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.