Okay. So what I gathered is that both of these fellas were the fathers of a particular form of education. Which a lot of people assume is so different from one another.
I looked at the short article that compares both style of teaching. The debate seems foolish since the article states "Hirsch worries mostly about elementary schools, Sizer about high schools" this quote right here should automatically nullify any of the arguments that the teaching styles have against each other.
Hirsch apparently believes that "Students should be able to read and know basic number facts by the end of the first grade" which I believe that many kids can do by the end of first grade as well as basic math. Sizer believes "Students should leave school as well-informed skeptics, able to ask good questions as a matter of habit". To me that idea seems a little far fetched.
When you look at most high school students today the idea of "oh these kids can ask some pretty good questions" is not one that comes to mind when you see freshmen smoking directly outside of school. I think that the teaching styles from 1st to 12 grade differ on a wider spectrum than most people realize.
When kids are in lower grades the independence is in full effect and they still want to hold on to mommy's ankle for as long as they can. As we get older we tend to whisper and sometimes yell f*** off as we shut the front door behind us and welcome the idea of leaving for college.
Honestly I think that both of the ideas of Hirch and Sizer has been lost over time. I think that since TV programs have become something that a lot of kids and teens watch the task of studying has become something that is almost archaic. More and more kids are having a harder time focusing and having an easier time blaming the teacher for various reasons (though sometimes valid).
A lot of the ideas of knowledge has been lost over time and it seems a little weird that the people that argue about it are a long ways out of both middle school and high school. School social norms and styles are always changing so getting the opinion of someone who graduated high school in 1999 no longer has a valid opinion when it comes to high school or middle school because most likely it isn't what it was like 10+ years ago. That's like a 12 year old giving stock market options.
I think that to a point kids care about their education but not to the point to look up or even care about the history or the foundation of their schools.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Hw-44 You're Gonna Go Far Kid
We are officially at a point where we mostly wonder why we are stuck in school to begin with. By this time we can't really point out why we need school. We as students can say all the things that bother us about school and the people that are assiociated with it. Why is it so much easier to say "homework is pointless" before saying "I'm lucky my school has a GSA" I think it has become a social norm to hate school. It's something that is not to be questioned.
How did we get here?
School is hyped up to a point where if you have never been you antisipate the greatest thing ever. And as it so happens school is the greatest thing ever but something happens in between getting bullied or failing a class where your motivation seems to be on an eternal downfall. In Obama's speach he says that you have to believe in yourself and never give up. If you give up you not only give up on yourself but you give up on your country. Wow... really?
School is the place where the most judgement happens. Either you're too skinny or too smart or too fat or too dumb or ugly blah blah blah. In a place like that how can you be motivated to always believe in yourself? As previously discussed school is a place where the eternal contest of cool is being held. 'if you can't stand the heat get outta the kitchen' is the high school anthem.
Socially there is so much going on that even the slightest thing can manipulate the direction of your mood. Thus it becomes easier to shatehat we hate about school before listing what we love. Everyone loses sight of what school is for. But then again have we ever really had a clear understanding of what school is there for?
We have the cliche definition of why we need school but how can we know if what we have been told and taught holds truth? No matter what there is always a way to disprove what has been drilled into the various spaces in our heads.
I wonder what the alternative is for when we don't believe in ourselves? What happens then? Does the country stop to check up on us? Do we stand united? Not at all. I believe it's because all our lives we have stood alone. School pushes the 'every man for himself' clause on us and that is what sticks with us. We fight till the death in an endless cool battle, or we end up trying to prove our worth academically and even if you're in the 'i don't give a damn' crowd there are even people competing for who doesn't care the most.
School is a game but the players never win. But hey believe in yourself champ.
How did we get here?
School is hyped up to a point where if you have never been you antisipate the greatest thing ever. And as it so happens school is the greatest thing ever but something happens in between getting bullied or failing a class where your motivation seems to be on an eternal downfall. In Obama's speach he says that you have to believe in yourself and never give up. If you give up you not only give up on yourself but you give up on your country. Wow... really?
School is the place where the most judgement happens. Either you're too skinny or too smart or too fat or too dumb or ugly blah blah blah. In a place like that how can you be motivated to always believe in yourself? As previously discussed school is a place where the eternal contest of cool is being held. 'if you can't stand the heat get outta the kitchen' is the high school anthem.
