Socail Context Post #10

Blueberries!
By: Louis Schmier

I thought that this article was really interesting. I have had similar experiences in nature. I think that it partly due to the multiple intelligences. I am myself the very best in nature, where ever that may be, I can focus, relax, see things more clearly, become rejuvenated, all in nature, it is my very favorite place. Whether it is in the Mountains or in the coolies, it doesn’t really matter. I think that wherever you can go to find the kind of focus and energy that the author wrote about, you have to go and do it. I like that he brought his experience into something that could be done in a daily way, like a routine. This makes it manageable. I find that when I walk in the early morning and see the sun rise, my day is off to a good start. I think as teachers we each have to find out what works for us, what makes us think about each student for who they are, how we can make a difference, I think we each need to find our own "blueberries"!

I like what he said at the end:

"And we cannot teach those whom we do not know no less than we can teach that which we do not know."





Louis Schmier

Social Context Post # 9

To Be a Teacher
By: Louis Schmier

This was an amazing little article, I pasted my favorite part into this blog, because there is no way that I could articulate what the author included in her anicdode as to what it is to be a teacher. In PSII there is so much fretting about planning the perfect unit, having everything just right, that this article really helped me to just calm down and realize that there is way more to teaching then the subject. I want to be a teacher that makes a difference in the lives of the students, I want them to know that I am human and that I am not perfect and that I am there for them, I think that is what it is all about. When I get out into the practicum I want my students to know that I am there to learn just as much as they are, I always want my students to know that wheather it is my first year or my twentieth year. Read this little piece about teaching, and you to will see why it has made such a difference in my life.

"If you want to be a teacher, you first have to learn how to play hopscotch, learn other children games, learn how to watch a snail crawl, read "Yertle the Turtle", and watch "Bullwinkle". If you want to be a teacher, you have to blow "she loves me, she loves me nots" with a dandilion or pull the indiviudal petals of a daisy, wiggle your toes in the mud and let it ooze through them, stomp in rain puddles, and be humbled by the majesty of a mountain. If you want to be a teacher, you have to fall in love each day. If you want to be a teacher, you have to paddle a canoe, take a hike, or just get out. If you want to be a teacher, you have to fly a kite or throw a frisbee, make sandcastles, love people, and listen intently to the rustle of the leaves or the murmur of the brook or the whisper of the breeze. If you want to be a teacher, you have to dream dreams, play games, talk to the flowers, catch fire flies, admire a weed, walk barefoot in the rain, hold a worm, and see what is yet to be. If you want to be a teacher, you have to think silly thoughts, have a watergun fight, have a pillow fight, swirl a tootsie pop in your mouth, burn sparklers at night, and see in a tree more than a mass of atoms or so many board feet of lumber or something that's in the way. If you want to be a teacher, you have to skip as you walk, laugh at yourself, smile at others, hang loose, always have an eraser handy, concoct an original recipe, and inspire. If you want to be a teacher, you have to fix a bird's broken wing, tweek the neck of a deflating baloon, to zany things, play with a yo-yo, and lose yourself in the quiet scenery to find yourself. If you want to be a teacher, you have to feed the pigeons or squirrels, sing in the shower or tub, smell the flowers, watch a spider spin it's web, play with finger paints, and do a belly flob in a pool. If you want to be a teacher, you have to bring joy into everything, watch in awe a sunset or sunrise, ride on a swing, slide down a slide, bump on a seesaw, and respect even a cockroach as a miracle of life. If you want to be a teacher, you have to ride a bicycle or roller skate or ice skate, and live today. If you want to be a teacher, make all those marvelous feelings and images an intimate part of you and bring them into the classroom with you and share them. If you want to be a teacher, as you have to put aside your formal theories and intellectual constructs and axioms and statistics and charts when you reach out to touch that miracle called the individual human being." Louis Schmier

Socail Context Post #8

ADO A comic Short Story
By: Connie Willis

This article was great to read, I must have not read the part about it being humorous, so when I began to read it I thought, this is interesting, what the heck! Anyways I figured it out by the “Seniors Against Devil Worship” part. The author makes a compelling point as to freedom of speech and censorship through out the writing of this story. Basically this teacher decided to teach Shakespeare but was not allowed because of all the “societies” and “groups” that were against it. The teacher had to run the entire play through a screening system and take out anything that might have offended anyone. One great example of this was the Drapery Defence League who objected the part in the play where Polonius is stabbed because he was hiding behind a drapery panel. By the end of the screening there were two lines left in the play that were acceptable for the general classroom, this is of course after the class had to fill out permission forms to be there. WOW, this is insane!
It’s funny to think that this is where we could be going in education. Are we censoring everything out so that there is nothing left to teach, are we being too sensitive to everyone’s views and needs? I don’t know the answers. Although I do know that the author has a good point and I enjoyed reading this article. Where are we going? Could we end up like this!?!?!?

Social COntext Post # 7
The Workings of class: How Understanding a subtle difference between social classes can premote equality in the classroom and beyond

The article written by Adrie Kusserow talks about the middle and lower class in America. It is interesting that the author points out the hard individualism and the soft individualism of these groups. Hard being the working class and soft being the upper and middle classes. The author examines how these classes treat their children and how these communication differences affect the classroom. It is interesting to hear that there are some major differences in thought between these groups.
I agree to a point with the author about these differences, and maybe they are more evident in the area where the research was being done, Manhattan and Queens. I feel for the most part that there may have been some generalization for each of the groups. I have to think that the way we raise our children has to be a bit more individualistic that just hard or soft. I know many working class people who live in Southern Alberta who have a very soft mentality, and many upper to middle class people who have a very hard mentality. I think you have to look at the individuals. I am not saying that there is not a class difference within the schools I think that there is, but I also think that you can not generalize only on what type of job that you have or where you live, yes that plays into it, but we are individuals here, not just a group.

