Melissa Moskowitz was interviewed on parenting in our class. She talked about her kids and how she raises them. As a parent she sets boundaries and limits (TV time, game time) for her kids to follow which is important to do as a parent in order for her kids to “have good habits and moderation in their lives.” She wants to raise her kids as “good citizens” having “strong values” and being “well rounded” individuals. She wants them ‘to explore their worlds” which I believe is something all parents should want for their children, in order for them to have their own perspective on life. She also doesn’t want her children to “emulate “her but wants them to be their own person. Parents should raise their children to be better than them and not make the same mistakes they did while respecting their children' s individuality.
I learned that parenting is very complex. Parenting may be hard for some while it may come natural to others. Regardless choosing to raise children is a life changing decision. That means that a parent now has another person to live for, care about and love. To teach them and guide them through life the best way the see fit. Parenting is a lot of work and it's not always going to be easy. But a parent has to be committed to being the best possible parent they can be for their children. Parents have to be able to provide for the needs of their children and show them unconditional love and want their children to be happy in life.
I learned that every parent has a different style of raising their child. A parent has to figure out their parenting style and techniques based on the type of children they have. They have to pay attention to them to see what will work and what will fail. Parents are always going to be judged for they way they choose to raise their children because everyone has their own ideas and styles. Not every parent is the same just like not every baby is the same. Parenting is a work in progress, it's a tough job but parents should be able to grow with their children.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Hw 57
Parenting 101
I feel like having a child and raising a child should be planned out. It should not be a "mistake". There's a difference between a bad parent and a good parent and knowing what you're doing is part of it. Parents should also take responsibility of how they raise their children.That's not to say that there aren't many different ways people choose to raise children.
Parents should want to set a good example for their children. To try and not have their kids make the same mistakes as they did. They should teach their kids right from wrong. Parents should know what they are getting themselves into because parenting is a around the clock job.
How a child turns out is dependent on the parents and environment they provide the child with.Parents have the power to shape a child's life and identity. Parents are a child's foundation, starting ground to becoming who they are.Parent's set the tone for the child's life. A parents should be that child's support, provide them with unconditional love and help aid them in life.Never the less parents and children should ultimately grow and learn with each other.
Reading the text "lesson plan for developmental psychology course" I found the different parenting styles interesting. It agree with me on the fact that parents have an affect on a child's identity/personality.Different parenting styles can either set a child up for success or disaster in life. I think that parents should be a balance of a permissive and a authoritative parent. In the way that the parent should accept that the child is after all a child. They deserve the freedom to make mistakes and be free while also trying to get the child to understand and learn from their mistakes. The parent should reason with the child while still understanding where they are coming from.
After reading "When Parenting Theories Backfire" it is clear that you can't learn how to be a parent from what you read out of a book. It most likely isn't going to work. The parent has to work with the child in order to figure out how they are going to parent them. Every child is going to be different so the parent just has to figure out a way to deal with them appropriately. There isn't a set way to raise children that is going to work for all parents, therefore they have to know what their dealing with in order to progress with their child from there.
I feel like having a child and raising a child should be planned out. It should not be a "mistake". There's a difference between a bad parent and a good parent and knowing what you're doing is part of it. Parents should also take responsibility of how they raise their children.That's not to say that there aren't many different ways people choose to raise children.
Parents should want to set a good example for their children. To try and not have their kids make the same mistakes as they did. They should teach their kids right from wrong. