The authors that would most agree with me

Barry Boyce and Bell Hooks are the two authors that re-enforced my opinion on what should change in the k-12 school system. Bell Hooks talks about the importance of critical thinking within the classroom. Like Hooks, I believe this is a critical component that should be added to the current curriculum. Hooks talks about how children are natural born thinkers, but because educators today teach only for conformity and obedience, children are often robbed of their natural curiosity throughout their schooling. By encouraging students to engage in the process of critical thinking they would not only re-store their will to think, but learn to open their minds to many different viewpoints, not just their own or their teachers. They would be able to look at issues and questions from different angles and think in depth about their opinions. A highpoint to this idea is that it involves the participation of everybody in the class. This allows for students to have a sense of community within the classroom, unlike now where 99% of the time it is just the same sequence of sit, and listen. Hooks proposes the teaching method of “Engaged Pedagogy”. This strategy would allow a strong teacher/student relationship. The teacher would no longer have the sole leadership role, but instead work cooperatively with the students, ensuring everyone is contributing to the learning process. Children and teenagers are perfectly capable of thinking critically. We just need to give them the chance.

Barry Boyce proposes the concept of “mindfulness” should be taught in the classroom. Mindfulness helps students, teachers, and parents gain the ethical characteristics needed to live in the world today. It can increase the awareness of emotions, and aid in the ability to regulate them. Mindfulness focuses on one’s ability to be kind, caring, and empathetic towards others. It helps a person de-center from their own view so they can listen deeply to others. He talks about “non-attachment” which is the ability to understand the depth of what is happening around you, but not get caught-up or overwhelmed by it. This can be accomplished through activities like meditation and yoga. The reason I think this is important is because children and teenagers could greatly benefit from knowing how to keep themselves calm and collected. More importantly, they would learn ways in which to be less selfish, and more empathetic and open-minded towards others. Mindfulness is in the field of prevention which as Mark Greenberg says “aims to avert school failure, depression, and extreme aggression, but to promote positive qualities like empathy, citizenship, and strong friendships.” If we can fully engage students in the process of mindfulness, school would become a more relaxing, enjoyable environment.

Six quotations that support my ideas for change

1) “Sadly, children’s passion for thinking often ends when they encounter a world that seeks to educate them for conformity and obedience only.” – bell hooks


2) “Critical thinkers are clear as to the purpose at hand and the question at issue” ***”They seek to think beneath the surface, to be logical and fair” – Richard Paul and Linda Elder (bell hooks-critical thinking)


3) “Critical thinking is an interactive process, one that demands participation on the part of teachers and students alike.”*** “Critical thinking requires all participants in the classroom process to be engaged.” –bell hooks


4) “A step higher on mount Parnassus is not only to be calculated in inches of ground covered but even more by the immeasurably broader and more beautiful horizon stretching beyond.”-WEB Du Bois (Keith Gilyard)


5) “The effect of all true education is not only a gaining of some practical means of helping present life, but the making of present life mean more than it meant before.” Du Bois (Keith Gilyard)


6) “The field of prevention,” Greenberg says, “not only aims to avert school failure, depression, and extreme aggression, but to promote positive qualities like empathy, citizenship, and strong friendships” –Mark Greenberg (Barry Boyce- A real education)

Group Blog post- Thesis statement practice (hula hoops)

Thesis:
Hula hoops can enhance the psychedelic experiences at a grateful dead concert to provide more entertainment to the show attendees. 

Topic sentences:
Hula hooping would be fun to do while high/intoxicated
They are brightly colored, and can exaggerate the effects and overall experience associated with experiencing a grateful dead show.
-Hula hoops can be incorporated into the already popular dancing with the fans, increasing enjoyment overall.
- Show goers can also enjoy making their own hula hoops, increasing creativity and social interaction between fellow fans sharing their creations with one another.

Group blog post- Ranking the authors

We as a group agreed that all the authors and articles were connected in one way or another, and with one can't be without the other, they affect the students on one or more aspects of the points the writers present.  We also mutually agreed on a lot of the points, but with the ranking system we had different authors at difference ranks.
we ranked critical thinking as our number one, because it was one of the most relatable and easiest to understand.
For our second rating, we put the creative arts in because we agreed that students need a good mixture about the arts and also the more mechanical studies such as science and math.
For the third, we decided for mindfulness.
fourth rating: grit
and finally, we put prevention of censorship, because it focused too specifically on a topic.
We did as a group decide however, that each of these topics had very good pros and cons, so it was very difficult to rank these in order.

Ranking the authors suggestions

Ranked in order of importance 1 (most)-5 (least)

1) bell hooks: Teaching Critical Thinking
I agree with bell hooks when she expresses the importance of critical thinking in the classroom.Teaching methods today do not allow for students to fully engage in the process of thinking, thus diminishing their ability to form valid, thoughtful opinions. Children are natural born thinkers. If we could encourage the act of thinking critically throughout school, students would be able to see the world in a different way. They would learn to think in a thoughtful manner by opening their mind to different opinions and ideas. Not just the ideas of their teacher. Her suggestion of practicing engaged pedagogy in class would allow students to think independently and find their own unique voice in the world. it would also create a closer student-teacher relationship.

2) Keith Gilyard: Children, Arts, and Du Bois
In my opinion, it is very important that children are able to express themselves as individuals. Schools that offer creative arts programs allow students to do just that. They are taken out of the overly-structured environment of the classroom, and for just a couple hours, are able to do the things they love. by engaging in art, music, dancing, poetry ect., children are able to define themselves as an individual. If we take these programs away from them, their personal identities in school are drastically limited.

3) Barry Boyce: A Real Education
The idea of teaching mindfulness is appealing because it gives students the opportunity to learn to be aware of their emotions. In addition they are taught to be kind, caring, and empathic. All of which are qualities that are incredibly important, but are not often encouraged by teachers. If students could learn from a young age what it means to be a compassionate and thoughtful person , it could open their world to many opportunities in the future

4) Deb Aronson: Arizona Bans Mexican American Studies Program
This article has a very focused topic about the shut down of the MAS program. While the issue is not one that everyone can relate to, is does convey the idea that by taking away this program, we are discouraging culture, origin, and pride of our race. Instead of teaching students to be proud of who they are, we are teaching them that it is not okay to be different. Also, the issue of taking away books and materials that students can actually relate to is another example of what is wrong with schools today. Students loose interest if they cannot relate to what is being taught.

