MAS

                Ok so overall this program was definitely helpful in creating an environment in which the Latino students could learn effectively.  It appealed to their culture and the teacher used material like Mexican White Boy by de la Pena, which is a story that is similar to the students’ lives.  By using material such as this it motivates the students to read more.  They have found that others have been through the same struggles as them which also tells them that they can succeed.  I have a few thoughts as to how this program can threaten some people.  Firstly, seeing as I think that the education system is designed to mold the next generation to the designs of the “controllers”, a program that encourages individuality and non-conformity while straying from the approved curriculum is threatening to the controllers.  By teaching the students about the roots of their ethnic origins it shows that they are different which in turn allows the students the opportunity to use critical analytical skills.  They do this by asking themselves: why am I different how does this affect me?  This kind of thinking is dangerous to those who desire conformity.

the comparison

                A comparison of Lewis black and mike rose with freire's thoughts as I think he would have.   Both Lewis black and mike rose have similar ideas.  Although Lewis black is a comedian, he still has some insightful thoughts about the education system.  One of which is media attention.  We all can agree that the American education system is skewed.  Even though we know this, there does not seem to be much media coverage on the matter.  Lewis Black’s clip about NBC’s 1 week out of 52 about education makes me think of Mike Rose’s #11 bullet.  Rose says “to have the media, middle brow and high brow, quit giving such a free pass to the claims and initiative of the department of education and school reformers” (Mike Rose 2).   The most interesting idea that they share is the correlation between the banking concept and rose’s #8 bullet.  Both of these ideas turn students and education into assets and numbers to be moved around in keeping with the interests of the school, not the students. 

                These ideas just reiterate what we have been learning the entire class.  The education system is broken.  There is no quick fix for it but one of the best things to do would be to remember that we are supposed to be educating our children and not competing in a numbers game.  I believe that Freire would agree because of his article on the banking concept of education in which he says basically the same thing I just did just more detailed.

the arts

               Although I am not a participant in the arts per se, I can definitely see the advantages of children being able to learn and enjoy them in a school environment.  I say per se because I am an avid reader of fantasy/science fiction.  I believe that I am the person I am today because of my early start in reading.  There are just so many lessons that are displayed in the books that have a real world impact.  When I think of the advantages to the arts the main one that I think of is individuality.  Art is a reflection of the artist.  Being able to express oneself through painting, dancing, or poetry helps children develop a more thorough understanding of themselves.  In addition to that it allows a bit of passion and release from the hum drum monotony of learning things like math and history.  This brings to mind the story of the girl everyone thought was unintelligent who turned out to be a fantastic dancer and made a successful career out of it.  How many Van Goghs or Mozarts are we removing from society by taking the opportunity to discover the passion that lies just under the surface away from the students?  

viva la revolucion

               I simply love reading literature like Against Education.  I am a revolutionist at heart and if I was not currently a member of the military I would most likely be out in the world championing one cause or another.  What Gatto has to tell us is profoundly convincing.  In fact I wrote a similar idea in one of the comments I left on a blog which was “I think that the few aka the aristocracy use the education system as the starting point for molding society in a way that benefits them the most so that they can remain in control”.  From that statement you can deduce that I agree with Gatto.  I especially agree with the part where he talks about conformity being one of the main goals of the education system as it would be a great benefit to the controllers.  It would also help prevent the rise of freethinkers because those people are looked at as crazy and are generally shunned by the rest of society for being different.  The section that talks about how students are chosen for a role in society based on certain criteria sounds just like the idea that we learned about in a video we watched, the name of which I cannot seem to recall, which to me lends credence to the claim.  This is not a novel idea; it is shared by at least two educational thinkers and probably many more.  I do not really disagree with anything that I read so that’s all folks.

