Interview+and+Reflection

What is your opinion of national curriculum standards? Answer: National standards are a good idea. The idea of everyone using the same standards to educate our children is a good idea. One problem with the idea behind this though is not all states might need the same standards. There are things that students in some states might not need to know. The states more than anything should be able to decide on what to teach students. Not all states will have the same groups of people and therefore to allow for diversity a state should be able to decide what schools teach.

How do you teach using state standards as well as National standards if they don't line up with one another? Answer: At our school we teach using the state standards only. We have not adopted the national standards yet. The state standards serve our state well and will continue to do so.

How have standards changed over the years? Answer: Standards have changed in so many ways.

What is an easy way to incorporate standards in the beginnings of a lesson plan? Do you follow the standards in making lessons or make a lesson and find the standard that fits it? Answer: Normally the best way is to take a standard ad line it up with the text and time period you are teaching and then bring in your supplementary material.

You have taught in a couple of states. Are the standards in the states you have taught in similar or are they vastly different? Answer: There is not much of a difference between Iowa, South Dakota, and Nebraska standards. The only difference one can see between the three is Iowa tends to have more progressive standards than either South Dakota or Nebraska.

1. What is your impression of your field-based supervisor’s attitude toward teaching standards?

My supervisor's overall view about teaching standards was a positive one. We discussed state standards mainly and we did talk a little about national standards as well. We both agreed teaching standards are needed wherever you go to ensure that students receive a quality education. We discussed state versus national standards. The idea of national standards is a good idea and will probably help streamline education, but there are many aspects that can be ignored if a standard is national. The national standard might not take into account the diversity of one area and therefore a group of students could go through and not be reached. States have a better idea of what is needed for their students. National standards will be adopted soon and there is no fighting it, but the issue above could be a potential issue with adopting standards for the entire country. 2. What is your impression of the impact of standards on instruction?

Standards in education are some of the most important aspects of education. How can you teach without knowing what you need to be teaching your students? Sure you can make a guess and probably get it right most of the time the fact remains standards are necessary to everything in education. They decide what you teach to students and at what age level. This is not however a blueprint one can follow and there is a lot of room for interpretation, but they are there to guide. Standards are important in each state as well. I subscribe to the belief that national standards are not as good as state standards. This sounds backward to some and the idea of everyone needing to teach the same things sounds like a good idea. The caveat though is a national set of standards does not take into account the diversity of one region versus another. There are things in some states that need to get taught that don't need to get taught and vice versa. This is an oversight of national standards and will definitely need to be addressed.

3. How do you intend to incorporate standards into your teaching?

I plan to incorporate standards into my teaching wherever I can. I will follow whatever standards I need to, even if they are national standards. One way I will incorporate standards into my teaching is through the use of them when writing my lesson plans. I don't know however if I will try and match a standard up with what I want to teach or if I will find a standard and find a way to teach it. I understand this might already be decided for me depending upon where I teach.