Formal Paper #3 Final Draft

Question Everything

          There are many places for improvement in the K-12 curriculum.   The most important change would be in the area of critical thinking.  If we were to teach our students to be critical in their thinking in respect to the subjects they are already learning, they would have the ability to utilize this skill outside of the classroom as well.  This important skill is necessary well beyond the K-12 years.  To increase critical thinking for students, more discussion in the classroom should be instituted.

Why do we not question everything?  It is common for children to constantly ask the questions “Why?” and “Why not?” and not have their questions taken seriously.  Most of the time, their questions are dismissed and they never truly get real answers.  It stifles their curiosity and makes them reluctant to think beyond the forced fed facts.  Children should feel as if they have the freedom to be themselves.

As former teacher John Taylor Gatto states in his article, Against School, “School trains children to obey reflexively.”  Gatto elaborates, “We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight -…by introducing kids to truly competent adults, and by giving each student what autonomy he or she needs in order to take a risk every now and then.” and he also states that “School trains children to be employees and consumers; teach your own to be leaders and adventurers…teach your own to think critically and independently.”

It may be argued that the current education process has worked for many generations.  School is a place to teach information and that by adding any extra time for thoughtfulness to the subjects taught in the classroom would take away from the needed time to teach factual information.  On the contrary, giving the extra time for students to ponder and think about the information will give deeper meaning to the material and push towards the desire for them to seek further knowledge on their own time.  The interactive process will flow beyond the classroom.  They will then come to future classes more prepared to ingest new information as the concepts become more complicated.

In the article “A Real Education” from the Shambala Sun, Barry Boyce writes, “’Kindness, caring, empathy, being able to de-center from your own point of view and listen deeply to others—these are values that should be cultivated in our classrooms,’ says Mark Greenberg, director of the Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development at Penn State University. These are the social and emotional skills that a person who experienced ‘optimal nurturing conditions’ would develop during childhood and adolescence and bring with them into adulthood.”

The educational system waits until students are at the university level before it takes the topic of critical thinking more seriously.  Most students are unprepared to get the most out of their college education if they are only just learning this skill as they take these higher education courses.  Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to have already started the process in the K-12 curriculum?

Children can be taught to be responsible by thinking for themselves and about the consequences that come with the actions they choose.  If we all would take our actions and reactions more seriously, it would open up a different perspective to the world around us.  It would be a better world if society gained more people who could effectively manage themselves. 

          In bell hooks’ book, Teaching Critical Thinking, “The most exciting aspect of critical thinking in the classroom is that it calls for initiative from everyone, actively inviting all students to think passionately and to share ideas in a passionate, open matter.  When everyone in the classroom, teacher and students, recognizes that they are responsible for creating a learning community together, learning is at its most meaningful and useful.  In such a community of learning there is no failure.  Everyone is participating and sharing whatever resource is needed at a given moment in time to ensure that we leave the classroom knowing that critical thinking empowers us.” (11)  hooks writes much about the process of intellectual thinking.  As children, we are born with the curiosity to understand how life works.  Somewhere between our childhood and by the time we enter the college classroom, students have come to dread thinking. 

We are in need of more than just reading, writing, and arithmetic.  We need an atmosphere where critical thinking, problem solving and diversity are embraced and encouraged.  We need to encourage youth to be independent and strong.  We need to teach skills so our children are not able to be easily manipulated.  Instead we are teaching children to conform and accept what they are told instead of learning for themselves.  Remembering and repeating is only one of the lower levels of thinking.  We need children to evaluate and analyze material themselves.  Through their personal experience, adults can help children be better able to figure things out for themselves with some guidance.  They need to connect to the lessons that they are taught and choose what is pertinent to them and learn from it what they can.  In the educational process, we need to encourage intellectual independence.  Expansion of the mind could be exercised by referring to the thoughts and ideas of others in formulating the individual’s personal judgment. There needs to be a place for new ideas.  It is an interactive process.

The courses students are “forced” to take can have a large impact on where they are heading in life.  As students, it is important to take specific classes of interest that play towards the student’s strengths.  A child is far more inclined to excel when taking courses that are interesting to them.  It makes learning more meaningful and useful. It creates a path towards a brighter future in a field that is of interest to the individual.

Columnist for The Seattle Times, Jerry Large wrote an article, stating that grit is an important lesson to teach children. “Perseverance and passion for long-term goals” are the underlying reasons why and how a person can accomplish goals.  Jerry Large's article "Gift of grit, curiosity help Kids succeed" talks about a book from another author, "Tough also has a new book about what it takes for a child to make it: "How children succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character".  Large writes, "As the title says, if you want success, build character and the rest will follow."  It is an important lesson.  “A big part of building character is overcoming failure.  Too much adversity is bad, but so is too little, which doesn't allow a child to build grit." 

It may be said that guidance should come from within the home.  Proper guidance, whether it comes from home or a trusted adult at school, is an important thing that is needed for every child.  Life would be easier if we could all help each other.  Everyone has had life experiences that they have learned from and the advice they can share could save others from making the same major mistakes.  The more information you have, the more choices you can choose from for making better decisions.

