The incident involving Souleymane was disappointing and it seemed to be very unfair the way he was being treated. I would hold the teacher responsible for what was done, but it was also other students who were involved in the event. Mr. Marin, Esmeralda and Louise were the three characters that caused Souleyman to get expelled. Because Esmeralda and Louise were the class representatives, it was partly their fault for making the poor decision of letting some students in the class know about what the teachers had said about them. Later on in class, Mr Marin seems to make the situation a huge deal, when he could have gave Souleyman some time to relax and talk the situation over with him after class when no one else was around. I guess these 14-15 year olds are partly responsible for their own choices, but Mr. Marin is part of making these choices as well, so it’s not only on the shoulders of these young kids.
This also causes Mr. Marin to be held responsible for trying to “solve” the problems for his class. He was the one who made the decision to call the hearing regarding Souleyman. Yet when the event was taking place in class, he was trying to stop Souleyman from having a temper tantrum; he was doing what a teacher is supposed to do. I would say that this is more of a systematic issue since this event was caused by the way the school is run. Because of the class reps sitting in on the meeting the teachers had, it caused the information to leak through the students which caused Souleyman to get mad. It was the choices of the individuals and the system itself that caused the outcome at the end. I feel that it isn’t appropriate to have students sitting in on teacher meetings when they are discussing confidential information regarding their students/classmates.
A question that I had in mind when watching the scene where Esmeralda and Louise were sitting in on the meeting was who choose these two girls to be the class representatives? Because throughout this whole scene these two girls were laughing and seemed to be enjoying the situation. There was no real point of them being there because they weren’t including their opinions or taking the event seriously. If these two students had not sat in on this meeting, Souleyman wouldn’t have been expelled and this situation wouldn’t have happened because nobody would have known what was being discussed at the time. Obviously after watching this, it can be seen that the class representative system doesn’t work out for these students because all it did was cause many problems for others. It caused Mr. Marin to call the two class reps “skanks” which caused him to be in a bad position as well in the hearing, it also caused a student to be expelled. The idea of having class reps does not seem to work in Mr. Marin’s class at all.
By viewing the decision of the class representatives, it can be seen that they weren’t trained well enough to be playing such a huge role. They do not at all show that they are serious about having this job. They are not mature enough, and this is partly the systems fault of having such students take part in such a role. This shows that they have poor discipline because of their actions. Throughout the whole film there are many students that don’t seem to follow what the teacher wants them to do. There is no higher authority, they are all at the same level. If the teacher wants a student to do something, they start to complain and don’t follow any of the instructions given. For example, at one scene a student named Khoumba is called on to read a part from a reading (Anne Frank?) and she refuses to do so. She starts to say that she doesn’t want to read because the teacher could have called on anyone else. This shows that there is no respect at all for the teacher. They are all attaining the same level and there is no higher figure; they do not want to be told what to do by anyone else. All these students should be given more discipline so they can be aware of what type of role they are supposed to play in class. They need to know that they are in a school environment, where they are told what to do, not the other way around.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Hwk 48
It will be the first day of school soon and a fourteen year old boy Casious is more then ready. He arrives to school with all his new materials and stands outside to take a look., he thinks to himself that this is where I will be going to school for the next four years. He says to himself. He finally arrives to first period class and sits in the seat with his name card on it. Students start to walk in, and take seats at their assigned desks. The room consists of desks in rows with a board in the front. There is a bulletin board with a huge map of the world. It is 9:00 and the teacher still hasn’t walked in to class yet. All the students are seated facing the front, and the doorknob turns. The vice principal walks in to inform the students that their teacher, Mr Lin will be late because he had an emergency to attend. It is a half hour later and the teacher still hasn’t arrived from this emergency. The bell rings and Casious is off to his next class.
The next day Casious walks in to his history class after lunch and he sees a young man sitting in front of the classroom at his desk writing away on a notepad. He stands up and Casious notes that he is very short, maybe 5'1. He seems to be very nervous while he writes on the board and his handshakes. All the other students start to come back from lunch and as they walk in notice the short Asian man who is in the front of the room. Two of the boys, Kyle and Victor start to eye each other and start to smirk. They all start to get really loud and act very tough to get his attention, but he still continues to write on the board. After a few minutes pass everyone is in the classroom is seated; Kyle and Victor aren’t seated in their assigned seats. The teacher turns around after finishing writing on the board.
