I went to a lecture given by Dr. Greg Jesson from the philosophy department on Skepticism. I was really interested in the lecture because he was arguing for a position on skepticism that I tend to agree with. I was curious what he had to say on the matter and how he would argue his position.
Much of what he had to say was a set up for his argument. He was assuming that some people in the audience had little to no experience in philosophy. So he started out describing what skepticism was - the epistemological claim that no one can know anything. Then he went on to explain why skepticism is wrong. He went down the line, premise by premise building support for his thesis. The argument was very straight forward and fairly easy to understand if you had any familiarity with the topic. Philosophy is one of those things that you have to break your mind into, so if you have never exercised your mind in that way it will take some stretching before you get it.
To make things clear, Dr. Jesson used an overhead projector to display the layout of his argument. He had about 10 pages of notes to put up. It actually turned out to be a very bland lecture. The were too many words in paragraph form on his notes and the argument was so basic that it didn't really bring about any radical thoughts and discussions. He also sounded like he was yelling the entire time. I think all these things added up to an unfortunately boring lecture. I think it would have been better to have clearer notes and a more exciting thesis - one that cut across the grain rather than with it.
I think this is applicable to teaching in the sense that appeal and excitement matter. If what your teaching is not necessarily excited, it is your job as a teacher to find the excitement in it. Also, don't put up notes in paragraph form because there is no way that students can read all of them and listen to what you are saying.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Jodee Blanco
Jodee Blanco is a charismatic, speaker who survived teen bullying. In the past she has worked in Hollywood with the stars, but these days, she focuses her attention on bullying in middle schools and high schools. She travels around the country giving lectures on what her experiences with bullying were and how to prevent that from happening in schools today.
Her stories of how the teen queen of her school, Nadia, whom she labels an "elite tormentor,"bullied her were appalling. I have not seen, nor experienced, anything like what Jodee went through. She told how Nadia and her friends told her over and over again that she was a freak and should transfer to another school. They threw her favorite shoes in the toilet and peed on them, they smeared old cafeteria food in her locker, they even nearly choked her to death by stuffing snow down her throat. I always thought this sort of dramatization of teen bullying was only found in movies, but evidently it is a part of reality. Jodee Blanco believes, however, that it doesn't have to be!
Her triumphs later in life brought her to this conclusion, that bullying doesn't have to be something kids go through. Her efforts to bring awareness about the effects of bullying are helping to shed light on the truth of bullying in schools. I think one of the things that stuck out the most to me was her emphasis on the fact that the bullies themselves think that it is all one big joke. Over and over again she reminded us that, to the bully, it is just a game, they don't actually mean harm by what they are doing. To the one being bullied on the other hand, it is never a joke - and she stressed this to all the students listening to her. The damage being done to the one bullied is irreversible and lifelong.
Another thing that she pointed out to parents of students is that often we try to make our children understand why the bully might be that way - we usually think because of a poor family background or what have you. Jodee believes that our children don't reason in a way to make that sort of perspective change beneficial to their situation. She also finds it ironic that no one ever says to the bully, "why do you think the people you bully are the way they are?" Shouldn't they be made aware that the reason they are able to pick on that person is not because that person was born weird, but because that person was made weird by the circumstances he or she was subjected to (ie bullying).
All this goes to show that bullying is real and horrific. Teachers ought to be aware of its effects on students and who is the bully and who is being bullied. Swift harsh action should be taken against it, but not in the usual sense of punishment. Bullying needs to be eradicated from chain of social hierarchy. It will take students, parents, teachers and administration to fight the battle against it. Jodee Blanco believes the war can be won!
Her stories of how the teen queen of her school, Nadia, whom she labels an "elite tormentor,"bullied her were appalling. I have not seen, nor experienced, anything like what Jodee went through. She told how Nadia and her friends told her over and over again that she was a freak and should transfer to another school. They threw her favorite shoes in the toilet and peed on them, they smeared old cafeteria food in her locker, they even nearly choked her to death by stuffing snow down her throat. I always thought this sort of dramatization of teen bullying was only found in movies, but evidently it is a part of reality. Jodee Blanco believes, however, that it doesn't have to be!
