Going to school in our culture is a big thing. From all the information and research that I have collected has shown that our culture takes getting a an education very seriously and has high expectations for each student. Throughout the articles read, interviews, movies, and books about the school system I have noticed a lot of things. I noticed that school's try to change kids lives, the school systems try and dominate our lives and try to make you go as deep as we can in our education. Teachers in particular just feed us a bunch of information and expect the student to get it. Our culture trains us to know at least the basics and tries to make school a big part of our lives by any means necessary. Because of our institutional and cultural values , school tends to dominate take over our lives and trains us to live up to the goal of being successful.
One example that shows how school tends to dominate our lives is the expectations that Mr.Fanning has for his students. When we had interviewed him in our class he was talking about many different things he was talking about how when he became principal he wanted to us to be successful. By successful he didn't mean just living a good life or just having money, but simply by getting an education. He Said that he wanted us to finish high school at least and but really wanted us to go to college. He said going to college gives us a lot of options and can make us really successful in life. The reason why he was so hard on us is so we could succeed. Hearing him say that was showing me how he only really based being successful around education. He also states that "education is the best thing you can get". Do you know what that means? Not one thing in this world is better than having a successful education. Not once did he talk about doing something that interests you to be successful or having a job that provides good benefits or money, but just education. Not saying that what Mr. Fanning is wrong but it seems to me like the only way he could see someone being successful is by them going to school. Mr. Fanning interview not only only showed the strive he was for his students to get an education, but it shows how school in our culture is meant to dominate our lives to achieve this goal of being successful.
It's got to the point where it's a crime not to go to school and if you are a parent, not sending your child to school. In this book What Are My rights by Thomas A. Jacobs, he discusses how parents who don't send their children to school have consequences. It says "In most states, parents who fail to send their children to school may be charged with education neglect. Consequences include community services hours, counseling, and or jail. Because you decide to choose a different route for your child you have to get penalized for it. The the law will go as far as taking someone to jail just so a child can go to school. This book also states that "By law, all U.S Children are required to go to school. Public education is free, as is transportation to and from school(in most communities), and breakfast and lunch programs are provided for qualifying students.". Our culture is dominated by succeeding through education. Our country really goes through the full extent of making sure that everybody has an opportunity to get an education and succeed. In this culture Education is key and you can see through this book that laws even require school to be mandatory because they feel that it leads to success also. He states different incomes based on the type of education you end up having. For example, males or females with a ninth grade education have a total income of roughly 15,000 dollars, and males or females with at least a high school diploma or GED have a income of roughly 24,000. This proving that your level of educational depends shows how much your income would be. Throughout this research found, it shows that our education is way more important than anything else that a human being can go through in their life.
As we talked about in class (3/2/10, 3/9/10), this institution that we live in wants to dominate our lives with education because of many different things. An institution is a system that has the power to make rules on a particular aspect of society. They want to dominate our lives with education because of reasons like education is the solution for peoples social problems in peoples minds or because they feel like getting a education can can give your life a purpose. This is why these institutions try and "train" us to be these perfect little students, and by doing this is by making it mandatory to go to school and making sure people pass their requirements in order to go further in their education and "path" to success. The institutions that our culture has based on school is striving to being successful, and their answer to that is making rules that impact students success in school which is packing their schedules in with school 5 out of 7 days for 7 to 8 hours each day.
Paulo discusses and analyzes the relationship that a student and a teacher have within one another. With the teacher being the "subject" and the student being the "listening objects" She talks about how the student is always the one that has to take in all of the information all the time, while on the other hand, the teacher is just throwing information at the student and expecting them to register every thing that they are processing. And that right there is the reason why education is suffering. She talks about how the teacher is never really teaching the student anything but how they are throwing information at the student, expecting them to know exactly what they are talking about. And she explains how this is one of the many reasons of why education is suffering now. She compares the the student and teacher relationship to the banking system that we have. The teacher is the one that is depositing what ever they want while the student is being forced to take in what ever they want to deposit. The teacher has one obligation and one obligation only and that is to fill the students head with their narration. They don't give the full package of teaching them the significance of what they are actually learning or anything. She basically just shows the how the teacher can do what ever they want and teach what they want and no matter what the circumstances is the student has to take in that information and hope that they can learn from it. These schools are training students to be dumb and dull and like sheep. The fact that the student half the time don't really get what they are learning they are still expected to know it. We are sheep due to the fact that we have little power and the fact that we don't really no any better compared to the teacher. While the school system dominates our lives it is argued that schools train us to take without asking why or how, assuming, like dumb sheep, that the teacher is always right.