Socially there is so much going on that even the slightest thing can manipulate the direction of your mood. Thus it becomes easier to shatehat we hate about school before listing what we love. Everyone loses sight of what school is for. But then again have we ever really had a clear understanding of what school is there for?
We have the cliche definition of why we need school but how can we know if what we have been told and taught holds truth? No matter what there is always a way to disprove what has been drilled into the various spaces in our heads.
I wonder what the alternative is for when we don't believe in ourselves? What happens then? Does the country stop to check up on us? Do we stand united? Not at all. I believe it's because all our lives we have stood alone. School pushes the 'every man for himself' clause on us and that is what sticks with us. We fight till the death in an endless cool battle, or we end up trying to prove our worth academically and even if you're in the 'i don't give a damn' crowd there are even people competing for who doesn't care the most.
School is a game but the players never win. But hey believe in yourself champ.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Hw - 42 Uh...Important Things aka Significance
The American school system babies its students thus preserving the immaturity in its kids. We never really grasp the idea of 'growing up' we have become used to a childish routine.
I think that this topic is important because the better half on teens are stuck in this realm of immaturity. Is it our fault? When I look back on how the school system is we have been hand fed, burped, and put to bed for the last 13+ years. Its all we have known. Daily reports on lateness and reminders on who is passing or failing. Let's not forget the "Timmy do you have your homework today?"'s. I know personally that teachers ask on a daily basis about work and projects and yada yada yada.
We get stuck in this routine thinking that teachers, these 'superior' people who essentially control your high school career with a simple number or letter. I think we get so used to having everything all done for us until we reach the point where we get a huge slap in the face telling us the grow up. We let things and places like high school become the pinnacle of our lives because we think this is where it all is. Having teachers grade your work and cut you slack.
Why is this all that we know?
Take a look at our society, everyone is obsessed with age. Preventing it or relishing it is something that we can see everyday. How many movies have their been where some old guy is disappointed with his life *gasp* until one day he gets a magical chance to re-do his life. We have been filtered to believe that age is bad and that when it comes we need cosmetics to make it all go away. Here we have this obsession with time...all the time.
How many seniors will say "I can't believe its over" Granted you will miss your friends and the popularity or whatever. But I think its deeper than that. Leaving high school means growing up. High school, middle school and elementary school were places that let us crawl around, roll around, fall in love, act a fool without consequence or worry and now we are scared out of our minds.
Some of us appear to be embracing the fact that we can get the hell out of here. Some of us like the idea of being on our own. But is that just another childish idea? Something that lets us run away from mommy for a while. A mini adventure that allows us continues to roll around to get dirty to rip holes in our jeans.
We all say things or have heard things like "We are wasting our youth in school!" or "Everything is easy when you're young" Why does it have to be that way? Why do we all end up wishing we could rewind the clock just a little bit? We are in this mindset of valuing the 'glory days' so when reality comes zooming by to slap us in the face we don't know what to do. We wake up wishing that we could go back.
That leads me to think about why there are so many of us that are immature. It seems that we have been taught to value our young years and hating the birthdays after 29. Its weird but I think alot of us might miss the 'goo goo gah gah' phase.
Is this a bad thing? It looks like we have only been doing what we have been taught.
I think that this topic is important because the better half on teens are stuck in this realm of immaturity. Is it our fault? When I look back on how the school system is we have been hand fed, burped, and put to bed for the last 13+ years. Its all we have known. Daily reports on lateness and reminders on who is passing or failing. Let's not forget the "Timmy do you have your homework today?"'s. I know personally that teachers ask on a daily basis about work and projects and yada yada yada.
We get stuck in this routine thinking that teachers, these 'superior' people who essentially control your high school career with a simple number or letter. I think we get so used to having everything all done for us until we reach the point where we get a huge slap in the face telling us the grow up. We let things and places like high school become the pinnacle of our lives because we think this is where it all is. Having teachers grade your work and cut you slack.
Why is this all that we know?
Take a look at our society, everyone is obsessed with age. Preventing it or relishing it is something that we can see everyday. How many movies have their been where some old guy is disappointed with his life *gasp* until one day he gets a magical chance to re-do his life. We have been filtered to believe that age is bad and that when it comes we need cosmetics to make it all go away. Here we have this obsession with time...all the time.