Her triumphs later in life brought her to this conclusion, that bullying doesn't have to be something kids go through. Her efforts to bring awareness about the effects of bullying are helping to shed light on the truth of bullying in schools. I think one of the things that stuck out the most to me was her emphasis on the fact that the bullies themselves think that it is all one big joke. Over and over again she reminded us that, to the bully, it is just a game, they don't actually mean harm by what they are doing. To the one being bullied on the other hand, it is never a joke - and she stressed this to all the students listening to her. The damage being done to the one bullied is irreversible and lifelong.
Another thing that she pointed out to parents of students is that often we try to make our children understand why the bully might be that way - we usually think because of a poor family background or what have you. Jodee believes that our children don't reason in a way to make that sort of perspective change beneficial to their situation. She also finds it ironic that no one ever says to the bully, "why do you think the people you bully are the way they are?" Shouldn't they be made aware that the reason they are able to pick on that person is not because that person was born weird, but because that person was made weird by the circumstances he or she was subjected to (ie bullying).
All this goes to show that bullying is real and horrific. Teachers ought to be aware of its effects on students and who is the bully and who is being bullied. Swift harsh action should be taken against it, but not in the usual sense of punishment. Bullying needs to be eradicated from chain of social hierarchy. It will take students, parents, teachers and administration to fight the battle against it. Jodee Blanco believes the war can be won!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Reflectiveness
I think that students and teachers, everyone for that matter, find it hard to reflect because it requires a person to consider what they might be doing wrong. If they figure out that they are doing something wrong then they are obligated to change, and change is hard. It is much easier to just remain static, not learning from mistakes or growing in any way. But education would fail without this process of examining oneself and progressing.
The point of education is to learn, so it makes sense that reflecting would be at the heart of this process. I think someone who is skilled at reflecting would be a skilled teacher as well. Your students are changing all the time and everyone is different so being able to look at your performance and how your students responded is critical in order to make you a more effective teacher in the future. There are always things that can be improved upon, and being able to identify those things are essential to a teaching career.
I personally reflect the most effectively in a quiet personal spot such as my room. It helps me to just take time where I can block out the rest of the world and think. Sometimes I will journal, which i think is the most effective, but other times I will simply be. This helps me to examine myself from my own perspective. In order to get someone else's perspective, however, I need their feedback. This, I think, is the best way to get the full picture of how effective your performance as a teacher is. Both personal reflection and feedback from students, peers and superiors aid in effective reflection.
The point of education is to learn, so it makes sense that reflecting would be at the heart of this process. I think someone who is skilled at reflecting would be a skilled teacher as well. Your students are changing all the time and everyone is different so being able to look at your performance and how your students responded is critical in order to make you a more effective teacher in the future. There are always things that can be improved upon, and being able to identify those things are essential to a teaching career.
I personally reflect the most effectively in a quiet personal spot such as my room. It helps me to just take time where I can block out the rest of the world and think. Sometimes I will journal, which i think is the most effective, but other times I will simply be. This helps me to examine myself from my own perspective. In order to get someone else's perspective, however, I need their feedback. This, I think, is the best way to get the full picture of how effective your performance as a teacher is. Both personal reflection and feedback from students, peers and superiors aid in effective reflection.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Passion
I have had many amazing teachers in my lifetime. All of them have been very passionate about their jobs. Some I remember better than others because they made more of an impact on my life, but none of my teachers have actually been indifferent about their job or their students. Maybe I lucked out, but maybe passion just comes with the job. I think that for a career such as teaching, you have to be passionate about the subject area, the job and the students. You won't survive if you aren't! I think your first five years of teaching are similar to a "weed out" class, like freshmen biology. You find out pretty quickly whether you love the class (in this case the job) or not. And if you don't, it is not the type of job you just stick it out for. No, if you can't handle being a teacher, you get out of their fast. Those who remain teachers are passionate about what they do - they wouldn't be their otherwise!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Authenticity
Understanding the value and use of authenticity in the classroom is a tough bundle to unwrap. Like any seemingly good thing there are times when authenticity can hinder the educational experience of a student. Mostly, however, I believe that educators who are authentic with themselves, their co-workers and their students improve the atmosphere of the school at large.
