Educating Esme

For our iMovie project, my group read the book Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher’s First Year written by Esme Raji Codell. The book is written as a journal, recounting the joys and hurdles she faced in her first year teaching. Esme’s strong character and sense of humor seep from the pages and make for a very enjoyable read. Her passion as a teacher is inspiring. She creates a library in her classroom from her own collection of books, which she uses instead of textbooks to teach her students grammar and reading. Also she uses her own names for the various subjects such as puzzling rather than math in order to help students from becoming turned off by the name of a subject if they have struggled with it in the past. Her creativity and enthusiasm make her classroom an area where students thrive.

Esme has the unique ability to constantly think outside of the box, which leads to unusual conflict resolutions. For example, when one young man in her class who frequently causes trouble is especially troublesome she has him do her job the following day. As the student takes her role in the classroom she takes his. The boy learns how difficult her job is and how much harder he makes it when he constantly causes problems. It proves to be a great learning experience for both parties involved.

Throughout the book there are numerous other conflicts that Esme must resolve. These conflicts include those with students, faculty, parents, as well as conflicts between the students. In our iMovie, we chose to focus on Esme’s conflict resolution strategies. In order to show this, we selected four types of conflicts and then chose a situation for each from the book, which we acted out. To see our iMovie go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC2GJLtEEW0.

The Lost Generation

I was impressed by the YouTube clip entitled Lost Generation. I have to admit that during the first half of the clip I was slightly appalled that anyone would be so bluntly pessimistic. The reality of it is that the clip touches on harsh realities occurring in our world today. It is true that we live in a quick fix society that tries to “treat” our problems rather than get to the source of them and eliminate them all together. Also, it is true that divorce rates are quite high, environmental destruction is rampant, and many people choose work over family believing money can buy happiness, but these are all generalizations. IT may also be said that many people are working hard to prevent, stop, and reverse environmental damage, that people are trying harder to make marriages successful, and that there are many people who put family above work. I think it is common for people to get caught up in the negative things that are happening, especially when the media finds these stories more interesting to broadcast rather than the happier ones. It is easy to become blind to all the good that is happening. Just as the text can be easily reversed to tell a different story, if people open their eyes they will see that there are a lot of good things happening and they may find the positive story that they are not hearing told.

Rather than focus and spread the bleak side of stories, we should make it more common to look at the positive sides of the story. After all, there are two sides to every story. Teachers have the opportunity to open the eyes of the next generation and empower them to change the tone of the future. We can inspire them to be the change. I think the clip was well done and demonstrates that what may seem like a bleak future can easily be reversed to create one that is bright and promising.

To view the clip go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA

The Educational System

This semester I have spent a lot of time pondering the education system in conjunction with child development. It seems that the more I learn the more I wonder why we have the system we do.

First of all, why are students grouped by ages and forced to interact with peers of the same age all throughout their academic careers? By keeping kids of the same age together all of the time they do not gain vital skills and abilities to allow them to comfortably associate and interact with people across all age groups. Is it possible that we are instilling shyness in our students? I had a conversation with a professor on campus who home schooled his children for part of their education. He remarked on how shocked he was to see that the children in the home schooling system could communicate with persons of all ages and did not suffer of the shyness often seen in kids. These children were comfortable interacting with babies on up to the elderly. I think it is important to ponder this. Having students learn in mixed age group settings could support not only cognitive development but social development as well.

Furthermore when thinking about my previous blog on Finnish education system and male psychology, do we really need to start educating students as early as we do? Are we actually hindering them by institutionalizing their learning so early? It is in the early ages of development when children are extremely inquisitive and self-motivated to learn. Therefore I believe we should let them continue to learn and explore on their own before we try to structure their learning and set parameters which a school automatically sets whether or not it intends to simply by the nature of the school setting.

Would it be more beneficial to students to start school later enabling them more time to learn how to learn on their own? Exploration is key to learning and by shortening their time to explore maybe we are inhibiting their future abilities to learn. Also, by mixing ages in the classroom and environment may be created in which students learn to communicate and feel comfortable interacting with persons of other ages. Furthermore such a setting would enable students to help to teach and support their classmates and provide other sources of knowledge than only the teacher. What is the ideal educational approach?