Not only in real life but in movies they like to have this one super teacher who likes to make a change in students lives by trying to dominate their lives with education. For example in the movie Freedom Writers, it shows how they try to use education to change the students lives. In the movie there is this one white lady, new teacher, who tries and change kids who have been through everything. From fighting, to shootouts, to stealing, you name it they've done it. And this teacher realizes what these kids are going through and try to make them see the life they could have if they was to get there education. one of the students that was in the classroom had said to the teacher "How the FUCK are you going to save me from my life? Huh ?" She thought that because she was the teacher and that these kids were living horribly, that she could save them by giving them knowledge about stuff they can't use to survive in the streets with. She tries to train them like sheep, trying to make them act another way through teaching. When another student in the classroom said "What are we doing in here that makes a got dam difference in my life?" In this case particularly, school isn't the answer to helping these kids in their lives. These school systems try so hard in wanting people to go get their education because they think it will make a change in their life and assume that it will change their life from bad to school.
School is so dominated in our culture that it is compared to human survival. In this one article that I read it said many different of the impact school should have on our lives, it said "Education is as essential for mind as food for health and shelter for body. It enhances knowledge and the knowledge is the key of acquiring power. It is also an interesting fact that joy of life is within the domain of your power. So, for experiencing true joy of life, you need to be educated and hence it becomes the most important aspect of our lives." In shorter words, we can't survive, enjoy life, or have power if we aren't educated. This article makes it seem like school must apart of our lives and that it has a big impact as much as eating and having a roof over your head. Our cultural values are schooling is what makes us successful. Not even successful but be accepted in this society. This society wants school to be our salvation, to e our reasoning for wanting to live life and become something. As the article states "the very education system must move on every moment in the life of a person for the consistent betterment of life.". Our society want something of its people inside, and by showing them what it takes to be something or enjoy life you must have an education, and this shows that schooling is dominating our lives in this culture because it is a moral that the school systems and institutions feel must be met.
In conclusion, School systems try and form students lives around education and making them think that is the automatic key to success. From the interview on Mr. Fanning, articles, books on school, and Paulto and his opinions, it clearly shows how our culture analyzes school as his way of life that every body must go through. That it is the life that everybody must live if they want to be somebody important or have have a purpose for their life. Based on our societies view of education, if you didn't have an education you were nothing, non existent, unimportant. Saying this, this strongly argues that our institutional and cultural values advocates school to make it dominate our lives and train us to be the successful human beings they think it will make us.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
HW 50 - response to set of readings
Gatto - Against School
In this article Gatto talks about different things. He talks about whether or not we need school and who's fault it is that school is so boring. He feels, as a teacher, that public schools cripple kids down because of the fact that its so boring and the teachers don't really have anything interesting to teach. when the teacher sticks to the same programs throughout 12 years of schooling, its one of the reasons why school cripples these students. This article talks about how kids could also be the reason why school is boring. Because in certain cases where the students only care about grades, or don't care about anything, they make the teacher have no reason to want to teach them and basically create boredom. He talks about how instead of making the student sit there and do things that simply give them reasons not to go to school, the teachers can start to treat the children more as competent adults. Making them take more risks in the classroom and being more adventurous with them and being more flexible with them having to take test and reading texts all the time. then Gatto asks whether or not we even really need school or not. He wasn't talking about education but he was talking about whether or not we needed school 5 times a week, 7 or 8 hours a day. he talks about how these deadly routines that these school systems have are unnecessary. He talks about how important people like Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Jefferson or somebody didn't have to go through this obnoxious schooling system to be successful. It was seen that they have this mass schooling in the united states because they wanted to make good people, or good citizens or what not. The six functions (the adjustive, the integrating, the diagnostic and directing, the differentiating, the selective, and the propaedeutic function) from Inglis is the complete break down of schooling and how these functions is what the schools go by and concur.
I agree with Gatto all the way. I feel that the school system does do a little to much with the school system. He tries to say that following and going through this 12 year school course doesn't always have to be the answer for getting an education. I agree with him. He didn't ask why we have to go to school but he asked why do we have such a suicidal course when trying to get one, and that is what he asks whether or not that is necessary. I agree with Gatto when he says that the teachers and the students are making school so boring. He explains that not being able to teach them more or do more than what the standard curriculum gives them is the main reason why they aren't able to expand with these students and I agree with him 100%. I feel Gatto understands that this type of schooling in our culture is just too much and that sometimes it doesn't work all the time. When he explains the 6 functions, he is explaining school and what its really all about. When he states the differentiating function he tries to give a viewing of school and how schools don't really push kids to their personal best. the push them to point based on the role they play. I liked the fact that Gatto talks about that because it shows how our schooling doesn't really go into each students education. No matter who you are, the schooling generalizes personal education. Whatever your role is, is what you get.