In The Answer Sheet: Mike Roses’s Resolutions on Education, he wants “To have more young people get an engaging and challenging education.”  This is the basis for trying to make the world of education a better place. It is not just about the education children are receiving by itself, but the ability to teach our young people how to make the most of the education they are receiving in the classroom.  To have the ability to ask why and have their questions answered by discussion of their peers is important.  The opportunity of sharing many different views and opinions can help a person make informed decisions for themselves.

There are many places for improvement in the K-12 curriculum; the most important change would be in the area of critical thinking.  If we were critical in our thinking, our world would be a much different place. We should question everything and not just try to fit into the world around us.  If we were to institute more discussion in the classroom, it would increase the opportunity for critical thinking.

Works Cited

Boyce, Barry. "A Real Education."  Shambala Sun.  The Mindful Society.   (75)  Web. 

           May 2012 

 Gatto, John.  "Against School: How Public Education Cripples Our Kids, and Why." 

           Harper's Magazine.  Web.  September 2003.

hooks, bell.  "Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom."  New York.  Routledge.  16

            September 2009.  Print.

Large, Jerry.  "Gift of Grit, Curiosity Help Kids Succeed."  Seattle Times.  Seattle Times. 

           Web.  23 September 2012.

 Rose, Mike.  “Resolutions someone should make for 2011”  The Washington Post.  The

            Washington Post.  Web.  5 January 2011.

Tough, Paul. "How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of

           Character."  Houghton Mifflin Harcort Publishing Company.  2012.  Print.

Formal Paper #3 Rough Draft

Question Everything

          I believe that there are many places for improvement in the K-12 curriculum, but I think most important change would be in the area of critical thinking.  I believe that if we were critical in our thinking, our world would be a much different place. Why do we not question everything? Is it to “fit in?” As John Taylor Gatto states in his article, Against School, “School trains children to be employees and consumers; …School trains children to obey reflexively.”

The current mood of our educational system can be summed up in a picture I found on the internet. 

 

 In addition to the picture was the following quote, “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” - Albert Einstein.  I found the statement to be thought provoking.  We have read numerous texts about the subject of education.  Many listed similar ideas.  I found the list to encompass many of the ideas from the different sources that we have read in this unit.  I preferred the simplicity of message I found online the most. 

 

In answer to these questions, Gatto elaborates. “…if we wanted to we could easily and inexpensively jettison the old, stupid structures and help kids take an education rather than merely receive a schooling. We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight - simply by being more flexible about time, texts, and tests, by introducing kids to truly competent adults, and by giving each student what autonomy he or she needs in order to take a risk every now and then.” and “Now for the good news. Once you understand the logic behind modern schooling, its tricks and traps are fairly easy to avoid. School trains children to be employees and consumers; teach your own to be leaders and adventurers…teach your own to think critically and independently. …Your children should have a more meaningful life, and they can.”

From Barry Boyce, A Real Education, “’Kindness, caring, empathy, being able to de-center from your own point of view and listen deeply to others—these are values that should be cultivated in our classrooms,’ says Mark Greenberg, director of the Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development at Penn State University. These are the social and emotional skills that a person who experienced ‘optimal nurturing conditions’ would develop during childhood and adolescence and bring with them into adulthood.”

I would like think that children can be taught to be responsible by thinking for themselves and the consequences that come with the actions they choose.  As much as we would like to blame society for making up the rules, there are natural consequences that come with every decision we make. If we all would take our actions and reactions more seriously, it would open up a different perspective to the world around us.  The future is based on the choices we make today.  I believe that it would be a better world if society would gain people who could effectively manage themselves.

Responsible people make choices that can better not just themselves, but the people around them through example.  Planning helps guide the path in which you want to go in order to reach your destination.  It helps make life more manageable and allows you to make clear decisions because you know where you are going.

          In bell hooks, Teaching Critical Thinking, “The most exciting aspect of critical thinking in the classroom is that it calls for initiative from everyone, actively inviting all students to think passionately and to share ideas in a passionate, open matter.  When everyone in the classroom, teacher and students, recognizes that they are responsible for creating a learning community together, learning is at its most meaningful and useful.  In such a community of learning there is no failure.  Everyone is participating and sharing whatever resource is needed at a given moment in time to ensure that we leave the classroom knowing that critical thinking empowers us.”

We are in need of not just reading, writing, and arithmetic.  We need an atmosphere where critical thinking, problem solving and diversity are embraced and encouraged.  We need to encourage youth to be independent and strong.  We need to teach skills so our children are not able to be manipulated.  Instead we are teaching them to conform and accept what they are told instead of learning for themselves.  Remembering and repeating is only one of the lower levels of thinking.  We need children to evaluate and analyze material themselves.  Help them be able to figure things out for themselves with some guidance.  They need to connect to the material and choose what is pertinent to them to learn from it.  We need to encourage intellectual independence.  Exercise the mind by referring to the thoughts and ideas of someone else for his/her formulated judgment. There needs to be a place for new ideas.

In reading Jerry Large’s article, I agree that grit is an important lesson to teach children. “Perseverance and passion for long-term goals” are the underlying reasons why and how a person can accomplish goals.  I ranked Jerry Large's article "Gift of grit, curiosity help Kids succeed" as the most important.  He mentions another author, "Tough also has a new book about what it takes for a child to make it: "How children succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character".  Large writes, "As the title says, if you want success, build character and the rest will follow."  I believe that is an important lesson.  “A big part of building character is overcoming failure.  Too much adversity is bad, but so is too little, which doesn't allow a child to build grit."  I find this to be  a profound statement. 