How many seniors will say "I can't believe its over" Granted you will miss your friends and the popularity or whatever. But I think its deeper than that. Leaving high school means growing up. High school, middle school and elementary school were places that let us crawl around, roll around, fall in love, act a fool without consequence or worry and now we are scared out of our minds.
Some of us appear to be embracing the fact that we can get the hell out of here. Some of us like the idea of being on our own. But is that just another childish idea? Something that lets us run away from mommy for a while. A mini adventure that allows us continues to roll around to get dirty to rip holes in our jeans.
We all say things or have heard things like "We are wasting our youth in school!" or "Everything is easy when you're young" Why does it have to be that way? Why do we all end up wishing we could rewind the clock just a little bit? We are in this mindset of valuing the 'glory days' so when reality comes zooming by to slap us in the face we don't know what to do. We wake up wishing that we could go back.
That leads me to think about why there are so many of us that are immature. It seems that we have been taught to value our young years and hating the birthdays after 29. Its weird but I think alot of us might miss the 'goo goo gah gah' phase.
Is this a bad thing? It looks like we have only been doing what we have been taught.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Hw 41- Color Me Stupid *Edited*
Now that we are actually looking at school on a 'closer' level we seem to be questioning everything that we hear or see. It looks like we all dread school, more often that not you'll walk down the halls and hear someone complaining that we don't have nap time anymore and that the math that we are learning is pointless. Recently it has become clear that it is easier to find reasons to dislike school rather than to embrace and enjoy.
When you ask people "Hey, why do we need school?" you can expect the cliche answer of "So that we can get into college and get good jobs" Why is that the one answer that everyone seems to know? Was this something that we have been taught? How come it's so easy to remember the lunch menu but no one can recite the quadratic equations? We say that we need school to get smarter and blah blah blah but it looks like we just dumb ourselves down.
I think its because we dread growing up. For so long we have had everything drilled into our heads, constitutions, chemical bonding, geography, geometry, biology...it has become this routine that we are generally fond with and the thought of actually having to get off your arse is a scary one. If you think about it there is an undertone of 'grow the f*** up' in school, its just that some of us have become too wound up in the lovely-ness of immaturity.
It seems that the older we get the more babied we have become, we are more and more dependant on our teachers to do and say basically everything for us so that we don't have to think. Where has our motivation gone?
"Tips on how to keep your child motivated." Mama's Health. 2009. Mama'sHealth, Web. 24 Feb 2010..
Mama's health.com suggests that there are things that can be done so that your child continues to be motivated for school. Simple things like being interested in whatever is going on at school or simply helping your child to develop better studying habits.
Johnson, David. "Color Psychology." Infoplease. 2007. Infoplease, Web. 24 Feb 2010..
Info Please. com explains how certain colors help to evoke certain moods. It makes me think of how drastically your mood can changes when in school just by walking into a different room when in school.
(most of the sources I used were pretty similar to those listed above)
How everything ties in: Our entire 13+ years in school have done nothing but help to baby us into thinking that everything gets handed to us, therefor this causes us to loose our motivation about school because everything has been made so easy and accessible that we go limp. Not to mention the large setting changes that affect us on a daily basis that constantly throws us into to mood swings.
This could all be connected to how our concentration is lost over time because we have been filtered to believe by our peers that playing our role in school and saving face is more important that actually paying attention in class. School has become a pathetic popularity contest which causes our list of priorities to become screwed up.
Addition:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2172364_maintain-immaturity-throughout-life.html
Who knew? tthis site provides pointers on how to mainteain and manage the immaturity that surrounds your life. The site puts a good spin on it basically saying that having a bit of immaturity in your life can actually be a good thing. It doesn't really connect it to school but it does give some kind of insight.
When you ask people "Hey, why do we need school?" you can expect the cliche answer of "So that we can get into college and get good jobs" Why is that the one answer that everyone seems to know? Was this something that we have been taught? How come it's so easy to remember the lunch menu but no one can recite the quadratic equations? We say that we need school to get smarter and blah blah blah but it looks like we just dumb ourselves down.
