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.
Category Archives: Free post
Extra credit 2
“Thus it is difficult for any single individual to extricate himself from the minority that has become almost nature to him. He has even grown fond of it and is really unable for the time being to make use of his own understanding, because he was never allowed to make the attempt. Precepts and formulas, those mechanical instruments of a rational use, or rather misuse, of his natural endowments, are the ball and chain of an everlasting minority. And anyone who did throw them off would still make only an uncertain leap over even the narrowest ditch, since he would not be accustomed to free movement of this kind”. What I got from that is a individual to be different and stray away from the general thought that is considered normal can be difficult because you stand alone against everyone. Going along with the crowd is easier then thinking and acting for one self and not need the support of the majority, especially if you are going against what everyone agrees to be right or correct. This idea of majority can also be used against us because we are following what can possibly be dictated as right or wrong and be lead down a path and not even know it. Unfortunately what is different whether its a idea or a thing is normally not accepted by people because it is misunderstood or goes against the natural balance of things but for anything to progress and evolve there must be that factor or new thought and idea.
Extra credit 1
Living and what that consist of is a topic with many elements, with the everyday routines that one has, it hard to keep in mind that we all are living beings. Normally our minds are so consumed with the mundane that consist of the job we have to go to. The school we choose to attend everyday to possibly attain a better way of living through education. It includes habits or rituals we do that becomes second nature to us, some good, some bad, some healthy, some not. like all things that are considered living, what fuels us, what is the that drive that fuels us to do what we do on a daily basis. What is the essence of any living being including my self or anyone else some would say its our life force others would say that it is our soul. The soul and its relation with the body can be view in many different ways depending on how you view it or the perspective in which you view the soul as a part of as separate part of a living thing. Aristotle claims every living thing is has a soul there are 3 types of living things discussed in the reading which are plants, animals and humans. Each living thing has a soul but there are different differences between each along with there being a hierarchy with humans being the highest then animals and the lowest being the plants. Each having a specific kind of soul with particular elements which makes each different to its role.
Different Kinds of Knowledge- Extra Credit Post 1
Upon reading A Lesson Before Dying, I came to the conclusion that sometimes the truth is too difficult to bare. Also, the text proves that having status and formal education does not always mean that you have more knowledge than others. Grant Wiggins, an educated, intelligent man comes face to face with the fact that not matter how much he tries, his education has not equipped him with the ability to free his students from their place in society.
One part of the novel that really gained my attention was the conversation between Wiggins and the reverend. On page 178, they’re discussing what Wiggins would do if Jefferson asked him about the existence of heaven. Wiggins, a skeptic, says that he’d rather not think of something like that even happening, and the reverend has a quick change of attitude. He quickly addresses why even if you tell people lies, they help people cope a lot of the time, and that that’s perfectly alright. The reverend says that he “lies at wakes and funerals to relieve pain” and to help people overcome their sadness. The reverend finishes his rant with “that makes me the educated one, and you the gump” implying that Wiggins has no right to judge him for his actions, and that he doesn’t have the same firsthand experience that the reverend has. This all shows that even though Wiggins is well educated and full of formal knowledge, he lacks this basic understanding. I think this really taps into the theme of “school isn’t everything”, and that a lot of the time we don’t learn important life lessons about humans, their thoughts, and their coping mechanisms.
To Sir, With Love
The movie “To sir, With Love” entails the story of an engineer named Mark Thackeray who is given the job to teach undisciplined class at a school. Although, he has a period of being a teacher, he doesn’t look to stay for long because he is hoping to obtain an engineering job in the near future. The movie portrays many themes including the idea of education and discipline.
In the movie, it is shown that the class that the Mark teaches is a roudy, disrespectful, and careless. Initially, none of the students value their education and act as if they were kids. The teacher Mr.Thackerary tries to discipline the students at first, however none of them seem to comply. The teacher remains quite patient with the students until he finally flips out after the girls in the class attempt a ‘disguting prank.’