He eyes all the students and adjusts his glasses on his face, he tells everyone to get up. At that instant the Victor and Kyle look at each other wide eyed. The teacher has no accent and has a very deep voice. This does not hold them back from what they do next. Everybody else in the class is standing by their desk while the two boys Kyle and Victor stay seated. The teacher glances over at them and tells them that they should stand up and they shouldn’t expect him to repeat himself next time. The two boys still stay seated and Victor starts to question the teacher. The teacher ignores his questions and walks back to his desk. All the students have their eyes on the teacher excited to see what happens next.
Mr. Lin is written on the board in cursive with a few other sentences stating where he is from and his goal for this year. He says what he has written on the board and instructs the students to form a circle and do the same method of introduction. Casious eyes the two boys who are still seated, and so do a couple other students. At this point they start to look foolish and immature. Everybody else is prepared for what is to come at them. They will probably be the kids that will be receiving the bad grades anyways, so why bother caring for them.
After everybody has introduced them self in front of the class, Mr. Lin turns to the two boys seated in the middle. He asks them if they would like to introduce themselves, they stand up and start to speak mumbling their words. They seem to be very nervous, they were not expecting this to happen. They had planned on taking over the class and making funny jokes about the teacher. Finally the bell rings and Mr. Lin dismisses his students. Everybody leaves their class one by one to go to their next class. Kyle and Victor are the first ones out, almost running as if they are desperate to get to their next class. Casious is behind them and overhears what they have to say about the teacher. He figures that they would have to be serious after all about what they do in class, and that is the behavior he sees the next day in class. They are like the rest of the students that pay attention in class. Everybody has seemed to forgotten what had happened the day before.
The next day Casious walks in to his history class after lunch and he sees a young man sitting in front of the classroom at his desk writing away on a notepad. He stands up and Casious notes that he is very short, maybe 5'1. He seems to be very nervous while he writes on the board and his handshakes. All the other students start to come back from lunch and as they walk in notice the short Asian man who is in the front of the room. Two of the boys, Kyle and Victor start to eye each other and start to smirk. They all start to get really loud and act very tough to get his attention, but he still continues to write on the board. After a few minutes pass everyone is in the classroom is seated; Kyle and Victor aren’t seated in their assigned seats. The teacher turns around after finishing writing on the board.
He eyes all the students and adjusts his glasses on his face, he tells everyone to get up. At that instant the Victor and Kyle look at each other wide eyed. The teacher has no accent and has a very deep voice. This does not hold them back from what they do next. Everybody else in the class is standing by their desk while the two boys Kyle and Victor stay seated. The teacher glances over at them and tells them that they should stand up and they shouldn’t expect him to repeat himself next time. The two boys still stay seated and Victor starts to question the teacher. The teacher ignores his questions and walks back to his desk. All the students have their eyes on the teacher excited to see what happens next.
Mr. Lin is written on the board in cursive with a few other sentences stating where he is from and his goal for this year. He says what he has written on the board and instructs the students to form a circle and do the same method of introduction. Casious eyes the two boys who are still seated, and so do a couple other students. At this point they start to look foolish and immature. Everybody else is prepared for what is to come at them. They will probably be the kids that will be receiving the bad grades anyways, so why bother caring for them.
After everybody has introduced them self in front of the class, Mr. Lin turns to the two boys seated in the middle. He asks them if they would like to introduce themselves, they stand up and start to speak mumbling their words. They seem to be very nervous, they were not expecting this to happen. They had planned on taking over the class and making funny jokes about the teacher. Finally the bell rings and Mr. Lin dismisses his students. Everybody leaves their class one by one to go to their next class. Kyle and Victor are the first ones out, almost running as if they are desperate to get to their next class. Casious is behind them and overhears what they have to say about the teacher. He figures that they would have to be serious after all about what they do in class, and that is the behavior he sees the next day in class. They are like the rest of the students that pay attention in class. Everybody has seemed to forgotten what had happened the day before.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Hwk 47
1. The principal isn’t seen as an adult figure, instead seen and treated as a student. He is the principal, but plays the student role. How will this have an affect on the way students are in school? The students will probably take advantage of such a opportunity but later on get bored?***
2. The teacher is very lazy and has no curriculum planned, students decide to create a curriculum because they are finally bored of doing nothing. The students take turns in teaching the class or select a person who is in charge of teaching and creating a curriculum. Perhaps a vote?***
3. Having the class in a different environment with a class setting, like the roof? How will the atmosphere have an affect on a students learning? Will students tend to do better stuck inside school, or with a slight breeze outside?***
4. The teacher decides to quit his/her job at school without notifying the students. (reaction from students). Will the students actually give a damn about their teacher and care that he left? Will they have questions or would they go about doing nothing?
