Nieto 4

Wow. So much in these chapters!!
Ok lets start with Chapter 4. This first thing that really catches me is tracking. Tracking is putting students into groups of similar ability, same classes, or similar subject area or study area. I have mixed feelings about tracking. In theory, tracking could really benefit students, but the way it is executed causes many negative effects. According to Nieto, "tracking is frequently linked with racial, ethnic, and social- class differences" (Nieto 93). This is a huge problem with tracking. Tracking could work better if students were just grouped based on need and/ or interests. Race, ethnicity, or social status should not come into play at all. Tracking begins at a very early age; students are making decisions in first grade that can change the rest of their lives. It seems ridiculous! Tracking also causes labeling. Students are grouped into categories and assume the roles placed on them. I think that students of similar of similar abilities should be grouped together in order to get the attention and teaching that they need. What bothers me the most is that students in the lower level classes usually have teachers with the least experience, thus learning through "banking" and memorization. This is HORRIBLE!! I know, personally, that one of the MAIN reasons I want to teach is to help students in need. Experienced teachers need to cover a broader range of levels in schools so that they can help everyone.

Tracking also occurs in upper level/ honors courses. I am a product of this tracking system. In high school, I was always on the Honors track; the only regular classes I took were requirements, and I thought of them as blow off classes. The honors classes were challenging; I would find it hard to take the regular classes seriously and I was never really asked to help the other students out, but we did work in groups often. Everyone was aware of who the honors students were, and it was almost expected of me to do more work or take charge because of the label I had. I feel that if all our classes would have been combined, I would not have learned as much or been challenged. Then again, I never experienced tracking until I got to High School. I went to a Catholic grammar school and we did not have tracks. I was self motivated and also received a lot of support from my parents. But I also feel like we left some students behind. Tracking- good or bad? I still cant answer it! But I agree that the schools need to change something and not base tracking on race, ethnicity, or social status. This would also decrease the drop out rate.

What would have happened if I had been tracked at an earlier stage? Would I have still been in honors classes? I guess i have always tested well, and standardized tests are used to place students in tracks. I hated testing. How can one test determine the rest of your life? (Like the ACT). Testing also detracks from learning other material that isnt necessarily on the test. Over the summer, I taught in a third grade summer school class. The students need to pass the test in order to move on to the fourth grade. We never once veered off course; we had to teach what was on the test so that the students could pass it. This limits EVERYONE- students and teachers. The students are just learning what they need for the test and not retaining anything. The teacher knows everything and they students just need to absorb it all. This isnt learning! The students were not happy because 1) they were in school over the summer 2) they knew they had not done well over the year 3) most of them expected to just repeat the 3rd grade again. Some students had good parental involvement, while others barely had any. It was easy to see that those students with little parental involvement were not very focused or motivated. It was heartbreaking to see these students already giving up before they even reached 4th grade.

I want to teach so that I can be that positive influence in students' lives. I want to make a different and motivate my students. O wow I sound like a Golden Apple Cheerleader! ha ha
Wow Nieto gives you a lot to think about!