La Historia de Nuestras Vidas

I attended the play ”Las Historias de Nuestras Vidas.” The play was written and performed by Postville immigrants whose lives were drastically changed by the raid that occurred at the Agriprocessor meatpacking plant. The play was very moving. The men acted out their journey to the U.S., the dangers and hardships they endured in order to reach the land, which they believed would provide a better life. The struggles in their home countries drove them to the U.S. where they sought to earn money to send home to their struggling families. Along the way they were chased and hunted by dogs. They endured two to three day stretches stuck in a room with nothing to eat. They traveled in the back of a truck crowded with others also fleeing their countries and risking their lives. And after all of this, they wound up in Postville, IA not quite the big, glamorous American city they’d heard described and expected to see.

As if their previous trials were not enough, they then suffered horrible working conditions in the meatpacking plant where they were subjected to abuse, humiliation, and horrendous working conditions. Yet their desire to create a better life for their families drove them to continue working there. Then the raid occurred. And these men along with their fellow immigrants were subjected to further pain, humiliation, and agony. They were taken to various places, stripped of their clothes and dignity, herded and corralled like animals, questioned and promised to be returned to their home countries but instead were moved to other locations around the U.S all the time having no idea what would happen to them.
Their intention of creating their play was not to relay a story that invoked the sympathy of the audience but rather to increase awareness of what happened to them, which as they said is happening all over this country. Their story is not finished and is shared by all illegal immigrants struggling and working in the U.S. An example was made in Postville, IA through the raid, but this sad story is happening all around us and being kept quiet.

The reenactment of their story reminded me of how important it is for teachers and all people to be spread awareness of what is happening around us, and not be ignorant of our surroundings. I have lived in Decorah all of my life, a mere 20 minutes from Postville but had little idea of what was happening there. As teachers, it is important to make students aware of the injustices in this world. Teachers can help raise awareness and incorporate community service in their classrooms. For example, classes could hold fundraisers and food and clothing drives to donate to victims of raids such as what occurred in Postville or for other people in need. In such projects, letters would be sent home to parents to gain their support and involvement. Also fliers advertising the fundraisers and drives would be posted in the community alerting the greater area to what is going on. Students will learn that they can make a difference and hopefully will be motivated to be active, informed citizens all of their life.

The moving reenactment of what the actors have been through reminded me of the importance of being kind and understanding of others. One never knows what others are going through and so must not jump to conclusions or assumptions; this is what we must teach our students and help them to be conscientious, caring, and understanding people.

Finland's Education System

After reading the article “What Makes Finnish Kids So Smart?,” I was impressed by the country’s love of reading, which seemed like a critical piece in their educational success. The country’s enthusiasm for reading is expressed in the government's gift to parents of a newborn that includes a book for the baby. Furthermore, reading is also encouraged by the fact that movies and tv shows must be watched with Finnish subtitles and so those who watch tv must read constantly.

I was intrigued by the setup of the education system in Finland. Children do not begin school until the age of seven. The school referred to in the article “has no sports teams, marching bands or prom.” I am uncertain of how this impacts students’ achievement. In part, it makes sense that by not having these activities as a part of the school experience students may be more likely to focus on their academic tasks. However, I believe that these activities provide areas of success for students. Such opportunities may create an area of success for those who struggle in some academic areas. These extracurricular may provide confidence to those students who excel at them, while not having the same level success in their school subjects.

I admire the laid back atmosphere of the school described in the article. Where teachers and students interact on a first-name basis. And “about the only classroom rules are no cell phones, no iPods and no hats.” I think often times classrooms can become too discipline oriented in which the objective of the classroom becomes sidetracked to producing well-behaved obedient children rather than curious, self-motivated learners. I think a less strict environment is better suited for the inspiration of creativity and enthusiasm for learning.

I was also impressed by the fact that these leading schools use chalkboards instead of whiteboards and overhead projectors rather than PowerPoint presentations in their instruction. I think our countries technological push may be taking away from the heart of education. Content is being lost in an effort to have teachers use new technology, which they must learn to use and may spend less time planning the information they will teach in their lessons and more time learning how to use the latest technological advances. After all, the information is the same no matter how it is presented. Maybe more time should be spent doing hands on learning in the classroom rather than presenting the information to students. I think there is a lot to be learned from Finland's example.