5) Jerry Large: Gift of Grit
While I do not believe this article was as significant as the rest, I think it was important in its own way. Realistically, The act of building character is important to survive in the world. Sheltering kids from all of the issues in the world will never prepare them for life. However, with proper nurturing and encouragement of Grit, self control, zest, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism, and curiosity, kids will still have an adequate amount of parental support, and also gain the moral characteristics people need to get by in life.

How Gilyard, Boyce, hooks, Large and Aronson support their ideas.

In his article Gift of Grit, Curiosity Help Kids Succeed, Jerry Large explains the importance of parents nurturing certain character traits children need in order to succeed. These traits include: Grit, self control, zest, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism, and curiosity. He supports his ideas by using examples from a book by Paul Tough. Tough uses two different schools as illustrations of why these qualities are important. One School is KIPP Academy, a middle school in a poverty-stricken, ethnic community in the South Bronx. The other is the elite Riverdale Country School. The students at both schools lacked the same qualities which, in different ways, were causing them to fail. While the students at KIPP were overwhelmed with stress inducing conditions in their lives, students at riverside worked hard but were not fundamentally challenged. He ties the importance of character building into the issue by explaining that "a big part of building character is overcoming failure." He explains that too much adversity is bad. But on the other hand, having too little adversity will never allow children to build grit. He further supports his claims by using an example involving rats. He says "Rats whose moms lick and groom them when they are young and feeling stressed do much better in life than those who weren’t comforted in that way." He says the rat study was a step towards proving strong early attachment helps humans overcome a lot of bumps later on.

In A Real Education, Barry Boyce suggests that Mindfulness teaching can help people be aware of their own emotions, and regulate them. He explains that this method of teaching helps students and teachers gain the qualities that are needed to get by in the world. He starts off by asking parents to imagine that their child has successfully completed college and is now searching for a job. But when they go in for their big interview, “they’re flummoxed to find their education didn’t cover the essential skills for this job.” He offers that students could strongly benefit from being taught “mindful” skills such as: how to be in control of their emotions, as well as accurately perceiving other emotions, and by teaching student to be empathetic and listen attentively to others. Boyce supports his ideas by providing examples from Mark Greenberg, the director of the Prevention Research Center For the Promotion of Human Development. Greenberg and Boyce agree that 'kindness, caring, empathy, and being able to de-center from your own point of view and listen deeply to others- are values that should be taught in our classrooms.' He further supports his claims by talking about the many benefits of mindfulness teaching. Boyce explains that it has been known to increase the attention level in the classroom. And with classes being offered to parents, they too can learn how to be aware of their emotions and their child emotions, and also learn compassions skills.  

In her book Teaching Critical Thinking, bell hooks explains the importance of both students and teachers practicing critical thinking in the classroom. She explains that by students and teachers keeping an open mind in the classroom, they would be able to deeply explore questions and issues at all angels, not just one. She supports her suggestion by explain how children are natural born thinkers, but often lose their passion for thinking because educators today aim to teach for conformity and obedience. She explains the benefits of Engaged pedagogy, a teaching method which helps students restore their will to think, and their will to be fully self-actualized. This method fully enables students to be critical thinkers. Further emphasizing the advantages of Engaged pedagogy, hook explains that this method would include mutual participation between teachers and students. Teachers would no longer have all of the answers, but instead work together with the students to explore answers.  She explains that this would create a sense of community in the class room and would forge a meaningful relationship between everyone. She also backs up her reasoning by using passages from essays and books written by various authors who share similar opinions of critical thinking.

Keith Gilyard, author of Children, Arts, and Du Bois, expresses the importance and benefits of offering creative arts programs in public schools. He uses real life example to support his claim. While visiting an elementary school classroom, Gilyard observed the students immense eagerness to demonstrate their endeavors through poetry, lyrics, oral interpretation, song, drawing, story writing, and dance. When he learns the creative arts program is going to be shut down, he explains that without such a program, the student’s true perspectives will possibly be constricted. He also provides emphasis on the issue by quoting W.E.B. Du Bois. De Bois says “A step higher on Mount Parnassus is not only to be calculated in inches of ground covered but even more by the immeasurably broader and more beautiful horizon stretching beyond.”

In her article Arizona Bans Mexican American Studies Program, Deb Aronson discusses the controversial and unfair shut down of the MAS in the Tucson Unified School District. She also talks about the racial and educational issue that arose when the program was removed. She supports her writing by explaining the severity of the political issues at hand. She talks about Dolores Huerta’s speech which she exclaimed “Republicans hate Latinos.” When a rebuttal argument was made by the then superintendant of instruction the students were not allowed to ask questions, carry signs, hold back packs, or display posters. Protests of this issue have led to multiple arrests of students. She explains that many people have tried to meet with school board members, and superintendants to find out exactly why the program was shut down, but have never gotten a reasonable or even slight answer. Further addressing the severity of the shut down, She explains that it has affected the way the students are learning. By taking away the works of Chicano authors, MAS students have nothing to relate too, thus diminishing their passion for learning.

Group Blog Post: Examples of Each authors concerns as it relates to “Chalk”

Amanda Rogers, Erin Lowzowski, Katy Helfrick, Donna Thornell

In The Banking Concept of Education, Polo Freire expresses concern that students in our public school system are suffering from “narration sickness.” One scene that gives a clear example of this issue was when Mr. Lowry was in front of the class, having the students repeat a passage written on the board. The students showed absolutely no interest, and were unengaged in the lesson.