Life would be easier if we could help guide each other.  Everyone has had life experiences that they have learned from and the advice they can share could save others form major missteps.  Advice would make it easier to make decisions because you can make decisions according to facts.  Good people could uplift and influence others in a positive way.  Successful people have influence on like minded people.  The more information you have, the more choices you can choose from for making better decisions.

From Mike Rose, The Answer Sheet: Mike Roses’s Resolutions on Education, “To have more young people get an engaging and challenging education.”  This is the basis for trying to make the world of education a better place. It is not just about the education children are receiving by itself, but the ability to teach our young people how to make the most of the education they are receiving in the classroom.  The ability to ask why and have their questions answered by discussion of their peers.  To give the opportunity to have many views shared and have each person make their own informed decisions for themselves.

I believe that there are many places for improvement in the K-12 curriculum, but I think most important change would be in the area of critical thinking.  I believe that if we were critical in our thinking, our world would be a much different place. We should question everything and not just try to fit into the world around us.

Quotations

From Barry Boyce, A Real Education, “’Kindness, caring, empathy, being able to de-center from your own point of view and listen deeply to others—these are values that should be cultivated in our classrooms,’ says Mark Greenberg, director of the Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development at Penn State University. These are the social and emotional skills that a person who experienced ‘optimal nurturing conditions’ would develop during childhood and adolescence and bring with them into adulthood.”

From John Taylor Gatto, Against School, “…if we wanted to we could easily and inexpensively jettison the old, stupid structures and help kids take an education rather than merely receive a schooling. We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight - simply by being more flexible about time, texts, and tests, by introducing kids to truly competent adults, and by giving each student what autonomy he or she needs in order to take a risk every now and then.” and “Now for the good news. Once you understand the logic behind modern schooling, its tricks and traps are fairly easy to avoid. School trains children to be employees and consumers; teach your own to be leaders and adventurers. School trains children to obey reflexively; teach your own to think critically and independently. Well-schooled kids have a low threshold for boredom; help your own to develop an inner life so that they'll never be bored. Urge them to take on the serious material, the grown-up material, in history, literature, philosophy, music, art, economics, theology - all the stuff schoolteachers know well enough to avoid. Challenge your kids with plenty of solitude so that they can learn to enjoy their own company, to conduct inner dialogues. Well-schooled people are conditioned to dread being alone, and they seek constant companionship through the TV, the computer, the cell phone, and through shallow friendships quickly acquired and quickly abandoned. Your children should have a more meaningful life, and they can.”

From Keith Gilyard, Children, Arts, and Du Bois, “But solid, practical reasons exist to resist the trend.  Again I think, ironically of Du Bois.  In 1891, while still a student at Harvard University, he delivered an address before the National Colored League in Boston in which he cleverly addresses the popular notion that practical or manual training was the most suitable course for Black students by providing numerous examples of the practical benefits of liberal thinking.  The effect of all true education, offered by Du Bois is ‘not only a gaining of some practical means of helping present life, but the making of present life mean more that it meant before…’”

From bell hooks, Teaching Critical Thinking, “The most exciting aspect of critical thinking in the classroom is that it calls for initiative from everyone, actively inviting all students to think passionately and to share ideas in a passionate, open matter.  When everyone in the classroom, teacher and students, recognizes that they are responsible for creating a learning community together, learning is at its most meaningful and useful.  In such a community of learning there is no failure.  Everyone is participating and sharing whatever resource is needed at a given moment in time to ensure that we leave the classroom knowing that critical thinking empowers us.”

From Jerry Large, Gift of grit, curiosity help kids succeed, “Grit is one of the characteristics of successful people. Here's a list of the others: self-control, zest, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism, and curiosity. The presence or absence of those qualities is a better indicator of future success than test scores or IQ.”

From Mike Rose, The Answer Sheet: Mike Roses’s Resolutions on Education, “14) I’m going to end by repeating my initial resolution in case the universe missed it the first time around: That through whatever combination of factors – from policy initiatives to individual effort – more young people get an engaging and challenging education in 2011.”

Which Authors Agree With Me?

Of all the authors we have read, I agree on some points from each of them.  Some less, others more.  I think that the previous blog post where we ranked the importance of the blogs that we have read is the best reference I have in writing about which author I agree with the most.  I ranked Jerry Large's article "Gift of grit, curiosity help Kids succeed" the most.  It was a shorter reading compared to most we have read and gives information in an easy to understand, conversational manner.

He mentions another author, "Tough also has a new book about what it takes for a child to make it: "How children succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character".  Large writes, "As the title says, if you want success, build character and the rest will follow."  I believe that is an important lesson. 

He later talks about the situations of two different schools.  I found the information interesting in contrasting the two different styles.  "The children at KIPP are overwhelmed with stress-inducing conditions in their lives.  The children at Riverdale were shielded from the possibility of significant failure.  They worked hard but weren't fundamentally challenged.  A big part of building character is overcoming failure.  Too much adversity is bad, but so is too little, which doesn't allow a child to build grit."  What a profound statement. 

Group Blog: Argument for Art Museums

Topic: Art Museums
Audience: Grateful Dead Followers
Thesis statement:  While art museums might not appeal to Dead Heads, the EMP (Experience Music Project) would be a place of interest to visit.

We support it because:
1.)  Dead Heads are into musical and personal harmony.  They can add to their musical perspective.

2.)  Marijuana is legal in WA, so they can visit the museum stoned.

3.)  There is a guitar pillar sculpture like there is no other in the nation.  They can use it as inspiration for the Burning Man Festival.

Group Blog for top two pick 11.26.13

Top Two Pick of readings 11.26.13

We all agree that our number 1 choice is Jerry Large's "Gift of Grit, curiosity help kids Succeed". Truly in the real world children need confidence and character to actually become their own person and make their own decisions which puts them on their own path. They need "perseverance and passion for long-term goals".  We agree with Tough who says, "If you want success, build character and the rest will follow".

Our number 2 choice is bell hooks "Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom".  We came to the conclusion that critical thinking is an important thing for children to learn as it helps them to make their own decisions and opinions about important matters in life. It helps children to look into the details and pull out the images and ideas to sort through choices in life. We should be like the children who "come into the world of wonder and language consumed with a desire for knowledge" who become "relentless interrogators".

At first, we didn't all agree with #2.  But after much discussion we concluded that "Teaching Critical Thinking" was a more important piece than Barry Boyce "A Real Education". Barry Boyce talked about being "mindful of others", where we decided that "Critical Thinking" was a more valuable asset in real world situations. We attribute this to critical thinking is more educational than being mindful of others, but being mindful is a subset of critical thinking.

Ranking Suggestions

 

1.)    Jerry Large’s “Gift of grit, curiosity help kids succeed”.  I believe that grit is an important lesson to teach children. “Perseverance and passion for long-term goals” are the underlying reasons why and how a person can accomplish goals.

2.)    bell hooks’ “Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom”.  I think critical thinking is of upmost importance in order to sort through choices in life.  The world needs critical thinkers with important views to share.

 

3.)    Barry Boyce’s “A Real Education” I think mindfulness is a good tool for people to use.  We all need to be mindful of others and how our actions affect the world around us.

4.)    Deb Aronson’s “Arizona Bans Mexican American Studies Program:  It was never about what we were doing, it was about who we are.” It is important to know who you are and where you are from when figuring out where you are going.

 

5.)   Keith Gilyard’s “Children, Arts and Du Bois”. This is last in my rankings because I think that arts and humanities is secondary to a person’s attitude and personality.  If you have the above attributes, you can succeed in this category.  The better adjusted someone is as a person, the more drive  they will have to excel, no matter what the subject.

Large, Boyce, Gilyard, Aronson, and hooks

Jerry Large’s column, “Gift of grit, curiosity help kids Succeed”, talks about the upbringing of children.  According to Wikipedia, grit is defined as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.”  He says, “A big part of character is overcoming failure.  Too much adversity is bad, but so is too little, which doesn’t allow a child to build grit.”

Barry Boyce’s “A Real Education” speaks about mindfulness.  "Mindfulness practices can increase people’s awareness of their own emotions and their ability to regulate them.  This can make it possible for them to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety.”

Keith Gilyard commentary, “Children, Arts and Du Bois” is centered around the arts.  Towards the end of the article he states, "One of the best ends to have in view is that of the humanities as a widely recognized and amply funded force for the common good.  Creative arts programs are integral to this vision.”

Deb Aronson’s  “Arizona Bans Mexican American Studies Program:  It was never about what we were doing, it was about who we are.” Relays a story about how a program that was doing great things for schools was cut.

bell hooks, “Teaching Critical Thinking: Practical Wisdom” talks about how critical thinkers come in many different packages, each with important views to share.

Rose vs Black

It is hard to compare the writing of Mike Rose and the video commentary of Lewis Black.  Although they both speak of the educational system and the changes that they feel should be made, the written peace was serious and the video clip was comical.  It was hard to take it seriously, even though it did have some good points if you looked past the comedy.

Rose states the we need “To stop looking for the structural or technological magic bullet – whether it’s charter schools or value-added analysis – that will improve education. Just when you think the lesson is learned – that the failure of last year’s miracle cure is acknowledged and lamented – our attention is absorbed by a new quick fix.”  In the video commentary, Black he says that “charter schools are great but most kids are in public schools.  What ideas do we have for fixing them?”  They both talk about charter schools, but it is not the best answer when it comes to education.

Rose also adds to the list, “To stop making the standardized test score the gold-standard of student achievement and teacher effectiveness. In what other profession do we use a single metric to judge goodness? Imagine judging competence of a cardiologist by the average of her patients’ cardiograms.”  In Black’s commentary, he talks about how America is falling behind other countries when it comes to subjects like math and science.  Almost every other category we have fallen behind, except one.  Kids from the USA ranked number one in confidence.”  How is confidence supposed to help if we lack the basic other skills to get ahead in the world?”

 

What is High School For?

I would think that high school is for preparing young men and women for college.  It is not so much about getting them ready for the world of work.  When I think of work, I don't necessarily think if a job.  I think of a career.  That is what college prepares you for.  Sadly, most college grads are working retail or in the service industry, not the field in which they studied.  You don’t necessarily need a college background in order to work in these areas.  Most people don’t have corporate, professional, or specialty jobs.  Some jobs only require vocational or on the job training.  I believe that the world has more workers than people with careers.



I think high school is more about the social aspect of education.  If you are well liked you have self esteem.  If you are well liked by your teachers, they will grade you easily.  If you are well liked, you can succeed with good grades.  It is not about the work.  It is about the attitude.  If people like you, you get further ahead in the world.

 

I would like self expression taught in schools; Appropriate self expression.  We are used to seeing boredom and disrespect in schools.  I believe that if people can learn to have positive attitudes about themselves and each other, it would make it a better place in high school and beyond.

Sections in the Text Pertaining to Paper #3

The sections from our textbook, Writing Simplified, pages 32-37, pertain to paper #3.  We will need to organize as a way for classification of our writing.  This will help with deciding what order to put our thoughts together from the numerous resources in which we have to include in our final formal paper.  The sample paragraphs illustrate how you can write an in depth paper where the facts are needed to be placed in a logical order that would make sense to the reader.  It goes on to comparison and/or contrast which is another method of writing. Of course, this will need some aspects of both the classification and the comparison/contrast methods to write a good paper.  You need facts to back up your statements.  We used this method during our second paper. Cause and/or effect is the next section explained in the text.  I see the importance of this for our next paper.  As we are going to be more in depth in the final paper, we will need to give more direct explanations using quotes from many more sources.  Finally, the text covers argument.  This, to me, is the most important aspect in producing our paper because it is a persuasive paper.  These sections of the text undoubtedly will be a very useful tool in a successful final draft.

Freire and Gatto: Agreements and Disagreements

In reading "The Banking Concept of Education" from Pedogogy of the Oppresed by Paolo Freire and "Against School" by John Taylor Gatto, I find many similarities.  They both talk about the need for school in its current state.  They discuss the way it is and question if it is the way that schooling needs to proceed. 

 

Freire writes, "Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor.  Instead of communicating, the teacher issues communiqué and makes deposits which the students patiently receive, memorize, and repeat.”  He then states, “…it is men themselves who are filed away thorough the lack of creativity, transformation, and knowledge  in this (at best) misguides system.”  It make one wonder how we can improve the educational system.  Gatto asked, “Do we really need school? I don’t mean education, just forced schooling…Is this deadly routine necessary?  And if so, for what?  Don’t hide behind reading, writing, and arithmetic as a rationale…a considerable number of well-known Americans never went through the twelve –year wringer our kids currently go through, and they turned out all right.”  He goes on to describe famous people throughout history who were well educated without the traditional system of school, such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln.

 

As for differences, it is difficult for me to find contrasts other than the fact that Freire stays with the original subject area while Gatto goes on into more depth that the first author does not expound upon.  He also uses other countries as examples which makes it hard to use as a comparison if one author does not cover that subject area. 

Group Discussion 11/21 on Scenes from Chalk-Rose,Black,Friere and Gatto

Gatto says in his article “Boredom is the common condition of schoolteachers, and anyone who has spent time in a teachers' lounge can vouch for the low energy, the whining, the dispirited attitudes, to be found there.” This reminds us of the scene in Chalk where Mr. Lowrey is passed out in one of the back offices out of tiredness and probably boredom due to his lack of patience with what he perceived to be disrespectful students. Mr. Lowrey was later discouraged from teaching and thought about quitting at the end of the movie because of the environment in the school, having learned everything on his own, and thinking it was too stressful.

 

Friere said in his writing  “His task is to "fill" the students with the contents of his narration -- contents which are detached from reality, disconnected from the totality that engendered them and could give them significance.” In the first few minutes of chalk, Mr. Lowrey “deposits” mass amounts of data into his students “depositees” on the first day. He says that all students MUST have paper, he then shows a list on the chalk board with words and sentences telling the students they must be able to recite the meanings precisely.

 

 

Lewis Black shows the video of students trying to get into charter schools by luck of the draw lottery systems  in order to have a chance at a good future. This reminds us of the scene in chalk where Mr. Stroope talks to 2 of his students, one about not using big words that confuse the rest of the class, and the other about her knowing more than him about history and basically encourages them to be average.

 

Mike Rose says in his article “To assure that teacher professional development gets increased and thoughtful support.” In chalk, there are a couple scenes that remind us of this statement. One is where Mr. Lowrey is frustrated by his out of control class and goes to the library to check out a book on class management. Another is at the end of the movie where Mr. Lowrey talks about having learned to teach without any guidance. Not all teachers will develop good habits on their own and may develop bad habits or want to give up as Mr. Lowrey implied towards the end of the movie. 

"Chalk": Real Time Notes

Opening scene, Introduction.  Grew up surrounded by teachers...he would hear war stories...salary, administration...No one ever quit because they loved being teachers.

50% quit within the first three years of teaching.

First day of school...

History:  Mr. Stroup.

PE:  Coach Webb.

Show up, be prepared.

Mrs. Reddel:  Assistant Principal:  discipline... doesn't know what to do.

PE: Trust exercise, fall back.

"History is...society...technology...culture...what does it mean to you?"...silence...

Used to belive that administration means not taking papers home.  In reality, there is more paperwork, more reports.

Summer stories exchanged in class about love, travel, work.

How long have you been a teacher?  Mr. Lowery used to be in computer engineering...(looks at the clock) an hour and ten minutes.

Talking about math in the teacher's lounge.

Aptitude test, said that he would do well at teaching or veterinary medicine.

