Educational Beliefs Anne Ramirez

ME My journey began in Pantex Village, which consisted of cheaply constructed post World War Two duplexes, located outside of Amarillo, Texas in 1950. Amarillo located in an area of Texas termed the Panhandle, was a major player during the cold war era of the 1950thru the 1970s due to the location of the Strategic Air Command Base and the atomic warhead assembling complex, Pantex. One of my childhood fears was dying during an atomic bomb attack; most homes in my neighborhood had underground tornado shelters that people regarded as appropriate shelter during a bomb attack. We regularly had bomb drills at school in the hallways in which we would duck and tuck our heads. I still have this phobia that North Korea, Iran, Iraq, or some other nation will aim a nuclear war head at the United States. My family included my stay-at-home mom, dad, my younger brother, Jay, and our beloved dachshund, Lady. My family moved to Amarillo when I was about five years of age. I remember starting first grade in a brand new elementary school located right across the street from our home. I loved school and I have fond memories of going home every day for lunch and of my mom volunteering at school. I would miss school on a regular basis for one week a month due to an unknown illness which included symptoms of a chronic cough, fever and shortness of breath. My conscientious parents made many trips to specialists and finally the cause of the medical problems was determined to be asthma. My asthma symptoms were to be endured since inhalers and antihistamines had
Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:24 PM Comment: Sounds nice Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:24 PM Comment: Wow! But I can see why you had fears about it. Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:24 PM Comment: Ive never once heard of Pantex. Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:23 PM Comment: Amarillo, located in

not been developed in the sixties. I developed excellent study habits and a love for books since I had to remain inside most of the year. I attended junior high (7-9 grades ) during the turbulent early 1960s; one event I remember is the assassination of John F Kennedy, 11-22-63, two days before my thirteenth birthday; I remember spending my birthday and days that followed glued to the television witnessing the assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald and burial of our president. I would have been considered a nerd in high school because I was obsessed with obtaining straight As in all my courses. My parents were able to attend two years of college but did not complete their education after they started their family; but they were supportive of my obsession with grades and my desire to obtain a college education. I was a looking forward to high school graduation in 1969; but on May 9 a police officer rang our door bell and delivered the news that my father and his entire office staff had perished in a Braniff plane crash outside of Huntsville, Texas during a spring storm. The technology that we take for granted today did not exist in 1969 and we waited about two weeks before my fathers remains were returned to Amarillo for the burial. I remember the time period as a feeling of limbo; while my mom was in a state of shock she insisted that my brother and I return to school while we waiting to complete the final services for my father. My dad was buried on May 23, 1969 and I graduated in the top ten percent from Amarillo High School a few days later. The unexpected death of my father at age 37, the assassinations of both the Kennedys and Martin Luther King has contributed to my belief that life can end at any time and I try to live each day as it might be my last.

Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:25 PM Comment: Oh wow

Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:28 PM Comment: So sorry. That is tragic.

Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:31 PM Comment: we were waiting

Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:32 PM Comment: Great attitude. I like it

I had no doubt that I would attend college; and during the summer immediately following high school graduation I completed six hours of college both English and social study courses at the local community college. The family unit was still in turmoil following my fathers death; so my mother and I decided that I should attend the local community college for two years and work at the local YWCA as an after school counselor for school age children. I completed an associates degree in applied science in 1971. I entered Texas Christian University in January 1972; majoring in foods and nutrition. I graduated in 1974 with a Bachelors of Science in Vocational Home Economics Education. I married my college sweetheart and we relocated to Dallas in 1974. I was unable to obtain a teaching position and was hired at Baylor Medical Center as a food service manager. I developed a case of career burnout for the food service industry and in 1983 enrolled in nursing school and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing degree in 1985 from Baylor University School of Nursing. I accepted a nursing position at Childrens Medical Center of Dallas and practiced nursing in various departments such as heart, kidney, liver transplant, pediatric hemodialysis, oncology, and peri-operative nursing. My children were born in 1987 and 1991; I absolutely loved nursing but wanted to be a stay at home mom so I was able to work the Weekend Option which meant I worked two twelve hour shifts and received full time pay and benefits. When my children entered public school I volunteered at school on a daily basis. I volunteered in the school clinic and began to consider a career as a school nurse.
Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:34 PM Comment: An interesting career progression Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:33 PM Comment: fathers

