Quote 1- "A careful analysis of the teacher-student relationship at any level, inside or outside the school, reveals its fundamentally narrative character. This relationship involves a narrating Subject (the teacher) and patient listening objects (the students)." (Anthology, p. 91)
This quote kind of made me angry that the author could compare the classroom to a narrative. I understand the teacher is narrating to the students in the classroom, but isn't the teachers job to get the students t be narrators as well? I feel as though you need the students to be able to feel comfortable in front of the class and voice their own opinions. If you don't, these students will never be able to progress in the classroom environment and feel comfortable enough to speak in front of their peers. The teacher should always be narrating positive advice to his/her students to encourage them to develop as a student and become their own narrator.
Quote 2- "Narration (with the teacher as narrator) leads the students to memorize mechanically the narrated account. Worse yet, it turns them into containers, into receptacles to be filled by the teachers."(Anthology, p. 92)
This goes along with the first quote I chose. It makes me angry to see that they can consider these children "containers" and "receptacles." Students should not be mechanical learners and have to memorize the "narrator" says. This just leads to a boring classroom where students aren't retaining any of the information being taught. We, as teachers, need to provide an interactive classroom for our students where narration occurs among every student in the classroom. This will allow for an engaging classroom where students are asked to participate and interact with one another.
Quote 3- "Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor. Instead of communicating, the teacher issues communiques and makes deposits which the students patiently receive, memorize, and repeat."(Anthology, p. 92)
This relates to quote number two because it deals with the whole banking concept of education, where the teacher is the depositor of information on the students. Instead of having the students communicate the information being taught, he/she is just depositing the information being "taught" into the students brains, where they are asked to memorize, retain, and repeat the information. How are the students expected to remember the information later in their educational careers? This is just setting the students up to fail because they aren't given the opportunity to use the information being taught. These students need to do activities with the objective/information and interact with one another in order to understand it. Without this opportunity these students are piggy banks filled with money of no worth.
Quote 4- "In problem-posing education, people develop their power to perceive critically the way they exist in the world with which and in which they find themselves; they come to see the world not as a static reality, but as a reality in process, in transformation." (Anthology, p. 100)
I loved this quote because it stands true to me and should to problem-posing education for others. We should perceive problem solving as a way in which we find ourselves. We should allow for our students to find themselves in the world they are living. This should happen not only through the use of real world problems, but letting them see the world in various ways to allow for different opinions and viewpoints. Teachers should be willing to allow their students to find themselves in a free and non-judgmental way.
Quote 5- "If you are planning to become a teacher, welcome, and prepare to be overwhelmed." (Anthology, p. 112)
This quote made me laugh and get scared at the same time because of all the things they said teachers were overwhelmed by later in the paragraph. Some of these examples include: portfolios, standard-based lessons, differentiated instruction, IEPs, ESTs, continuous assessment, making sure kids pass those standardized tests, fundraisers, getting the computers to work, inclusion, trying to keep discipline in a classroom where some can't even sit still for a minute. These are only some of the factors they listed that make me overwhelmed for when I become a teacher. So much goes into becoming a teacher and much more goes into being a good teacher. I look forward to the challenge and all I have to say is, bring it on!
Quote 6- "Great teachers know that to actually be successful, a student must first do something of value. Simply telling kids they are good won't wash. Student success is fostered by the work students do, by what they produce. This can include participating, performing, creating, practicing, designing, producing, carrying out an experiment, finishing an assignment, or any of hundreds of other activities." (Anthology, p. 116)
I loved this quote because it talked about what great teachers are asked to do and how students work can lead to success. I loved how they gave some examples of how students success is fostered in the class. Students should be able to produce a great deal of things if they are taught by a great teacher. In order to be a great teacher, we must know our students and understand them in order to know what we can expect from each individual. If we expect a lot out of our students and lead them to the ultimate goal, then we can expect great things out of our students. If students are not given the opportunity or led in the right direction they might be set up to fail at the objective trying to be taught.
