My favorite part of the course this semester was when we watched and discussed To Sir with Love. I enjoyed watching that dynamic between Sir and his students, because its not one that I’ve seen often. Sir taught his students how to be functioning members of society. He connected with them on a personal level and I feel as if that connection made his lessons more impactful. It didn’t seem like Sir was shoving information down their throats, it was more like a conversation. Instead of teachings students to pass , he taught students what was to be expected of them as young adults. Even though in the beginning of the movie teaching wasn’t a passion of his, Sir seemed to be passionate about helping his students grow. Educators should be more aware of their impact on their students. They have the power to shape the future of so many young people and in my experience many of them don’t take advantage of that. I understand that there a specific curriculum that teachers are sometimes expected to follow but I believe it would be in the best interest of all parties involved, if the lessons were somehow made more relatable. speaking as someone who sometimes struggles with the stress of schools expectations, I strongly believe that if educators were held to same standards that Sir displayed, students would gain much more from formal education.
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Custom Fit Education
In To Sir, With Love, Sidney Poitier’s character, Mark Thackeray’s (Sir) interactions with the students was not only entertaining to watch, but it also gave great insight on the effectiveness of alternative methods of teaching. He got a group of seemingly unruly students to not only respect him, but by the end of the movie, they all grew quite fond of each other. Instead of having lessons solely dedicated to algorithms or how to use citations, he made the lessons relatable. I think teachers today, (as well as students) could benefit from this method. Relevant, relatable and meaningful lessons help engage students emotionally and helps to strengthen long-term memory. It wasn’t clear from the film if Sir also taught more traditional lessons, however, I still believe that (seeing as his class consisted of high school seniors) , we saw him teach the most valuable one; how to survive in a world that isn’t always so forgiving. He taught his female students how to respect themselves so guys would know to treat them accordingly. He taught the guys that poor hygiene wasn’t going impress girls for very long. He taught them that every action doesn’t need a reaction and that every choice has a consequence. He taught them things that they couldn’t just read from a textbook or in a newspaper. Scientists have claimed that information commits more to memory when students have personal connections to the material and also builds a longer lasting impression, especially if coming from someone you personally have a connection to. Sir was a positive male figure (for some, like Pam, he was the only) in their lives who became more of a mentor than a teacher. He made the lessons personal, and the way the kids responded attested for the fact that school should be more tailor made to the students.
Buccaneer X (Intro)
Institutionalized education, although the most widely accepted, is not the only method of education. Humans have been learning since the beginning of time and have made incredible innovations and discoveries despite their level of formal education. In James Marcus Bach’s “A Buccanner Scholar” he expressed the importance of living a life of pursuit and passion and how it would lead to success. Bach’s philosophy has shown true for human rights activist Malcolm X. Malcolm X stumbled upon his passion while incarcerated and it was solely through his own desire to learn that he became a political force to be reckoned with. A’s don’t make you invincible and C’s don’t make you incompetent. Education is an undeniable part of the success, school however, is not.
Buccaneer X
Institutionalized education, although the most widely accepted, is not the only method of education. In James Marcus Bach’s “A Buccanner Scholar” he expressed the importance of living a life of pursuit and passion and how it would lead to success. Bach’s philosophy shown true for human rights activist Malcolm X. Malcolm X stumbled upon his passion while incarcerated and it was solely through his own desire to learn that he became a political force to be reckoned with. Education is an undeniable part of the success, school however, is not.
Free to Think
I believe that A Lesson Before Dying was a clear example of Kant’s ideology on enlightenment as well as emerson’s theory on man thinking. In the novel a plantation teacher (Grant) is persuaded to visit an innocent convicted felon (Jefferson) in prison. Reluctantly Grant agreed and from then on, his and Jeffersons lives were changed. During his trial, one of the jurors referred to Jefferson as a “hog” not only lacking respect for him as a man but overall dehumanizing him. With no education and lack of ability to decide his own fate , Jefferson doubted himself and wondered if he was even worthy of being called a man. Kant believed that enlightenment was freedom from a form of slavery and opened up opportunities. Grant provided Jefferson with knowledge; knowledge of literature and knowledge of the world. He bought him books and radios and other items that would help give him more perspective of the world. He enlightened him. Now free to think, Grant gave Jefferson the opportunity to form his own opinions, instead of those imposed on him from young. He was finally able to create his own identity with the ability to think more freely. Learning how to write gave Jefferson the ability to have a voice that could live long after he did. He exhibited what Emerson believed to be the qualities on man-thinking. He died a man.
Malcolm and Bach
There were many parallels between the excerpt from The Autobiography of Malcolm X and the other passages we’ve read through out the semester. Malcolm X’s journey to education began upon his increasing fascination with the Nation Of Islam and its founder Elijah Muhammad . While incarcerated, X began to read dictionaries and self educate. He found enlightenment through books, and his newfound knowledge on the brutality of Americas history sparked his career as a an activist. If Malcolm X was to give a speech on education and its importance, I believe it would be similar to that of Bach’s in A Buccaneers Scholar; aggressive and persuasive. They both found their passions outside of formal education and had no interest in educational institutions. Malcolm states that “[he] certainly wasn’t seeking any degree, the way college confers a status symbol upon its symbols”. They both achieved their goals through their thirst for knowledge …and (having knowledge of Malcolm X’s “by any means necessary” civil rights movement) they both seem dogmatic.