I think its because we dread growing up. For so long we have had everything drilled into our heads, constitutions, chemical bonding, geography, geometry, biology...it has become this routine that we are generally fond with and the thought of actually having to get off your arse is a scary one. If you think about it there is an undertone of 'grow the f*** up' in school, its just that some of us have become too wound up in the lovely-ness of immaturity.
It seems that the older we get the more babied we have become, we are more and more dependant on our teachers to do and say basically everything for us so that we don't have to think. Where has our motivation gone?
"Tips on how to keep your child motivated." Mama's Health. 2009. Mama'sHealth, Web. 24 Feb 2010.
Mama's health.com suggests that there are things that can be done so that your child continues to be motivated for school. Simple things like being interested in whatever is going on at school or simply helping your child to develop better studying habits.
Johnson, David. "Color Psychology." Infoplease. 2007. Infoplease, Web. 24 Feb 2010.
Info Please. com explains how certain colors help to evoke certain moods. It makes me think of how drastically your mood can changes when in school just by walking into a different room when in school.
(most of the sources I used were pretty similar to those listed above)
How everything ties in: Our entire 13+ years in school have done nothing but help to baby us into thinking that everything gets handed to us, therefor this causes us to loose our motivation about school because everything has been made so easy and accessible that we go limp. Not to mention the large setting changes that affect us on a daily basis that constantly throws us into to mood swings.
This could all be connected to how our concentration is lost over time because we have been filtered to believe by our peers that playing our role in school and saving face is more important that actually paying attention in class. School has become a pathetic popularity contest which causes our list of priorities to become screwed up.
Addition:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2172364_maintain-immaturity-throughout-life.html
Who knew? tthis site provides pointers on how to mainteain and manage the immaturity that surrounds your life. The site puts a good spin on it basically saying that having a bit of immaturity in your life can actually be a good thing. It doesn't really connect it to school but it does give some kind of insight.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Hw 40- The People Make The Person
Talking about school doesn't seem to be interesting to alot of current teens because we don't really have anything to look back on. I believe that when talking about school with older people you strike them back to the 'ol glory days' and how they used to chase the pretty girls or how they had the times of their lives. But then you get the sour adults who tell you about how the starting quarterback gave them daily swirlys.
Which begs the question...What makes school fun? or not fun?
I got this idea by from watching movie to be honest. One movie in particular The Wood which is basically about a bunch of guys that are looking back the 'glory days' and how they may or may not have let the loves of their lives slip away.
My first interviewer...Lets call him Thomas.
Q: What was your favorite time of the school day?
A: The morning...No wait the late afternoon.
Q: Why?
A: (forced laugh) One being 16 had alot to do with it. I mean who likes to be cooped up for hours shuffling from room to room. I mean I also liked lunch too. But its embarrassing to say that I liked getting out of school so that I could see my girlfriend.
Q/R: Aw, that's sweet. So would you say that knowing that you would see her made school fun?
A: Not really, I had to wait until after school to see her so in that context school just seemed like something that had to be done in order to so what I really wanted to do.
My second interviewer...Lets call her Suzie.
Q: What's the most important thing that you remember about school?
A: I don't know. (laughs) It was so long ago girl!
Q: Well would you say it was classes or friends or relationships...?
A: Work I guess, I was very studious. I liked to get my assignments in on time. I liked making sure that everything was done when it had to be done. I remember having one close friend but she moved away in my junior year.
Q: If you had to use one word to describe school what would it be?
A: Necessary.
My third interviewer...Lets call him Ben.
Q: If you had to describe school using one word what would it be?
A: Uh...hard?
Q: Why would you use that word?
A: Well its my first year of college and I think I went into it in a stereotypical mindset that once I reached this step in my life that I would be free to do what I wanted and that somehow it would be easier I guess.
Q: Huh, if you could eliminate school as a component in your life would you?
A: No...Yeah...(laughes) parts of it.
Q: Which parts?
A: The parts where I was failing or taking tests or fighting with my friends or single.
My fourth interviewer...Me.
Q: If I had to describe school in one word what would it be?
A: Weird.
Q: Why?
A: Because we all follow rules but we can't really place the origin of them, we wasted the youngest years of our lives in school to then waste more years of it paying for it and in some cases are not even promised a job. Mostly we are defined by numbers and our ability to remember.
Q: Would you say that school is fun?
