Episode 1

It was very interesting to me to learn that some of the same issues that are around today have been popping up since public schools first began. The issue of "separation of church and state" was already a topic for debate. Prayer books were used in schools and the Bible was taught. There were plenty of people that thought this wasn't a good idea back then, but it was done any way. Some schools still insist on teaching creationism and some private schools still read from the Bible.

Although it did not surprise me, there was no education offered to slaves. At first, only 5% of blacks were literate, but this turned into 50% which really shocked me, but in a good way. It was nice to see that blacks were already fighting for equal educational oppertunities for their children. The city of Boston was sued because a little black girl was not allowed to go to school there. It's sad to that it took so long for the Civil Rights Movement and Act to happen since America is supposed to welcome everyone with open arms.

Women teachers were cheaper and this is why they were hired more frequently than men. I wonder if this is why there are more women teachers than men teachers today? Some of my best teachers were men, actually, and I have noticed more and more men within the teaching profession (especially high school). I would love to see an equal distribution of men and women teachers and I wonder what the statistics are like right now.

A quote I liked from this episode was, "School is the little world that preps kids for the larger world of life." I feel that this sentence is very true. I have always thought that teaching is one of the most important jobs there is because it is at the younger ages that people are most impressionable. I feel like a teacher can either make or break a student as a learner. It's intimidating going into the teaching profession, but I feel so strongly about it that I have to at least try. Even if I slip the first year and try some methods that prove unsuccessful, I hope that my students see how willing I am to help them. I have noticed from my Assistant Manager position that people will work harder for you if you show that you care about both the people and the work that is being done. I have a great crew because I am always willing to help each and every one of them and I have a strong work ethic. I think that students respect a teacher who works hard much more than a teacher who seems to be lazy and slack off.