One major struggle teachers have with authenticity is knowing where to set boundaries and when to tear them down. A big part of figuring that out is understanding the maturity level of the students you are working with. I had a teacher my senior year of high school who just didn't get that we weren't in middle school anymore. She was teaching an upperclassmen science fiction literature course, but it was her first time teaching in a high school. She had previously been teaching at the middle school level and it was evident in the way she related to her students. Open discussion was completely out of the question in her classroom. She wouldn't acknowledge a student unless they raised their hand. The students had zero respect for her and her "lock-down" approach to controlling the class. She chose not to be authentic with us, the students, in a way that made her look ignorant of our capabilities and inapproachable as a teacher. She never expressed her mistakes or where she was coming from in effort to protect herself from getting walked on.
This brings up another point, students are incredibly perceptive. They can read teachers like picture book. We knew that we scared our teacher and we knew that it was in effort to gain respect and control in the classroom that she acted the way she did. I think this is the biggest reason for being authentic as a teacher. You can't hide much, so don't try to. Be honest, yet professional. Share stories about your personal life and be sure to include the times you made mistakes. Humility within your authenticity gains a lot of respect and trust in the relationships between you and your students. Being real about your expectations and goals is extremely beneficial to students as well. Like, Mr. Doung did, share with your students why you are in the classroom and why you care. Simple things like that establish a bond that makes learning that much easier for the students.
One major struggle teachers have with authenticity is knowing where to set boundaries and when to tear them down. A big part of figuring that out is understanding the maturity level of the students you are working with. I had a teacher my senior year of high school who just didn't get that we weren't in middle school anymore. She was teaching an upperclassmen science fiction literature course, but it was her first time teaching in a high school. She had previously been teaching at the middle school level and it was evident in the way she related to her students. Open discussion was completely out of the question in her classroom. She wouldn't acknowledge a student unless they raised their hand. The students had zero respect for her and her "lock-down" approach to controlling the class. She chose not to be authentic with us, the students, in a way that made her look ignorant of our capabilities and inapproachable as a teacher. She never expressed her mistakes or where she was coming from in effort to protect herself from getting walked on.
This brings up another point, students are incredibly perceptive. They can read teachers like picture book. We knew that we scared our teacher and we knew that it was in effort to gain respect and control in the classroom that she acted the way she did. I think this is the biggest reason for being authentic as a teacher. You can't hide much, so don't try to. Be honest, yet professional. Share stories about your personal life and be sure to include the times you made mistakes. Humility within your authenticity gains a lot of respect and trust in the relationships between you and your students. Being real about your expectations and goals is extremely beneficial to students as well. Like, Mr. Doung did, share with your students why you are in the classroom and why you care. Simple things like that establish a bond that makes learning that much easier for the students.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Compassion
As I look back on the many years spent in public schools and the numerous teachers that passed fleetingly through my life, each one made an impression on my life that has left me changed. Not all made good impressions and some impressions were simply impressions with neither significantly positive nor significantly negative impacts. The one teacher that stands out as being the most compassionate teacher I have ever come across is Mr. Doung (pronounced young).
Mr. Doung was my ninth grade honors algebra teacher. He was a short, yet hefty Korean man. Because he was born in Korea, he often forgot when it was grammatically appropriate to pluralize words. He was a wrestling coach for the middle school and he often was asking the boy who sat next to me what his weight was because the boy had wrestled for Mr. Doung previously. These things are simply miniscule details that I remember about Mr. Doung and his math class, what really impacted me about him was his compassion for his students.
Like I had mentioned previously, Mr. Doung was born in Korea. One day towards the beginning of the year Mr. Doung decided it was important that his students know how he came to America and why he became a math teacher - it was a really inspiring story. Mr Doung and his family had been black listed essentially in Korea and had to take small boats in the middle of the night to neighboring countries to escape from persecution. Eventually making it to America, Mr Doung had a hard time becoming acclimated to an entirely english speaking, foreign environment. He hated school because he couldn't speak english well so he associated himself with people who didn't care about grades. He became tough and fought a lot.
His freshmen year of high school, the school's football coach took notice of him and asked him to play football for the team. Mr. Doung wanted to join, but his grades weren't sufficient enough for him to play. So his football coach got him the help he needed. Mr Doung came to have an appreciation for math especially because it was the same no matter what language you spoke. Finally things were making sense for him. He accredits his success in high school to his football coach who took the time to support him and get him the help he needed. In response to what his football coach did for him, Mr. Doung decided that that is exactly what he wanted to do for all students! So, he became a math teacher.