To read the article and learn more about Finland’s education system go to:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120425355065601997.html

Understanding Boys

The documentary Raising Cain explores the development of boys in the United States. It explains the ways in which boys develop differently than girls. I feel that it is extremely important for teachers to be aware of these developmental differences in order to support the specific needs of both genders to the best of their ability. According to the documentary, girls are one year advanced in cognitive and physical development in comparison to boys. Therefore the structure of our schools is easier for girls to handle as they can more easily sit quietly and focus than their male peers.

It is important that teachers be made aware of boys needs. Many boys struggle to sit still and focus for extended periods of time. This inability is not due to a lack of discipline or proper upbringing as may often be assumed. Rather, in many cases, it may be attributed to the fact that boys simply are not developmentally ready to sit still and focus in the way that schools demand. Boys should not be punished for their natural tendencies, rather they should be educated in environments where they are allowed to grow and blossom with structure and guidance that works with them rather than against their inherent natures. One teacher in the documentary did just this, one of his students, Kevin, was a bright boy who had a tendency to get off task. This teacher tried to work with Kevin rather than trying to discipline him into “behaving”. Whenever Kevin was beginning to be too disruptive for the classroom or was becoming frustrated and unable to focus, his teacher sent him out to walk around the building until he was able and ready to focus again. This teacher recognized the fact that Kevin was a young boy and as such needed to get up and move more frequently. By taking the time to understand Kevin’s needs, the teacher helped Kevin progress as was indicated by his improved grades and improved attitude.

Even by the age of 17 and 18 males are still psychologically boys. The pressures of society that constantly bombard boys to be tough, aggressive, to suppress their emotions and be men lead to reckless behavior as they try to fit into the role society has established for them. I think it is important that not only teachers but all people understand the needs and nature of boys. As teachers, it is important to work with boys and attempt to help them understand that it is okay to have and express emotions. Teachers must show them how to properly handle and recognize their emotions rather than bottle them up. As the documentary suggests, we should teach boys that being a man means being a caring and responsible individual, not an aggressive, dominating force.

To learn more and to view this documentary visit:
http://www.pbs.org/opb/raisingcain/.

Adolescent Brain & Alcohol Lecture

Last night I attended Karen Williams’ lecture on the effects of alcohol on adolescent brain development at the Decorah Middle School. I found her presentation to be very interesting and informative. According to Williams, the brain takes about 25 years to develop; the duration of brain development varies from person to person however and has been shown to take longer in males than females. Furthermore, the most sophisticated capacities of the brain such as ability to judge and identify risks, mediate conflict, choose between right and wrong, and exercise self-control, take the longest to develop. There are three peaks throughout a person’s life during which brain development peaks, these occur at the age ranges of 0-1, 1-6, and 12-18. At these stages, brain neurons are rapidly firing signals. If these signals are interrupted brain development is halted during that time which can have lasting consequences. Alcohol slows the brain’s activity and therefore it is crucial that adolescents do not consume it. The pre-frontal cortex and the Hippocampus are the parts of the brain undergoing the greatest development in the teen brain and therefore have the most rapid rate of firing between neurons. Interruption to these parts effects memory, which is the basis off new knowledge. Therefore the effects of interrupted brain development are not shown until later in life when learning cannot take hold, as new memories cannot be formed to hold and build upon new information received by the brain.

Williams also gave insight into the mood swings of teens, which research indicates may not be due to hormones but rather to be a result of the peak in brain development during the adolescent stage. Similarly the terrible twos land in one of the other peaks of development. In essence, the teens are crabby as a result of growing pains in the brain.

I found this information very interesting and essential. Having knowledge of how the brain develops is monumental. This information will aid in the understanding of developmental processes. Brain research is increasing our understanding of development. Knowing this information is crucial for educators, parents, and all people. It is important to know this and be able to protect childrens brains, especially during the most crucial periods of development.

To learn more about the research being done on brain development check out: http://www.loni.ucla.edu/~thompson/DEVEL/PR.html.