John Gatto explains in his article Against School, that schools are becoming more like prisons.He talks about school breeding childish people. “Our schools” he says, “with their long-term, cell-block-style, forced confinement of both students and teachers- as virtual factories of childishness.” A scene relating to this issue was when Coach Webb chased a student down for being (not even) one second late. She gets angry at his teacher for not punishing him, and tells the teacher she is taking the student to the office.

In Mike Rose’s blog post Resolutions Someone Should Make for 2011 He talks about how we need to stop relying on charter schools, and other expensive options, to provide our students with an exceptional education. In his words, we need to “Stop looking for the structural or technological magic bullet- whether its charter schools or value-added analysis- that will improve education.” In a scene from Chalk, Mr. Stroope was asked by someone from administration, whether he had reached his improvement goals for the year. He talked about how he needed to work on his Sarcasm, cleanliness, organization, and lesson plans. Mr. Stroope said "kids like it on the fly". This shows that if we improve the quality of our teachers, we will not need to rely on expensive private schools any longer.


Lewis Blacks explains in his Education Crisis video that our test scores in America are not high, however, we excel greatly in our confidence level. A scene that provides an example of this concern was when Mr. Stroops pulls Alex out of the classroom and basically tells her to stop being so smart. He admits to her that she probably knows more than him, but not to act like it. She would roll her eyes, and scoff and thing he would say, Proving her self-confidence level was high.

Lewis Black and Mike Rose - Simalarities and Differences

Mike Rose’s blog post “Resolutions on Education” and Lewis Black’s “Education Crisis” video touch on several of the same subjects. They both believe that schools should provide a more challenging education. The issue that arises is that charter schools and other similar options are practically impossible to enroll in. It is an unfair process that does not adequately give students an equal chance. Both Black and Rose express that we should not rely on these types of schools. Black sarcastically states: “Im all for (charter schools)as long as the selection process is as public and cruel as humanly possible.” Mike Rose shares a similar opinion. One of his resolutions is: “To stop looking for the structural or technological magic bullet – whether it’s charter schools or value-added analysis – that will improve education”

Rose and Black are similar in their opinion of only knowledgeable public figures speaking on the topic of education. Lewis black shows a clip of an NBC news anchor saying they are spending a whole week dedicated to education. “A week for education” Black says, “51 weeks for incarceration.” Referring, of course, to the unbearable amount of prison shows that are aired on TV these days. Another clip shows that same news anchor speaking vaguely on how people can help their local schools. He says “If you drive by a public school, even if your kids don’t go there, walk in and ask how you can help.” Rose speaks more bluntly about the subject. He says we need to “ensure that people who actually know a lot about schools will appear on Oprah and will be consulted by politicians and policy makers.”

Black shows his viewers a clip of a newly built, upscale, overly fancy school. This school comes equipped with a “exquisite auditorium”, “ritzy retro café”, and a perfectly manicured public park. They reveal that the cost for this school cost just over half a billion dollars. Black exclaims “I’m pretty sure schools shouldn’t be the nicest building you’ll ever be in.” Like black, Rose speaks of the importance of this issue. His opinion is: “To make do with fewer economists is education.” He reinforces his reasoning by sarcastically saying, “I mean, my Lord, with a few exceptions they did such a terrific job analyzing the financial and housing markets.” He goes on to say that economists are experiencing an “identity crisis”. All the more reason for schools to tone down all the unneeded extras, and focus on the true importance of school; To provide students with an engaging and challenging education.

How "Chalk" illustrated Freire and Gatto's concerns

The movie “Chalk” illustrated many of the concerns both John Gatto and Paolo Freire expressed in their writings. The movie its self is a staged documentary that gives a closer look into the lives of your seemly average high school teachers and faculty.

We meet Mr. Lowrey, a first year history teacher at Harrison high school. He has had absolutely no teaching experience in the past, and therefore, is completely clueless of what it takes to manage a classroom. There is a scene early in the movie where he is having his class read along to a passage written on the chalkboard. The class is obviously unenthused, unmotivated and just plain bored. In John Gattos article Againt School, he mentions the topic of boredom. Referring to when he was a high school teacher, Gatto says: “They said the work was stupid, that it made no sense, that they already knew it. They said they wanted to be doing something real, not just sitting around”. Freier also speaks of this topic. He refers to teachers as “narrators”, and expresses that students are merely just objects of learning. “The contents” Freier says, “whether values or empirical dimensions of reality, tend in the process of being narrated to become lifeless and petrified. Education is suffering from narration sickness.” Students in Mr. Lowrey’s classroom were suffering from the same “narration sickness” Freire was speaking of.

Throughout the movie we see teachers desperately trying to be these power-tripping authority figures. In one scene, a student is running into math class just as the bell had stopped ringing. Ms. Webb, the gym coach, caught the student running into class, and then confronted his teacher on the fact that she did not punish him for being (only a few seconds) late. She ends up telling his teacher she is forcing the student to go to the office. This is an example how public schools are becoming more like jails than learning environments. John Gatto stated in his article “I had more than enough reason to think of our schools - with their long-term, cell-block-style, forced confinement of both students and teachers - as virtual factories of childishness.” I believe Gatto was explaining that with schools today being overly-strict, prison-type environments, where students are getting in trouble for every little thing- How can they ever possibly get ahead in life?

In a significant scene, Mr. Stroope, a teacher who is passionate, yet not completely adequate at teaching, confronts a student who has been using big words in class. “You use some big words I don’t understand” he told the student. He continues.. “Use words I can understand, try not to be as smart as me.” This scene was rather humorous to watch. But it was also an example of what Gatto was trying to convey when he quoted H.L. Mencken. “The aim (of public education)..is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality.” Similarly, Freire states “The teacher knows everything, and the students know nothing.” Encouraging students to be incompetent seems to be part of the virtual plan of public schooling. A scary, and depressing thought.