writing essays argumentative style

               After reading WS sections 50 and 51, I have come to the conclusion that 200+ words are too much.  This can be done with a sentence.  Reading WS section 51 will help me write the third paper because it is a section on how to write an argumentative essay.  Now for the filler, an argumentative essay is probably my favorite form of writing.  I tend to get very opinionated about something if I think I am right and I will not rest until I have proven the issue.  WS gives me the tools necessary to write an effective essay.  Some of the suggestions are to make sure that the topic is an opinion and not a fact.  If it were a fact then there would be no argument, it’s already been proven.  Another suggestion is to have a thesis statement that is clear and to the point while avoiding posing a question.  That is important because the entirety of the essay hinges on that one statement so it needs to be a strong opinion that is supported by facts.  And the final one I think is important is that you must have a strong opinion of the topic.  If you do not then you argument will most likely be half fast and unconvincing.  Those are the little kernels of knowledge I gained from WS that I think will benefit me the most.

we need change

               Five things I would change about the education system.  The first would have to be getting rid of the tenure that teachers receive now a days.  The idea that a teacher is able to just sit around and, without outstanding service, receive a practically ironclad guarantee to keep their job is ridiculous. As it stands now all a teacher has to do is show up for work for a period of 3 years and not do anything wrong.  After that they receive tenure which really just means that it is really tedious and expensive to fire a teacher. This creates a sense of complacency that allows the teacher to slack off to the detriment of the students.  There are positives to the idea however in that if a teacher is really stellar but for some reason an administrator has a personal vendetta against them it would help provide a sense of security.  This brings me to my next point.  I am not 100% on how they do it now but I would ensure an adequate evaluation system was in place to make sure the teachers are teaching effectively.  The third thing would be to have a more flexible curriculum.  If the topic is pertinent to the subject and is more effective than what is supposed to be taught then I say teach it.  I would also make sure that all the arts and other creative classes are funded and available.  The final thing I would implement is a system that would make new teachers basically follow another teacher for a year in what we navy folk call an under instruction. This would allow the new teacher to get a feel for the job and the tools that they can use.  Hopefully my changes would make the education system more effective.

emotions.......

               I will admit that I am a little hesitant to voice my opinions on this matter as I have never done yoga so I do not know of its effects and the rest of it seems like something someone that consistently has panic/anxiety attacks would benefit from.  I can, however, see the benefit of reflection before action, as that is the way I am and I have seen the side effects that instant reaction without contemplation can bring.  Using the turtle method that was discussed in the article definitely seems like it would be a benefit to young children so I think that would be useful in schools.  Teachers learning empathy is another example that would go a long way in the interpersonal relationship between them and the students which would enable a more thorough transfer of knowledge.  As for the rest such as learning compassion and understanding can only go so far until it reminds me of the over coddling that Tough was talking about.  I think that it should really be used on a case by case basis.  Does Boyce think that a struggling student should be treated leniently because of adversity?  It seems to me that his ideas turn teachers into therapists which could make the students care more about their feelings and the feelings of others than their own success.  Sometimes the results are more important than someone’s feelings.

gift of grit

               Tough says that grit is one of the key factors in determining success in life and I would have to agree.  If a person is coddled too much in life then when they face adversity without support they will fail because they do not have a sense of self reliance.  It is just like learning how to walk.  At first you learn to walk by bracing yourself on a table or wall.  Then you start to walk without support and eventually you fall down.  The fact that you fall down does not dissuade you though, you just learn not to overbalance yourself.  Eventually you are able to walk without falling down and you soon discover you can run.  Theoretically the kids at KIPP have been walking without support and falling down constantly without learning the basics that the use of support gives. The ones at Riverdale have been walking with support and never falling.  Neither of them will learn to run which is the equivalent of success in life.  In my opinion too much adversity breeds fear of failure while too little breeds overconfidence.  That is why it is important to develop a good rounded character that is confident enough but does not fear failure. 

handlin our bidness

               OK so I would just like to preface this with my opinion that this is a ridiculous reason for educational reform.  If someone is unable to speak proper English then they should be taught how.  Maybe I am not seeing the whole picture but I am fairly certain that an individual applying for a job at some large corporation would get turned down soon after they said anything along the lines of “handlin our bidness”.  Sure I agree that just because someone speaks like that does not mean that they are unintelligent but it is still unprofessional and I would rather see them educated in the proper use of English.

