-Hannah Wise
Monday, September 30, 2013
Positively Present
As we begin this week of class, I thought I might share a few words of wisdom. In all areas of our life, and certainly in this class, I think everyone can benefit from maintaining an open mind. I find myself sometimes forgetting to do this and I hope I'm not the only one! This is something to remember as students now, and one day as teachers.
-Hannah Wise
http://www.positivelypresent.com/2010/09/7-benefits-of-being-openminded.html
-Hannah Wise
National Diversity Day (Coming up this Friday)
I think this would be an interesting thing to include in curriculum. Have a diversity week, where you could spend your class time discovering and learning about content specific figures of diverse backgrounds, showing students that "being white" has nothing to do with "being important" or "being smart."
The NDD website can be found by clicking here.
By Stephanie
The NDD website can be found by clicking here.
By Stephanie
Philosophy of Education example: It's connection to Delpit
Class,
As you are reading through Delpit's book, I would like you all to keep note of some of the very interesting suggestions she makes. She most of her examples surge from urban schools of predominantly African American students, her ideas and suggestions can be applied to any setting and with any student. Check out this philosophy of education and the principles it lays out:
http://ows.edb.utexas.edu/site/sardegnas-student-site/slades-teaching-philosophy
After reading through Mr. Slade's philosophy, I find many connections to Delpit. For instance, principle 2 ( The teacher must provide opportunities to read, listen to, watch, converse in, and write within a range of contexts that students will encounter inside and outside of school, while trying to instill a love of academic learning in all students) reminds me of Delpit's call to make learning meaningful for teachers to teach contextualized and non-isolated skills, amongst her suggestions on curriculum, pedagogy, and classroom management. She states:"Only a consciously devised, continuous program that teaches skills and develops vocabulary in the context to real experiences, provides rigorous instruction, connects new information to the cultural frameworks that children bring to school, and assumes that the children are brilliant and capable-and teaches accordingly- can" (p. 58).
WHAT OTHER CONNECTIONS CAN WE MAKE BETWEN THIS PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION AND THE POINTS MADE/STORIES SHARED IN LISA DELPIT'S BOOK? HOW DOES THIS SAMPLE PHILOSOPHY PUT DELPIT'S DISCUSSION INTO PRACTICE? Share quotes and page numbers.
As you are reading through Delpit's book, I would like you all to keep note of some of the very interesting suggestions she makes. She most of her examples surge from urban schools of predominantly African American students, her ideas and suggestions can be applied to any setting and with any student. Check out this philosophy of education and the principles it lays out:
http://ows.edb.utexas.edu/site/sardegnas-student-site/slades-teaching-philosophy
After reading through Mr. Slade's philosophy, I find many connections to Delpit. For instance, principle 2 ( The teacher must provide opportunities to read, listen to, watch, converse in, and write within a range of contexts that students will encounter inside and outside of school, while trying to instill a love of academic learning in all students) reminds me of Delpit's call to make learning meaningful for teachers to teach contextualized and non-isolated skills, amongst her suggestions on curriculum, pedagogy, and classroom management. She states:"Only a consciously devised, continuous program that teaches skills and develops vocabulary in the context to real experiences, provides rigorous instruction, connects new information to the cultural frameworks that children bring to school, and assumes that the children are brilliant and capable-and teaches accordingly- can" (p. 58).
WHAT OTHER CONNECTIONS CAN WE MAKE BETWEN THIS PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION AND THE POINTS MADE/STORIES SHARED IN LISA DELPIT'S BOOK? HOW DOES THIS SAMPLE PHILOSOPHY PUT DELPIT'S DISCUSSION INTO PRACTICE? Share quotes and page numbers.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
BE MORE AWESOME.
After today, I wanted to share something that I know most of you have probably seen (I've watched this at least three times in the past two weeks), but I'm sure we can agree it has some valid points that should be acknowledged more than once. Like naming your pet dinosaur Reginald.
Personally, I felt our discussion in class today was difficult and challenging, but ultimately it was productive. I'm glad to be part of a classroom environment that where people respect each other enough to be open and honest about situations like the one we dealt with today. I know for a lot of us (myself included) we struggle with associating our identity and culture to the curriculum we are learning, but isn't that going to be our job one day? If you feel like you don't have culture or your culture isn't important, remember that because I have no doubt there will be students in your classroom that feel the same exact way.
