Fair Isn't Always Equal Chapter 2

Mastery is one of the most essential aspects of school because students need to actually retain the information and I could relate to the fact that new teachers may have difficulty figuring out what's essential for their students to learn. How much do you as a new teacher stick to the curriculum if you really feel that something is really important that is not a priority for the school board? These are all issues that need to be addressed and that we will be presented with in our career that are of significant importance. After reading this chapter I really began to think about the education system in today's society and how teachers really need to focus on having students actually "master" more of the information. This chapter really emphasized a point that I have made many times when I was in high school, which is that I am very good at memorizing the material but not so good at "mastering" it. At least that's what I thought at the time but I found since I've been in Practicum that I am able to master the information if it is provided in a way that fits my particular learning style, (i.e. repetition of the information.)  Learning all of this and reading all of this has really given me a different perspective and allowed me to understand that connecting with each student and finding a way to determine if each student really has a handle on the content is essential.