Me
Touring a city in Spain
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Invitations to Resistance- Jonathan Kozol Chapter 9
Quote 1- "Like many teachers I have met in similarly segregated schools over the past ten years, they taught apartheid's children but they had not given up their condemnation of apartheid and its consequences."(Kozol, p. 216)
I liked how Kozol used the term apartheid's children. It made me think of how these children must've felt being in schools back in the day. What was it like to teach these children? How was your life like as a teacher in a segregated school? I wish I could have an interview with one of these teachers to ask them about their experiences. I feel by understanding these teachers and students, we can maybe better our own problems today.
Quote 2- "American has never made progress on racial issues unless there was enough agitation to force society to take action. Honor among privileged blacks and whites alike, he said depends on rediscovering our commitment to treating all children fairly. If it takes new turmoil to bring that about, that is a price we should be willing to pay."(Kozol, p. 216-217)
This is a quote that Kozol got from Jack White in Time magazine. I really enjoyed this quote because I feel it is something that needs to happen in order for everyone to live as one. In order for this to happen, we must make a commitment as a whole to end this inequality and racism. He is right about the fact that it may take some turmoil in order for things to turn about and start on a new "foot." I hope someday we can find a way to deal with our racial issues in society.
Quote 3- "Inspire students to take action on their own convictions and to understand the moral, political and symbolic landscape of our city."(Kozol, p. 219)
We, as teachers, need to inspire our students not only to become great learners, but to make our world a better place. We need to teach them how they can do this especially by starting at a young age. It is not our objective to brainwash them with our own morals and ideas, but rather help them and lead them to obtain their own. We can teach them what is morally correct, different political issues, and how to help our surrounding community. By inspiring our students, we can form relationships and create a positive learning environment.
Quote 4- "But if there is ever to be another major struggle in this nation to confront not only pedagogies targeted exclusively at children of apartheid, but apartheid in itself, we may hope that educators such as these will have a role in leading it."(Kozol, p. 221)
This quote most nearly means that we as teachers can be the next to change our nation and lead our country towards the right direction. We need to be leaders not only in our own lives, but in the lives of our students. These students need to see us as positive role models. We need to create the future leaders of America and by being a good role model, we can hope for the inspirational students we have formed.
Quote 5- "A political movement is a necessary answer. We cannot look to the courts to do it in the present age. We cannot look to the two political parties, the Republicans and Democrats, to do it. We need to reach out to a broader sector of the nation to initiate a struggle."(Kozol, p. 222)
I feel this is a great quote to get us started in the right direction. We need a push from the "broader sector" of our nation to start us off and get us over this struggle we are going through. Something needs to happen! Rather than having all this talking about what can be done, some form of action needs to take place. Why hasn't something big happened? I understand that we cannot rely on political leaders to help us through this struggle or to jump start our nation again. We, as a whole group of people who care, need to come together and try and figure out something to help us lead an easier and equal life.
Quote 6- "Choice, left to itself, will increase stratification. Nothing in the way choice systems actually work favors class or racial integration."(Kozol, p. 225)
This was a quote said by Gary Orfield. This quote made me angry because I feel that many people should have choice in whatever they do. They should have a choice at what school to go to, what job to take, what house and neighborhood to live in. This choice system that Orfield talks about sounds very unreal. Is he right, do choice systems actually favor class and help with racial integration? I would hope so, but have not seen anything come into play that would verify that these choice systems work. I guess we must find other ways to help with our problems of class and racial integration.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
False Promises Kozol Ch. 8
Quote 1- "Speaking of the nicely refined torture a man can experience from having been created and defeated by the same circumstances, Baldwin wrote, the best that one can say is that they are in an impossible position and that those who are motivated by genuine concern maintain this position with heartbreaking dignity."(Kozol, p. 198)
It is sad to hear that people can be "created and defeated all by the same circumstances." I thought this quote was very powerful. It made me think deeper of how this torture and defeat could happen to a person of color. It made sense when I put it into the real world. I, not only, put it into context today, but also related this quote to the past and apartheid. A lot is expected of black leaders whether they lived in the past or present day. A lot is expected of them when they come; too little is accorded to them when they leave." This statement says it perfectly not only in the past, but even to those in power present day.