5. Teacher builds a relationship with each student to get them back on track. (Dangerous Minds) Does having a one to one relationship actually help the child do better and engage in school? We should show different alternatives to such a situation.
6. Having a really attractive teacher and see how the students get distracted. (Are they really learning anything?)
7. The teacher has no rules or expectations from students. He doesn’t have any care for his students at all. He just sits behind his desk with his legs up on the table reading his daily newspaper. Then some kids go up to him and demand him to teach. What will be his reaction?***
8. Having students sit in same gender classrooms and being taught separately. Will this cause less distractions and have a positive outcome?
9. School is taking place in the night time. How will this affect the students learning when classes take place in a different time of day? Preparing ourself for college...
10. There is no principal or administrative figure, everybody relies on the teacher; he/she is the boss. Will this actually work, or will the students take advantage of such a situation?***
11. The student’s behavior in different classes. (Andy vs. Copeland/ Kinory vs. Manley?)
2. The teacher is very lazy and has no curriculum planned, students decide to create a curriculum because they are finally bored of doing nothing. The students take turns in teaching the class or select a person who is in charge of teaching and creating a curriculum. Perhaps a vote?***
3. Having the class in a different environment with a class setting, like the roof? How will the atmosphere have an affect on a students learning? Will students tend to do better stuck inside school, or with a slight breeze outside?***
4. The teacher decides to quit his/her job at school without notifying the students. (reaction from students). Will the students actually give a damn about their teacher and care that he left? Will they have questions or would they go about doing nothing?
5. Teacher builds a relationship with each student to get them back on track. (Dangerous Minds) Does having a one to one relationship actually help the child do better and engage in school? We should show different alternatives to such a situation.
6. Having a really attractive teacher and see how the students get distracted. (Are they really learning anything?)
7. The teacher has no rules or expectations from students. He doesn’t have any care for his students at all. He just sits behind his desk with his legs up on the table reading his daily newspaper. Then some kids go up to him and demand him to teach. What will be his reaction?***
8. Having students sit in same gender classrooms and being taught separately. Will this cause less distractions and have a positive outcome?
9. School is taking place in the night time. How will this affect the students learning when classes take place in a different time of day? Preparing ourself for college...
10. There is no principal or administrative figure, everybody relies on the teacher; he/she is the boss. Will this actually work, or will the students take advantage of such a situation?***
11. The student’s behavior in different classes. (Andy vs. Copeland/ Kinory vs. Manley?)
Hwk 46
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier is about a boy named Jerry Renault who attends an all boy’s school. As a freshman in Trinity High School, he faces the Vigils. The Vigils are a school gang lead by Archie Costello who gives out “assignments” to other boys in the school, which tends to mess with the victims mind in a psychological manner. Jerry is called out on an assignment by refusing to sell chocolates in the yearly school chocolate sale. Later on, the Vigils call Jerry back and offer to put an end to his “assignment” but he refuses in doing so. This causes most of the other boys attending the school to do the same and there are not many sales being made. The school gang then makes Jerry feel left out of the social circle which causes the sales to go up again. But this causes no change of Jerry’s refusal towards the chocolate sales; this is why the Vigils decide to make his life terrible. They are messing around with his locker, getting rid of his homework, making phone calls to his house and at last decide to beat him up. Later on another fight goes off between Jerry and Emile; Jerry ends up with many injuries and in no hope of a future.
My topic is: How do alpha males and females in school shape up the school environment for others? In The Chocolate War, Jerry is an innocent freshman who wants to make the school football team and be known as something. Even though the leader of the Vigils is aware of Jerry’s tough life he decides to give this cruel assignment to Jerry. Because the Vigils are obviously the “leaders” of all the other boys in school, they are always given respect. At first Jerry decides to accept the assignment and follows all the rules given, but he later on decides to do what he feels comfortable doing. He doesn’t care what the Vigils have to say, because he doesn’t want them to be in charge of his life in school. The alpha males in this story are shaping up how things are run in school; these are the guys that are in control of the chocolate sale and control the school life of other guys in Trinity. In my own experience it seems that whatever the alpha figure decides to do, is suddenly fine with all the others surrounding them. If someone decides to disrupt class, they usually gain more confidence by the respect of others or the appreciation of others. If someone decides to take a leading role, they cannot be brought down, when they are able to gain much confidence they are able to rule over others. And when they take this position, a strong force is needed to bring them back down.