BE MORE AWESOME.
-Alex
American Culture
A post by Lizzie
We talked in class about American culture, and how white students don't have culture. This reminds me of a country song. The song is American Saturday Night and the lyrics focus on how American culture is a melting pot of other nations and cultures. I thought I'd post the song so that people could think about which aspects of their lives are influenced by other cultures and other countries.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhgOwc6-QG4
What do you think?
We talked in class about American culture, and how white students don't have culture. This reminds me of a country song. The song is American Saturday Night and the lyrics focus on how American culture is a melting pot of other nations and cultures. I thought I'd post the song so that people could think about which aspects of their lives are influenced by other cultures and other countries.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhgOwc6-QG4
What do you think?
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Comments on Stand and Deliver by: Christine
About the film:
I really appreciated the approach that the teacher had, the idea that the students will rise to meet his expectations and that he need not lower them. I also felt like he actually connected to his students and made it so they wanted to please him out of respect for him as a teacher.
One of my favorite quotes from the movie was:
"... There will be no free rides, no excuses. You already have two strikes against you: your name and your complexion. Because of those two strikes, there are some people in this world who will assume that you know less than you do. *Math* is the great equalizer... When you go for a job, the person giving you that job will not want to hear your problems; ergo, neither do I. You're going to work harder here than you've ever worked anywhere else. And the only thing I ask from you is *ganas.* *Desire.* "
It's something that's often overlooked in today's society because everyone thinks the problem is fixed and that racism no longer exists. I love that movie was honest about it and called attention to it, I also appreciated how he didn't say to wait for society to change but instead he taught his students that it is going to be a tough ride and they are going to have to work twice as hard. the teacher never gave his students excuses, instead he gave them reasons to fight back and became stronger and smarter.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Stand and Deliver
A post by Lizzie
Stand and Deliver was made in 1988, so the facts at the end of the movie only show Garfield High School's pass rate for up to 1987. I was curious about what happened after that, and I found this article:
http://www.endteacherabuse.org/Escalante.html
It's a bit long, but it details the success of his math program over the years and what happened to it. This article really shows the bureaucracy of education and what role district politics can play in education.
Thoughts?
Stand and Deliver was made in 1988, so the facts at the end of the movie only show Garfield High School's pass rate for up to 1987. I was curious about what happened after that, and I found this article:
http://www.endteacherabuse.org/Escalante.html
It's a bit long, but it details the success of his math program over the years and what happened to it. This article really shows the bureaucracy of education and what role district politics can play in education.
Thoughts?
50 Shades of Students
- Jennifer Harris
'That was Hannah Montana'
I am feeling culture and identity has been discussed in a very fast matter and pushed into our brains to a point I cringe when someone says the words identity and culture. I tend to be blunt but this is a blog and I'm frustrated. We talk about for an hour and then we move onto the next topic for the next day's discussion. It does not matter how long we talk about culture, identity, disabilities, assessments, we will not become good teachers if we don't practice working with these topics.
Also I am feeling that I lack a culture and this has made my feel inadequate to teach students of different racial and or cultural backgrounds because I am not one of them. I am here not because I am white or of a social class, I am here because I worked hard and I want to make students to 'do better'. We all have a culture, we have all been bullied, we all have weaknesses, that is what makes us unique and we need to have our strengths define us.
I will be a good teacher despite the race difference, despite the social class difference, I will be a good teacher because to me your race doesn't make you a bad student, your social class doesn't keep you from attending college, it is you, the student.
Some look at Miley Cyrus as trashy and questionable but at least she is doing what she wants and is being who she wants to be. She said in an interview, "I was never the Disney Child Star, that was Hannah Montana". In a more recent interview, she explained how artists in the hip hop/rap genre ask her [Miley], 'do you know what kind of music you are making?' suggesting that a young Caucasian adult cannot make music about twerking or clubs. She replied along the lines that she knew what kind of music she was making. Although I do not like the music she is making at least she does not make excuses for or hide who she is.
Also I am feeling that I lack a culture and this has made my feel inadequate to teach students of different racial and or cultural backgrounds because I am not one of them. I am here not because I am white or of a social class, I am here because I worked hard and I want to make students to 'do better'. We all have a culture, we have all been bullied, we all have weaknesses, that is what makes us unique and we need to have our strengths define us.
I will be a good teacher despite the race difference, despite the social class difference, I will be a good teacher because to me your race doesn't make you a bad student, your social class doesn't keep you from attending college, it is you, the student.
Some look at Miley Cyrus as trashy and questionable but at least she is doing what she wants and is being who she wants to be. She said in an interview, "I was never the Disney Child Star, that was Hannah Montana". In a more recent interview, she explained how artists in the hip hop/rap genre ask her [Miley], 'do you know what kind of music you are making?' suggesting that a young Caucasian adult cannot make music about twerking or clubs. She replied along the lines that she knew what kind of music she was making. Although I do not like the music she is making at least she does not make excuses for or hide who she is.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Making History
While reading some of the current news articles in the NBC news feeds, I came across an article titled "Transgender Homecoming Queen Makes History." I recommend reading this article because it shares with us the importance of being ourselves regardless of race, gender, class or sexual orientation. Last week we spent some time discussing the LGBTQ community and to further continue this discussion, some of the questions I pose are the following: How do we educate our students about the LGBTQ community? How do we create environments that are inclusive of every community without putting them on the spot thus creating opportunity for bullying?
Transgender Homecoming Queen Makes History
http://www.today.com/news/transgender-homecoming-queen-makes-history-4B11222434
by Ivan Valdovinos
Transgender Homecoming Queen Makes History
http://www.today.com/news/transgender-homecoming-queen-makes-history-4B11222434
by Ivan Valdovinos
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Competition
A post by Lizzie
This article was on the Yahoo newsfeed. It features a woman who was fired from her library position following her defense of a young boy who has won the library's summer reading contest for five years in a row. This summer he read over sixty books. The head librarian decided that this kid intimidated all of the other kids, and in order to make it more fair, wanted to change it from a "You read the most and you win" system to a lottery system. If a child read a certain amount of books, they would be entered into a lottery and then prizes would be given to the kids' whose names were drawn out of a hat. The librarian in question defended the boy's win and was fired shortly after.
http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/closing-a-chapter--beloved-librarian-fired-following-reading-contest-controversy--185514741.html
What do you think about this idea? The idea that one kid's success intimidates others, so therefore the system is reworked? Is competition between students a good or bad thing? Do you think that the librarian should have been let go?
This article was on the Yahoo newsfeed. It features a woman who was fired from her library position following her defense of a young boy who has won the library's summer reading contest for five years in a row. This summer he read over sixty books. The head librarian decided that this kid intimidated all of the other kids, and in order to make it more fair, wanted to change it from a "You read the most and you win" system to a lottery system. If a child read a certain amount of books, they would be entered into a lottery and then prizes would be given to the kids' whose names were drawn out of a hat. The librarian in question defended the boy's win and was fired shortly after.
http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/closing-a-chapter--beloved-librarian-fired-following-reading-contest-controversy--185514741.html
What do you think about this idea? The idea that one kid's success intimidates others, so therefore the system is reworked? Is competition between students a good or bad thing? Do you think that the librarian should have been let go?
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Bullying (Nick Johnson)
Found this a few days, a 12 year old girl killed herself as a result from bullying on social media. When should we begin to start educating our students on bullying in schools?
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57603173/bullies-use-social-media-to-urge-12-year-old-to-kill-herself/
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57603173/bullies-use-social-media-to-urge-12-year-old-to-kill-herself/
Imagine a world where being "gay" was the norm and being "straight" was the minority
Please please please take 19 minutes to watch this short film and reflect on what some of our students are going through today . Thoughts? "LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED??"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnOJgDW0gPI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnOJgDW0gPI
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Are You Serious?!
So since we are talking about bullying and name calling in class, I thought this article fit in perfect to how mean people can be. Cyber bullying is something that exists ESPECIALLY in this day in age. Cyber bullying is something that happens outside of the classroom and is probably harder to stop but at least with cyber bullying there is proof that something was said and it should be stopped.
Here's the link:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/a-lot-of-people-are-very-upset-that-an-indian-american-woman?bffb
Here's the link:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/a-lot-of-people-are-very-upset-that-an-indian-american-woman?bffb
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Two things for thought:
First thing: I know this is slightly old new, but I thought you all might be interested in reading this:"Blurred Lines" Banned at Edinburgh University.