               Now that I have said my piece we can move on to the real blog entry about Smitherman.  Her account seems fairly straight forward; she had a problem with the perceived language barrier which she eventually overcame.  Once she had accomplished that she decided that she wanted to ensure no one else would have to go through the same issue.  First step was obtaining her teaching certificate and attempting to teach the kids that it was ok.  While she may have saved a few in this manner it did not have nearly the impact necessary for real change.  What she needed was more authority.  For that she joined a couple of educational committees which enabled her to more effectively bring about the changes she thought were necessary such as the end of the oppressive speech tests and the introduction of African American literature.  When Smitherman said “Few, if any, teachers now subscribe to the 1960”s Bereiter-Engelmann doctrine of Black English as evidence of the cognitive deficiency and genetic inferiority of Blacks”, I knew for sure that her educational reforms had a positive effect. 

               As she says though this does not mean that the problem is fixed and we should continue to advocate for linguistic diversity.  This story is very similar to the movie.  There is a problem with the education system which a few have recognized and sought to fix.  They are only going to be able to do this if they put themselves in a position in which the changes can be brought about.  Just talking about it doesn’t really help especially if you have to positional authority.  That is what is shown in the movie, whether it was Mrs. Rhee or Jeff, they both put themselves in a position that enabled them to fix the problem.

the final draft

The sign of a great teacher is the effects that they have on a student’s life.  Sure they can teach them all about math and science, history and politics, all of which are useful for getting into college, but what is the real value of that knowledge. Anyone could stand in front of some students and shove knowledge down their intellectual throats, the greatest teachers however play a vital role in their lives beyond that.  The most important role a teacher could play is that of a liberator.  To illustrate this point let me tell you of two teachers that I think exemplify this role, Mr. Escalante and Mr. Keeting.

Before we get into the effect that Mr. Escalante and Mr. Keeting had on their students, let’s talk about what a liberator is.  This is a very fluid role that can take many different paths.  The main goal however is to break the societal controls on students and imbue creativity and desire.  Let’s face it, our entire country, not just the education system, is ran by the few.  They have created a system in which men and women are, as Freire says, “adaptable, manageable beings” (1).   The education system is where the molding begins.  Freire, an influential theorist of critical pedagogy, believes that the system is set up in such a way that “the more students work at storing the deposits entrusted to them, the less they develop the critical consciousness that would result from their intervention in the world” (1).  This statement is referring to the banking method of teaching that Freire espouses, in which students memorize the knowledge without understanding it.  Freire, as well as the other two teachers, could be considered a liberator because they all wish to break the students away from the chains of societal expectations and show them that they are capable of thinking for themselves (i.e. they liberate them).

            When I first saw Mr. Escalante it was as he drove to his new job at Garfield High school.  The neighborhood he drove through was seedy, broken down, and graffiti was abundant.  The school was a reflection of the neighborhood with a little bit of theft and fecal matter thrown in.  The staff were worried about losing their accreditation due to funding issues.  The students looked like a group of delinquents and did nothing to dissuade this fact as they were quite unruly and disrespectful.  Mr. Escalante was not swayed by their behavior and answered in kind by insulting the tough kids who subsequently left. 

            The next day Mr. Escalante showed up in what appeared to be butchers attire with some apples which he used to teach the kids about fractions.  This unorthodox method was the start of Mr. Escalante’s role as a liberator.  In fact he tells them that “There will be no free rides, no excuses. You already have two strikes against you: your name and your complexion” (2).  I believe this is where he laid the foundation by telling them where they stood and where he wanted to take them. Of course it didn’t help that the rest of the faculty agreed with that outlook which was demonstrated by a conversation Mr. Escalante had with another teacher in which he told him “It's not that they're stupid, it's just that they don't know anything, Senor Molina” (2). 