Peer Response: Perfection ≠ Happiness
I choose to do a peer response to Mohammed Uddin’s post because I really enjoyed how his post was formatted and the examples he gave were great. He referred to the list of 13 qualities In the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, in which Franklin believe are the main attributes of perfection. Personally, I believe “perfection” is subjective. What is perfect for one, may not be what the next person considers perfection. However for the sake of the text, I’ll just be referring to the 13 qualities that Franklin mentions. When comparing and contrasting the two texts, Mohammed mentioned “Cleanliness” and the fact that Tom was egotistic and selfish (which I believe falls under “humility”). Through much of the story Tom absolutely displays selfish actions. In chapter 2, Tom’s Aunt Polly asked him to white wash the fence. Not only did he get other neighborhood boys to do his chore, he also convinced them that it was a great privilege and in exchange they would give Tom various gifts to get have such an “honor”. I believe Tom was content with not having these attributes, just as Franklin said he was ok with being imperfect. As Mohammed stated “Even though Sawyer doesn’t meet the 13 attributes that Franklin describes (Tom never strives for perfection), he still maintains a happy and blissful life”. While I consider humility to be an extremely important quality and Tom’s action were not just, as the story progressed he did grow; though, by the end of the story, Tom was still an imperfect being. As M0hammed says “Perfection doesn’t embody happiness” and I could not agree more!
Peer Response to ‘One Must Learn to Live On His/Her Own Before Becoming “Free”’
I chose to do a peer response for Barry because, I both agree and disagree with some of the points made. When Kant opens by saying “Enlightenment is the human being’s emergence from his self-incurred minority” I believe that he was referring to enlightenment as an emergence from a form of slavery not that enlightenment, itself, is a form of such. Enlightenment allows people to think for themselves rather than being docile and obeying what is commonly accepted (which in Frederick Douglas’ case was the institution of slavery).
However the points you made comparing and contrasting Kants views of enlightenment to Douglass’ I find to be true. I also liked the quotes you used from “The Narrative of Frederick Douglass”, they are incredibly powerful and essential to the topic. Kant seems to believe that enlightenment is not achievable alone. I believe there are different kinds of enlightenment and some are absolutely achievable by one’s self. In Frederick Douglass’ story Mr. Auld said “A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master—to do as he is told to do. Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world”. You are able to learn new things about the world through books and experience and I do believe that this attained knowledge is a form of enlightenment. Douglass’ master seem to agree with Kant’s point of enlightenment being an “emergence” from a form of slavery. Mr. Auld forbid his wife from teaching Douglass because he knew this form of enlightenment would open his eyes to many injustices. Mr. Auld didn’t like the idea of an “unmanageable” slave. It was then that Douglass realized that enlightenment was (as Barry quoted), a “pathway from slavery to freedom”. Lastly, Barry finishes off his post by saying “It is a process that ends with knowledge according to Kant but that is not the sole basis for freedom”. I completely agree with this statement but not to say that Kant’s and Douglass’ ideas of enlightenment are vastly different, they just reflect their different life experiences. For Kant knowledge is a form of enlightenment, for Douglass knowledge equals freedom.
Paper Thesis
In Mary shelly’s Frankenstein, the monsters evolution greatly illustrates many of Jean-Jacques Rousseau theories on education-more specifically the significance of education acquired through nature. While abandoned and left to his own devices , the monster used what he learned through the nature of his body and the nature of society to navigate through the world.
WoMan Thinking
According to Emerson, In The American Scholar, there are 3 essential ways in which we learn which are the influence of nature, the influence of books and the past, and the influence of action. Emerson focuses his discussion heavily on the influence of books. In Section II, Emerson states that “Books are the best type of the influence of the past”. Books are partially true but one must take into consideration the possible bias of society during that period. He believes that people take books for absolute fact, causing them to stray away from their original thoughts and ideas. For this reason, he also believes that books can pose a threat to our intellectual development. As we keep reading through section II , Emerson further explains his theory. “Colleges are built on it. Books are written on it by thinkers, not by Man Thinking; by men of talent, that is, who start wrong, who set out from accepted dogmas, not from their own sight of principles. Meek young men grow up in libraries, believing it their duty to accept the views, which Cicero, which Locke, which Bacon, have given, forgetful that Cicero, Locke, and Bacon were only young men in libraries, when they wrote these œbooks”. Books tend to stray people away from their original thoughts and ideas. Brilliant writers have a way of captivating an 9audience causing them to hold on to their every word as the divine and most absolute truth, when that shouldn’t be the case. Emerson reiterates the idea of “man-thinking” a lot throughout his essay. His idea of what a thinking man is someone who creates, not one who simply reads about the creations of others. He did not wrap up his speech without briefly discussing the benefits of reading if done correctly. He also believes that “there is a portion of reading quite indispensable to a wise man”. These being history, science, and similar subjects. All in all, Emerson’s view on the relationship between the book and school is that it helps us best not to rely solely on the teachings of books and school should help us find our individual truths. …….”[schools] can only highly serve us, when they aim not to drill, but to create”.