Mr. Lowery, Having had no teaching experience, floats through class time teaching the curriculum without any creativity. He does not provide the students with exciting or encouraging lessons. In one scene, he has a confrontation with a student over a cellphone. The student storms out and says “You’re a horrible teacher.” Mr. Lowery fires back by shouting “You would know, you’re a horrible student!” In school, the students attitude, and eagerness to learn is a reflection on the teacher. In The Banking Concept of Education, Freire says “The teacher confuses the authority of knowledge with his or her own professional authority, which she and he sets in opposition to the freedom of the students.” He goes onto talk about how it is the teacher’s job to regulate the way the students see and learn about the world. If we have teachers that are not confident and barley knowledgeable of their subject; and are always arguing with their class- of course students will not take them, or the work seriously. Gatto suggests in his article that a good policy in school would not be to regulate students to the point of ridiculousness, but rather to "encourage the best qualities of youthfulness - curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight - simply by being more flexible about time, texts, and tests, by introducing kids to truly competent adults, and by giving each student what autonomy he or she needs in order to take a risk every now and then."

The purpose of high school, and what I would like changed

Before starting this unit, I had thought about the significance of high school. But I have never analyzed its purpose. I would like to believe that high school is where students go to find their true abilities, intelligence, passion, and confidence. However, after reading John Gatto’s and Paolo Freire’s articles about the public education system, I am realizing more and more that today’s schooling system is corrupt. I believe high school has become a place where students are not taught to prosper as an individual, but rather to ride through the monotonous, robotic, repetitive sequence that is high school- to be shaped into this being who gains hardly any significant life skills or knowledge. I suppose the big question is why? Why would anybody want to discourage a person from showing their true intelligence? The more I think about it, I do not think the schooling system its self is trying to stop students from being completely inadequate. I think the problem is that schools are just playing it too safe. Almost as if they are scared of the students becoming too powerful. They teach student the bare minimum amount of seemingly unimportant contents. Just enough so that the students can, sort of (at best) float through the rest of their life.

With all of that said, what I would like to see changed in the public school system is the lack of encouragement, resources, and guidance the students need to become truly adequate human beings. Not just adequate in the work force, but to actually become better and more informed observers of life. Teachers need to stop the boring curriculum and really pay attention to each student’s individual learning styles and talents. This would stop the current process of making students into virtually the same person. In a future generation, we could have endless possibilities if everyone could contribute to the world what they are genuinely passionate about. Not just what they are taught to be passionate about.

"Chalk" movie notes

"Chalk" notes

•  Harrison high school
• man explains regardless of salary and other down points..teachers never quit teaching
• 50 percent of teachers quit in the first three years of teaching
•  Mr. Stroope - teacher
• used humor to make kids laugh
• coach Webb, gym teacher
• Mr Lowery-history teacher tell students they always need to be prepared by bringing paper
• mr stroop uses authority to take girls photo album away
• shows Mr lowrey history teacher boring the hell out of the students. Has them read along. kids are terribly unmotivated
• Principal compares being in administration to when he was in the navy
• student asks how long Mr Lowery has been teaching. He says he just came from computer engineering. Has never taught.
• Mr Lowery hesitated to admit he has never taught
• shows teaching sitting around eating lunch
• Ms Redell- assistant principal
• Mr stroope wants to win teacher of the year- cheesy smile
• Ms Webb "you depend on other people to help you with your job"
• mr stroope's "improvement goals" from last year are: Sarcasm (defense mech.) cleanliness, organization, lesson plan "kids like it on the fly"
• Shows students fighting, teachers intervene (ms redell)
• Ms. webb talks about people thinking shes gay. Explains that she is not
• Mr Stroope - "you dont want to have a friendship, you want to have a relationship." Wants to let students know from the begining they can trust him
• Shows mr lowrey not in control of his class, arguing with students. 
•  Mr lowrey is not confident in the classroom
• "when you are in this classroom, show eachother a little respect" - mr lowrey
• Mrs. Redell talking about getting home late several times. effecting her personal life
• shows teachers sitting around in teachers lounge..Mr Lowrey seems out of place
• Mrs webb sees student run into class barley a second late, she gets upset with teacher for letting him in.
• Students took mr lowreys chalk, laughing
• students do not take him seriously
• Mr lowrey walks out of classroom.
• Mrs webb teaching kids dance for gym class, talks about how students will be what you think they are.
• Mr. Lowrey looks at "classroom managment" books
• "you use some big words I dont understand" "use words i can understand"- Mr stroope to student (will)
• "Try not to know as much as me" - Mr Stroope
• Mr Lowery talks about how he is trying to use more humor. 
• Ms Webb says she is interested in someone
• Mr Stroope trying to be authoritative over teachers. tells them to stop taking paper, staplers, petty cash
• Ms Webb think she is pushy
• Mr Stroope pretends to call wills parents as a threat
• Mrs redell catches Mr. Lowery sleeping in his office
• Mr Lowery says he has been divorced for two years. "teaching is hard enough, its taking all of my life."
• "six out of 10 kids walk away with a college education." "you practice, you aim, and you just let it fly. sometimes you get it." - Mr Stroope
• Mr Lowery trys to take kids phone, Student does not give it up. does not take teacher seriously
• Kicks student out of class "this is bulshit" -student
• "You're a horrible teacher"
  "well you would know because you're a horrible student!"
• Mr lowrey smoking a cigarette, obviously stressed, unhappy
• Teachers having drinks together. Mr Lowrey opening up to other teachers
• Teachers gossiping about bad/rude/crazy students
• Mr stroope is one of the two teachers picked for teacher of the year
• "doing all those extras to get your face out there" - Mr Stroope
• "he doesn't respect me, but he has to act like he does" Mr Lowery about student
• Mr L talking to students  (with phone). mother 
• Mother of kid offers Mr L a glass of wine. She says he is too fidgety and looks down a lot
• "You have to ask for what you want." - mother of student
• Mrs Webb confronts Mrs Redell on the issue of students coming to class late. The two are arguing about it
• "The hardest thing is teachers complaining about other teacher "I am in a position of pwer, they are trying to manipulate that" - Mrs. Redell
• Mr stroope in taacher of the year debate, passionate
• "I work hard, I show up, and I do it everyday." - Mr Stroope
• Mr stroope did not win teacher of the year. He is obviously disappointed
• He freaks out at a students, kicks a desk over
• Mr redell says he happiest days are when she can be in the classroom with the students
• "I realize now its the kids who do care, and that really matter to me."
• She misses teaching
• Mr lowry is going to participate in the spelling hornet, students are coaching him
• Mr lowrey wins! He is happy
• Student freestyle rapping in mr Lowery class, he lets them
• Mr Lowery raps. bonds with students, laughing having fun
• "if i come back, i would probably get up the actual year a little bit different." - Mr L
• Teacher encouraging Mr Lowery to come back and teah next year. "youve come a long way"
• He expresses that he doesn't like teaching that much. Hasn't found his groove.
• teachers talking about what they learned this year. They learn a lot about themselves
• mr Lowery- "being a teacher is a gift. Maybe it is something you can learn, but nobody has taught me."
• good teaching styles are critical to students learning
• Teachers are more effective when the authority level is not so high
• Humor is good and creates a relaxing, fun environment
• Teachers are unsure, too. Most of the time they don't like to admit it.
• Good teacher student relationships are important