Social Context Post #6
What do we say when we hear the word “Faggot”
By: Lenore Gordon

This article is really short, to the point and it brings up some very relevant discussion about name-calling. This article focuses on the use of derogatory terms aimed at homosexuals. The author begins the article by giving some examples of school children that are ridiculed in school because of their sexual orientation. Along with the vivid description of how it is affecting these young people the author also talks about cruel games that are played and the origins of the words some students use against other students. It is quite disturbing to read what is going on in some schools yet I guess kids can be cruel. I agree with the author in the way she deals with the situation when she hears derogatory terms, I think that she handles it well and I can assume that the students get the point.
I think that this article can be applied to all name-calling. No matter why it is being done, students need to understand that it is not acceptable. It is heart breaking to know that some of the names can stick with a person for a lifetime. I know that when I was in school I was called names and I called names and it is not a pretty place, it hurts to be called names and it feels horrible to call someone else names as well. Why do kids do it? Why do adults do it? It seems so pointless! Anyways I think what she says in the end is a great point, students need to be taught to not only defend their rights but they need to defend the rights of others.

Social Context Post #5

Education Is Our Right

I went to go see the play last night Education is Our Right. I found the play to be very informative and I was also glad to be there for the Friday “Talk” back. This was held after the play and all the characters and the director were present so we could ask questions and talk about the issues.

The play took the theme of spirits past, present and future. Showing the Minister of Indian Affairs the harm that he was doing by trying to implement the cap on tuition. I liked the dialogue that went on between the characters and found that it was very moving. The content of this play was highly charged and with a new conservative government back in, the issue may come up again. I found that I learned a lot about the feelings of the people in this play, and I feel like I have a better understanding of how Aboriginal people may feel, although I know that I will never truly get it. I am amazed at how much the general public does not know, and how we are just not taught these issues in school.

I think the cast and the director did a great job, and I am really glad that I went to see this play. I am amazed at the strength of the Aboriginal people and hope that in my teaching one day I can encourage and build up young kids whose families have been torn down for so long, maybe one day I can help instead of hurt. Stand up for your rights!

Social context Post # 4

Boob Tube and Children's Brain Drain
By: Don Oldenburg

Dan Oldenburg writes this article dealing with the effects of the TV on the development of children's brains. In the introduction Oldenburg states that the average child will watch 22,000 hours of TV when they graduate from high school, that is twice the amount spent in the classroom. Oldenburg also states that the amount of study that goes into this epidemic is not nearly enough to gain any real insight into the problems at hand. Oldenburg continues his argument by stating some f the facts from the limited research that has been done, he also states his opinion on this problem and brings the focus into the hands of the parents, the most important people in the lives of children must step up and do something.

Now I am a bit bias about this article, that may be because my husband and I have chosen not to have a TV in our house. This being said I can agree to what Oldenburg is leaning to in this article, TV is something that is not really beneficial to our society so why are we making it seem like it is? One of the main reasons why we do not have a TV is because it eats up so much of our time. If you do not have one that is a non issue and there is more time for other things like reading or going outside.

There was an add that merely Shoes put out that I found quite interesting:

The weather channel, the Nature channel, the Outdoor channel.... Is our TV trying to tell us something?

Get Outside!!

I think that if more people took this seriously our society would not have the problems that we have today.

I do not know what will happen when we have kids... I don't know if there will be too much pressure to get a TV or if my views will change, but from where I stand now, I feel like I would be better off never having another black box enter my house.

I know that there are some good things about having a TV, like watching the news and such... Although how much of that is reality??... Anyways I think that there are other ways to get news, we listen to a lot of CBC and also read the paper, so there are ways to stay up on what is happening.

It scares me to think that some of the items talked about in the article may be true, what are we doing to the next generation? How can this be ok? When is there more research going to be done?

I guess I have more questions than answers...

Social Context Post #3

Why Kids Need Violent Entertainment
By: Gerald Jones

Gerald Jones writes a provocative article about the need for violence in entertainment for young children. When I first read the title of this article I thought that I was not going to like it very much, or even agree with anything Jones would have to say. But I stand corrected and found what he had to say at least somewhat valid.

Jones begins the article by reliving what his childhood was like and how violent comics helped him to become who he is today. Jones states that the need for violent entertainment is really just a vehicle in which children can steer the feelings of rage and powerlessness. It is a place where aggression can be let out and where children can escape.

I thought that this was a reasonable claim and then began to wonder how much of this violence became a reality. Jones also spoke to this and stated that he was not arguing that violence was completely harmless and that in some rare cases it does help to create real violence, but the numbers are in favour for those who it helps. I tend to question this statement and I wouldn’t mind seeing some concrete facts, I am sure there is a study somewhere that has tired to measure this.

When reading this I always come back to what I friend of mine said to me once, she has two boys, who are always playing war. Anyways we were talking about this one day and she said that even if she never gave her boys toy guns to play with, they would find another way to make some resemblance of one, the most common is built right into us, how many times have you seen young kids use their hand as a gun?

So maybe Jones is right, maybe this need to release feelings of rage are so strong that violent entertainment is just the right place. I am still out on this one, I guess it is just one of those grey areas for me.