A: Sometimes. I feel like school is made up of the people. Sometimes its fun to be around people and sometimes its not...
Part B
When I was interviewing Thomas and Suzie it got me to thinking about youth. I think that in someways when reminiscing about school we come down to one question: was it fun? I would say that we enjoy our time better when we are having fun and enjoying ourselves. Since we spend a good chunk of our lives in school being talked at, we tend to judge school as fun or not fun. Making a connection it seems like we remember school as fun relating to our popular status. As shallow as it sounds it seems to be true.
But why?
Is something only fun when you have people doing whatever you say and staring at you on a daily or hourly basis? Hmm... I think the things that make school fun is mostly the people and possibly the grades. I mean if you want to get somewhere in life (depending on the society that you are living in and what you have been taught to believe)
I think the people part of school is the most interesting part of school because no matter where you go in life you are going to meet all different kinds of people and alot of us can learn and pick up some people skills. We might not need trigonometry or chemistry as much as we need to know how to get to know people because you'll never know who you might meet or who might change your life. It seems to me that we all have this view of 'BOO School!!!' but somehow we all show up at 8:30 (sometimes later) to be talked at for hours without knowing why. And we have never thought to question it.
Which begs the question...What makes school fun? or not fun?
I got this idea by from watching movie to be honest. One movie in particular The Wood which is basically about a bunch of guys that are looking back the 'glory days' and how they may or may not have let the loves of their lives slip away.
My first interviewer...Lets call him Thomas.
Q: What was your favorite time of the school day?
A: The morning...No wait the late afternoon.
Q: Why?
A: (forced laugh) One being 16 had alot to do with it. I mean who likes to be cooped up for hours shuffling from room to room. I mean I also liked lunch too. But its embarrassing to say that I liked getting out of school so that I could see my girlfriend.
Q/R: Aw, that's sweet. So would you say that knowing that you would see her made school fun?
A: Not really, I had to wait until after school to see her so in that context school just seemed like something that had to be done in order to so what I really wanted to do.
My second interviewer...Lets call her Suzie.
Q: What's the most important thing that you remember about school?
A: I don't know. (laughs) It was so long ago girl!
Q: Well would you say it was classes or friends or relationships...?
A: Work I guess, I was very studious. I liked to get my assignments in on time. I liked making sure that everything was done when it had to be done. I remember having one close friend but she moved away in my junior year.
Q: If you had to use one word to describe school what would it be?
A: Necessary.
My third interviewer...Lets call him Ben.
Q: If you had to describe school using one word what would it be?
A: Uh...hard?
Q: Why would you use that word?
A: Well its my first year of college and I think I went into it in a stereotypical mindset that once I reached this step in my life that I would be free to do what I wanted and that somehow it would be easier I guess.
Q: Huh, if you could eliminate school as a component in your life would you?
A: No...Yeah...(laughes) parts of it.
Q: Which parts?
A: The parts where I was failing or taking tests or fighting with my friends or single.
My fourth interviewer...Me.
Q: If I had to describe school in one word what would it be?
A: Weird.
Q: Why?
A: Because we all follow rules but we can't really place the origin of them, we wasted the youngest years of our lives in school to then waste more years of it paying for it and in some cases are not even promised a job. Mostly we are defined by numbers and our ability to remember.
Q: Would you say that school is fun?
A: Sometimes. I feel like school is made up of the people. Sometimes its fun to be around people and sometimes its not...
Part B
When I was interviewing Thomas and Suzie it got me to thinking about youth. I think that in someways when reminiscing about school we come down to one question: was it fun? I would say that we enjoy our time better when we are having fun and enjoying ourselves. Since we spend a good chunk of our lives in school being talked at, we tend to judge school as fun or not fun. Making a connection it seems like we remember school as fun relating to our popular status. As shallow as it sounds it seems to be true.
But why?