Paulo Freire - Pedagogy of oppressed
In chapter 2, Paulo discusses and analyzes the relationship that a student and a teacher have within one another. With the teacher being the "subject" and the student being the "listening objects" She talks about how the student is always the one that has to take in all of the information all the time, while on the other hand, the teacher is just throwing information at the student and expecting them to register every thing that they are processing. And that right there is the reason why education is suffering. She talks about how the teacher is never really teaching the student anything but how they are throwing information at the student, expecting them to know exactly what they are talking about. And she explains how this is one of the many reasons of why education is suffering now. She compares the the student and teacher relationship to the banking system that we have. The teacher is the one that is depositing what ever they want while the student is being forced to take in what ever they want to deposit. The teacher has one obligation and one obligation only and that is to fill the students head with their narration. They don;t give the full package of teaching them the significance of what they are actually learning or anything. She basically just shows the how the teacher can do what ever they want and teach what they want and no matter what the circumstances is the student has to take in that information and hope that they can learn from it.
I agree with Paulo 100%. I feel that at times the student can't really stand up for their selves. there is a slim to none chance that a student would be smarter than a teacher in the subject they teach which gives the teacher an advantage over them. I agree with Paulo when she says that we students have to take in what ever the teacher teaches no matter what. i agree because it happens in my our school. Whether we like what the teacher teaches or not we have to take it in and try to learn it because they are of higher authority and because of the fact that we are younger which makes us not no any better and basically more dum than the teachers. When she relates the schooling system to the Banking system, I agree with her on the concept but then I also disagree with what she says based on the reality of the banking system. I agree with her because what ever you are depositing into the bank (information the teacher is giving you) the bank has no choice but to put that deposited money into the bank for you (the student has no choice but to take the notes down and learn what the teacher is narrating). On the other hand, I disagree with the banking system she compares the teacher/student relationship to. With banking what ever amount you put in, is the amount that is put in no matter what. But that isn't so much the case between the student and the teacher. Even though the student has to take in what ever the teacher teaches him, he doesn't have to do it. Even though the student wont succeed by doing that, he isn't 100% obligated to do that. In addition, the student can always ask question to deepen what they are learning. Can the people or machine depositing somebodies money in the bank not obligated to put the money in? No they must follow what they are told and put the money into the bank no matter what. I agree with her about the unequal relationship between the teacher and the student, but no so much the banking system comparison.
Delpit - Interview with Lisa Delpit
In this interview she explains her focus of schooling and what teachers lack in, in order to bring out each students intelligence. She states that her focus of school is providing excellent education for low-income students, predominately colored students. She talks about how teachers tend to refer to what is on the test and how that can make them interpret the child in a wrong way and not really see the brilliance that the student actually has. She feels that every student has a brilliance, it's just that you have to find a way or a method in bringing it out from each student. She doesn't think that the teachers don't really try hard enough to bring out the strengths and great qualities of each student. A strategy that Delpit tries to use is Art. She feels it opens and widely expands the students mind and at the same time help them interact with one another more than usual. she feels that the teacher can see a new "light" in the students, rather than before where they can only see the flaws that the students had. She feels that poetry and the way it rhymes and flows connects to students (mostly children of color) in a positive way and brings the best out of them. She feels that if the student is able to learn and work better with material they are more comfortable with. The teacher must find a way to meet the students needs so they can learn more and be more successful. That's why she insists that the school's curriculum should be based on what the student is comfortable with and their particular needs.
I agree with what she says but then again I don't for many different reasons. I agree with her when she says that teachers don't do enough to see every students brilliance. I agree because knowing what the each student is good at best gives the teacher a good idea of what kind of student they are and to know that they kid actually has a brain. I think finding out each students brilliance can make the teachers job a lot more easy and expand on their lessons a little more because a students brilliance is also material that they are comfortable at. And material that a student is comfortable at means less learn and more deepened conversations on that material. I also disagree with what the fact that the teacher should bring out every body's brilliance. I disagree with that demand because if the teacher was to bring out the brilliance in EVERY student they have, then it would be to much material to cover and no one wouldn't learn as much as they need to and every body would be behind. Bringing out everybody's Brilliance would be a good thing but making sure that the students have the basic curriculum understood, at least a little bit, will make every body in most cases be on the same page.