            Mr. Escalante may have started with fractions but that’s not where it ends.  He eventually gets the students up to the level of calculus.  He was able to do this because he gave the kids what he called “Ganas” which is basically desire. He took them all to some sort of scientific research company and he even intervened in their private lives when they strayed which all led up to them being able to take the AP calculus test.  “Students will rise to the level of expectations” (2), that is what Mr. Escalante said and that is exactly the reason I think of him as a liberator. Those students would have been stuck in the almost caste like status that society had put them in if not for Mr. Escalante liberating them from it.

            Mr. Keeting is even more of a liberator than Mr. Escalante was.  His tale is one that is purely about rebelling from the social expectations that are placed on certain portions of society.  Unlike Garfield high school, Weston Prep is a school for the privileged few.  It is an all male school with high levels of expectations.  Almost all of the students that attend the school are basically leading the lives that their parents want for them.  They show us the desire to do something else but the control that their parents have is too much to even consider not doing as told.  Mr. Keeting changed all that.

            He started out small by taking the class out of the classroom, which by the looks of the students is simply unheard of.  He took them to a trophy room with pictures of past students and proceeded to tell the current students that life will one day end.  He then started to dramatically whisper carpe diem, carpe diem, seize the day boys.  This is the beginning of a journey of epic proportions. 

            Soon after that scene Mr. Keeting demonstrated what he stands for by simply standing on his desk.  Following which he invited his students to do the same and said “Thank you for playing Mr. Dalton. I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way” (3).  This statement is the defining words of Mr. Keeting’s message. The action to match those words however is not standing on a desk. The action takes place in the courtyard where he tells his students to march to the sound of their own drum. No matter what others may think.

            Similar to Mr. Escalante’s experience, the faculty at Weston Prep is not exactly in line with Mr. Keeting’s views.  After Mr. Keeting told his students to rip out the intro to a book of poetry, which reduces poetry to impassionate math by the way, the headmaster displayed displeasure in the direction of Mr. Keeting’s teaching.  He responded to a conversation with the headmaster with “We're not talking artists, George, we're talking freethinkers” (3).

            The most important message that Mr. Keeting gives to his students is “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! Break out now is the time!” (3). in the end Mr. Keeting succeeds in liberating some of his students and was fired for it.  What he did for those students will remain with them for their entire lives though so it was worth it.

            The role of a liberator is the most important role a teacher could have.  In every society there are certain portions of society that have more control over the way things are run than others.  These people like what they have set up and do not want it to be taken away.  To ensure that it cannot happen they have established a society where conformity is to be applauded.  College, high paying job, big house with a white picket fence and all the other things that we are taught to desire are the ways in which we are controlled.  A teacher with the ability to liberate their students instill in them creativity and individualism so that they can make their own choices.  That is why they are so important.

 Works cited:

1.  Freire, Paolo.  Pedogogy of the Oppressed. City: Continuum, 1970. Print.

2.    Stand and Deliver. Dir. Ramon Menendez. Perf. Edward James Olmos, Estelle Harris. American Playhouse, 1988. DVD.

3.     Dead Poets Society. Dir. Peter Weir. Perf. Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke. Touchstone Pictures, 1989. DVD.

the begginings of a rough draft.

The sign of a great teacher is the effects that they have on a student’s life.  Sure they can teach them all about math and science, history and politics (which are all useful for getting into college), but what is the real value of that knowledge. Anyone could stand in front of some students and shove knowledge down their intellectual throats, the greatest teachers however play a vital role in thier lives beyond that.  The most important role a teacher could play is that of a liberator.  To illustrate this point let me tell you of two teachers that I think exemplify this role, Mr. Escalante and Mr. Keeting.