Writing Simplified and Paper #3

Pages 34-37 in Writing Simplified” provide detailed tips on how to successfully write different styles of essays and paragraphs such as classification, compare and/or contrast, cause and or effect, and argumentative. For our third paper, we are asked to write a persuasive essay and validly argue our points and opinions. Section 51 talks about the key components of an argumentative paper. It emphasizes that a good paper should have an arguable topic, not a fact. Our papers will be based on our personal opinion of what needs to be changed in the K-12 school system, which on its own, is an arguable topic. It also talks about having a strong, “to the point” thesis statement, and supportive evidence to back up your reasoning.

Since we will be writing an argumentative/persuasive paper, we can compare and contrast certain aspects of our opinion to further prove and explain our point. Like we did for our second paper, WS suggests that you make sure you give enough information, and explain your ideas thoroughly and clearly. Providing facts, statistics, and detailed examples will give the reader a clear understanding of what you are saying, and will persuade them to seriously consider your ideas.

I believe a significant addition to our next assignment will be adding causes and effects. A topic such as the one we are writing about would seriously benefit from the writer critically analyzing why and how the K-12 school system needs to change. WS says the most important thing to remember is sticking to the obvious causes and effects, and not branching out to far off topic.  

What Gatto and Freire would agree on

      Both John Gatto and Paolo Freire would agree that the public school system is not built to teach children to become an individual, but rather to become part of the mass production of robot-like citizens who are seemingly brainwashed into thinking they must be a certain way in order to be successful. In his article “Against School”, John Gatto mentions that America’s public school system is really adopted from Prussia. “What shocks,” Gatto says, “is that we should so eagerly have adopted one of the very worst aspects of Prussian culture: an educational system deliberately designed to produce mediocre intellects, to hamstring the inner life, to deny students appreciable leadership skills, and to ensure docile and incomplete citizens - all in order to render the populace "manageable."” He talks about how our youth are bred to become a “servile labor force” and a “virtual heard of mindless consumers.” Like Gatto, Freire expresses similar concerns. In “The banking concept of education”, Freire describes students as “containers” and teachers as “narrators.” He talks about how students are trained to receive, memorize, and repeat without ever understanding the true significance of what is being taught. Freire states, “Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor.” He deems this banking concept problematic as is does not allow men to have the opportunity to truly become human. “It is men themselves,” Freire says, “who are filed away through the lack of creativity, transformation, and knowledge in this (at best) misguided system.” He explains that the beneficiaries of the banking concept are the oppressors, who in Freire’s words, “care neither to have the world revealed, nor to see it transform.” This compliments Gatto’s claim that we are trained to hide our personal talents, abilities, and intelligence because “we haven’t yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women.”

      Freire and Gatto would also agree that because of this monotonous schooling system, students have become bored, uninterested, and terribly unenthused. Gatto addresses this matter right away in his article. As a retired school teacher, he recalls boredom being everywhere in his world. The students would express the fact they that the work was stupid and that it made no sense. “They said they wanted to be doing something real, not just sitting around.” Gatto says. He explains that the educators were struggling just as hard as the student to find any motivation.  “The teachers were every bit as bored as they were” he says. Freire’s writing relates to this topic as he talks about the contents of the teachers narration being lifeless and petrified. He bluntly states, “Education is suffering from narration sickness.” He explains that teacher’s today are simply “filling” the students with information that is unimportant or “alien to the existential experience of the students.” He says that by teaching this way, we are depriving the students of critical knowledge that would be of more significance to them in their lifetime. Freire’s suggested solution to this problem is to create an education system that utilizes “problem-posing education.” This would basically mean the teachers authority is no longer effective towards the students, thus the students and teacher would be on the same level, be able to work together, and have an equal relationship. Freire says: “In order to function, authority must be on the side of freedom, not against it.” Gatto states a similar opinion when he says “The solution, I think, is simple and glorious. Let them manage themselves.”

The Incredible Converstion Video & "The Banking Concept of Education"

In the "The Banking Concept of Education" by Paolo Freire, he describes the importance of teachers encouraging students to explore different questions or curiosities that they might have. The idea of not teaching robotically and allowing the room for conformity of your teaching methods. In the video "An Incredible Conversation" Paolo Freire underlines the everlasting curiosity of human nature that he all have. He describes his own curiosity, and how as an old man of 75 he is still just as curious as when he was a boy. It is the 'job' of the students to be curious, it is their right. "In changing I did not change nevertheless" ....."some of the central nucleus of my thought stayed the same", in this he describes, using himself as an example in how teachers can go different directions with learning, by experimenting with methods, but still stay in the main track when working towards their goal. He mentions as well the importance of critical thinking among both teachers and students. This related to our reading, because he describes the entwined relationship between student and teacher, and how instead of the teacher being the main 'subject' the student, and teacher are the main subject of learning.