Mr.Fanning interview
During Mr.Fannings interview he basically gives us the breakdown of him being a social studies teacher, to how he became a principal, what his goals for his students is, and how he wants to get higher in the department of education. His main purpose of joining the department of education was for one reason, to help kids learn and be successful. he talks about how kids have to have an education no matter what it is. when he states that "an education is the greatest thing you can get" he was saying that all the fame he has got and all the good he got in his life, the best thing that has happened to him was getting his degree. As he states that he wants to get higher in position, his one goal was for everybody to go to college.
I agree with with Mr.Fanning on everything he says. When he states that him getting his degree was the best thing that happened to him, I could really relate to that with my own personal experiences. I have been through a lot. I have did a lot of successful things in my life, but walking across that stage to know that I am ready to take it to the next level and getting my diploma has a feeling like no other. I agree with Fannings goal that everybody should go to college. I agree because college isn't just about school work but its also about responsibility. It's teaching you the next step in life which is being independent and knowing how to use your time wisely and making decisions on your own. So I agree with the fact that Mr.Fanning wants every body to go to college and get their degree and that getting his education was the best thing that's happened to him.
In this article Gatto talks about different things. He talks about whether or not we need school and who's fault it is that school is so boring. He feels, as a teacher, that public schools cripple kids down because of the fact that its so boring and the teachers don't really have anything interesting to teach. when the teacher sticks to the same programs throughout 12 years of schooling, its one of the reasons why school cripples these students. This article talks about how kids could also be the reason why school is boring. Because in certain cases where the students only care about grades, or don't care about anything, they make the teacher have no reason to want to teach them and basically create boredom. He talks about how instead of making the student sit there and do things that simply give them reasons not to go to school, the teachers can start to treat the children more as competent adults. Making them take more risks in the classroom and being more adventurous with them and being more flexible with them having to take test and reading texts all the time. then Gatto asks whether or not we even really need school or not. He wasn't talking about education but he was talking about whether or not we needed school 5 times a week, 7 or 8 hours a day. he talks about how these deadly routines that these school systems have are unnecessary. He talks about how important people like Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Jefferson or somebody didn't have to go through this obnoxious schooling system to be successful. It was seen that they have this mass schooling in the united states because they wanted to make good people, or good citizens or what not. The six functions (the adjustive, the integrating, the diagnostic and directing, the differentiating, the selective, and the propaedeutic function) from Inglis is the complete break down of schooling and how these functions is what the schools go by and concur.
I agree with Gatto all the way. I feel that the school system does do a little to much with the school system. He tries to say that following and going through this 12 year school course doesn't always have to be the answer for getting an education. I agree with him. He didn't ask why we have to go to school but he asked why do we have such a suicidal course when trying to get one, and that is what he asks whether or not that is necessary. I agree with Gatto when he says that the teachers and the students are making school so boring. He explains that not being able to teach them more or do more than what the standard curriculum gives them is the main reason why they aren't able to expand with these students and I agree with him 100%. I feel Gatto understands that this type of schooling in our culture is just too much and that sometimes it doesn't work all the time. When he explains the 6 functions, he is explaining school and what its really all about. When he states the differentiating function he tries to give a viewing of school and how schools don't really push kids to their personal best. the push them to point based on the role they play. I liked the fact that Gatto talks about that because it shows how our schooling doesn't really go into each students education. No matter who you are, the schooling generalizes personal education. Whatever your role is, is what you get.
Paulo Freire - Pedagogy of oppressed
In chapter 2, Paulo discusses and analyzes the relationship that a student and a teacher have within one another. With the teacher being the "subject" and the student being the "listening objects" She talks about how the student is always the one that has to take in all of the information all the time, while on the other hand, the teacher is just throwing information at the student and expecting them to register every thing that they are processing. And that right there is the reason why education is suffering. She talks about how the teacher is never really teaching the student anything but how they are throwing information at the student, expecting them to know exactly what they are talking about. And she explains how this is one of the many reasons of why education is suffering now. She compares the the student and teacher relationship to the banking system that we have. The teacher is the one that is depositing what ever they want while the student is being forced to take in what ever they want to deposit. The teacher has one obligation and one obligation only and that is to fill the students head with their narration. They don;t give the full package of teaching them the significance of what they are actually learning or anything. She basically just shows the how the teacher can do what ever they want and teach what they want and no matter what the circumstances is the student has to take in that information and hope that they can learn from it.
I agree with Paulo 100%. I feel that at times the student can't really stand up for their selves. there is a slim to none chance that a student would be smarter than a teacher in the subject they teach which gives the teacher an advantage over them. I agree with Paulo when she says that we students have to take in what ever the teacher teaches no matter what. i agree because it happens in my our school. Whether we like what the teacher teaches or not we have to take it in and try to learn it because they are of higher authority and because of the fact that we are younger which makes us not no any better and basically more dum than the teachers. When she relates the schooling system to the Banking system, I agree with her on the concept but then I also disagree with what she says based on the reality of the banking system. I agree with her because what ever you are depositing into the bank (information the teacher is giving you) the bank has no choice but to put that deposited money into the bank for you (the student has no choice but to take the notes down and learn what the teacher is narrating). On the other hand, I disagree with the banking system she compares the teacher/student relationship to. With banking what ever amount you put in, is the amount that is put in no matter what. But that isn't so much the case between the student and the teacher. Even though the student has to take in what ever the teacher teaches him, he doesn't have to do it. Even though the student wont succeed by doing that, he isn't 100% obligated to do that. In addition, the student can always ask question to deepen what they are learning. Can the people or machine depositing somebodies money in the bank not obligated to put the money in? No they must follow what they are told and put the money into the bank no matter what. I agree with her about the unequal relationship between the teacher and the student, but no so much the banking system comparison.
Delpit - Interview with Lisa Delpit
In this interview she explains her focus of schooling and what teachers lack in, in order to bring out each students intelligence. She states that her focus of school is providing excellent education for low-income students, predominately colored students. She talks about how teachers tend to refer to what is on the test and how that can make them interpret the child in a wrong way and not really see the brilliance that the student actually has. She feels that every student has a brilliance, it's just that you have to find a way or a method in bringing it out from each student. She doesn't think that the teachers don't really try hard enough to bring out the strengths and great qualities of each student. A strategy that Delpit tries to use is Art. She feels it opens and widely expands the students mind and at the same time help them interact with one another more than usual. she feels that the teacher can see a new "light" in the students, rather than before where they can only see the flaws that the students had. She feels that poetry and the way it rhymes and flows connects to students (mostly children of color) in a positive way and brings the best out of them. She feels that if the student is able to learn and work better with material they are more comfortable with. The teacher must find a way to meet the students needs so they can learn more and be more successful. That's why she insists that the school's curriculum should be based on what the student is comfortable with and their particular needs.
I agree with what she says but then again I don't for many different reasons. I agree with her when she says that teachers don't do enough to see every students brilliance. I agree because knowing what the each student is good at best gives the teacher a good idea of what kind of student they are and to know that they kid actually has a brain. I think finding out each students brilliance can make the teachers job a lot more easy and expand on their lessons a little more because a students brilliance is also material that they are comfortable at. And material that a student is comfortable at means less learn and more deepened conversations on that material. I also disagree with what the fact that the teacher should bring out every body's brilliance. I disagree with that demand because if the teacher was to bring out the brilliance in EVERY student they have, then it would be to much material to cover and no one wouldn't learn as much as they need to and every body would be behind. Bringing out everybody's Brilliance would be a good thing but making sure that the students have the basic curriculum understood, at least a little bit, will make every body in most cases be on the same page.
Mr.Fanning interview
During Mr.Fannings interview he basically gives us the breakdown of him being a social studies teacher, to how he became a principal, what his goals for his students is, and how he wants to get higher in the department of education. His main purpose of joining the department of education was for one reason, to help kids learn and be successful. he talks about how kids have to have an education no matter what it is. when he states that "an education is the greatest thing you can get" he was saying that all the fame he has got and all the good he got in his life, the best thing that has happened to him was getting his degree. As he states that he wants to get higher in position, his one goal was for everybody to go to college.
I agree with with Mr.Fanning on everything he says. When he states that him getting his degree was the best thing that happened to him, I could really relate to that with my own personal experiences. I have been through a lot. I have did a lot of successful things in my life, but walking across that stage to know that I am ready to take it to the next level and getting my diploma has a feeling like no other. I agree with Fannings goal that everybody should go to college. I agree because college isn't just about school work but its also about responsibility. It's teaching you the next step in life which is being independent and knowing how to use your time wisely and making decisions on your own. So I agree with the fact that Mr.Fanning wants every body to go to college and get their degree and that getting his education was the best thing that's happened to him.
Friday, April 23, 2010
HW 49 - Esthers Film
Due to the fact that Our class did not finish our film because of time wasted and certain people just not showing up for no reason, is the reason why I am writing in response to Esther's film, which I must say was very funny and straight to the point. And because this isn't my video I obviously didn't have a contribution to it. That being said, I am just going to briefly give a summary of what I thought about the film and how it made me feel.
This film was really great and funny. It seems to me like the film was about this teacher who had students who were fighting with each other, gossiping with each other, and doing things they weren't suppose to do. The first day he was trying to teach them even though they were being very disrespectful. While kids weren't even listening him he was stilling trying to teach them what they needed to learn. he even tried going up to them individually and try to talk to them, and still that didn't work, the teacher was still being mistreated and everyone just didn't give a dam at all what the teacher had to offer to them. So then the next day he was sleeping. One of the students woke him up cause he was drinking. That's when he started acting crazy towards the students saying that one of them was a scum bag and how they got scum bag in the dictionary and how the student's name is next to scum bag, and so on and so fourth. He was just disrespecting them and calling them names, while drunk, and after that he made a smart comment and slammed the door behind him as he was walking out. The kids then was quiet for a second and then went back to their usual ways which was being bad, fighting, and gossiping.
This wasn't like the usual super hero movie. Even though it had the usual beginning of these super teacher type of movies, it didn't the same. This class film had a ending where the teacher left them while the kids went back to what they were doing which was being obnoxious. While in the super teacher films, the teacher ends up changing every students way of life and making them do a complete U-turn, from bad ghetto kids to kids who want to learn and succeed in life.
The message I feel that is being portrayed in Esther's film, is that a teacher can't make students magically turn their lives around. Every body can't be a hero. And lastly the message that's being portrayed is that school isn't the answer to everything and that it doesn't make people change. When the students weren't listening to the teacher, the director was trying to show that just because the he was the teacher, doesn't mean he has more power then them and control us. This film had plenty different messages due to the fact that the film was the opposite compared to the teacher films we watched in class.
The connection Esther's video had with the kind of schooling and education that we have is different and similar in some ways. Some ways that is similar is that you are always going to have certain types of kids. For example, you are always going to have the kids who fight, the gossip girls, 2 or 3 quiet kids, whites, blacks, Asians, Latinos, all of that. In Esther's video, she has all these types of people in that class. She also has the people who are fighting in there video and when the teacher does something crazy, the class gets quiet for a split minute. Some things that are different, is the teacher drinking. I don't think in our culture, teachers get to the point where they have to drink alcohol just because they can't get through their class and because the kids were acting up. In our culture school is our saviour, it's what makes us get by in life, but not for Esther's video. In that case, School is not important to these kids, for example those "gossip" girls. They thought that it was more important to sit there and gossip and spread information within one another then to sit and be quiet while the teacher taught the lesson so they can learn and succeed in life.
Salvation is when somebody or people are in the state of being saved or preserved from harm. and with education that is what education is used for, that is why it is mandatory, Like in the films the teachers wanted to save these students, they wanted to give the kids who weren't motivated enough an opportunity to learn and be successful in life. So the connection between and salvation is saving somebody. Education saves students from being the opposite of successful which is a failure at life.
This film was really great and funny. It seems to me like the film was about this teacher who had students who were fighting with each other, gossiping with each other, and doing things they weren't suppose to do. The first day he was trying to teach them even though they were being very disrespectful. While kids weren't even listening him he was stilling trying to teach them what they needed to learn. he even tried going up to them individually and try to talk to them, and still that didn't work, the teacher was still being mistreated and everyone just didn't give a dam at all what the teacher had to offer to them. So then the next day he was sleeping. One of the students woke him up cause he was drinking. That's when he started acting crazy towards the students saying that one of them was a scum bag and how they got scum bag in the dictionary and how the student's name is next to scum bag, and so on and so fourth. He was just disrespecting them and calling them names, while drunk, and after that he made a smart comment and slammed the door behind him as he was walking out. The kids then was quiet for a second and then went back to their usual ways which was being bad, fighting, and gossiping.
This wasn't like the usual super hero movie. Even though it had the usual beginning of these super teacher type of movies, it didn't the same. This class film had a ending where the teacher left them while the kids went back to what they were doing which was being obnoxious. While in the super teacher films, the teacher ends up changing every students way of life and making them do a complete U-turn, from bad ghetto kids to kids who want to learn and succeed in life.
The message I feel that is being portrayed in Esther's film, is that a teacher can't make students magically turn their lives around. Every body can't be a hero. And lastly the message that's being portrayed is that school isn't the answer to everything and that it doesn't make people change. When the students weren't listening to the teacher, the director was trying to show that just because the he was the teacher, doesn't mean he has more power then them and control us. This film had plenty different messages due to the fact that the film was the opposite compared to the teacher films we watched in class.
