Article
Social Media bring new challenges for schools and their bullying policies
With so much data on what bullying does to children, how do schools in the state of Michigan navigate the issue, especially cyberbullying?
Spartan Newsroom (https://news.jrn.msu.edu/series/teachers-2017/)
An in-depth reporting project of the Spartan Newsroom
With so much data on what bullying does to children, how do schools in the state of Michigan navigate the issue, especially cyberbullying?
In 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau’s statistics, the number of union members decreased from 15.2% to to 14.4%. Teacher unions are no exception.
The Michigan Senate passed a bill that said residents with a concealed pistol license could carry guns in areas previously off-limits, such as schools, day care centers, stadiums, churches and college dorms.
In an issue that has been going on since 2010, teachers are still embattled against the state for the right to their $550 million in escrow monies held by the state.
There has been an increase in race-related bullying being reported, said David Crim, spokesman of the Michigan Education Association
Zachary Barnes explores the roots of segregation during the early part of the 20th century in Lansing area schools, and how it compares to modern-day segregation — meaning those who have the privilege to, can transfer to another school, leaving a larger number of minority and economically disadvantaged without funding for resources. Segregation — “the separation or isolation of a race, class, or ethnic group by enforced or voluntary residence in a restricted area, by barriers to social intercourse, by separate educational facilities, or by other discriminatory means.” — Merriam Webster
Although it may not be segregation in the traditional sense, policies such as “red lining,” where minority neighborhoods were outlined in red on a city’s master plan meaning “high-risk” under rules laid out by the Federal Housing Administration. Both direct and indirect racism has lead to major inequities in the classroom. According to MSU education professors and non-profits that work to better education for minority students, these inequities have lead to resource gaps and unequal opportunity. A main reason for this, “Schools of Choice,” the process where families can choose to apply to another school district within the same region. It could be time to revisit the 1994 legislation as schools become increasingly segregated.
On the third episode of “Talking with Teachers,” I’ve gone outside MSU to interview Jeff Thomas, Sweet Home High School’s business education teacher. Thomas has been at Sweet Home High School in Amherst, NY (a suburb of Buffalo) for over 20 years and has taught a number of different business and media courses. In the interview, Thomas talks about how he got into teaching, and the differences between business courses and typical core high school classes. He highlights the importance of business education in high school, how it can help kids going into college, and what business classes are offered at Sweet Home now. Thomas also touches on his personal struggles of teaching an elective course in high school.
While the term ‘professor of practice’ is popping up in universities all around the country, few know what this title actually means. While MSU doesn’t technically recognize ‘professor of practice’ as an official title, this phrase can certainly be found on faculty bios in colleges and departments within the university.
On the first ever episode of “Talking with Teachers,” Michigan State University journalism professor Mike Castellucci talks about his reporting career and the transition from reporting to teaching. In his interview, Castellucci shares why he decided to become a teacher, and how he’s been adjusting to his new career.
On the second episode of “Talking with Teachers,” I am joined by another Michigan State University employee, College of Arts and Letters faculty member, Dave Watson. Not only does Watson teach at Michigan State, he also has classes at Jackson College and is in a program known as the PEI (Prison Education Initiative), where he teaches inmates at Cooper St. Correctional Facility in Jackson. In the interview Watson talks about how he got into teaching, what his courses can offer and what it’s like teaching in a prison.