Quote 2- "There are hundreds of principals in our urban schools who are authentic heroes, few of whom would emulate the posturing and bluster of Joe Clark and most of whom do not receive the notice and support that they deserve. But there is a difference between recognizing the accomplishments of able school officials and the marketing of individuals as saviors of persistently unequal systems."(Kozol, p.200)
I liked this quote because there are several hundred principals out in our urban school systems that don't receive that support and get noticed as great leaders. Some of these principals are given close to nothing for their amazing accomplishments and may not receive any recognition. These individuals need to be given recognition for their accomplishments. The poor principals of rich suburban schools still get more support than those amazing heroes in urban settings, where money is a big issue. I think these principals should switch schools for a day to see what it is like and to compare it to how they have it at their own school. Hopefully, this will help the under-achieving principals realize how much easier they have it and will help them do a better job.
Quote 3- "Strict demands for proof of adequate yearly progress in all public schools and penalties, such as the loss of federal funds, for schools that did not meet their goals, as measured by their students' scores on standardized exams."(Kozol, p. 202-203)
Again, we see the issue of standardized testing and the funding that goes along with them. If these schools do not meet their AYP then they can have the penalty of losing all their funding. Without this funding schools are pretty much on their own for getting their scores up for the next time around. Not only do they have to try and get these scores up, but they have to suffer with less money from the government. I feel like this can make or break a school and determine the outcome of what happens in the lives of the children. A lot lies on the shoulders of these exams and it is all how well the teachers prepare the students to ready them for these high stakes exams.
Quote 4- "If the president had used his leadership to advocate for transfers not only within school districts, but between them, the transfer option might have had real meaning and, indeed, if earnestly enforced, it might have opened up the possibilities for mightily expanded racial integration in suburban schools surrounding our core cities."(Kozol, p. 203-204)
I really thought this quote had great insight to how our presidents should have acted in the past in order to help diversify our school systems. It could even work in todays day and age, but in order for this to happen, there needs to be a big change! I grew up in a suburban town, where our high school had students bused in from Hartford. This opportunity for them to learn was much better than in their own community, but also this opportunity gave us the chance to learn from them and understand their culture. I feel like having a diverse school district is very important not only for the equality for all, but also for the opportunity for everyone to coexist and learn from one another.
Quote 5- "Playing games of musical chairs with children's lives, when half the chairs are broken and the best chairs are reserved primarily for people of his class and race, is cynical behavior in a president."(Kozol, p. 204)
I really liked this quote and the analogy of musical chairs to race and class of the president. It was a aspiring quote and a strike to all the presidents and how they cannot find out how to create equality for all. They have been saying they will for the longest time, but instead do what they think will make them look good. Will the problem of inequality ever be solved? I think there needs to be a drastic change in our world or politics to allow for equality. I hope it will happen in my lifetime, but I don't think there is much hope for that to happen.
Quote 6- "Highly implausible test-score fluctuations in the Houston schools have awakened suspicions of cheating on the part of principals who had apparently been pressured by administrators to do anything they could to boost the scores."(Kozol, p. 206)
Ha ha. How could this be true, cheating on the part of a principal? This quote makes me laugh to see that someone could cheat to get his/her school to pass the standardized tests. I understand that there is a lot of pressure on people high up to get their school to succeed the first time at these tests, but isn't cheating just setting up your students to fail in life. By promoting cheating, students will think it is okay to do throughout their schooling career. Cheating doesn't allow for any learning and these students are set up for failure. If I were these principals, I would feel bad for the failure of the students I was responsible for!
It is sad to hear that people can be "created and defeated all by the same circumstances." I thought this quote was very powerful. It made me think deeper of how this torture and defeat could happen to a person of color. It made sense when I put it into the real world. I, not only, put it into context today, but also related this quote to the past and apartheid. A lot is expected of black leaders whether they lived in the past or present day. A lot is expected of them when they come; too little is accorded to them when they leave." This statement says it perfectly not only in the past, but even to those in power present day.
Quote 2- "There are hundreds of principals in our urban schools who are authentic heroes, few of whom would emulate the posturing and bluster of Joe Clark and most of whom do not receive the notice and support that they deserve. But there is a difference between recognizing the accomplishments of able school officials and the marketing of individuals as saviors of persistently unequal systems."(Kozol, p.200)
I liked this quote because there are several hundred principals out in our urban school systems that don't receive that support and get noticed as great leaders. Some of these principals are given close to nothing for their amazing accomplishments and may not receive any recognition. These individuals need to be given recognition for their accomplishments. The poor principals of rich suburban schools still get more support than those amazing heroes in urban settings, where money is a big issue. I think these principals should switch schools for a day to see what it is like and to compare it to how they have it at their own school. Hopefully, this will help the under-achieving principals realize how much easier they have it and will help them do a better job.
Quote 3- "Strict demands for proof of adequate yearly progress in all public schools and penalties, such as the loss of federal funds, for schools that did not meet their goals, as measured by their students' scores on standardized exams."(Kozol, p. 202-203)
Again, we see the issue of standardized testing and the funding that goes along with them. If these schools do not meet their AYP then they can have the penalty of losing all their funding. Without this funding schools are pretty much on their own for getting their scores up for the next time around. Not only do they have to try and get these scores up, but they have to suffer with less money from the government. I feel like this can make or break a school and determine the outcome of what happens in the lives of the children. A lot lies on the shoulders of these exams and it is all how well the teachers prepare the students to ready them for these high stakes exams.
Quote 4- "If the president had used his leadership to advocate for transfers not only within school districts, but between them, the transfer option might have had real meaning and, indeed, if earnestly enforced, it might have opened up the possibilities for mightily expanded racial integration in suburban schools surrounding our core cities."(Kozol, p. 203-204)
I really thought this quote had great insight to how our presidents should have acted in the past in order to help diversify our school systems. It could even work in todays day and age, but in order for this to happen, there needs to be a big change! I grew up in a suburban town, where our high school had students bused in from Hartford. This opportunity for them to learn was much better than in their own community, but also this opportunity gave us the chance to learn from them and understand their culture. I feel like having a diverse school district is very important not only for the equality for all, but also for the opportunity for everyone to coexist and learn from one another.
Quote 5- "Playing games of musical chairs with children's lives, when half the chairs are broken and the best chairs are reserved primarily for people of his class and race, is cynical behavior in a president."(Kozol, p. 204)
I really liked this quote and the analogy of musical chairs to race and class of the president. It was a aspiring quote and a strike to all the presidents and how they cannot find out how to create equality for all. They have been saying they will for the longest time, but instead do what they think will make them look good. Will the problem of inequality ever be solved? I think there needs to be a drastic change in our world or politics to allow for equality. I hope it will happen in my lifetime, but I don't think there is much hope for that to happen.
Quote 6- "Highly implausible test-score fluctuations in the Houston schools have awakened suspicions of cheating on the part of principals who had apparently been pressured by administrators to do anything they could to boost the scores."(Kozol, p. 206)
Ha ha. How could this be true, cheating on the part of a principal? This quote makes me laugh to see that someone could cheat to get his/her school to pass the standardized tests. I understand that there is a lot of pressure on people high up to get their school to succeed the first time at these tests, but isn't cheating just setting up your students to fail in life. By promoting cheating, students will think it is okay to do throughout their schooling career. Cheating doesn't allow for any learning and these students are set up for failure. If I were these principals, I would feel bad for the failure of the students I was responsible for!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Excluding Beauty- Jonathan Kozol Chapter 7
Quote 1- "I see old alfurbet letter hanging on one nail on the wall. I see a dirty fire exit I see a old closet with supplys for the class. I see pigeons flying all over the school. I see old freght trains throgh the fence of the school yard. I see pictures of contryies hanging on the wall and I see desks with wrighting all over the top of the desks and insited of the desk."(Kozol, p. 162)
This was a quote that Kozol read from the assignment that he assigned when teaching in a school in Boston. It amazed me to see the spelling that the student lacked as well as the picture it left in my mind of the school. This chapter focused a lot on the resources in schools as well as the physical outlook of the school. I couldn't imagine being in a school that looked like this. It seems like life would be very tough at this school. Also, it seems as though the students aren't getting a great education based on the fact that the students that were assigned to this activity were in fourth grade and they are having trouble spelling at grade level. I wonder what teachers were like in this school? Also, I wonder what these teachers think of the school as well as what they expect from their students?