The connection Esther's video had with the kind of schooling and education that we have is different and similar in some ways. Some ways that is similar is that you are always going to have certain types of kids. For example, you are always going to have the kids who fight, the gossip girls, 2 or 3 quiet kids, whites, blacks, Asians, Latinos, all of that. In Esther's video, she has all these types of people in that class. She also has the people who are fighting in there video and when the teacher does something crazy, the class gets quiet for a split minute. Some things that are different, is the teacher drinking. I don't think in our culture, teachers get to the point where they have to drink alcohol just because they can't get through their class and because the kids were acting up. In our culture school is our saviour, it's what makes us get by in life, but not for Esther's video. In that case, School is not important to these kids, for example those "gossip" girls. They thought that it was more important to sit there and gossip and spread information within one another then to sit and be quiet while the teacher taught the lesson so they can learn and succeed in life.
Salvation is when somebody or people are in the state of being saved or preserved from harm. and with education that is what education is used for, that is why it is mandatory, Like in the films the teachers wanted to save these students, they wanted to give the kids who weren't motivated enough an opportunity to learn and be successful in life. So the connection between and salvation is saving somebody. Education saves students from being the opposite of successful which is a failure at life.
Monday, April 12, 2010
HW 48 - Treatment for savior/teacher movie
Once upon a time there was this one teacher who really wanted do make a change. He was in the army for over 15 years and he always wanted to be a teacher.
Harold wakes up in the morning, jumps in the shower. After the shower he then puts on his dog tags from the army, puts on his black suit with his red tie and is out the door ready for his first day as a teacher. As he gets closer and closer to the school he is looks out his window and sees that the neighborhood isn't so good. He sees gang members outside on the corner kids playing in the street when they are suppose to be in school, abandoned houses, and he sees that the streets are just full of trash. He arrives at the school in an orderly fashion, goes into his trunk and gets his briefcase and heads straight for the principal office to see what class he has to go through. When he is walking through the school he can see all kinds of people, Mexicans, blacks, white, Hispanics, Albanians, and Arabs. He is amused that the school looks clean and they have work up on the bulletin boards and that they have signs up about how drugs is bad and everything. When he walks into the principals office he addresses the secretary people for the school as sir and ma'am, army standards. As he walks in he realizes that the principal is a big white man who looks he doesn't give a dam.
As he is watching the principal talk on the phone with his wife, Harold then knocks politely. The principal recognizes him from the interview that they had from last month and invites him in nicely. When The principal asks him does he think he can handle the job, Harold replies with laughter. He calls him sir and starts to talk about how he been dealing with bad things during the war and that the little kids can't possibly be worse. The principal then responses with a joke by saying enter at your own will. After the principal tells Harold where is class is , Harold leaves. When he is walking to the class room its just him by himself in hall. Harold arrives at the classroom and opens the door.
As he enters the class he realizes something very unusual. He noticed that all the students were playing cards rapping to each other, and doing things that they aren't supposed to do. Coming from the army he was always taught that respect is number 1 and when the kids were acting like that in the class room that is what really ticked him off. Harold slammed his briefcase on to the desk. The whole class had got real quiet for about 2 minutes and then went back to what they were doing. Very loudly, Harold said his name. No response from the students. Harold then raised his voice a little louder and said his name. Still, no response from the students. That's when Harold exploded, he said his name so loud that that it made students in the hallway look in the window to see what was going on. That's last scream had got all of their attention. Harold then introduced him self and told the students that he would be there new teacher til further notice. He told the students that he wanted respect at all times no matter what the circumstances were and that he wanted to be addressed as Mr.Jones or Sir. Nothing else. They all just said yes and went back to what they were doing but not as much as when he first came to the class. That's when Harold just got fed up. he asked the kids if they thought it was right that they were playing card in a classroom that's suppose to be for learning. They once again stopped what they did and gave him their attention. One kid burst out and asked if he was trying to make a change by giving them all these instructions and demanding all their attention. Harold then started to explain what he was there for.
Harold explained to them that he was not trying to change them but instead trying to encourage them. He didn't really care if they had changed or not he just wanted them to see what it would be like to actually learn something and it was their decision on whether or not they wanted to follow through or not. Harold told them that if they were going to be loyal to him and trust him to teach them then they have to stick by their word, something he picked in the army, especially at his base and with his unit. Harold then told the students to raise their hand if they wanted to learn and 3/4's of the class raised their hand. He then told the rest of the class that he didn't care what they did as long as they didn't bother the kids who did wanted to learn. Harold made it loud and clear that if the students who wanted to learn were bothered by the kids who didn't want to learn then there would be some serious re precautions.
Throughout the past weeks Harold has been helping them with their reading and writing til everything went wrong in last couple of days.Day after day the classroom would get smaller and smaller til one day Harold showed up for school and realized something that made him really upset. When Harold walked into his room he noticed that there was only 10 people in his classroom when there are suppose to be 27. When he asked where everybody was, no answers. They had given up on school. Some kids got arrested, some had family and money problems, girls got pregnant, and some just couldn't do school no more and turned to drugs for money.