My high school experience Vs. Gatto's claims

In John Gattos essay “Against School: How public education cripples our kids, and why.” His negative opinion about the public school system is boldly apparent. He describes public schools as “virtual factories of childishness,” and compares school to a prison like environment. Unfortunately, this is all too accurate. The two years I spent in public high school was similar to what Gattos describes in his essay. Boredom and a feeling of being trapped was part of the everyday reality of sitting in a classroom. I was not enthused, therefore I started to fall behind, and therefore I felt like the teachers had given up on me, therefore I started to fall even further behind. I agree with Gatto when he talks about schools shaping children into virtually, the same person. I fell off the conveyer belt of the public school system, and in result I could not be what the teachers and faculty wanted me to be. Because of this, I started to believe that I wasn’t as smart or capable as the rest of my peers. I started to desperately lack faith in myself. In my junior year of high school, I started to attend a private school wherein students had more freedom to learn about the things they truly enjoyed. This was great because I was surrounded by people who were actually eager and excited to learn. I was able to make learning exciting for myself, while at the same time learn valuable life skills such as time management, and self-motivation. I am glad I had the opportunity to experience the best and worst of high school. I can easily see where Gatto’s opinion of the public school system stems. Boredom of students and teachers, repetitiveness, and unoriginality is the common factor among most public high schools. “The solution, I think, is simple and genius.” Gatto says, “Let them manage themselves.” 

Paper 2: Comparison Essay- Final

Amanda Rogers
Dr. Sonia Begert – Instructor
English 101
10/31/13

Comparison Essay: “Two Teachers”

In a world where education is at the root of success, it is fair to say that educators play an important role in today’s society. Often, it seems as though we tend to underestimate the true importance of a teacher. Those who decide to teach have accepted the challenging task of shaping young minds into something powerful. A duty so important, we as society find it a difficult concept to grasp. When I ask myself “What makes a good teacher?” three significant qualities come to mind. A good teacher must encourage students to be creative, make learning enjoyable, and most importantly, believe in their students.  Mr. Crawford, from Ordway Elementary School, and Robin Summerfelt, from Academy Northwest are two prime examples of teachers that possess these three qualities. While many educators today lack the enthusiasm and creativity students need to become driven, Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt taught in a unique and memorable fashion that captured the educational interest of their class.

Mr. Crawford was without question the most popular third grade teacher in Ordway Elementary school. Every second grade graduate hoped they would be lucky enough to find themselves in Mr. Crawford’s classroom the following year. Well-liked by staff, faculty, and students, Mr. Crawford had a uniqueness about his teaching style that so often teachers are short of. Always wearing a smile, Mr. Crawford would grasp the attention of the class each morning by writing on the blue chalkboard so loudly, you could see the chalk dust fall when it clicked against the board. Just when you thought you were in for another boring lesson, he would reach for his guitar, which was always at least an arm’s length away from him. “Sing with me!” he would shout. The entire class would break into an educational song he had so eagerly taught us in the previous weeks. With his voice so encouraging and inspiring, how could we not help but smile and sing along? The gentle strumming of each chord played was another reminder of how Mr. Crawford was not there to make learning stressful, but to make learning exciting and creative as it should be. When he wasn’t making the class laugh by telling jokes or doing funny impersonations, it was not unusual to see him walking up and down the halls playing his guitar and singing with his class following behind in a single file line. By incorporating free-expression and humor into his daily lessons, he was able to personally demonstrate to his students just what is meant to express yourself as an individual. He encouraged his student’s creativity by pushing them to be outspoken and express themselves without ever feeling ashamed. Mr. Crawford was able to grasp the attention of his students while making them feel nothing less than comfortable with themselves.

High-school, of course, is much different than elementary school. Robin Summerfelt was a High School teacher at Academy Northwest, A private school based primarily on independent studies. Many teenagers who chose to be part of a smaller learning environment, or those were not so favorable of the public school system often found themselves at Academy Northwest. When enrolled, each student would be assigned a “mentor”. Robin Summerfelt, however, was not just a mentor, in a sense she was a life coach. Similar to Mr. Crawford, Robin recognized that teaching with an encouraging attitude was effective. Mrs. Summerfelt knew the reason the majority of her students could not succeed in public high school, was because they were not given the chance to freely express themselves as a student. She brought out the creativity in her students by giving them the opportunity to incorporate what they loved into learning. For example, if you were musically-inclined, she might ask you to write a song about particle physics. If you loved bike riding, she would ask you to creatively describe the scenery at every rest stop.  The way she allowed her students to include their individual interests into their school work gave them the confidence they needed to believe in themselves. Mrs. Summerfelt let it be known that it is okay to have a passion, and always urged her students to never be someone they are not to gain the approval of someone else. “You are your own person” she would say. A sentence so simple, only a special kind of teacher like Mrs. Summerfelt could truly convey the meaning of.

In her article “What Makes a Good Teacher?” Marie Hassett states “A great lesson plan and a great lesson are two entirely different things”.  Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt both fully grasped the concept of creating enjoyable lessons. They had a true love for their profession, and when teachers genuinely enjoy teaching, it makes the experience more enjoyable for their students. Mr. Crawford was always happy to be in the classroom. Teaching in song and rhyme was his specialty. He came up with many catchy jingles I still sing in my head to this day. For example, while teaching long division he’d reach for his guitar and have us sing aloud: “Divide! Multiply! Subtract! Bring down!”  He would make lessons fun and enjoyable by including the entire class, such as the time his daughter, Beth, was expecting her first baby. Every morning he would choose a student to call and check on her. This was known as “The daily Beth watch”. Mr. Crawford wrote a list of topics on the chalkboard for which the student would interview her about. He would put the phone on “speaker” so everyone could be involved. By including his class on these fun and creative activities, it made his students eager to attend school every day. 

Much like Mr. Crawford, Mrs. Summerfelt had a way of including her students so that it made them feel special and important. She would praise her students aloud for any accomplishment they had achieved, great or small. Her way of making learning enjoyable was by creating a comfortable and stress-free learning environment. In Mrs. Summerfelt’s classroom, students did not feel as though they were under the intense amount of pressure students often feel in public school. Instead, they were driven by her enthusiastic attitude about learning. She would often hold group conversations about what dreams and goals her students hoped to accomplish one day, and would offer advice to help them reach those goals. At the end of the day, students would leave her classroom confident knowing they had a teacher who supported them in any future endeavors they hoped to explore.