And secondly, I wanted to share a video that me and a couple of friends put together our sophomore years for an Anti-bullying PSA project...the videos don't belong to us but we compiled it all and added the text and music.
Link to the youtube video :)
-Christine Sweet
And secondly, I wanted to share a video that me and a couple of friends put together our sophomore years for an Anti-bullying PSA project...the videos don't belong to us but we compiled it all and added the text and music.
Link to the youtube video :)
-Christine Sweet
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Ohhhh Buzzfeed
I, like everyone else loves to spend time on buzzfeed. As I was wasting time there I came across the buzzfeed titled "34 Reasons It’s A True Tragedy Tom Daley Isn’t Gay". As I made my way down the page I couldn't help but to feel ashamed of what the author was saying. His claims made no sense at all. One of his claims was, "Because he likes beaches and lots of gay people like beaches too". WHAT?!!! Since when do you have to be gay to enjoy the beach?
I scrolled down to read the comments and it seemed like no one else found offense to this except for one person! That was probably the most shocking thing for me. What has our society come too? How can reading something like this be okay? Do we ever stop to think about the other person's feelings?
Anyway here is the link:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattbellassai/reasons-its-a-true-tragedy-tom-daley-isnt-gay
-Yuri
I scrolled down to read the comments and it seemed like no one else found offense to this except for one person! That was probably the most shocking thing for me. What has our society come too? How can reading something like this be okay? Do we ever stop to think about the other person's feelings?
Anyway here is the link:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattbellassai/reasons-its-a-true-tragedy-tom-daley-isnt-gay
-Yuri
A Pick-Me-Up, If You Will
By Stephanie Long
I figured we could all use a good laugh at something that is relevant to our class. How could we turn something like this around and use it in our classroom to help promote diversity and getting along? I think, personally, I'll be hanging this picture up in my classroom to bring some humor to my students, and talk to them about how its meaning would change if you replace the word hate with the word love.
Thoughts?
I figured we could all use a good laugh at something that is relevant to our class. How could we turn something like this around and use it in our classroom to help promote diversity and getting along? I think, personally, I'll be hanging this picture up in my classroom to bring some humor to my students, and talk to them about how its meaning would change if you replace the word hate with the word love.
Thoughts?
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Depression and what kids are facing under the surface
Post by Lizzie
Someone posted this on my facebook newsfeed, and I thought I would share it with you guys. I know we've been focusing on race, gender, and societal pressures but to me the underlying current is each student is an individual with an individual background. This includes culture, family, and personal issues. One thing that a lot of students suffer from is depression. I wanted to share this video that might perhaps help you understand what's going on under the surface with some kids, especially the ones that look like they have it all together. It's kind of long, but worth it.
http://www.upworthy.com/this-kid-thinks-we-could-save-so-many-lives-if-only-it-was-okay-to-say-4-words?c=ufb1
Someone posted this on my facebook newsfeed, and I thought I would share it with you guys. I know we've been focusing on race, gender, and societal pressures but to me the underlying current is each student is an individual with an individual background. This includes culture, family, and personal issues. One thing that a lot of students suffer from is depression. I wanted to share this video that might perhaps help you understand what's going on under the surface with some kids, especially the ones that look like they have it all together. It's kind of long, but worth it.
http://www.upworthy.com/this-kid-thinks-we-could-save-so-many-lives-if-only-it-was-okay-to-say-4-words?c=ufb1
One Classroom, Two Genders (A look @ Teacher gender); Kyle Toyra
The following link will take you to a NY Times article. It is interesting in that it looks at teacher gender and its impact on students!!
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/opinion/one-classroom-two-genders.html?_r=0
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/opinion/one-classroom-two-genders.html?_r=0
Boy Wears Pink Zebra Shoes to School
Link to Article
Here's my favorite quote from the article
"The kids didn't tease him or anything, which I thought was great and really showed how children are taught about gender roles instead of simply knowing them. My family really never made any negative comments, though."
It will brings up thoughts about where gender roles are stemming from and who/what are perpetuating them?
-Christine
Here's my favorite quote from the article
"The kids didn't tease him or anything, which I thought was great and really showed how children are taught about gender roles instead of simply knowing them. My family really never made any negative comments, though."