As Harold stood their in disbelief and shocked, one of the kids said to him that the classroom can't always fix what goes on in their outside lives. Harold stood there just looking at the kid. Harold then grabbed his coat, hat, and briefcase. As he started out the class room he started crying, and then looked at the boy and said your right, I was wrong. Then he told the remaining kids that he will see them tomorrow and closed the door slowly.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
HW 47 - Class Film Preparation
1. Have class only be made through online courses. Do you think that being able to have the class on the internt be an easier way to make kids do their work?
2. A teacher who takes their kids on feild trips based on school. Would the kids be more interested in what was going on.
3.A school who has little funding. Teachers don't really care about what students education? How would the kids act and how much would the kids be learning.
4.Teacher who talks to kids about surviving in this lifetime. Could kids understand that and have a better future.
5. Teacher who can't control his/her class and doesn't really know the material that she is teaching. How would the class react to her or how who the kids make it to the next grade. How would they survive the year.
6. Having class that is has students who live a had life and a miracle teacher comes and brings them all together and changes their life - like the freedom riders.
7. their is a girl teacher and a male teacher - How would this affect the learning of the students and how they ineract with the teachers.
2. A teacher who takes their kids on feild trips based on school. Would the kids be more interested in what was going on.
3.A school who has little funding. Teachers don't really care about what students education? How would the kids act and how much would the kids be learning.
4.Teacher who talks to kids about surviving in this lifetime. Could kids understand that and have a better future.
5. Teacher who can't control his/her class and doesn't really know the material that she is teaching. How would the class react to her or how who the kids make it to the next grade. How would they survive the year.
6. Having class that is has students who live a had life and a miracle teacher comes and brings them all together and changes their life - like the freedom riders.
7. their is a girl teacher and a male teacher - How would this affect the learning of the students and how they ineract with the teachers.
HW 46 - Research and Writing
What are my rights?: 95 questions and answers about teens and the law. Need I say more. My book is just an question and answer book bout the law. it has questions concerning about you and school, You and your family, you and your job, you and your body, growing up, crimes and punishment, you and other important rights, and so on and so fourth. If you have an question and you want need a answer this is a very reliable book to go to. There are no main arguments in this, this book is more like facts or references to particular situation in school, the law, etc. The main actions this book gives are what you can or cannot do, why you have to do this or that, and so on.
The topic that I chose was: Why is School mandatory? How does having rules and regulations in school affect the childs behaviour in school. This book is related to my book because it has the perfect questions to relate to my topic like one question that I am using for my topic is "Do I have to go to school? Questions like that is what makes this book connect with my topic. This book gives the perfect reasoning of why we have what we have in school and why school is mandatory. These questions showing their consequences in their answers show how kids act if they did have rules and regulations and no rules and regulations. Going to school is a regulation that you just have to follow, and if not , there will be consequences. Just like if you run a red light theirs consequences.
This book demostrates question and answers to why we need to go to school and how kids need to follow rules and regulations or else particular consequences. This is the perfect insight for my topic because I need reasons for my topic. The information in this book is giving me the perfect reaasons of WHY these school system is the way it is. When the book explains why We need rules and regulations and analyzes the the consequences it gives me a clear idea of how it could affect different kids behaviours. I also feel the insights they give on different parts of my topic is that they go deeper in what I want to find out. Like they give certain rules and consequences. Throughout the questions that they ask and the answers being given, are certain aspects that will deepen stretch through out my topic and argument and make it stronger.
The topic that I chose was: Why is School mandatory? How does having rules and regulations in school affect the childs behaviour in school. This book is related to my book because it has the perfect questions to relate to my topic like one question that I am using for my topic is "Do I have to go to school? Questions like that is what makes this book connect with my topic. This book gives the perfect reasoning of why we have what we have in school and why school is mandatory. These questions showing their consequences in their answers show how kids act if they did have rules and regulations and no rules and regulations. Going to school is a regulation that you just have to follow, and if not , there will be consequences. Just like if you run a red light theirs consequences.
This book demostrates question and answers to why we need to go to school and how kids need to follow rules and regulations or else particular consequences. This is the perfect insight for my topic because I need reasons for my topic. The information in this book is giving me the perfect reaasons of WHY these school system is the way it is. When the book explains why We need rules and regulations and analyzes the the consequences it gives me a clear idea of how it could affect different kids behaviours. I also feel the insights they give on different parts of my topic is that they go deeper in what I want to find out. Like they give certain rules and consequences. Throughout the questions that they ask and the answers being given, are certain aspects that will deepen stretch through out my topic and argument and make it stronger.
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