Is something only fun when you have people doing whatever you say and staring at you on a daily or hourly basis? Hmm... I think the things that make school fun is mostly the people and possibly the grades. I mean if you want to get somewhere in life (depending on the society that you are living in and what you have been taught to believe)
I think the people part of school is the most interesting part of school because no matter where you go in life you are going to meet all different kinds of people and alot of us can learn and pick up some people skills. We might not need trigonometry or chemistry as much as we need to know how to get to know people because you'll never know who you might meet or who might change your life. It seems to me that we all have this view of 'BOO School!!!' but somehow we all show up at 8:30 (sometimes later) to be talked at for hours without knowing why. And we have never thought to question it.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Hw - 39 Re-do
Interesting Questions
1. Why is there a power structure in school?
2. Why are we defined by our numbers?
3. Why do we all have the same 'school dreams'?
Fascinating Questions
1. Why do teachers wear the badge of 'I've done this already, I don't need this'?
2. Why is there so little time in between classes?
3. Why is it bad to cut class?
Powerful Questions
1. Why is there so much homework?
2. Why do teachers like to be nosy?
3. Why can't we call our teachers by by their first names?
Ideas...
1. School is like a 'legal prison'
2. This idea of school has been passed down for so long we no longer question it
3 The only reason people like school is to show-off
4. School is just another way to meet people and prove yourself
5. School is like a stage, where the teachers are our directors
Part B. Why do teachers have all of the power?/ Why do teachers wear the badge of "I've already done this, I don't need this"?
To begin with us 'kids' have been brought us to believe that adults need to be respected by all those uh...below them. I find that this statement can be true sometimes but not when you want to be equal. Like those teachers who say 'don't call me by my first name' Why not..? We all have first names, why are we being reduced to calling you by your last name? Are you ashamed of your first name? I think that this gives teachers the rush of being in charge, of being the authority figure. But they don't want to admit this. They say its a term of respect. Why can't we share the power? I'd like to see some of the students prepare a lesson plan or two. Instead of teachers wasting their time teaching us how to count the amount of atoms in Au.
As well as the very unfair chain of power, teachers feel as though when students feel the need to have a tiny bit of free time the teachers often gets uptight and yells something like 'one mic' or 'we are wasting your time' or '...I don't need this' or 'the homework is going to be on this material' right... No matter what happens in the 55 minutes the teacher doesn't lose any pennies from their paycheck.
Does that mean that teachers really care about their jobs?
or
They have to be in control the entire period, so when the attention isn't on them...that becomes a problem.
What's also weird is how teachers take forever to grade things, but they are constantly giving out more and more work to students; which results in a longer period of ungraded work. But God 'fahbid' we ask what our grade is... all hell breaks loose. 'True Story'.
Why do teachers think that we need this?
I'm sure that if you ask a teacher "Why do you do what you do?" or "Why is it important for us to learn what you're teaching us?" or "When are we going to use this math?" We will most likely get some generic answers about how this material is a part of the core curriculum and that we must learn this to graduate in order to get in to a good college blah blah blah. Or something like "I'll address that after school, for now get back to work please"
I don't think that we will ever get the answers that we want to any of the questions that we have about school. We all have the image of getting a 'good job' and going to a good college and for so long that image, that idea was all that we needed for the motivation for school. I mean for some reason we think that its such a bad thing to cut class or school. We fear and dread being late or absent and having to catch up on days of homework. We can't evade that call home. We drag ourselves here every morning but we don't really know why. We just know that we have to or else. School has become a place where a large question mark hovers over and we have lost the energy to wonder why we come here and why we invite ourselves to the sold out show we call our lives.
1. Why is there a power structure in school?
2. Why are we defined by our numbers?
3. Why do we all have the same 'school dreams'?
Fascinating Questions
1. Why do teachers wear the badge of 'I've done this already, I don't need this'?
2. Why is there so little time in between classes?
3. Why is it bad to cut class?
Powerful Questions
1. Why is there so much homework?
2. Why do teachers like to be nosy?
3. Why can't we call our teachers by by their first names?
Ideas...
1. School is like a 'legal prison'
2. This idea of school has been passed down for so long we no longer question it
3 The only reason people like school is to show-off
4. School is just another way to meet people and prove yourself
5. School is like a stage, where the teachers are our directors
Part B. Why do teachers have all of the power?/ Why do teachers wear the badge of "I've already done this, I don't need this"?