Because the Vigils are in charge of all the “assignments” and the annual chocolate sale in school, all the other boys in Trinity are supposed to do what they are ordered to do by the school gang. This is how the way things are at Trinity, and this is the same concept shown in different forms in other schools as well. The lead role of the male sets an example and is allowed to boss others around because he is in charge and the others accept that. This is why Jerry does not shut down on the command from the Vigils. He knew that it was something he had to do but had no choice. Later on he doesn’t follow instructions given to him by the Vigils, and he suffers from this decision. Even though he gets tortured by doing so, he doesn’t change his mind and the story ends with him injured. When the victim tries to stand up for himself, the alpha role is still much powerful than the victim. He or she can turn all the others against him/her. Because Jerry does not cope with Archie and his demands, his school life is turned into a very bad image. Which ever way the victim decides to deal with the problem, it leads him to a new set of problems; Jerry either had to follow orders from the Vigils or get tortured when not doing so. The alpha role in school is in charge of sketching out the victim’s school life.
My topic is: How do alpha males and females in school shape up the school environment for others? In The Chocolate War, Jerry is an innocent freshman who wants to make the school football team and be known as something. Even though the leader of the Vigils is aware of Jerry’s tough life he decides to give this cruel assignment to Jerry. Because the Vigils are obviously the “leaders” of all the other boys in school, they are always given respect. At first Jerry decides to accept the assignment and follows all the rules given, but he later on decides to do what he feels comfortable doing. He doesn’t care what the Vigils have to say, because he doesn’t want them to be in charge of his life in school. The alpha males in this story are shaping up how things are run in school; these are the guys that are in control of the chocolate sale and control the school life of other guys in Trinity. In my own experience it seems that whatever the alpha figure decides to do, is suddenly fine with all the others surrounding them. If someone decides to disrupt class, they usually gain more confidence by the respect of others or the appreciation of others. If someone decides to take a leading role, they cannot be brought down, when they are able to gain much confidence they are able to rule over others. And when they take this position, a strong force is needed to bring them back down.
Because the Vigils are in charge of all the “assignments” and the annual chocolate sale in school, all the other boys in Trinity are supposed to do what they are ordered to do by the school gang. This is how the way things are at Trinity, and this is the same concept shown in different forms in other schools as well. The lead role of the male sets an example and is allowed to boss others around because he is in charge and the others accept that. This is why Jerry does not shut down on the command from the Vigils. He knew that it was something he had to do but had no choice. Later on he doesn’t follow instructions given to him by the Vigils, and he suffers from this decision. Even though he gets tortured by doing so, he doesn’t change his mind and the story ends with him injured. When the victim tries to stand up for himself, the alpha role is still much powerful than the victim. He or she can turn all the others against him/her. Because Jerry does not cope with Archie and his demands, his school life is turned into a very bad image. Which ever way the victim decides to deal with the problem, it leads him to a new set of problems; Jerry either had to follow orders from the Vigils or get tortured when not doing so. The alpha role in school is in charge of sketching out the victim’s school life.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Hwk 45
Both, Hirsch and Sizer both have different arguments about how students should be educated. Hirsch believes in knowing background knowledge helps one understand things. For example what is being discussed at the time, will help the individual become a better reader. He believes that the role of school is to teach you content that will be used to help you out in college level literature. In his view, students should take tests so knowledge can be determined from the individual: "tests are far fairer than more subjective means of assessing student performance." Basic knowledge in his eyes helps the individual connect to cultural literacy; this is what the individual will need when trying to make sense of the dominant culture.
Sizer in the other hand has a very different approach when compared to Hirsch. He believes in using the Habits of Mind and trying to approach a certain situation deeply by using the Habits of Mind. He likes the idea of education being much focused into one topic, so the student can gain all the insights and all there is to learn about that one topic. He wants to get students to find one thing they care about, and put it under the microscope. His goal is for them to be taught what they care deeply about; there is no list of things to know.