Mr. Fletcher was found guilty so Mrs. Reddel got the job as AP.

Mr. Sroupe -3 years

Coach Webb -2 years

33 weeks until summer...

Interview about growth and values...sarcasm, cleanliness, organization, lesson plans.

Lesson plans due Friday before the week you teach.

Fighting errupts...AP yells like a loon.  "Nothing to see here!"

As a PE teacher, there are instances where people think Coach Web is gay.  People think that all PE teachers are gay.

Teacher not ready for person to watch him teach his class.

Don't be a friend.  "I care about you and I trust you and I have your best interest at heart."

To stop fighting in classroom he focuses on the Preamble of the United States and talks about respect in classroom.

AP...Personal conversation with spouse, tells him 2-3-4.  Got home at 10.

"Focus needs to be on the students and not the class."

Put name on food in refrigerator in teachers lounge.

"55 days in Peking" about mail.

Tardy Policy.  PRC.

PE teacher starting walking club before school...tells fat teacher she needs exercise.

Teacher mad because he can't find his chalk and the class won't talk about where it is.  Has student teach class.  Walks out of class.

One week until thanksgiving...

PE teacher..."Students are what they think they make you think they are....You make students understand your expectations for them....They start performing at that level."

Teacher needs a book on classroom management.

Student using words that the teacher does not understand.  Another student knows more history more that teacher.  Teacher reprimands them ant tells them to dumb it down so he does not look stupid in class.

Yoga moves for PE.  Learning to breathe in slightly weird stretches.

History teacher says, "I tried to incorporate humor to make things more lively in the classroom.  Some people take jokes seriously."

PE...Found a love interest.  Enjoys work, looks forward to seeing him and getting to know him.

Janitor drops piano cleaning under it.

Staff meeting...Hornets won at volleyball...teacher to teacher...who checks personal email...teacher field trip...borrow ream of paper...run personal copies...borrow money from petty cash...it has to stop.  Taking cash, stealing paper, borrow stapler.  WIN...with integrity now.  They are supposed to be role models but they are doing these things.

Two weeks until Christmas...

Personal talk while eating lunch.  Twirls a baton.

Teacher calling home, asks student the number...leaves a message to dad about the student's grade.  No one there.

Dance in hall between PE and new teacher...Dream by male teacher.  AP walks in on him sleeping.  AP asks if he is dating anyone.  He has been divorced for two years.  Can't imagine having time for a person life.

History teacher goes shooting.  Misses.  6 out of 10 kids walk away with a college education.  Sometimes you get it.

AP talks to parent on the phone about a student and knives at school. 

Cell phones in classroom.  Get out of the classroom.

Teachers' night out at a tavern.  Flirting between PE and new teacher.  Telling of classroom horror stories.

Sixteen weeks until summer...

Teacher of the year...History teacher giving speech trying to get votes.

New teacher talking about getting respect.  Talking to students mother about the cell phone incident.  Mother has a good relationship with her son.  No back talk.  Son serves them wine.  She gives teacher a pep talk.

AP at school late again...calling husband on the phone saying she will be 2 more hours.

PE teacher complaining to AP about hall duty and tardiness.  People are not recycling right either.

PE--Bridging the gap between teaching and administration.--talking about AP.

Teacher of the year debate...He didn't win teacher of the year.  Discussion with class about Ms. Townsend.  He freaks out.  Turns a desk over.  "Have you ever went up against your grandma and got beat.  I got beaten by a grandma."

APs cover when they can't get subs and the last two days have been the best for her.  She misses teaching.

PE teacher watching carrying a soccer ball.

13 days until summer...

Free time in class.  New teacher lets kid check his cell phone.  Mr. Lowery raps.  He teachers history

He crammed for spelling be with the help of his students.

Staff meeting...what would Mr. Lowery do to change for his second year.  He is not sure if he even likes teaching.  He may not come back.

PE---learned that she needs to find a new way to approach people. 

AP---"It starts at home 1-57.  58 starts at school."

New Teacher---"being a teacher maybe is something you could learn but no one has taught me."  He packs up his stuff, puts his backpack on and walks out turning off the lights.

Paulo Freire group post

Our task was to read(after reading "The Banking Concept of  Education") "Lessons to Be Learned From Paulo Freire as Education Is Being Taken Over by the Mega Rich" by Henry A. Giroux and discuss then write a summary about how the website (article) complicates, enriches and/or confuses our understanding of the reading.  We decided to each write a short summary and submit to our blogs as a group.

 

Jane Welton

Reading the articles, I found that it enriched my understanding of the readings.  The article our small group read expounded on the article assigned for the class.  In "The Banking Concept of Education" it is written, "In this way, the problem-posing educator constantly reforms his reflections in the reflection of the students.  The students--no longer docile listeners--are now critical co-investigators in dialogue with the teacher.  The teacher presents the material to the students for their consideration and re-considers his [or her] earlier considerations as the students express their own." I compare that to a statement from "Lessons to Be Learned from Paulo Freire as Education Is Being Taken Over by the Mega Rich" which states, "...students learn how to expand their own sense of agency, while recognizing that to be voiceless is to be powerless.  Central to such a pedagogy is shifting the emphasis from teachers to students, and making visible the relationships among knowledge, authority and power.  Giving the students the opportunity to be problem posers and engage in a culture of questioning in the classroom..."  The first article gives a great deal of information and the second digs deeper, giving more details and examples to the first.  It created more understanding of what Freire had to say about the state of the world of education.