It will brings up thoughts about where gender roles are stemming from and who/what are perpetuating them?
-Christine
Monday, September 9, 2013
GoldieBlocks for Girls by Kim
Hey ya'll.
So I don't remember when I saw this- must of been over the summer on Facebook (probably one of you shared it) but its this idea that toys designed for boys facilitate higher and more deeper thinking that lead them to become engineers and scientists when they grow up and because girls play with barbies and princesses that that is why so few women are in these fields that are predominantly male. This female engineer created this toy designed for young girls to be engaged through storytelling to build and solve the problems in the stories with the building set- spatial and verbal learning. BOOM!
Ch. 5 about gender learning reminded me of this idea and video. It's interesting to think how children develop and PLAY as kids can effect their learning and possibly life.
Personally, when I was a kid I played with Transformers and K'Nex and Leggos (God, I love Leggos) and I do think it simulated my mind and learning but in a different way than when I was playing make believe house or with my Barbies in their Barbie Dream House.
Anywho, anyone who hasn't seen this video about the GoldieBlocks should check it out. Its very interesting and kind of cute to see the little girls excited about creating to solve problems :) Let me know what ya'll think!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-AtZfNU3zw
So I don't remember when I saw this- must of been over the summer on Facebook (probably one of you shared it) but its this idea that toys designed for boys facilitate higher and more deeper thinking that lead them to become engineers and scientists when they grow up and because girls play with barbies and princesses that that is why so few women are in these fields that are predominantly male. This female engineer created this toy designed for young girls to be engaged through storytelling to build and solve the problems in the stories with the building set- spatial and verbal learning. BOOM!
Ch. 5 about gender learning reminded me of this idea and video. It's interesting to think how children develop and PLAY as kids can effect their learning and possibly life.
Personally, when I was a kid I played with Transformers and K'Nex and Leggos (God, I love Leggos) and I do think it simulated my mind and learning but in a different way than when I was playing make believe house or with my Barbies in their Barbie Dream House.
Anywho, anyone who hasn't seen this video about the GoldieBlocks should check it out. Its very interesting and kind of cute to see the little girls excited about creating to solve problems :) Let me know what ya'll think!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-AtZfNU3zw
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Let's Talk About Race
Check this video out super funny and true.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-august-6-2013/the-r-word
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-august-6-2013/the-r-word
Thursday, September 5, 2013
The Power of Wors
Hello fellow peers, hope all is well. I was thinking it might be fun and beneficial to, as a class, define some of these powerful words that come up in our readings. A few that came to mind for me were, stereotype, identity. How do we define these works and what do these words mean to me.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Draw my life by Andrew Chamberlin
Hey everyone! While we are talking about identity and diving deeper into finding out who we are as individuals this idea came into my head. Jenna Marbles is a popular youtuber and created this video a couple months ago called Draw My Life. In this video she has a whiteboard and draws out significant moments that really have shaped her into becoming the person she is today. I think that this is a great idea that could possibly be for an assignment if we want students to reflect on who they are as an individual. The person who is drawing can tell their story the way they want to, which gives a sense of freedom in a way. If you haven't seen this video I highly suggest you watch it because it brings you through both happy and sad emotions. Let me know what you all think!
Heres the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCxzaHC30Ec
Heres the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCxzaHC30Ec
Rappers promoting the N word by Yuri Can
I stumbled upon this article that talked about how a Florida sheriff accused Florida Gulf Coast University of promoting the use of the N-word, drug use and sexism by trying to bring Ludacris and Kendrick Lamar over for a concert.
I found this interesting because we live in a society where we are always throwing racial slurs around like there is no tomorrow. It obviously isn't a good thing but I believe that it is very common in any society. So are the sheriffs actions a little too over the top or is he actually trying to make a change?
Music is such a great influence, and I can see why the sheriff is upset about bringing these rappers down. However, I do believe that music can also just be music. I personally just listen to the beat and never pay attention to the lyrics. Ludacris and Kendrick Lamar are very popular and it makes sense on why the student body wants them to perform at their school. When Ludacris was here for SpringFest, Beasley was packed!