I believe that Hirsch and Sizer make good views on how students should receive their education. I agree with both of them when it comes to my personal schooling experience. I have been going to SOF since sixth grade and the Habits of Mind have been used a lot throughout my middle school year. We still use them to this day, but we have adapted into using it without realizing that we are. Since sixth grade I have been pushed to use the Habits of Mind that are looked upon deeply in our school: significance, evidence, alternatives, point of view and connections. Even though all of us have been using them since elementary school, we weren’t notified about how much it can enhance our education everyday. Sizer wants young individuals to "explore a single subject for several months and then present an ''exhibition'' of their work to demonstrate what they've learned"(Mosle) Because School of The Future is based on Sizer’s view on education, I was able to view certain topics in a rich and deep thought out curriculum, instead of glancing at it and learning new material by maintaining my basic knowledge. I feel like attending Sizer’s school, I have experienced part of my education by deepening my mind and focusing on material for longer periods of time.
From what I can remember, most of my education, at least from Middle school has been based off of Sizer’s views. Although, there are always times where Hirsch’s idea is involved as well. For example: molarity, ions and the periodic table do create an emphasis on our knowledge. But this knowledge later on gets lost, yes many of us will frantically be memorizing these notes before a big test, but will we be able to remember this a year from now? I agree that with basic knowledge you will indeed become a better reader, because the more knowledge you have the better you will understand the material being read. Reading will also determine how well we will do in our near future, take college for example. It’s a big part of our lives and should be incorporated into our curriculum a bit more. At times I feel like students from other schools have more basic knowledge compared to me; this may be the outcome of going to a Sizer school. Then again, Hirsch only focuses on literature, what about the math and science curriculums? Will students need to read off of math or science textbooks to gain all the common knowledge? What about projects and labs? Don’t they help us gain knowledge as well?
Sizer in the other hand has a very different approach when compared to Hirsch. He believes in using the Habits of Mind and trying to approach a certain situation deeply by using the Habits of Mind. He likes the idea of education being much focused into one topic, so the student can gain all the insights and all there is to learn about that one topic. He wants to get students to find one thing they care about, and put it under the microscope. His goal is for them to be taught what they care deeply about; there is no list of things to know.
I believe that Hirsch and Sizer make good views on how students should receive their education. I agree with both of them when it comes to my personal schooling experience. I have been going to SOF since sixth grade and the Habits of Mind have been used a lot throughout my middle school year. We still use them to this day, but we have adapted into using it without realizing that we are. Since sixth grade I have been pushed to use the Habits of Mind that are looked upon deeply in our school: significance, evidence, alternatives, point of view and connections. Even though all of us have been using them since elementary school, we weren’t notified about how much it can enhance our education everyday. Sizer wants young individuals to "explore a single subject for several months and then present an ''exhibition'' of their work to demonstrate what they've learned"(Mosle) Because School of The Future is based on Sizer’s view on education, I was able to view certain topics in a rich and deep thought out curriculum, instead of glancing at it and learning new material by maintaining my basic knowledge. I feel like attending Sizer’s school, I have experienced part of my education by deepening my mind and focusing on material for longer periods of time.
From what I can remember, most of my education, at least from Middle school has been based off of Sizer’s views. Although, there are always times where Hirsch’s idea is involved as well. For example: molarity, ions and the periodic table do create an emphasis on our knowledge. But this knowledge later on gets lost, yes many of us will frantically be memorizing these notes before a big test, but will we be able to remember this a year from now? I agree that with basic knowledge you will indeed become a better reader, because the more knowledge you have the better you will understand the material being read. Reading will also determine how well we will do in our near future, take college for example. It’s a big part of our lives and should be incorporated into our curriculum a bit more. At times I feel like students from other schools have more basic knowledge compared to me; this may be the outcome of going to a Sizer school. Then again, Hirsch only focuses on literature, what about the math and science curriculums? Will students need to read off of math or science textbooks to gain all the common knowledge? What about projects and labs? Don’t they help us gain knowledge as well?
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Hwk 44
There are many institutions that surround our society today, from institutions related to the government and others that have to do with public service. Education is also known as an institution since it is structured to set the behavior for a set of young individuals. When one thinks of school they usually think of teachers, students and an environment created for learning; but it is much more than that. School is a disguised battlefield where young individuals are brainwashed to do what society wants them to be doing.