In 1997 I left the hospital environment and began my career as a school nurse for DISD. I was a full time substitute nurse and I completed two and four week assignments at several Dallas schools filling in for nurses on medical or personal leave. In 2000 I accepted a position as a case manager for pregnant high school teens at five large high schools. The position required me to wear the hats of prenatal nurse, school counselor, and parenting educator in an attempt to lower the dropout and child abuse rate for teen moms. I enjoyed my case manager position but was growing tired of driving three to four hundred miles a week to provide coverage for my assigned schools. A friend told me about an opening for a school nurse at Mesquite High School and I was hired in 2003 as the high school nurse. I enjoyed my days as a school nurse at Mesquite High School; besides the school clinic traffic I had twenty diabetics to manage, developed a partnership with the sports trainer to monitor three diabetic athletics, monitored blood pressures, weights and blood sugars for staff members and presented monthly presentations to the parenting classes. I was asked by the Health Science Education instructor to give a presentation on pediatric clinic nursing. I spent hours preparing an interactive lesson which included direct instruction on medical protocols for common childhood medical problems with scenarios for the students to complete to illustrate how pediatric medical clinics diagnose and treat ill children. The presentation was well received and I found myself desiring to enter the classroom and to my delight the HST instructor at North Mesquite and Poteet High Schools was relocating and I was hired in 2004 as her replacement. I have two grown children both are in college. My son is having a difficult time finding himself and still lives at home. My daughter obtained financial aid, grants and
Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:35 PM Comment: traffic, Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:34 PM Comment: 2000,

scholarships and is currently enrolled in her freshman year at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin. I divorced form my husband in November 2008 after several years of marital discord and am now adjusting to life as a middle-aged single woman. I reside in a two bedroom apartment in Mesquite with two declawed cats and my son. I spend several hours at school and also work three shifts a month as a pediatric home health nurse caring for ventilator dependent children. I am still adjusting to the reality of being single, facing retirement in five or six years while attempting to develop financial security and assist my children with their college graduation. Goals for the future: complete the cohort masters program, contribute to retirement funds, and maintain my health and mobility while coping with osteoarthritis of hips and knees, hypertension and type two diabetes. I strive to remain relevant as a HST instructor and finally to witness college graduation and financial independence for my two children. My Life in the Classroom My classroom career began in fall 2004 as the Health Science Technology (HST) instructor on A days at Poteet High School and B days at North Mesquite High School. To become certified as a HST instructor I attended a five day boot camp presented by UNTs School of Education, who develops the curriculum for HST courses in Texas. The boot camp provided training and information on classroom management and discipline, preparation of lesson plans, legal guidelines for education, and how to develop and manage a career technical program. I enrolled in the online Lamar University Texas Alternative Certification program to complete the requirements for HST certification and I obtained my certification in September 2005. Certification as an HST instructor requires
Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:37 PM Comment: I remember!! ! Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:36 PM Comment: Youve had a lot of change come your way! Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:37 PM Comment: Great goals Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:36 PM Comment: from

that that I maintain my current registered nurse license so I find myself multi-tasking to complete CEUs required by both professional licensures. Due to increasing demand for HST classes I have been assigned to North Mesquite High School since 2008. My current assignment includes two sections of Health Science or Clinical Rotation 1; a double blocked time period which includes traditional classroom instruction along with shadowing experiences local health care facilities. Clinical Rotation 1 is open for enrollment to juniors and seniors who are considering a career in health care. The students are required to purchase student malpractice insurance, obtain a tuberculosis skin exam, pass the MISD volunteer background screening, purchase scrubs, complete Health Care Provider CPR and AED training and complete student volunteer orientation programs of the health care facilities that mentor the students. The clinical rotation class roster allows a maximum of twenty students due to limitations of the medical facilities. The recruitment and scheduling of medical facilities to mentor the clinical rotation students occupies about two hours of planning time weekly. The Clinical Rotation program at North Mesquite High School maintains agreements with the following facilities: Baylor Medical Center Gaston Campus, Presbyterian Hospital of Rockwall, Evans and Goodbar Senior Centers of Mesquite, Jerry Judkins Head Start Center of Mesquite, Sharing Life Community Outreach, Town East Rehab and Nursing Care, Buckner Retirement Village, MISD school clinics and agreements at local dental, veterinarian, chiropractor and podiatrists offices. I maintain an online rotation folder for each of the sites noted above in which 39 students are assigned on a rotating basis for clinical experiences at each of the sites. The class travels by bus to each of the sites and
Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:38 PM Comment: Interesting; I didnt know you did this

