it was called the Sea of Chinnereth that JesusRead MoreCritique On The Resurrection Of Christ : Theological Implications By Daniel B. Wallace Essay1478 Words   |  6 PagesGreek and New Testament courses on a graduate school level since 1979. He has a Ph.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary, and is currently professor of New Testament Studies at his alma mater. His Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament (Zondervan, 1996) has become a standard textbook in colleges and seminaries. He is the senior New Testament editor of the NET Bible. Dr. Wallace is also the Executive Director for the Center for the Study of New Testament ManuscriptsRead MoreBoring s Introduction Of The New Testament898 Words   |  4 PagesBoring’s Introduction to the New Testament, was a v ery interesting book. It detailed just about everything you would want to know about the New Testament and then some. He left no stone unturned in taking you deep into the history of every book and just about every writer that wrote the books of the New Testament. Boring is a very detailed writer, he takes you beyond what you think that you might know and in his own way breaks it down in a kind of complex way. The title explains the subject justRead MoreProphets: Idolatry, Social Injustice, and Religious Ritualism850 Words   |  4 PagesPROPHETS: IDOLATRY, SOCIAL INJUSTICE, AND RELIGIOUS RITUALISM BIBL 105 OLD TESTAMENT SURVEY PROPHETS: IDOLATRY, SOCIAL INJUSTICE, AND RELIGIOUS RITUALISM I will be honest. I really struggled through this section. I do realize the importance of this subject however; the â€Å"feel good† moments just aren’t there like when you read other books of the bible. I mean, idolatry and ritualism are subjects that can be incredibly dry. But when asked to make it parallel to events of today I have foundRead MoreGod Behaving Badly By Lamb1519 Words   |  7 Pagestexts in the Old Testament and tries to answer the hard questions that arise from those readings. In my own examination of Lamb’s God Behaving Badly I will look at a few of the- questions and difficult texts that I found most interesting. Specifically, I will examine Lamb’s response to God s anger, apparent lack of concern for race and genocide, and violence in the Old Testament, and I will offer my own response. The first question that Lamb raises is if God’s anger in the Old Testament is justifiableRead MoreEpic Of Eden Critical Analysis1631 Words   |  7 PagesThe Epic of Eden was written in hope that believing readers would come to an understanding of the Old Testament as their story. A way for them to understand and cross the barrier that is created by the people, places, history and context of the scriptures which can be daunting and hard to navigate. As Sandra L. Richter, who is the author of Epic of Eden, depicts the modern believer as having what is called the dysfunctional closet syndrome. What she means by this is that as believers we are givenRead MoreSummary : What I Learned1379 Words   |  6 Pagesthey look at Christ. The Gospels displayed that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament and that laid the foundation for the teaching of the rest of the New Testament. A complete understanding of the life of Jesus Christ is gained as all four accounts agree with each other much like taking testimony from four different eye witnesses standing on four corners of an intersection where an accident has happened. The Old Testament tells the story and sets the stage for the New Testament. TheRead MoreBread of Life1034 Words   |  5 PagesLord Jesus Christ. Jesus became known as the â€Å"Bread of Life.† This paper will go into more depth about the importance of bread and the â€Å"Bread of Life.† 1. The Old Testament In the Old Testament bread was thought of as one of the main basic human needs to sustain life. It was a main food source and was important for life. In the Old Testament in particular it is a source of hospitality and thanksgiving to God. In Genesis 18, the Angel of the Lord and two other Angels visit Abraham to inform him