There are many cases where many think that if “x” happens in school then it will have a “y” outcome. For example if the teachers choose to teach a certain curriculum, students will do better in their future; but how can this be determined? What if the individual decides not to stay on task, or learn anything that is being taught to them? What if discipline does not work on them either? Then what happens to their future, will school be the blame for how their future turns out to be in the end? A student’s future is determined by his or her own actions, if they are willing to be good at something then they will be able to do it, whether they have an education or not. That’s how it was in the future but in our society without an education we are screwed.
The society bombards us with messages that make all young individuals to go and do well in school. School is primarily an institution designed for us to do well later on in our life. If we want to succeed in our future, we need to earn a good education so we are able to become what we want to do in our near future. In President Obama’s speech at the start of the new school year in the fall of 2009, he states: “You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it” (Obama). He also explains how not only will education do well for our own future, it will make the future of our nation good as well.
School is supposed to be a “sanctuary” for young individuals so they can learn and be able to get new knowledge and have deep thoughts. This all has much to do with the teacher and the schools goal for its students. In the clips we have seen so far in class, the teachers arrive on their first day to teach greeted with ill mannered students that have no respect at all for their adult figure. When the teachers gain knowledge on discipline, and learn how to catch all the attention of the young individuals, they all seem to accept the fact about what they are actually in school for. As a teacher and a creator of three charter schools in Harlem, Ms. Kenny states: “If you had an amazing teacher who was talented and passionate and given the freedom and support to teach well,” she said, “that was just 100 times more important than anything else” (Herbert). A teacher plays a big role on how well a student can do well in school, not only does the students have big responsibilities, so does the teacher figure.
There are many roles that are equally played in a student’s life, there is the teacher that teaches passionately and wants to see change for her students and the students that want to do well in their future. This is what the society wants school to be all about, but this isn’t always the turn out. There are many limits to what school can or cannot accomplish, because the student has to be willing to be responsible as well, both roles need to balance out for an accomplishment to be created. The top priorities for schools should be to teach young individuals to be responsible for their own actions that may determine their future, whether they choose to do well or not; they will not be able to blame anyone but themselves when their futures do not turn out to be so well. This should be decided by the government and all the other administrations related to schooling. Schools are expected to teach us to survive on our own in the future, whether it be in our career or in the outside world, we should always be prepared for what we will deal with in our future. This all depends on how the individual perceives it…
Citations:
Obama, Barack. "Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama: Back to School Event." whitehouse. N.p., 8/9/2009. Web. 11 Mar 2010.
Herbert, Bob. "Where the Bar Ought to Be." New York Times(2010): n. pag. Web. 11 Mar 2010..
There are many cases where many think that if “x” happens in school then it will have a “y” outcome. For example if the teachers choose to teach a certain curriculum, students will do better in their future; but how can this be determined? What if the individual decides not to stay on task, or learn anything that is being taught to them? What if discipline does not work on them either? Then what happens to their future, will school be the blame for how their future turns out to be in the end? A student’s future is determined by his or her own actions, if they are willing to be good at something then they will be able to do it, whether they have an education or not. That’s how it was in the future but in our society without an education we are screwed.
The society bombards us with messages that make all young individuals to go and do well in school. School is primarily an institution designed for us to do well later on in our life. If we want to succeed in our future, we need to earn a good education so we are able to become what we want to do in our near future. In President Obama’s speech at the start of the new school year in the fall of 2009, he states: “You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it” (Obama). He also explains how not only will education do well for our own future, it will make the future of our nation good as well.
School is supposed to be a “sanctuary” for young individuals so they can learn and be able to get new knowledge and have deep thoughts. This all has much to do with the teacher and the schools goal for its students. In the clips we have seen so far in class, the teachers arrive on their first day to teach greeted with ill mannered students that have no respect at all for their adult figure. When the teachers gain knowledge on discipline, and learn how to catch all the attention of the young individuals, they all seem to accept the fact about what they are actually in school for. As a teacher and a creator of three charter schools in Harlem, Ms. Kenny states: “If you had an amazing teacher who was talented and passionate and given the freedom and support to teach well,” she said, “that was just 100 times more important than anything else” (Herbert). A teacher plays a big role on how well a student can do well in school, not only does the students have big responsibilities, so does the teacher figure.