Before we get into the effect that Mr. Escalante and Mr. Keeting had on their students, let’s talk about what a liberator is.  This is a very fluid role that can take many different paths.  The main goal however is to break the societal controls on students and imbue creativity and desire.  Let’s face it, our entire country, not just the education system, is ran by the few.  They have created a system in which men and women are, as Freire says, “adaptable, manageable beings.”   The education system is where the molding begins.  Freire, an influential theorist of critical pedagogy, believes that the system is set up in such a way that “the more students work at storing the deposits entrusted to them, the less they develop the critical consciousness that would result from their intervention in the world” (1).  This statement is referring to the banking method of teaching that Freire espouses, in which students memorize the knowledge without understanding it.  Freire, as well as the other two teachers, could be considered a liberator because they all wish to break the students away from the chains of societal expectations and show them that they are capable of thinking for themselves (i.e. they liberate them).

            When I first saw Mr. Escalante it was as he drove to his new job at Garfield Highschool.  The neichorhood he drove through was seedy, broken down, and graffiti was abundant.  The school was a reflection of the neighborhood with a little bit of theft and fecal matter thrown in.  the staff were worried about losing their accredidation due to funding issues.  The students looked like a group of dilinquents and did nothing to dissuade this fact as they were quite unruly and disrespectful.  Mr. Escalante was not swayed by their behavior and answered in kind by insulting the tough kids who subsequently left. 

            The next day Mr. Escalante showed up in what appeared to be butchers attire with some apples which he used to teach the kids about fractions.  This unorthodox method was the start of Mr. Escalante’s role as a liberator.  In fact he tells them that “There will be no free rides, no excuses. You already have two strikes against you: your name and your complexion”.  I believe this is where he layed the foundation by telling them where they stood and where he wanted to take them. of course it didn’t help that the rest of the faculty agreed with that outlook which was demonstrated by a conversation Mr. Escalante had with another teacher in which he told him “It's not that they're stupid, it's just that they don't know anything, Senor Molina”. 

            Mr. Escalante may have started with fractions but that’s not where it ends.  He eventually gets the students up to the level of calculus.  He was able to do this because he  gave the kids what he called “Ganas” which is basically desire. He took them all to some sort of scientific research company and he even intervened in their private lives when they strayed which all led up to them being able to take the AP calculus test.  “students will rise to the level of expectations”, That is what Mr. Escalante said and that is exactly the reason I think of him as a liborator. Those students would have been stuck in the almost caste like status that society had put them in if not for Mr. Escalante liberating them from it.

            Mr. Keeting is even more of a liberator than Mr. Escalante was.  His tale is one that is purely about rebelling from the social expectations that are placed on certain portions of society.  unlike garfeild highschool,  Weston Prep (?) is a school for the privaliged few.  It is an all male school with high levels of expectations.  Almost all of the students that attend the school are basically leading the lives that their parents want for them.  they show us the desire to do something else but the control that their parents have is too much to even consider not doing as told.  Mr. Keeting changed all that.

            He started out small by taking the class out of the classroom, which by the looks of the students is simply unheard of.  He took them to a trophy room with pictures of past students and proceeded to tell the current students that life will one day end.  He then started to dramatically whisper carpe diem, carpe diem, sieze the day boys.  This is the beginning of a journey of epic proportions. 

            Soon after that scene Mr. Keeting demonstrated what he stands for by simply standing on his desk.  Following which he invited his students to do the same and said “Thank you for playing Mr. Dalton. I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way”.  This statement is the defining words of Mr. Keeting’s messege. The action to match those words however is not standing on a desk. The action takes place in the courtyard where he tells his students to march to the sound of their own drum. No matter what others may think.

            Similar to Mr. Escalante’s experience, the faculty at Weston Prep is not exactly in line with Mr. Keeting’s views.  After Mr. Keeting told his students to rip out the intro to a book of poetry, which reduces poetry to impassionate math by the way, the headmaster displayed displeasure in the direction of Mr keeting’s teaching.  He responded to a conversation with the headmaster with “We're not talking artists, George, we're talking freethinkers”.

              

Mr. K does it like this

here are the quotes that i might use

Mr. E to his students.  

Mr. E to Students will rise to the level of expectations.