The story begins to develop as the students realize that they are dealing a a teacher who is serious about his students and education. The theme of becoming adults was portrayed really well in the movie. I really thought the transition of the students becoming adults was great. The teacher begins to teach students based on what they want to learn about and takes them on various trips. It was also interesting to see the students begin to take things seriously in class.
In my opinion, just watching a ‘black’ teacher teach a bunch of white students to become resptful adults was just fantastic. The movie taught many lesson about the ideas of race and education. Mark Thackery was black, well educated, and was able to lead a class to become successful. Not only, did Mr. Thackery change the lives of many students, he decided not to go on his engineering route, and continued to teach students. That was really a heartfelt moment and put a huge smile on my fac.e
Harry Potter and Education
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban entails the adventures of Harry Potter and his crew once again for a third year at Hogwarts. Aside form the plot, the book does a great job in depicting major themes. One theme in particular consists of ‘Education.’ The idea of Education is prevelant throughout the book because most of the scenes are taken at Hogwarts which is a wizardry school. Although it may not seem like it at times, but education is taken quite seriously at Hogwarts.
One example in which the idea of education is displayed, is through the character of Hermione. She is not only a hard worker, but an over achiever. In the third year back at Hogwarts, Hermione is taking twice the course load as she did previously. She is taking very difficult classes such ‘Dark Arts’ and ‘Magical Creatures’ along with several other academic courses. This exemplifies how some students take their education seriously at Hogwarts. Hermione taking a huge courseload while learning the arts of wizardry portrays the theme that Education is very important. Hermione also expresses the idea that school work is very importrant to Harry and Ron however, they don’t care quite as much.
In comparison to modern schooling today in NYC, Hogwarts is way more invested in their students education. On example being the structured schooling system at Hogwarts. All the teachers and strict, students require uniform, and they ensure ALL their students are doing well. Another example is the difference in lunch meals in Hogwarts and in NYC public schools. In the book and the movie, a full course meal is served at Hogwarts ensuring that all their students are fed well. This supports the investment that the school makes for the education of their students. Whereas, NYC public schools offer low quality lunch that may or may not be filling to many students.
My major point is that the education system in Hogwarts is really complex however good in many ways. The school values their students education dearly. It also teaches them wizardry which is by far “cooler” than anything taught in NYC. Although the school isn’t real, the book does a great job in portraying the theme of education throughout the story.
Education or Networking
The monster in Frankenstein was different and appeared unique due to which the society kicked him out and this example says a lot about the people. The people kicked him out because he wasn’t human and thought he couldn’t be like one of them and that was true. He couldn’t appear human, but mentally he was able to learn and think like a human. He even learned to read, and write just like humans. His appearance stopped him from gong to school, but that didn’t stop him form learning on his own. Todays society we see this where colored people are essentially in the shoes of Frankenstein and the society represents the white people. Only because of our skin color people are judged and especially blacks because people think they aren’t capable and due to their skin they are underestimated. Still they can learn and even have doctorate degrees, but we live in a society where education doesn’t hold that much weight anymore because today what makes getting a job easy is not your education, but your connections and the people you know. We live in a world where there are definitely better qualified colored people working in over qualified positions and white people working in positions whom other colored people are more deserving. Unfortunately living in a society where white supremacy exists is not fair and makes me think is my education really going to get me the position I want or is it the people I know. I even wonder whether I should spend more time studying and learning or should I just focus more on my networking and getting to know more people who can get me a job easily even if I don’t have all the qualifications for it. So I will always question myself whether education really is what I need when I go to school.