To begin with us 'kids' have been brought us to believe that adults need to be respected by all those uh...below them. I find that this statement can be true sometimes but not when you want to be equal. Like those teachers who say 'don't call me by my first name' Why not..? We all have first names, why are we being reduced to calling you by your last name? Are you ashamed of your first name? I think that this gives teachers the rush of being in charge, of being the authority figure. But they don't want to admit this. They say its a term of respect. Why can't we share the power? I'd like to see some of the students prepare a lesson plan or two. Instead of teachers wasting their time teaching us how to count the amount of atoms in Au.
As well as the very unfair chain of power, teachers feel as though when students feel the need to have a tiny bit of free time the teachers often gets uptight and yells something like 'one mic' or 'we are wasting your time' or '...I don't need this' or 'the homework is going to be on this material' right... No matter what happens in the 55 minutes the teacher doesn't lose any pennies from their paycheck.
Does that mean that teachers really care about their jobs?
or
They have to be in control the entire period, so when the attention isn't on them...that becomes a problem.
What's also weird is how teachers take forever to grade things, but they are constantly giving out more and more work to students; which results in a longer period of ungraded work. But God 'fahbid' we ask what our grade is... all hell breaks loose. 'True Story'.
Why do teachers think that we need this?
I'm sure that if you ask a teacher "Why do you do what you do?" or "Why is it important for us to learn what you're teaching us?" or "When are we going to use this math?" We will most likely get some generic answers about how this material is a part of the core curriculum and that we must learn this to graduate in order to get in to a good college blah blah blah. Or something like "I'll address that after school, for now get back to work please"
I don't think that we will ever get the answers that we want to any of the questions that we have about school. We all have the image of getting a 'good job' and going to a good college and for so long that image, that idea was all that we needed for the motivation for school. I mean for some reason we think that its such a bad thing to cut class or school. We fear and dread being late or absent and having to catch up on days of homework. We can't evade that call home. We drag ourselves here every morning but we don't really know why. We just know that we have to or else. School has become a place where a large question mark hovers over and we have lost the energy to wonder why we come here and why we invite ourselves to the sold out show we call our lives.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Hw - 39- We Go To School To Get Smarter And Work Harder...Right?
Questions about 'Skewl'...
1. Why are we defined by our numbers?
2. Why do teachers have the power?
3. Why are teachers exempt from being late?
4. Why do teachers get to hover over students but students can't hover over teachers?
5. Why do teachers wear the badge of 'I've done this already, I don't need this'?
6. Why does school start at 8:30am?
7. Why is lunch so short?
8. Why can teachers have phones out but students cannot?
9. Why do students have to ask to go to the bathroom in some classes but don't in others?
10. Why is there so much homework?
11. Why do students like to be nosy?
12. Why do teachers like to be nosy?
13. Why do we have double periods?
14. Why is it bad to cut class?
15. Why do teachers play roles?
16. Why is there a food chain in school?
17. Why are we forced to work in groups?
18. Why do we have assigned seats?
19. Why are we tested?
20. Why can't we text in class?
21. Why can't we call our teachers by by their first names?
22. Why do we need permission to leave early?
23. Why do we need late passes?
24. Why is there so little time in between classes?
25. Why don't teachers do their own homework?
26. Why can't everyone get a 100%
Part B. Why do teachers have all of the power?/ Why do teachers wear the badge of "I've already done this, I don't need this"?
To begin with us 'kids' have been brought us to believe that adults need to be respected by all those uh...below them. I find that this statement can be true sometimes but not when you want to be equal. Like those teachers who say 'don't call me by my first name' Why not..? We all have first names, why are we being reduced to calling you by your last name? Are you ashamed of your first name? I think that this gives teachers the rush of being in charge, of being the authority figure. But they don't want to admit this. They say its a term of respect. Why can't we share the power? I'd like to see some of the students prepare a lesson plan or two. Instead of teachers wasting their time teaching us how to count the amount of atoms in Au.
As well as the very unfair chain of power, teachers feel as though when students feel the need to have a tiny bit of free time the teachers often gets uptight and yells something like 'one mic' or 'we are wasting your time' or '...I don't need this' or 'the homework is going to be on this material' right... No matter what happens in the 55 minutes the teacher doesn't lose any pennies from their paycheck.
Does that mean that teachers really care about their jobs?
or
They have to be in control the entire period, so when the attention isn't on them...that becomes a problem.
What's also weird is how teachers take forever to grade things, but they are constantly giving out more and more work to students; which results in a longer period of ungraded work. But God 'fahbid' we ask what our grade is... all hell breaks loose. 'True Story'.