It's not that they're stupid, it's just that they don't know anything, Senor Molina

Keating:

We're not talking artists, George, we're talking freethinkers

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! break out now is the time!

Freire's thoughts as interpreted by me

           

  Ok so now that I have managed to climb my way out of Freire’s “the Banking Concept of Teaching”, I will attempt to wrap my mind around his thoughts and tell you how he would feel about standardized testing.  He would feel very bad about it.  The end, thank you so very much….. Just kidding.  Really though, he would most likely be enraged by the idea of standardized testing.  It is just another example of how the oppressors are further controlling their profitable society.  I see it as a tool that is used to prevent the students from questioning the role of education.  Freire explains the current form of education as serving "the interests of the oppressors, who care neither to have the world revealed nor to see it transformed."  It does this by clumping all the students into one collective group.  This also makes them think that they are dependent upon the knowledge imparted by the teachers, thus furthering the memorization and regurgitation that Freire speaks of. This is where the banking concept comes in.  As Freire says "It turns them into "containers", into "receptacles" to be "filled" by the teacher." That is the deposit part of the equation.  The withdrawal part, as I see it, would be the standardized testing.  Also it implies that since it is on the test that everyone has to take then it must be true simply because it is on the test.  That fact is indicated by Freire’s statement of “the teacher knows everything and the students know nothing.”  Seeing as standardized testing seems to be the tip of the iceberg that is the banking method of teaching, I can say with confidence that Freire would not approve of this method.

a paragraph with a thesis

               The sign of a great teacher is the effects that they have on a student’s life.  Sure they can teach them all about math and science, history and politics (which are all useful for getting into college), but what is the real value of that knowledge. Anyone could stand in front of some students and shove knowledge down their intellectual throats, the greatest teachers however play a vital role in thier lives beyond that.  The most important role a teacher could play is that of a liberator.  To illustrate this point let me tell you of two teachers that I think exemplify this role, Mr. Escalante and Mr. Keeting. The greatest teachers however play a vital role in their lives beyond that.  The most important role a teacher could play is that of a liberator.  To illustrate this point let me tell you of two teachers that I think exemplify this role, Mr. Escalante and Mr. Keeting.

The thesis is that “the most important role a teacher could play is that of a liberator”.

the diffferences

Mr. Escalante and Mr. Keating share a lot of similarities. Enough that in practice their teaching styles are almost the same, there are some very distinct differences however, which set them apart as teachers.  The similarities are in the teacher styles.  They are both very adaptable and are able and willing to go outside the approved curriculum in order to garner the understanding of the students.  For example, Mr. Escalante often used potentially inappropriate analogies to put the problem into a form that the students can understand.  Such as the problem that involved jiggalos and the one abbot girlfriends.  Mr. Keating had them tear out the intro of the approved book, stand on his desk, and play kickball while reciting poetry.  These methods are reflections of the passion that both teachers possess.  The differences can be summed up in the end game of the teachers' reasons for teaching, Mr. Escalante wants to enable his students to be able to join the rest of society, Mr. Keating on the other hand wants his students to be able to break away from the university life style that Mr. Escalante wants his to join.  Mr. Keating wants his students to be able to think for themselves instead of conforming.  So in practice they are similar but teachers but their goals are different.

the schools

The two schools that were depicted in the movies are about as similar as a fortune 500 company and a mom and pop shop.  In fact that analogy is quite apt, seeing as the main difference that I see between the schools is their economic status.  Every other difference that I can think of has its roots in the economic disparity.  The first of which is the type of students.  In stand and deliver the students live in a neighborhood that is full of poverty, gangs and  a  lack of community, this environment produces students that simply do not care about the future because society expects them to stay in their places and not excel.  Dead poet’s society on the other hand evinces a part of society that is expected to excel.  These students come from families that are well off and must exude control and excellence.  Accordingly the school they go to is private and has a much higher level curriculum.  The students are pushed to excel and they are raised with the mindset that failure is not an option.  All the differences that I have given you share the same roots; the economic level of the students and their family/community.