 

Patty Riley

Paulo Freires writing was/is difficult at times to comprehend.  In rereading it a few more times as well as reading and rereading the website article I was able to more fully understand what Freire was writing about.   From "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" Freire writes "The educated man is the adapted man, because he is better "fit" for the world.  Translated into practice, this concept is well suited to the purposes of the oppressors, whose tranquility rests on how well  men fit the world the oppressors have created, and how little they question it."  Giroux backs this up with " Central to critical pedagogy is the recognition that the way we educate out youth is related to the future that we hope for and that such a future should offer students a life that leads to the deepening of freedom and social justice. "  The web article gave me a new understanding of what Freire was detailing but although not in much simpler terms at least in more understandable detail so yes, I would say that the web article definitely enriched Freires writing.  It neither complicated nor confused this reader any further.....

Small Group Discussion Question on John Gatto

John Gatto asked the following question about school aged children, "Could it be that our schools are designed to make sure that not one of them ever really grows up?" I believe he means that in the current state of education, kids cannot grow into "themselves" to become well adjusted adults with a variety of useful attributes to offer the world.  They are raised to be drones to serve the needs of society.  The following are four examples from the text that assert this way of thinking...

Gatto shared a lesson about what his grandfather taught him about boredom.  "...if I was bored it was my fault and no one else's. The obligation to amuse and instruct myself was entirely my own, and people who didn't know that were childish people, to be avoided if possible. Certainly not to be trusted. That episode cured me of boredom forever, and here and there over the years I was able to pass on the lesson to some remarkable student. For the most part, however, I found it futile to challenge the official notion that boredom and childishness were the natural state of affairs in the classroom. Often I had to defy custom, and even bend the law, to help kids break out of this trap."

Schools want conformity.  Inglis breaks down schooling in six basic functions, including, "The integrating function.  This might as well be called the 'conformity function,' because its intention is to make children as alike as possible.  People who conform are predictable, and this is of great use to those who wish to harness and manipulate a large labor force."

"Maturity has by now been banished from nearly every aspect of our lives. Easy divorce laws have removed the need to work at relationships; easy credit has removed the need for fiscal self-control; easy entertainment has removed the need to learn to entertain oneself; easy answers have removed the need to ask questions. We have become a nation of children, happy to surrender our judgments and our wills to political exhortations and commercial blandishments that would insult actual adults."  We as adults lack self control because of what we were taught in our youth.  We expect everything to be easy.  When it life is not easy, we feel as if it is unfair.

"School  trains children to obey reflexively;...Well-schooled people are conditioned to dread being alone, and they seek constant companionship through the TV, the computer, the cell phone, and through shallow friendships quickly acquired and quickly abandoned."  This turns people to be servants to the world. 

There were other examples in the text showing how the educational system causes students to become child-like adults.  It is appalling to think that we still follow a system that is known to fail when it comes to helping people become actual successful adults in the workplace.  When will the changes Gatto illustrates, and others of similar value, occur in the realm of educating your youth?

My High School Experience vs. Gatto

I would have to say that my high school experience mirrored that of  Gatto.  I was bored in high school, I didn't try very hard.  It was the same routine, day in and day out.  People were put into groups and basically stayed within the bounds of that group all through school.  If you follow the routine, and keep your nose out of trouble, you can barely scrape by and do just enough to pass.  Teachers taught just enough to get everyone by and didn't really give extra attention to those who needed it.  All you had to do was pass the course, even just barely. 

It seemed as if the system was catered to a special breed: a breed of good people, good citizens, and to make each person his or her personal best.  I believe, just as Gatto that the system of school is meant to make good people and good citizens, but I disagree that it makes people their personal best.  As I stated before, in my experience, I didn't do my personal best.  I was not filled with knowledge nor was my intelligence awakened.  I just wanted to get through the academics by taking "easy A" courses and focused on my social life instead.

I believe that school did not help me grow up.  I feel that it left me as a child, following blindly the rules.  We were taught that all you had to do is go to class and just show up and do the minimum required.  It didn't take much effort as long as you did not bring attention to yourself you didn't have to participate much in classes.  I got along with school by taking easy classes and staying out of the limelight.

Formal Paper #2 Final Draft

Dedication to Inspiration

The two teachers that we have studied in the second unit of this class have contrasting teaching styles, yet they desire to inspire similar lessons upon their students.  Mr. Jamie Escalante from the movie "Stand and Deliver" and Professor John Keating from the movie "Dead Poets Society" are both dedicated teachers.  Their goal was to open the minds of their students and instill lessons that they could use in their lives beyond the classroom.  They had a profound impact on the lives of their students.  They were both positive examples of good teaching.

Mr. Escalante was an exceptional teacher because he was inspiring.  During a class, Mr. Escalante asked his students, "Did you know that neither the Greeks nor the Romans were capable of using the concept of zero?  It was your ancestors, the Mayans, who first contemplated the zero."  He goes on to tell them that they have math in their blood.  He wanted his students to know that people just like them had the ability of making strides in the world of math.  During a staff meeting at the school he says, "Students will rise to the level of expectation."  He believed that if he instilled value to what his students were trying to accomplish, they would certainly meet or exceed expectation.  Later he tells his students, "There will be no free rides, no excuses.  You already have two strikes against you: your name and your complexion.  Because of these two strikes, there are some people in this world who will assume that you know less than you do.  Math is the equalizer...You're going to work harder here than you've ever worked anywhere else."  He tells them that the only thing that he is asking from them is desire.  He had enough desire to share and was willing to do what he could to help his students succeed.  He believed in them.

