Home environments effect in the classroom

 

Child playing with family.

A child's home life can have an impact on their time in school. A home environment is a place where their social and emotional development can be impacted because of the time spent with the parents/caregivers as well as members of the community.  More positive interactions with caregivers have led to having more positive interactions in the classroom. The more stressful environment at home the more likely the child's emotional and social development is to be hindered. The negative environments can also lead the child to have aggressive behaviors. These early years of development and the environment they are surrounded by will leave a long impact on their education and overall development. 

I believe home life is one of the main contributors to student success in the classroom. If the child grew up in a nurturing environment and knew they were supported, they are more likely to succeed in the classroom. I know personally, if I ever needed support in the classroom I knew I had that support at home to help me out if needed. Which I believe made me more confident in learning because I knew if I fell behind I could talk to my parents and they would get me the help I needed. I also grew up in a nurturing environment where my emotions were not constantly fluctuating with my parents being stressed which I think affected how I developed socially. Overall, I believe the environment where a child grows up in will impact their time in school and their overall development. 

Effects of standardized testing

 

Standardized tests have been debated and talked about for a while in the American education system. Standardized tests are administered to measure student achievement and the goal is to complete that at a fair level by placing all the students in the same testing conditions. There are also tests like the ACT and SAT to measure college readiness. These testing requirements are designed to hold educators, students, and schools accountable for academic achievement, measuring benchmarks as well as incentivizing improvement. The debate is focused on if standardized tests are an accurate assessment of student's academic abilities. Even though students are placed in the same testing environment, the test is objective and is leading the education system to create test takers, not focusing on the whole child. 

I do not believe standardized tests should be utilized in the American education system anymore. I vividly remember going to school growing up and dreading when I had to take a standardized test. You had to sit at a desk for hours on end, staring at a piece of paper, and expected to focus for the duration of the time. When I was a junior in high school and it was time to take the SAT/ACT, I cried for days because I felt like If I did not get a certain score I would fail at life and not get into any college. I had to take the ACT five times to get the score I wanted. I just remember taking these tests and thinking, "How does this tell a college who I really am?" The thing is, it does not. Standardized testing does not tell you anything about a student besides the fact that they can fill in a bunch of bubbles on a sheet. I addressed in my last post the idea of educators focusing on the "whole child approach" which basically means focusing on the child as a whole person rather than just a student. That is why education in America has shifted, we are focusing on creating test-takers instead of focusing on how we can shape their minds to explore and be creative. Standardized tests need to find their way out of the education system so the next generation won't be affected. 

Whole Child Approach

 The "whole-child approach" is a concept that has been gaining popularity in education in recent years. The whole-child approach is focused on nurturing all areas of the children's development. For example, focusing on social, emotional, physical, intellectual, and health development. This approach aims to ensure we are shaping students to be good people and not just 'good test takers.' We want to prepare students for the future like college or jobs, while also making sure their other areas of interest and personality are brought to light. The "whole-child approach" wants to remind educators that learning is not only focused in the classroom, we want to create lifelong learners who seek to explore every day, anywhere! 

I think the "whole-child approach" is a great movement in the right direction in the education world. I believe going beyond the student's math and science learning is vital for making sure our students are actively enjoying learning and want to explore more. I remember growing up I felt there was a huge focus on my academics and grades, but no focus on my interests. It made me feel less motivated to learn because I felt as if the teacher only saw me as a "test-taker" and not a person. I also think focusing on students' social-emotional skills can aid them in learning self-regulation skills which will benefit them in the long run. This new approach is something all educators should be implementing in their classrooms and I hope to see it added to classroom curriculums across the country.