In addition to encouraging creativity and making learning enjoyable, both Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt truly believed in their students. No matter what age, staying on track in school is certainly not always easy. When you start to fall behind, it is easy to become discouraged and does not take long before you feel like giving up completely. Mr. Crawford would not let this happen. He constantly reassured his class that they could do anything they set their mind to. To give his class a live example, one day he brought in a close friend, Steve Rhodes. Steve was a well-known cyclist who had overcome some significant life issues. He spoke to the class about how he was able to overcome poverty and a severe drug addiction by finding his passion for bike riding. Steve and Mr. Crawford expressed to the students the importance of never giving up, no matter how adverse the obstacle may be. Like Mr. Crawford, Mrs. Summerfelt truly believed in every one of her students. She appreciated each student for who they were and would never give up on them, no matter the circumstances. For example, she always assured that even if one of her students were to land in jail, she would be the first one in the courtroom to vouch for them. She constantly kept in touch with her students to make sure everyone was on track. It was rare if she did not email or call at least twice a week to offer words of encouragement, or just a listening ear. On some occasions she would even invite the students to meet at the movie theater or a pizza place for further bonding with her students.  By being so passionate about her student’s success, it made them want to work hard to earn their high school diploma. Students in both Mr. Crawford’s and Mrs. Summerfelt’s classes were happier and successful because of their teacher’s dedication.

With education being a crucial requirement in today’s society, it takes a special kind of educator to keep their students motivated. While Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt taught two entirely different age groups, in two drastically different schools, they both helped their students discover their individuality by thinking outside the box, and using creative and enjoyable teaching techniques. Both greatly valued their role as a teacher and fully dedicated themselves to the success of their students. By making learning an enjoyable experience, Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt made a significant impact on their students’ lives forever. 

Paper 2: Compare/Contrast essay - Draft

Amanda Rogers
Dr. Sonia Begert – Instructor
English 101
10/31/13

       In a world where education is at the root of success, it is fair to say that educators play an important role in today’s society. Often, it seems as though we tend to underestimate the true importance of a teacher. Those who decide to teach have accepted the challenging task of shaping young minds into something powerful. A duty so important, we as society find it a difficult concept to grasp. When I ask myself “What makes a good teacher?” three significant qualities come to mind. A good teacher must encourage students to be creative, make learning enjoyable, and most importantly, believe in their students.  Mr. Crawford, from Ordway Elementary School, and Robin Summerfelt, from Academy Northwest are two prime examples of teachers that possess these three qualities. While many educators today lack the enthusiasm and creativity students need to become driven, Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt taught in a unique and memorable fashion that captured the educational interest of their class.

Mr. Crawford was without question the most popular third grade teacher in Ordway Elementary school. Every second grade graduate hoped they would be lucky enough to find themselves in Mr. Crawford’s classroom the following year. Well-liked by staff, faculty, and students, Mr. Crawford had a uniqueness about his teaching style that so often teachers are short of. Always wearing a smile, Mr. Crawford would grasp the attention of the class each morning by writing on the blue chalkboard so loudly, you could see the chalk dust fall when it clicked against the board. Just when you thought you were in for another boring lesson, he would reach for his guitar, which was always at least an arm’s length away from him. “Sing with me!” he would shout. The entire class would break into an educational song he had so eagerly taught us in the previous weeks. With his voice so encouraging and inspiring, how could we not help but smile and sing along? The gentle strumming of each chord played was another reminder of how Mr. Crawford was not there to make learning stressful, but to make learning exciting and creative as it should be. When he wasn’t making the class laugh by telling jokes or doing funny impersonations, it was not unusual to see him walking up and down the halls playing his guitar and singing with his class following behind in a single file line. By incorporating free-expression and humor into his daily lessons, he was able to personally demonstrate to his students just what is meant to express yourself as an individual. He encouraged his student’s creativity by pushing them to be outspoken and express themselves without ever feeling ashamed. Mr. Crawford was able to grasp the attention of his students while making them feel nothing less than comfortable with themselves.

High-school, of course, is much different than elementary school. Robin Summerfelt was a High School teacher at Academy Northwest, A private school based primarily on independent studies. Many teenagers who chose to be part of a smaller learning environment, or those were not so favorable of the public school system often found themselves at Academy Northwest. When enrolled, each student would be assigned a “mentor”. Robin Summerfelt, however, was not just a mentor, in a sense she was a life coach. Similar to Mr. Crawford, Robin recognized that teaching with an encouraging attitude was effective. Mrs. Summerfelt knew the reason the majority of her students could not succeed in public high school, was because they were not given the chance to freely express themselves as a student. She brought out the creativity in her students by giving them the opportunity to incorporate what they loved into learning. For example, if you were musically-inclined, she might ask you to write a song about particle physics. If you loved bike riding, she would ask you to creatively describe the scenery at every rest stop.  The way she allowed her students to include their individual interests into their school work gave them the confidence they needed to believe in themselves. Mrs. Summerfelt let it be known that it is okay to have a passion, and always urged her students to never be someone they are not to gain the approval of someone else. “You are your own person” she would say. A sentence so simple, only a special kind of teacher like Mrs. Summerfelt could truly convey the meaning of.

Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt both had a true love for their profession, and when teachers genuinely enjoy teaching, it makes the experience more enjoyable for their students. Mr. Crawford was always happy to be in the classroom. Teaching in song and rhyme was his specialty. He came up with many catchy jingles I still sing in my head to this day. For example, while teaching long division he’d reach for his guitar and have us sing aloud: “Divide! Multiply! Subtract! Bring down!”  He would make lessons fun and enjoyable by including the entire class, such as the time his daughter, Beth, was expecting her first baby. Every morning he would choose a student to call and check on her. This was known as “The daily Beth watch”. Mr. Crawford wrote a list of topics on the chalkboard for which the student would interview her about. He would put the phone on “speaker” so everyone could be involved. By including his class on these fun and creative activities, it made his students eager to come school every day. 