Quote 2- "You have to do what children do and breathe the air children breathe. I don't think that there is any other way to find out what the lives that children lead in school are really like."(Kozol, p. 163)
I enjoyed reading this quote because it is so true! As teachers, we need to follow our students through their educating journey and understand each individual. We need to know their needs and abilities in order to help them succeed. Children need to learn according to their strengths and focus hard on their weaknesses. I just loved how Kozol said the first sentence of the quote about breathing the air children breathe. It seems like it fits to perfect. Many teachers these days find ways to get their students to succeed in school, but do they get to know them and help them succeed to their fullest potential? I will strive as a teacher to get to know my students and help them in every possible way!
Quote 3- "He told me that the high-stakes standardized exams his students had to take were starting to control the teaching-much more than I'd like. There was, as a consequence, no recess at the school."(Kozol, p. 165)
Here, we revisit the whole standardized testing discussion. I think schools need to do a better job balancing the testing aspect with the fun and learning portion. These tests are very important, but they shouldn't control a classroom or take away certain activities, such as recess in this example. Standardized testing helps fund these schools and if they do well they will benefit greatly. If they don't excel to their fullest potential, they shouldn't be punished and further worry them for the next time around. This creates so many boundaries for learning and can possibly lead to the failure of students, as well as further bringing the school into disrepair.
Quote 4- "Standardized tests in language arts and mathematics started in the first grade at the school, the principal reported. A first grade teacher had ten pages of enumerated standards, correlated with the items to be tested, posted on her wall."(Kozol, p. 170)
This quote arises a new aspect of standardized testing. The standards a teacher is supposed to memorize and learn in order to teach their students can be very tedious and hard to understand. If you don't understand what the students are supposed to know, how are you supposed to teach them? I feel like the teacher learning what to be taught in order to pass these standardized tests can correlate to a college student cramming for an exam. There is so much to be learned and taught not only by the teacher, but by the students as well. They need to complete this task before they can move on and take the actual test. I believe that there needs to be a better well-rounded curriculum set in place in order to help the teacher out and maximize learning and readiness for these tests.
Quote 5- "When we have to assign their kids to summer semesters and to portables while three miles down the road they can see schools with traditional calendars and with sufficient space, I can understand it when they ask, why are our children no important?"(Kozol, p. 171)
This brings up the whole topic of unequal schools and the privileges some schools have over others. It's sad to see this quote and know that schools exist like this. One school with so little and not enough resources and another school three miles away with so much. Also, this quote talks about the insufficient space in schools and overcrowding that exists. Why can't we just bus these children to the school down the street? Would it be fair to the others at the school three miles back down the road? Maybe we can zone the schools better and upgrade the school with little space and less resources to even out both schools. This might create an equal opportunity for all, but would these parents in the "nicer" school allow this to happen?
Quote 6- "Why is it, she asked, that students who do not need what we need get so much more? And we who need it so much more get so much less?"(Kozol, p. 183)
This is a perfectly respectable question to ask. Why is that? I think that people don't like to share and like to show off all the resources they have. Even if the fact is that they don't even use half of what they have available to them. Is there any program out there that connects schools with less resources with those that have a ample amount? If not, maybe I will start one. It is sad to see such great resources go to waste and collect dust, while other schools can't even afford to provide a pencil for a student. Schools should have a checklist of stuff they really need and the extras can be shared through a system of give and take amongst schools. Programs like these would greatly benefit the schools in need. This will also show the students that we as a society need to help our peers in need. Maybe it could lead to equality for all, but that is a stretch.