Personal Connection with Grant
While reading A Lesson Before Dying, I was able to put myself in Grant’s shoes and understand why he felt angry and also frustrated. Since he was educated he almost represented the town or neighborhood he lived in. He was given all these responsibilities that came with his education. Since he was educated people had expectations from him and thought he had acquired the knowledge of everything. Even though he was a teacher Miss Emma and his aunt made him a counselor for Jefferson or a so called psychiatrists without realizing that Grant was not knowledgeable of how to handle something like that because he was simply a teacher. There was so much pressure on him and he was ‘forced’ to do things like counsel Jefferson without his consent and people felt it was his ‘job’ to do it. I can completely relate to this situation because as a first generation college student there are many career expectations my family has for me. It’s like educating me is for their benefit more than my own. Since I will be educated I will be able to take care of all their legal issues or other problems which I probably have no knowledge about whatsoever. Already because I am the most educated so far in my family I am expected to tutor other kids in my family who are struggling in school even though I am not good at it and also I have to figure out tax forms for my family as well even though I am not even educated about it. Their high expectations thinking that only because I went to school I should know everything is not fair. It’s not fair to anyone and I think that is exactly how Grant felt and so do I.
What is knowledge?
Knowledge is defined as facts, information, and skill attained by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. Knowledge can be gained through almost anything. It can be gained through books and even experiences. My favorite type of knowledge is experience merely because when I gain knowledge through experience I gain an appreciation on the things that I am learning. “..Nature, men or from other things…the object of our study is man and his environment” (Rousseau, 2). Through Emile, the significance of experiencing is learning everything on your own and finding your own answers to your questions. In the schooling system, we are given classwork/however, answers and are taught by remembering formulas and lessons being taught. But this is memorizing not learning. Learning comes from within one’s self. It’s all about being an individual and learning on one’s own.
“Nature would have them children before they are men. If we try to invert this order we shall produce a forced fruit immature and flavourless, fruit which will be rotten before it is ripe; we shall have young doctors and old children” (Rousseau, 7). Rousseau is accentuating on the fact that in order to have intelligent children we must follow the order of education. Following the order of education, will allow the child to grow and learn and “ripe.”
Rousseau highlights how to teach children. Visually showing a child (learning based) has a significant impact rather than teaching from books. When you visually show a child, they learn and actually have a better understanding of what is being taught. “…Never substitute the symbol for the thing signified, unless it is impossible to show the thing itself” (Rousseau 16.) Rousseau showcases this when Emilie and him were exploring a forest and were trying to find their way back home. Emile was tired and gave up. Nevertheless, Rousseau helped them find their way back. This experience helped Emile actually learn instead of forgetting what one learns if it was a lecture taught at home or school. “Teach by doing whenever you can, and only fall back upon words when doing is out of the question” (Rousseau 20). Experience plays a vital role on learning. Rousseau’s ideology is connected to Locke’s idea about experience.
Happiness of a children’s childhood is very important to Rousseau’s ideology. Every child may not live to become a man and therefore they should enjoy their childhood. Rousseau questions that why should we invest so much time in education if you don’t know if you will live another day. It takes bravery to choose the less taken, hard road and not regret the decisions we choose.
Does one’s experience help another endeavor?
Experience plays a vital role in one’s learning ability. But when one shares their prior experience, it helps correlate with another’s endeavors. When one shares their prior experiences, they have a strong one-on-one with others. When people have the same interest and needs, the experiences shared has more value. Utilizing experiences is an active way to keep people engaged. Sharing prior experiences helps align with an ideal way that most learners choose to learn. This allows for one to not force knowledge. Books may be helping in one understand the world, but when someone shares their experiences they gain a whole new perspective. Rousseau once stated, “Let the sensed be the only guide for the first workings of reason. No book but the world, no teaching but that if fact. The child who reads ceases to think, he only reads. He is acquiring words not knowledge” (Pg. 14). This emphasizes that books helps one to gain knowledge however sometimes it is not enough. For example, let’s say you decide to take a certain class. You read the class description, etc. You’ve probably learned a lot about what the class offers. Nevertheless when you ask one about the class (how was it, etc.) you get a better understanding of that class. This goes hand-to-hand with most situations. People’s experiences helps one understand the world a little better. Not everyone goes through everything in life therefore sharing helps a lot.