Blogpost 6

In class on Thursday we worked in groups and discussed important parts of our reading in “Educational Foundations”. We discussed different questions, things that made us wonder and even made some outside connections. We marked off what we felt to be important parts of the reading with PostIt notes. There was a spot in particular that that caught my eye that my group marked. It quotes, “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. This is the “banking” concept of education, in which the scope of action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits.”  I believe that a large part of my time as a student was spent memorizing facts and information, taking a test, and forgetting all about it. This was not an effective way of learning, and it is also known as the “banking” method. There is a lack of creativity in the classroom, and there is such an emphasis on simply knowing the facts to pass a test. In the book, it states that knowledge comes from invention and re-invention, and that “...through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other.” I agree with this statement, while I feel that outside connections are important when learning. It is important to work with others and relate to what is being done. Although I feel that memorization can be important depending on the concept, being able to apply what is being learned will truly help a student retain the information. I feel that schools need to take a step away from the harsh focus on standardized tests and give the students a real chance to truly obtain their knowledge.

Blog Post 5

Homophobia has been a rising problem at school districts across the country, and it is something that even I noticed back at my old high school. During my junior year, there was a senior, George, that wanted to start a Gay-Straight Alliance Club. The principal declined this proposal, stating that it was "too controversial", despite the fact that our school already had a club dedicated to the study of catholic religion. After fighting for the organization for months on end, George was finally able to get the approval from our principal to start the club. George and his friends starting getting the word out by hanging up posters. When the other kids came to school and saw this, they would laugh, make fun of it, and tear down all of the posters. However, that did not make George give up hope on starting this organization and started to hold the meetings. Overall there was a fairly good attendance, but it was only through that year. After George graduated the organization was passed on to 4 students, who were straight, to lead the club. These students lacked the motivation to carry on their responsibilities as officers, and only held one meeting. The Gay-Straight Alliance simply went downhill from there. There is such an emphasize on being straight that many people are not accepting to the homosexual population, and I feel that something needs to be done about that. 

Rofes discusses childhood in his writing, along with the liberal and radical distinctions of addressing homophobia and heterosexism. Rofes depicted his own childhood experience as he was coming to terms with himself that he was gay. He stated that he did not believe that he was born gay, rather he was born sexual and capable of erotically responding to a range of stimuli. He also claimed that nothing in his genetic makeup predetermined that he would focus his erotic interests on one sex, and nothing biological determined that he would like men. A person starts to develop more into their own personality as a child and they discover who they truly are. Rofes states, “As a culture, we tell ourselves how much we love children and how committed we are to protecting them from savage forces and menacing threats. At the same time, by seeing children and youth as innocent and vulnerable, we participate in the creation of structures and social forces that keep children from information, resources, social organizations, and self-concepts that might allow them to produce themselves as strong, savvy people.” By saying this, it expresses the importance of letting a child become who they want to become, and society needs to be more open to that. In the next 4 years, I hope to be teaching at a school that is open to everyone. I want to teach in a school where nobody is discriminated against due to their sexual interests. I cannot stress enough my feelings on the importance of letting kids feel comfortable with themselves, and I hope that the rest of society will come to terms with that as well.

Field Post 2

On Thursday our class took a visit to Shaker Heights Middle School. I observed what seemed to be a 7th grade math class along with an 8th grade science class. The math class was first on the agenda. I noticed that there was a lot of group work being done. The kids sat in table groups of four students and they were working on a group activity. They had to figure out how much sugar there is in different types of drinks. Although the students were loud and tended to get off topic, they were still able to get their work done and work together easily. The teacher would walk around to each group to answer questions and make sure that they were doing what they were supposed to. I felt that the kids in the class all had a strong connection to one another, despite what seemed to be different types of personalities. I believe that that has something to do with the school's enforcement of community circles, which I was able to experience in the next class. Each week, each of the classes have an assigned community circle session, in which they are able to bond with their other classmates. They have a talking stick so the other students won't interrupt the speaker, since middle schoolers have a tendency to talk when they are not supposed to. This particular 8th grade science class had talkative students, but they all seemed to get along and listened to what others had to say. The teacher told my partner and I that it takes a very special person to teach this grade level, as it requires a lot of patience. 

Bridge building was a central topic in chapter 4 of "To Teach the Journey, in Comics".  It states, "teaching is also bridge-building. Beginning on one shore with the knowledge, experience, know-how, and interests of the student, the teacher moves toward broader horizons and deeper ways of knowing." Ayers lists many different examples of bridge-building. One of which described the setting of Avi Lessing's high school classroom, in which they discussed issues in today's society. He also explains how Zayd, Ayer's oldest son, wanted to have a ceremony that celebrated his entrance into adulthood. Zayd was able to build a bridge from childhood to adulthood. There are bridges connecting childhood to adulthood and also bridges connecting students to the teacher. 

Just as there were bridges in the story, there also were at Shaker Heights Middle School. Shaker has adopted an IB program, in which students learn by thinking and reflecting and making connections to the outside world. This connects the student's way of thinking to the outside world. As stated above, the students did much of their work in groups and participated in community circles. This builds a bridge between student to student while developing stronger relationships.