This was a quote that Kozol read from the assignment that he assigned when teaching in a school in Boston. It amazed me to see the spelling that the student lacked as well as the picture it left in my mind of the school. This chapter focused a lot on the resources in schools as well as the physical outlook of the school. I couldn't imagine being in a school that looked like this. It seems like life would be very tough at this school. Also, it seems as though the students aren't getting a great education based on the fact that the students that were assigned to this activity were in fourth grade and they are having trouble spelling at grade level. I wonder what teachers were like in this school? Also, I wonder what these teachers think of the school as well as what they expect from their students?
Quote 2- "You have to do what children do and breathe the air children breathe. I don't think that there is any other way to find out what the lives that children lead in school are really like."(Kozol, p. 163)
I enjoyed reading this quote because it is so true! As teachers, we need to follow our students through their educating journey and understand each individual. We need to know their needs and abilities in order to help them succeed. Children need to learn according to their strengths and focus hard on their weaknesses. I just loved how Kozol said the first sentence of the quote about breathing the air children breathe. It seems like it fits to perfect. Many teachers these days find ways to get their students to succeed in school, but do they get to know them and help them succeed to their fullest potential? I will strive as a teacher to get to know my students and help them in every possible way!
Quote 3- "He told me that the high-stakes standardized exams his students had to take were starting to control the teaching-much more than I'd like. There was, as a consequence, no recess at the school."(Kozol, p. 165)
Here, we revisit the whole standardized testing discussion. I think schools need to do a better job balancing the testing aspect with the fun and learning portion. These tests are very important, but they shouldn't control a classroom or take away certain activities, such as recess in this example. Standardized testing helps fund these schools and if they do well they will benefit greatly. If they don't excel to their fullest potential, they shouldn't be punished and further worry them for the next time around. This creates so many boundaries for learning and can possibly lead to the failure of students, as well as further bringing the school into disrepair.
Quote 4- "Standardized tests in language arts and mathematics started in the first grade at the school, the principal reported. A first grade teacher had ten pages of enumerated standards, correlated with the items to be tested, posted on her wall."(Kozol, p. 170)
This quote arises a new aspect of standardized testing. The standards a teacher is supposed to memorize and learn in order to teach their students can be very tedious and hard to understand. If you don't understand what the students are supposed to know, how are you supposed to teach them? I feel like the teacher learning what to be taught in order to pass these standardized tests can correlate to a college student cramming for an exam. There is so much to be learned and taught not only by the teacher, but by the students as well. They need to complete this task before they can move on and take the actual test. I believe that there needs to be a better well-rounded curriculum set in place in order to help the teacher out and maximize learning and readiness for these tests.
Quote 5- "When we have to assign their kids to summer semesters and to portables while three miles down the road they can see schools with traditional calendars and with sufficient space, I can understand it when they ask, why are our children no important?"(Kozol, p. 171)
This brings up the whole topic of unequal schools and the privileges some schools have over others. It's sad to see this quote and know that schools exist like this. One school with so little and not enough resources and another school three miles away with so much. Also, this quote talks about the insufficient space in schools and overcrowding that exists. Why can't we just bus these children to the school down the street? Would it be fair to the others at the school three miles back down the road? Maybe we can zone the schools better and upgrade the school with little space and less resources to even out both schools. This might create an equal opportunity for all, but would these parents in the "nicer" school allow this to happen?
Quote 6- "Why is it, she asked, that students who do not need what we need get so much more? And we who need it so much more get so much less?"(Kozol, p. 183)
This is a perfectly respectable question to ask. Why is that? I think that people don't like to share and like to show off all the resources they have. Even if the fact is that they don't even use half of what they have available to them. Is there any program out there that connects schools with less resources with those that have a ample amount? If not, maybe I will start one. It is sad to see such great resources go to waste and collect dust, while other schools can't even afford to provide a pencil for a student. Schools should have a checklist of stuff they really need and the extras can be shared through a system of give and take amongst schools. Programs like these would greatly benefit the schools in need. This will also show the students that we as a society need to help our peers in need. Maybe it could lead to equality for all, but that is a stretch.
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