There are many roles that are equally played in a student’s life, there is the teacher that teaches passionately and wants to see change for her students and the students that want to do well in their future. This is what the society wants school to be all about, but this isn’t always the turn out. There are many limits to what school can or cannot accomplish, because the student has to be willing to be responsible as well, both roles need to balance out for an accomplishment to be created. The top priorities for schools should be to teach young individuals to be responsible for their own actions that may determine their future, whether they choose to do well or not; they will not be able to blame anyone but themselves when their futures do not turn out to be so well. This should be decided by the government and all the other administrations related to schooling. Schools are expected to teach us to survive on our own in the future, whether it be in our career or in the outside world, we should always be prepared for what we will deal with in our future. This all depends on how the individual perceives it…
Citations:
Obama, Barack. "Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama: Back to School Event." whitehouse. N.p., 8/9/2009. Web. 11 Mar 2010.
Herbert, Bob. "Where the Bar Ought to Be." New York Times(2010): n. pag. Web. 11 Mar 2010.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Hwk 42
Egypt:
"International Academic Components Found in NG Program." New Generations Schools. 2008. Web. 3 Mar 2010..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Generation_Schools
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Egypt
Even though the main concepts of schooling are the same throughout many societies around the globe, we all seem to be learning something that relates to our society. Just like in the United States, there are tests given out in certain levels of school and the students are split up in a similar way. There are also a variety of schools a student can be enrolled to; for example: Arabic schools and Experimental Language schools which are considered Government schools. The Private schools would be Ordinary schools, Language schools, Religious schools and International schools.
The question that I have been paying close attention to throughout this unit is based on how there are different curriculums in different societies. A question I have related to the previous question is: how does the history of a society impact their curriculum? We all go to school around the world because that’s where all the kids belong, but we never actually think behind what we are being taught. How will it all affect us in the future? By doing all this research I want to figure out what different topics are being taught to students around the world, and how it would affect them in their personal future. If a student from Egypt has knowledge on their history, and a student from the U.S. has knowledge on U.S. history, how will one be able to take advantage of that in the future?
Most of the curriculum in Egypt is similar to ours. Most of this seems to be adapted from our requirements in schools. This can be seen by looking at the curriculum in New Generation schools, which are a group of international English and Arabic schools in Egypt. While offering American Diploma, the school ties the curriculum with Arabic and religion. This school offers a list of curricula which includes community service, cultural studies, a senior project and more. By looking at this I was able to gain insight about how a different society’s curriculum is similar and different from ours. The core subjects are basically the same in this specific school, but the language being taught is Arabic. In our society we usually have Spanish taught in language classes.
Math Curriculum in Pakistan:
"The Mathematics Curriculum in Pakistan ." Web. 3 Mar 2010..
Many of the subjects taught in math may be the same in other countries, but the timings of these subjects being introduced to the students are different. This can have a big impact on how educated one generation may be compared to the next generation. There may also be different effects on how well the teachers are prepared to teach their curriculums.
This subject matters to me personally because my family is from Pakistan and I would like to know how a student I Pakistan’s math curriculum may differ from my math curriculum. We have knowledge on the same topics but it depends on how they are introduced to us as well. Because the curriculums before did not seem to show much improvement in the students learning skills, there were revisions made on text books and teaching aids. If the leader is not capable of leading a group of followers while teaching something they are not prepared to teach, there will be many negative impacts in the future. This seemed to be the case in the math curriculum in some schools located in Pakistan.
This will be able to predict the outcome of ones future. Even though many of the responsibilities may fall on the student, the teacher has equal responsibilities. If the work being taught is not well prepared then the student may not be able to learn much. This seemed to be the case in Pakistan with their math curriculum. The teacher has a big impact on how the students are doing in school. If they are not doing so well it will reflect poorly on the teacher.
Math Curriculum based off Saudi Arabian Education:
"Curriculum/Program." Saudi Academy. Web. 3 Mar 2010..
So far my research shows that many of the schools in the Middle East teach all the subjects taught in the U.S. while keeping religion in mind. This is where the curriculum mainly differs from our society and the societies in the Middle East. The culture, tradition and heritage in a society can really make a curriculum stand out amongst others. In this school located in the U.S, these three things are used to teach in an Islamic based school.
In the Islamic Saudi Academy located in Virginia, math is a subject where skills need to be built, just like how it is here in New York. In middle school and so on, students that show proficiency will likely move in an accelerated pace. This needs to be proved by teacher recommendations and how well the student performs on tests. Math subjects are introduced to students when they have reached the certain level of difficulty. This can connect to schools in our society because there are advanced placement classes for students that are able to do more challenging materials without any problems.