Anyways I just found this article interesting and wanted to share... Here is the link:
Monday, September 2, 2013
Sexual Inequalities in Pop Culture posted by Stephanie Long
This may seem somewhat vague in that it does not deal with culture in a sense of race, but I think it's important none-the-less. (Give our discussion on Miley Cyrus last Thursday)
Recently, a parody video of Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" was taken off of YouTube because it violated their terms and conditions -- basically, it was deemed too sexual. Meanwhile, Thicke's video continues to air on the website, even though the uncensored version contains topless women being objectified like sexual toys.
The idea of objectifying women can be seen throughout the pop culture scene, but I don't believe I've been more offended by a single video than while watching this one. What is this kind of behavior teaching younger generations, in particular our own students? How will this shape or influence their behavior both in and out of school? How can we, as teachers, counter act this kind of gender representation in our classrooms? Not only the objectification of women, but that of men as well.
The girls reversed the roles, making a video (as a joke) that objectified men in return. Was their behavior appropriate? Do you think it was just or fair for them to create a video objectifying men? Was it right for YouTube to remove their video while keeping Thicke's up? Keep in mind YouTube is a public website that can be accessed by any age of viewer. It's fairly simple to lie about one's age on the internet.
A lot of the comments are very interesting as well, although not always well versed.
Check it all out below!
WARNING: Both of these videos may be found offensive to viewers. Watch upon your own judgement.
Parody Article with Link to Uncensored Original Video
Recently, a parody video of Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" was taken off of YouTube because it violated their terms and conditions -- basically, it was deemed too sexual. Meanwhile, Thicke's video continues to air on the website, even though the uncensored version contains topless women being objectified like sexual toys.
The idea of objectifying women can be seen throughout the pop culture scene, but I don't believe I've been more offended by a single video than while watching this one. What is this kind of behavior teaching younger generations, in particular our own students? How will this shape or influence their behavior both in and out of school? How can we, as teachers, counter act this kind of gender representation in our classrooms? Not only the objectification of women, but that of men as well.
The girls reversed the roles, making a video (as a joke) that objectified men in return. Was their behavior appropriate? Do you think it was just or fair for them to create a video objectifying men? Was it right for YouTube to remove their video while keeping Thicke's up? Keep in mind YouTube is a public website that can be accessed by any age of viewer. It's fairly simple to lie about one's age on the internet.
A lot of the comments are very interesting as well, although not always well versed.
Check it all out below!
WARNING: Both of these videos may be found offensive to viewers. Watch upon your own judgement.
Parody Article with Link to Uncensored Original Video
Harrison Bergeron
Post by Lizzie Horne
As we do our readings this week, our book talks about race and the ways that racially identity plays out in the classroom. Our other block 2 courses also talk about student differences and how we can help them achieve at the same level. In chapter 4 of our book, Adolescents at School, it talks about high achievers, and how they often receive discouragement from their peers.
All of this discussion about treating everyone the same made me think about a short story that I read in the ninth grade, called Harrison Bergeron. The link can be found here:
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html
I encourage everyone to read it. It's not very long, and I think it applies to our current topics beautifully. In this story, everyone is equal. Unfortunately, because of this equality, people are being handicapped in order to be the same as everyone else. In an effort to put everyone on the same level, they had to pull everyone down to the level of the lowest achievers. I wanted to share this story because the reading for Thursday reminded me of this point.
What do you guys think? Do you think this happens in the classroom? What can we do to celebrate our students' differences while still encouraging everyone to achieve to their fullest potential?
As we do our readings this week, our book talks about race and the ways that racially identity plays out in the classroom. Our other block 2 courses also talk about student differences and how we can help them achieve at the same level. In chapter 4 of our book, Adolescents at School, it talks about high achievers, and how they often receive discouragement from their peers.
All of this discussion about treating everyone the same made me think about a short story that I read in the ninth grade, called Harrison Bergeron. The link can be found here:
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html
I encourage everyone to read it. It's not very long, and I think it applies to our current topics beautifully. In this story, everyone is equal. Unfortunately, because of this equality, people are being handicapped in order to be the same as everyone else. In an effort to put everyone on the same level, they had to pull everyone down to the level of the lowest achievers. I wanted to share this story because the reading for Thursday reminded me of this point.
What do you guys think? Do you think this happens in the classroom? What can we do to celebrate our students' differences while still encouraging everyone to achieve to their fullest potential?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)