upon arrival the students shadow their mentor for ninety minutes observing patient care provided by health care professionals such as registered nurse, respiratory therapist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, radiology technologist, and chiropractor to name a few. The students have questions and projects to complete while at the clinical sites which develops their knowledge of the patient care services and duties of various health care professionals. I also teach one section of a one semester course, Introduction to Medical Terminology and a section of a one semester course, Principles of Health Science. Both of these classes are lecture classes and are open to all the high school grade levels and are usually large classes of 30-35 students. These courses give an overview of health care principles and terminology. Ideally the classes include some hands on activities like measurement of blood pressure, pulse, respiration, temperature, physical assessment, cranial nerve assessment, CPR and first aid but the large enrollment presents a classroom management issue with varying levels of maturity and interest in the field of health care field. Many students inform me that they needed a schedule change and this class was available which presents a challenge for the student and me. My student enrollment includes a total of 103 students; 32 seniors, 31 juniors, 27 sophomores, and 13 freshmen. My classes consist of 83 females and 20 males; ethnic groups represented include Hispanic 52, African American 22 and Anglo 29. The clinical rotation class requires travel off campus typically two days a week; the students are alone with their mentor at the various offices and hospital departments and these students are expected to maintain a higher standard of behavior than the typical student who stays on campus during the school day. I am constantly monitoring personal
Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:53 PM Comment: Thank you for the detail Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:48 PM Comment: That is a challenge. Makes it hard, especially for the kids who really want to be there. Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 3:47 PM Comment: hands-on

hygiene, professional appearance while wearing clean pressed scrubs, displaying picture identification badge, and professional behavior of the clinical rotation students while off campus. In addition students must complete all classroom assignments in order to participate in rotation at the clinical sites. My classroom is a an extra large portable which houses medical equipment such as a hospital bed, wheelchairs, crutches, stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs, manikins, and AED trainers. I have 4 students seated facing each other at two tables pushed together scattered through out the room facing the screen and in ceiling projector. The tables can easily be relocated when I need additional space for simulated medical skills. I have three large folding gray tables on which I place equipment for medical skills classes. I keep the medical equipment locked up so that students do not damage it and also to maintain the mystery of the equipment to encourage student participation and practice. The walls of the classroom contain anatomy and physiology poster and diseases posters, and many models are scattered around the room to stimulate student interest in the human body; the favorite of course is the skeleton. I am lucky enough to have four new Dell computers with a network printer to facilitate internet research of websites dedicated to disease and health. Health Science Technology course has a web site www.texashste.com developed and maintained by UNT School of Education. This web site contains the curriculum, scope and sequence, forms necessary for unpaid and paid healthcare internships, how to lists for setting up HST classrooms, recruitment of clinical sites, and community advisor support systems. The web site maintains links to career sites, health care sites ad health care professional sites plus information on the state adopted textbooks for HST course. I
Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:03 PM Comment: Interesting website

have this web site bookmarked don my computer and access it probably two times daily. A favoite web site is www.nih.gov ; which contains the latest health information and research maintained by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Parent involvement in their childrens education is essential for the success of the child in school. Ideally the parents and the instructors should work as partners to ensure that each student is successful in the classroom. In high school parents tend to not be as committed as they were in the elementary and middle school years. It seems that when we communicate with parents in high school it is usually about some form of noncompliance of the student in the classroom. I send home a parent letter outlining course objectives, classroom policies and contact information. I ask that the parent and student both sign the letter for my student files. I enjoy meeting parents during open house and feel like the parents who attend at least have an opportunity to place a face with the health care course their child is enrolled in. I wish I had more time to call parents on a regular basis but time is not there and also I find that several of the parents do not speak English. I give the students a monthly schedule of activities to take home so the parents have an idea of what is occurring in class. I am thinking about developing a web page or bog this summer after I take the class at the PDC to give parents more opportunity to be aware of what is occurring in class. I am a member of the PTO at North Mesquite High School and usually am able to attend two meetings a year. I participate on the POPS (Power of Positive People) committee and my job is to place birthday cookies in the staff mailboxes on their birthday. I volunteer to sign in students and serve pizza during the Math and Science after school tutoring sessions yearly which I feel shows my support for the TAKS tutoring
Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:05 PM Comment: blog Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:05 PM Comment: Thats a great idea. I definitely think you should do this. Let me know how it goes. Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:04 PM Comment: yes Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:04 PM Comment: comma Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:04 PM Comment: split infinitive Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:04 PM Comment: comma Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:03 PM Comment: ,