This topic matters since it shows how a society has set up a curriculum to match their needs. In many of the Middle Eastern countries, religion is a top priority. This is why they are keeping religion incorporated within their curriculum even if they are located in the U.S. This is why many of the schools have Arabic being taught; the Q’uran is usually mentioned as well. It somehow ties the studies back to their religion and culture so that the students are not able to distance their selves from the very important aspects of their life. They are always reminded so they are able to set apart wrong from right.
"International Academic Components Found in NG Program." New Generations Schools. 2008. Web. 3 Mar 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Generation_Schools
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Egypt
Even though the main concepts of schooling are the same throughout many societies around the globe, we all seem to be learning something that relates to our society. Just like in the United States, there are tests given out in certain levels of school and the students are split up in a similar way. There are also a variety of schools a student can be enrolled to; for example: Arabic schools and Experimental Language schools which are considered Government schools. The Private schools would be Ordinary schools, Language schools, Religious schools and International schools.
The question that I have been paying close attention to throughout this unit is based on how there are different curriculums in different societies. A question I have related to the previous question is: how does the history of a society impact their curriculum? We all go to school around the world because that’s where all the kids belong, but we never actually think behind what we are being taught. How will it all affect us in the future? By doing all this research I want to figure out what different topics are being taught to students around the world, and how it would affect them in their personal future. If a student from Egypt has knowledge on their history, and a student from the U.S. has knowledge on U.S. history, how will one be able to take advantage of that in the future?
Most of the curriculum in Egypt is similar to ours. Most of this seems to be adapted from our requirements in schools. This can be seen by looking at the curriculum in New Generation schools, which are a group of international English and Arabic schools in Egypt. While offering American Diploma, the school ties the curriculum with Arabic and religion. This school offers a list of curricula which includes community service, cultural studies, a senior project and more. By looking at this I was able to gain insight about how a different society’s curriculum is similar and different from ours. The core subjects are basically the same in this specific school, but the language being taught is Arabic. In our society we usually have Spanish taught in language classes.
Math Curriculum in Pakistan:
"The Mathematics Curriculum in Pakistan ." Web. 3 Mar 2010.
Many of the subjects taught in math may be the same in other countries, but the timings of these subjects being introduced to the students are different. This can have a big impact on how educated one generation may be compared to the next generation. There may also be different effects on how well the teachers are prepared to teach their curriculums.
This subject matters to me personally because my family is from Pakistan and I would like to know how a student I Pakistan’s math curriculum may differ from my math curriculum. We have knowledge on the same topics but it depends on how they are introduced to us as well. Because the curriculums before did not seem to show much improvement in the students learning skills, there were revisions made on text books and teaching aids. If the leader is not capable of leading a group of followers while teaching something they are not prepared to teach, there will be many negative impacts in the future. This seemed to be the case in the math curriculum in some schools located in Pakistan.
This will be able to predict the outcome of ones future. Even though many of the responsibilities may fall on the student, the teacher has equal responsibilities. If the work being taught is not well prepared then the student may not be able to learn much. This seemed to be the case in Pakistan with their math curriculum. The teacher has a big impact on how the students are doing in school. If they are not doing so well it will reflect poorly on the teacher.
Math Curriculum based off Saudi Arabian Education:
"Curriculum/Program." Saudi Academy. Web. 3 Mar 2010.
So far my research shows that many of the schools in the Middle East teach all the subjects taught in the U.S. while keeping religion in mind. This is where the curriculum mainly differs from our society and the societies in the Middle East. The culture, tradition and heritage in a society can really make a curriculum stand out amongst others. In this school located in the U.S, these three things are used to teach in an Islamic based school.
In the Islamic Saudi Academy located in Virginia, math is a subject where skills need to be built, just like how it is here in New York. In middle school and so on, students that show proficiency will likely move in an accelerated pace. This needs to be proved by teacher recommendations and how well the student performs on tests. Math subjects are introduced to students when they have reached the certain level of difficulty. This can connect to schools in our society because there are advanced placement classes for students that are able to do more challenging materials without any problems.
This topic matters since it shows how a society has set up a curriculum to match their needs. In many of the Middle Eastern countries, religion is a top priority. This is why they are keeping religion incorporated within their curriculum even if they are located in the U.S. This is why many of the schools have Arabic being taught; the Q’uran is usually mentioned as well. It somehow ties the studies back to their religion and culture so that the students are not able to distance their selves from the very important aspects of their life. They are always reminded so they are able to set apart wrong from right.
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