Why do teachers think that we need this?
I'm sure that if you ask a teacher "Why do you do what you do?" or "Why is it important for us to learn what you're teaching us?" or "When are we going to use this math?" We will most likely get some generic answers about how this material is a part of the core curriculum and that we must learn this to graduate in order to get in to a good college blah blah blah. Or something like "I'll address that after school, for now get back to work please"
I don't think that we will ever get the answers that we want to any of the questions that we have about school. We all have the image of getting a 'good job' and going to a good college and for so long that image, that idea was all that we needed for the motivation for school. I mean for some reason we think that its such a bad thing to cut class or school. We fear and dread being late or absent and having to catch up on days of homework. We can't evade that call home. We drag ourselves here every morning but we don't really know why. We just know that we have to or else. School has become a place where a large question mark hovers over and we have lost the energy to wonder why we come here and why we invite ourselves to the sold out show we call our lives.
1. Why are we defined by our numbers?
2. Why do teachers have the power?
3. Why are teachers exempt from being late?
4. Why do teachers get to hover over students but students can't hover over teachers?
5. Why do teachers wear the badge of 'I've done this already, I don't need this'?
6. Why does school start at 8:30am?
7. Why is lunch so short?
8. Why can teachers have phones out but students cannot?
9. Why do students have to ask to go to the bathroom in some classes but don't in others?
10. Why is there so much homework?
11. Why do students like to be nosy?
12. Why do teachers like to be nosy?
13. Why do we have double periods?
14. Why is it bad to cut class?
15. Why do teachers play roles?
16. Why is there a food chain in school?
17. Why are we forced to work in groups?
18. Why do we have assigned seats?
19. Why are we tested?
20. Why can't we text in class?
21. Why can't we call our teachers by by their first names?
22. Why do we need permission to leave early?
23. Why do we need late passes?
24. Why is there so little time in between classes?
25. Why don't teachers do their own homework?
26. Why can't everyone get a 100%
Part B. Why do teachers have all of the power?/ Why do teachers wear the badge of "I've already done this, I don't need this"?
To begin with us 'kids' have been brought us to believe that adults need to be respected by all those uh...below them. I find that this statement can be true sometimes but not when you want to be equal. Like those teachers who say 'don't call me by my first name' Why not..? We all have first names, why are we being reduced to calling you by your last name? Are you ashamed of your first name? I think that this gives teachers the rush of being in charge, of being the authority figure. But they don't want to admit this. They say its a term of respect. Why can't we share the power? I'd like to see some of the students prepare a lesson plan or two. Instead of teachers wasting their time teaching us how to count the amount of atoms in Au.
As well as the very unfair chain of power, teachers feel as though when students feel the need to have a tiny bit of free time the teachers often gets uptight and yells something like 'one mic' or 'we are wasting your time' or '...I don't need this' or 'the homework is going to be on this material' right... No matter what happens in the 55 minutes the teacher doesn't lose any pennies from their paycheck.
Does that mean that teachers really care about their jobs?
or
They have to be in control the entire period, so when the attention isn't on them...that becomes a problem.
What's also weird is how teachers take forever to grade things, but they are constantly giving out more and more work to students; which results in a longer period of ungraded work. But God 'fahbid' we ask what our grade is... all hell breaks loose. 'True Story'.
Why do teachers think that we need this?
I'm sure that if you ask a teacher "Why do you do what you do?" or "Why is it important for us to learn what you're teaching us?" or "When are we going to use this math?" We will most likely get some generic answers about how this material is a part of the core curriculum and that we must learn this to graduate in order to get in to a good college blah blah blah. Or something like "I'll address that after school, for now get back to work please"
I don't think that we will ever get the answers that we want to any of the questions that we have about school. We all have the image of getting a 'good job' and going to a good college and for so long that image, that idea was all that we needed for the motivation for school. I mean for some reason we think that its such a bad thing to cut class or school. We fear and dread being late or absent and having to catch up on days of homework. We can't evade that call home. We drag ourselves here every morning but we don't really know why. We just know that we have to or else. School has become a place where a large question mark hovers over and we have lost the energy to wonder why we come here and why we invite ourselves to the sold out show we call our lives.
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