During our last class we discussed the trends of humanism, developmentalism, social effeiency, and social meliorism. Dr. Turner stated she believe in social meliorism. I was not sure which of these I felt was the way I wanted to teach. I believe social meliorism is a great way to view teaching but I also think that we have to realize that not all children are going to grow up to be doctors and lawyers. I believe when we teach we should push children to do their best. However, someone still has to grow up to work at Wal-Mart and someone has to drive a truck that delivers the food to the grocery stores. I don’t feel humanism is the best way to teach because I believe we should teach children more than history and math. I believe we should teach children about drama and art. I also feel we need to teach children about the real world. One of the local teachers in my area took her class to McDonald’s and the children had to count how much their food would cost and then pay for it.

I believe that when I become a teacher in the classroom I will practice social meliorism. I do believe some of the children I teach will end up working at a fast food restaurant, but I plan to teach like every child could be doctor or a lawyer. I always want to encourage children to do their best because "they are the future."

Which trend do you plan to practice?