This was a very inspiring story, but it was more than the story that made Mr. Doung so compassionate in my mind. It was the fact that he actually followed through with his actions. His class was fun, and he got the material across. He was completely honest with students and he would go to any lengths to help a student out. He knew his students, in a way that he could confront them about issues that they were having in their lives. He supported them and empathized with them. He legitimately cared for them. He even knew his students well enough to know the difference between when they were making a silly mistake on a test or when they actually didn't know the material. I remember a few times when he would walk around the classroom during tests and simply point at my paper and whisper "negative sign." I had simply forgot to write the negative sign and he didn't want to have to take away points for little errors such as that.
There was one time that I was definitely on the receiving end of Mr. Doung's compassion. I hadn't turned in my homework that day, and that was very unusual for me. After class Mr. Doung pulled me aside and simply asked what was up. For some reason I felt like he just knew what was going on in my life. He ventured to guess what the stressor was and why I hadn't turned in my homework. Long story short, part of the stress was from breaking up with a boyfriend. Mr. Doung showed his compassion for me by telling me that I didn't need a man to feel worth and other similar words of encouragement. I have never met another teacher like Mr. Doung with so much care for his students well-being, let alone their academic success. All of these things make Mr. Doung the most compassionate teacher I have ever had in my academic career.
Mr. Doung was my ninth grade honors algebra teacher. He was a short, yet hefty Korean man. Because he was born in Korea, he often forgot when it was grammatically appropriate to pluralize words. He was a wrestling coach for the middle school and he often was asking the boy who sat next to me what his weight was because the boy had wrestled for Mr. Doung previously. These things are simply miniscule details that I remember about Mr. Doung and his math class, what really impacted me about him was his compassion for his students.
Like I had mentioned previously, Mr. Doung was born in Korea. One day towards the beginning of the year Mr. Doung decided it was important that his students know how he came to America and why he became a math teacher - it was a really inspiring story. Mr Doung and his family had been black listed essentially in Korea and had to take small boats in the middle of the night to neighboring countries to escape from persecution. Eventually making it to America, Mr Doung had a hard time becoming acclimated to an entirely english speaking, foreign environment. He hated school because he couldn't speak english well so he associated himself with people who didn't care about grades. He became tough and fought a lot.
His freshmen year of high school, the school's football coach took notice of him and asked him to play football for the team. Mr. Doung wanted to join, but his grades weren't sufficient enough for him to play. So his football coach got him the help he needed. Mr Doung came to have an appreciation for math especially because it was the same no matter what language you spoke. Finally things were making sense for him. He accredits his success in high school to his football coach who took the time to support him and get him the help he needed. In response to what his football coach did for him, Mr. Doung decided that that is exactly what he wanted to do for all students! So, he became a math teacher.
This was a very inspiring story, but it was more than the story that made Mr. Doung so compassionate in my mind. It was the fact that he actually followed through with his actions. His class was fun, and he got the material across. He was completely honest with students and he would go to any lengths to help a student out. He knew his students, in a way that he could confront them about issues that they were having in their lives. He supported them and empathized with them. He legitimately cared for them. He even knew his students well enough to know the difference between when they were making a silly mistake on a test or when they actually didn't know the material. I remember a few times when he would walk around the classroom during tests and simply point at my paper and whisper "negative sign." I had simply forgot to write the negative sign and he didn't want to have to take away points for little errors such as that.
There was one time that I was definitely on the receiving end of Mr. Doung's compassion. I hadn't turned in my homework that day, and that was very unusual for me. After class Mr. Doung pulled me aside and simply asked what was up. For some reason I felt like he just knew what was going on in my life. He ventured to guess what the stressor was and why I hadn't turned in my homework. Long story short, part of the stress was from breaking up with a boyfriend. Mr. Doung showed his compassion for me by telling me that I didn't need a man to feel worth and other similar words of encouragement. I have never met another teacher like Mr. Doung with so much care for his students well-being, let alone their academic success. All of these things make Mr. Doung the most compassionate teacher I have ever had in my academic career.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Respect
Respect is earned, never just doled out randomly. It can also take on many appearances; it can look like caring about, honoring or even fearing the respected person. As a teacher, I believe one should never establish respect in the form of fear. It undermines any potential benefit and education might have on a student. Instead of learning, they are concerned with how their behavior might cause unwanted consequences. They steer clear of anything to do with the teacher even if they have questions that keep them from understanding the material. This fear may even turn the student completely away from the specific academic discipline, possibly even academia all together! Teachers need to be very careful when establishing respect within the classroom so as not to get a response of such honor that it turns to fear.