Professor Keating also used the example of history to inspire his students.  On the first day of class, he led his students to the foyer of Welton Academy and told them to look at pictures of former students.  As the boys took a closer look, he told them, “They're not that different from you, are they?...They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable?…But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it?”  He then whispers, “…carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.”  This exercise was Keating’s way of telling the boys that they did not have to wait to have extraordinary lives, they could work towards extraordinary at that moment because it was already in them.  This is an exceptional lesson for anyone to learn, especially at a young age.  Professor Keating knew his students did not have to wait to be great.

Mr. Escalante was not afraid to let his confidence in his students be known.  He did whatever it took to convince others of his desire of having his students succeed.  When Ana announced that she was dropping out school, Escalante took action.  Mr. Escalante decided to have dinner in the Delgado’s Mexican restaurant with his wife.  Ana introduced Mr. Escalante to her father as her math teacher.  Escalante used the opportunity to tell Mr. Ramirez about the importance of Ana going back to school.  Escalante invited Ana’s father to sit with them at their table.  Without skipping a beat Escalate said, “You should get another waitress.  Ana can be the first one of your family to graduate from high school, go to college.”  Delgado pointed out that Ana’s mother, sisters and brothers all worked for the family business.  Escalante told him, “She can help the family more by getting an education…she should make her own choices…Ana could go to college, come back, and teach you how to run this place.”  Ana’s father did not take the advice too kindly.  He told Mrs. Escalante, “Your husband comes into my restaurant, eats…and insults me!”   She quietly replied, “Excuse my husband, Mr. Delgado.  He just wants what is best for Ana.”   The meeting worked because Ana returned to class.

Professor Keating also had confidence in his student’s abilities.  In contrast, Professor Keating did not pursue his students outside of the classroom, his students pursued him.  In one example, Neil Perry went to Keating’s small, crowded office for advice of a personal nature.  He began by saying, “I just talked to my father. He's making me quit the play at Henley Hall. Acting's everything to me.”  After some explanation from Neil, Keating inquires, “Have you ever told your father what you just told me? About your passion for acting? You ever showed him that?”  Neil desperately tells Keating that he can’t talk to his father.  Then Keating advises, “Then you're acting for him, too. You're playing the part of the dutiful son. Now, I know this sounds impossible, but you have to talk to him. You have to show him who you are, what your heart is!”  Neil pours his heart out to Keating, doubtful that his father would even take his feelings into consideration.  Keating encouraged him to try to talk to his father, to prove to him how much acting meant to him by telling him, “It's not a whim for you, you prove it to him by your conviction and your passion! You show that to him, and if he still doesn't believe you - well, by then, you'll be out of school and can do anything you want.”  The play was set to take place the next day and Neil was nervous about talking to his father.  Neil desperately asked, “Isn't there an easier way?”  Keating told him, “No.”  I believe that Professor Keating gave Neil good advice about living his life in a way that he could be true to himself.  This showed his concern for wanting his students to succeed.

Mr. Escalante had high expectations that his students would try hard to accomplish their goals by making decisions of their own.  He had his students sign a contract specifying terms for spending extra time working for his class which included time in the morning, after school and weekends.  He wanted to make his expectations clear and made sure that each student had their parent sign it so he could hold his students to his rules.  As each student entered the classroom, Escalante collected the forms.  Pancho did not have his paper signed.  His excuse was that he was going to be busy during the weekends working for his uncle.  Later, Escalante drove Pancho’s car and used the opportunity to teach him a lesson.  Escalante told him, “No one cruises through life, Pancho. Wouldn't you rather be designing these things than repairing them?” He drove his car roughly saying things trying to make his point.  At a certain point in the ride he calmly asked Pancho, “Right or left?”  When he didn’t get an immediate answer, he asked him again, this time in desperation, “Right or left?”  Pancho hurriedly yelled in a panic, “GO RIGHT! GO RIGHT!”  Escalante turned right and screeched to halt in front of a dead end sign.  He told Pancho, “All you can see is the turn, you don't see the road ahead...”  He wanted him to see the big picture, not just what was in front of him.

As an exercise to teach his class about having the strength to be themselves, Keating stood on his desk and asked the classroom full of boys, “Why do I stand up here?...I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.”  He added, “Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, ‘Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.’  Don't be resigned to that. Break out!”  The students took turns climbing onto Keating's desk to see a new perspective as he told them, “Now, don't just walk off the edge like lemmings! Look around you!”  The message Keating repeatedly tried to teach his students was to look at life through fresh eyes.

Mr. Jamie Escalante from the movie "Stand and Deliver" and Professor John Keating from the movie "Dead Poets Society" were both dedicated teachers.  Their goal was to open the minds of their students and instill lessons that they could use in their lives beyond the classroom.  They produced new ways for their students to see the world.  They taught their students that they can overcome hardships, arise from struggles, and do extraordinary things to create something better in their own worlds.  In most instances, I believe the students learned much from the lessons they were taught.