outreach program. I usually mentor a senior student each year that needs extra encouragement and support in passing TAKS in order to graduate. I volunteer at Dallas County Disaster Response Team when there is a need for nursing personnel in case of some environmental disaster in Dallas County. My campus responsibilities include ARD duty as a career technology representative and hall duty during lunches on B days-I monitor the restrooms. I am not one to hang out in the office at North Mesquite. I feel like if I need to speak to one of the administrators or Mr. Barber (Principal) I will be able to make an appointment and take care of any needed issues. I never really thought about developing a relationship with the administrators-when I need to speak with them I do so but I support the policies that Mr. Barber and his crew feel are important. I do not always feel that what they advocate is 100% correct but usually I can find a way to comply with the administrative decisions. I am the only HST instructor on my campus so I am very independent and am able to make all the decisions about my class activities as long as I stay in guidelines of the TEKS and the MISD policies and procedures. Clinical Rotation class is conducted off campus two days a week and I utilize many medical facilities and I make sure that the students are safe and are supervised by an adult when they are at the various offices and clinics. I have signed permission forms on file which lists all the facilities I utilize so the parents are aware of where their children are spending their class time. I print a monthly schedule that students are to take home and I also email it to the administrators, attendance office and main office so I can be located immediately by cell phone while off campus.

I have been collaborating with the parenting instructor this year; my students are teaching her students CPR and AED for adults, children and infants. I also hosted the parenting classes in my classroom when the North Texas Poison Control Educator came to do a presentation on common household poisons. I also collaborate with the school nurse on health issues and we share information about health websites and current adolescent health issues. I do collaborate closely with the HST instructor at Mesquite High School sharing supplies and information about speaker and tours of health care facilities. My Management and Discipline I would describe my personality as structured, focused, and determined to cover my objective and agenda for the day. I typically arrive at school around 7 am so I have handouts, supplies and stations for medical simulation activities set up before the students arrive for class. I am a fan of seating charts; I change the student seats every two weeks to encourage students to interact with their peers out of their comfort zone so they can develop skills to work effectively with different personality types which is a skill they will need when they enter the work force. Examples of classroom rules created because I need an atmosphere of calmness and order are: no food or drink in the classroom, maintain respect for the classroom supplies and property of other students, listen attentively and do not interrupt when I am giving instruction and while other students are speaking, no sleeping in class, no application of make-up in class, and I discourage trips to the restroom or other errands during class. I enforce the classroom rules by reminding the students politely as a group; next I privately approach frequent violators and finally resort to a parent phone call and detention if the violations continue. I feel that students
Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:09 PM Comment: I like it Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:06 PM Comment: great

need to feel safe and comfortable in order to learn. I feel like my classroom management style works most of the time. I handle most discipline situations and might have to send students to the administrators with referrals maybe two times a year. I do adhere to the school-wide policies for tardiness, dress code, and cell phone violations. My Beliefs about Education I feel that students are able to acquire knowledge in an environment that is safe and challenging but requires them to take risks. I facilitate carefully planned activities to allow the students to develop a series of medical skills utilized by health care professionals so they can gain knowledge of duties and responsibilities of various health care professions. The students learn the theory that accompanies the selected skill, observe a demonstration of the skill and have time practice the skill with a checklist of required steps. When the students feel that they have mastered the skill; they participate in a return demonstration with a formal evaluation to correct any mistakes. I view my role in the classroom as one of a cheerleader to motivate the students to consider a career in healthcare. I feel the goal of education is to prepare students for a life as self-sufficient adults who can provide for themselves and their families in employment in a chosen career they enjoy. I feel like an educators responsibility is to provide an education that ensures that the students are flexible enough to meet the demands of evolving technological advances and to be able to formulate ethical decisions that accompany evolving technology. Education today must provide the future Americans with skills to provide food, shelter, health care and jobs for all the citizens with diminishing resources on a crowded planet.

Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:10 PM Comment: Yes, good

Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:11 PM Comment: I like that comparison

I feel that reading, writing, math, computer technology, job-seeking skills and skills necessary to maintain employment should be taught in school. I feel like the electives of art, music, family and consumer sciences and athletics should be offered in public schools so students can develop interests that they will find valuable as adults. I feel that parents should teach basic values of honesty, integrity, empathy, respect for cultural differences be in the home. The public school should reinforce basic core values and respect for cultural differences but bottom line teachers cannot be asked to take the place of parents. I feel like the grading system in the typical Mesquite schools works but it does not meet the needs for all students. The awarding of grades motivates some students but many of the students do not care what their grade is as long as they pass and they often have obtained the same knowledge as the student with the top grades. I do not have a solution on how to evaluate students since I am a product of an era which emphasized the importance of maintaining good grades. I personally have a strong dislike for the TAKS exams. I feel like most of the educational process is spent on teaching the essential skills and how to pass a stressful exam which determines the students future graduation status which leads the student to dislike school. The students of today do not develop a lifelong love of learning or see the need to continue learning once they leave school. I incorporate writing, math, and science TEKS in my lesson planning to support the TEKS of the core subjects in my classes. I have assisted with the tutoring sessions before the exams help prepare students. The argument of who to blame when students do not pass the TAKS exam will never be put to rest. I agree that we have several classrooms in Texas that are not doing a good
Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:12 PM Comment: Dont we all? Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:11 PM Comment: Great thinking Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:11 PM Comment: works,

job or preparing students to pass TAKS but also several students do not have the parental support to perform well in school. Poverty, violence, homelessness, neglect, abuse is a common denominator in many students lives and passing the TAKS exams is simply not a priority. The educational system of the 21st century needs to accept the fact that not all students are not going to college. We as educators need to assist students to recognize their skills and interests and educate them on careers that pay a decent wage but do not require the traditional four to five years of college. I think that by the beginning of the junior year in high school students should have the option of entering programs to train for technical jobs that would result in a certificate or associates degree that would ensure the student could then go to work. I feel like the duel credit high school-college program that is available at Richland Community College is a practical answer of preparing students for transfer to a traditional college program and demonstrate good use of time and resources. My Professional Strengths and Challenges I feel like I have an extensive knowledge base of the health care field demonstrated by my extensive professional and community contacts in the health care facilities in Dallas and Mesquite. I am able to multi-task and I am creative about developing clinical experiences for the students to experience a bit of reality of various health careers. I am responsible, dependable, and I care about the students but I also expect them to act like adults when off campus. I am not excited to admit my weaknesses but I am not very pleasant when students forget to wear their scrubs on clinical days, forget to wear their name badge and are have not done the required reading to prepare for the clinical day at the health care facilities. I generally will agree with them that it is normal for teens to
Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:12 PM Comment: Definitely! Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:12 PM Comment: I agree

forget for the first infraction but with continued infractions I tend to be stern and then question students motivation or real interest in the purpose of the class. I need to develop more technology skills and incorporate more creative ways to develop the interest of the students when presenting new topics. One of my goals for my specific program at North Mesquite is to develop a system to track the students after graduation to see how many actually end up in a health care field. I also want to continue to recruit health care facilities and professionals to provide more opportunities for student rotations. I want to continue to be relevant in the classroom and stay abreast of changes and developing technology in health care. I feel that participation and completion of the cohort masters program will assist me in becoming a more effective teacher to help the students prepare for their role as future citizens. I have several years until retirement and I want to continue to grow and develop as an effective classroom instructor-my small contribution to a better world.
Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:14 PM Comment: Great goals. Im glad you have joined Cohort. I have really enjoyed learning more about your life and your beliefs.
You did a good job expressing yourself with just a few minor mechanics things to work on next time that you proof your paper. Good job! !

Mesquite ISD! 5/2/11 4:12 PM Comment: Great goal!