So, how do you get respect in the classroom? A friend once told me that she had a teacher who always started class asking if the students wanted to learn or have snacks and play games instead. Obviously all the kids chose to have snacks and play games. All the students knew this person was an aweful teacher, but they were satisfied to play games rather than expand their knowledge. Sometimes teachers either think that they can earn respect by being cool and letting their students do what they want, or maybe they are just lazy. In this case, and I think in all cases like it, the response from the students is not respect. To the students this looked like a lack of concern or care for them or the subject matter. That is definitely not worthy of their respect! I think a big part of respect comes from you demonstrating your love for the subject, teaching, learning and especially the students. Have you ever hear the phrase, "Smiles are contagious."? A teacher's enthusiasm for his or her job is just as contagious.
Some other simple ways to earn respect in the classroom are: know your students, teach to an objective, and make learning fun. Knowing your students seems simple enough, and it really is! Know their names and more. Get to know them as individuals so that you can distinguish their strengths and weakness. Establish a relationship as a mentor rather than a teacher. Mentors are more approachable and show concern for their "apprentices." When teaching, make sure you teach to an objective. I don't mean to say that stories and tangents in classroom discussions are completely bad, but make sure to always tie everything back to the objective for the day's lesson. If you just ramble on about nothing, students are going to think you are stupid, and it doesn't actually teach them anything. Rambling also has the negative side effect of boring students which exponentially increases the likelihood of them goofing, a.k.a. being disrespectful. Finally, make learning fun! think of those hilarious stories that apply to what you are teaching. Play games that help the students understand the material. Do whatever it takes to positively motivate students to learn! If you keep students entertained, not only are they going to love you, they aren't going to have the time to disrespect you because they are enthralled in what they are doing.
There are many ways to earn respect, and those different ways may bring about care, honor or even fear. I think that the best teachers earn the type of respect that benefits the students education the most. Therefore, being scary is not going to cut it; neither is being lazy. Some simple ways of earning respect in the classroom are love the job, know the students, teach to an objective and make learning fun. These methods will give the teacher his or her desired response from the students and maximize the students learning.
So, how do you get respect in the classroom? A friend once told me that she had a teacher who always started class asking if the students wanted to learn or have snacks and play games instead. Obviously all the kids chose to have snacks and play games. All the students knew this person was an aweful teacher, but they were satisfied to play games rather than expand their knowledge. Sometimes teachers either think that they can earn respect by being cool and letting their students do what they want, or maybe they are just lazy. In this case, and I think in all cases like it, the response from the students is not respect. To the students this looked like a lack of concern or care for them or the subject matter. That is definitely not worthy of their respect! I think a big part of respect comes from you demonstrating your love for the subject, teaching, learning and especially the students. Have you ever hear the phrase, "Smiles are contagious."? A teacher's enthusiasm for his or her job is just as contagious.
Some other simple ways to earn respect in the classroom are: know your students, teach to an objective, and make learning fun. Knowing your students seems simple enough, and it really is! Know their names and more. Get to know them as individuals so that you can distinguish their strengths and weakness. Establish a relationship as a mentor rather than a teacher. Mentors are more approachable and show concern for their "apprentices." When teaching, make sure you teach to an objective. I don't mean to say that stories and tangents in classroom discussions are completely bad, but make sure to always tie everything back to the objective for the day's lesson. If you just ramble on about nothing, students are going to think you are stupid, and it doesn't actually teach them anything. Rambling also has the negative side effect of boring students which exponentially increases the likelihood of them goofing, a.k.a. being disrespectful. Finally, make learning fun! think of those hilarious stories that apply to what you are teaching. Play games that help the students understand the material. Do whatever it takes to positively motivate students to learn! If you keep students entertained, not only are they going to love you, they aren't going to have the time to disrespect you because they are enthralled in what they are doing.
There are many ways to earn respect, and those different ways may bring about care, honor or even fear. I think that the best teachers earn the type of respect that benefits the students education the most. Therefore, being scary is not going to cut it; neither is being lazy. Some simple ways of earning respect in the classroom are love the job, know the students, teach to an objective and make learning fun. These methods will give the teacher his or her desired response from the students and maximize the students learning.
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