Much like Mr. Crawford, Mrs. Summerfelt had a way of including her students so that it made them feel special and important. She would praise her students aloud for any accomplishment they had achieved, great or small. Her way of making learning enjoyable was by creating a comfortable and stress-free learning environment. In Mrs. Summerfelt’s classroom, students did not feel as though they were under the intense amount of pressure students often feel in public school. Instead, they were driven by her enthusiastic attitude about learning. She would often hold group conversations about what dreams and goals her students hoped to accomplish one day, and would offer advice to help them reach those goals. At the end of the day, students would leave her classroom confident knowing they had a teacher who supported them in any future endeavors they hoped to explore.

In addition to encouraging creativity and making learning enjoyable, both Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt truly believed in their students. No matter what age, staying on track in school is certainly not always easy. When you start to fall behind, it is easy to become discouraged and does not take long before you feel like giving up completely. Mr. Crawford would not let this happen. He constantly reassured his class that they could do anything they set their mind to. To give his class a live example, one day he brought in a close friend, Steve Rhodes. Steve was a well-known cyclist who had overcome some significant life issues. He spoke to the class about how he was able to overcome poverty and a severe drug addiction by finding his passion for bike riding. Steve and Mr. Crawford expressed to the students the importance of never giving up, no matter how adverse the obstacle may be.

Similar to Mr. Crawford, Mrs. Summerfelt truly believed in every one of her students. She appreciated each student for who they were and would never give up on them no matter the circumstances. For example, she always assured that even if one of her students were to land in jail, she would be the first one in the courtroom to vouch for them. She constantly kept in touch with her students to make sure everyone was on track. It was rare if she did not email or call at least twice a week to offer words of encouragement, or just a listening ear.  By being so passionate about her student’s success, it made them want to work hard to earn their high school diploma. Students in both Mr. Crawford’s and Mrs. Summerfelt’s classes were happier and successful because of their teacher’s dedication.

With education being a crucial requirement in today’s society, it takes a special kind of educator to keep their students motivated. While Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt taught two entirely different age groups, in two drastically different schools, they both helped their students discover their individuality by thinking outside the box, and using creative and enjoyable teaching techniques. Both greatly valued their role as a teacher and fully dedicated themselves to the success of their students. By making learning an enjoyable experience, Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt made a significant impact on their students’ lives forever. 

Further drafting: Detail exercise

When I was eight years old and as carefree as ever, I wound up Mr. Crawfords third grade class. In the back corner of the classroom stood a couch with extra fluffy pillow.  Sitting in class, I would sometimes stare at that old brown couch and daydream about taking a nap while the rest of the class learned. But that was rarely the case as Mr. Crawford’s lively attitude kept the students minds awake.

Mr. Crawford was frequently wearing a smile, the kind as though he were up to something he didn't want anyone to know about. He would grasp the attention on the class each morning by writing on the blue chalkboard so loudly, you could see the chalk dust fall when it clicked against the board. Just when you thought you were in for another boring lesson, he would reach for his guitar, which was always at least an arms length away from him. “Sing with me!” he would shout. The entire class would break into an educational song he had so eagerly taught us in the previous weeks. With voice so encouraging and inspiring, how could we not help but smile and sing along? The gentle strumming of each chord played was another reminder of how Mr. Crawford was not there to make learning stressful, but to make learning exciting and creative as it should be. 

Drafting exercise for paper 2

Teacher # 1- Mr. Crawford

Teacher # 2- Mrs. Summerfelt

Standard: Best, exceptional

Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt were positive examples of exceptional teachers

Thesis : While many educators today lack the enthusiasm and creativity students need to become driven, Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Summerfelt taught in a unique and memorable fashion that captured the educational interest of their class.

Teacher # 1

Characteristic: Mr. Crawford was a good teacher because he was enthusiastic
Example: Mr. Crawford would enthusiastly sing and play guitar and encourage his students to sing along
Example: Mr. Crawford was always excited to be in class, which affected the attitude of the students in a positive way
Example: Mr. Crawford’s enthusiasm drove his students to accomplish their work adequately without ever feeling stressed or pressured.

Characteristic: Mr. Crawford was a good teacher because He was encouraging
Example: He treated the students respectfully
Example: He reassured that we could do anything, pushed his students
Example: Fun, eager attitude

The two teachers I am going to write about

The two teachers I am choosing to write about for my second paper are two teachers that are very memorable to me, in a good way. Mr. Crawford was my third grade teacher. He was very funny, and astonishingly caring about his students. His lesson plans included fun activities that were educational but at the same time non-stressful. Mr. Crawford was always happy to be in the classroom and genuinely had a love for teaching. This reflected on his students, because they too were always happy to be in class. He made school exciting instead of dreadful.

The other teacher I am going to write about is my high-school teacher, Robin Summerfelt. Robin was the most down-to-earth teacher person I have ever met. She truly cared for her students and recognized each of their individual talents. Robin was a teacher at a school that was mostly comprised of “independent study” classes. We met with her once a week. During our weekly class session she would encourage us to learn through the things we loved such as music, art, building things or writing. I would describe Robin as a “life coach” because she was always giving good advice and never put down anybody’s dreams.

Paper 2: Thesis statement and one paragraph

Thesis:      
Growing up, teachers serve as role models. But it is only the unique teachers that are memorable to us, and drive our motivation

    In a world where education is at the root of success, it is fair to say that educators play an important role in today’s society. Often, it seems as though we tend to underestimate the true importance of a teacher. Those who decide to teach have accepted the challenging task of shaping young minds into something powerful. A duty so important, we as society find it a difficult concept to grasp. When I ask myself “What makes a good teacher?” three significant qualities come to mind. A good teacher must encourage students to be creative, make learning enjoyable, and most importantly, believe in their students.  Mr. Crawford, from Ordway Elementary School, and Robin Summerfelt, from Academy Northwest are two prime examples of teachers that possess these three qualities. Growing up, teachers serve as role models. But it is only the unique teachers that are memorable to us, and drive our motivation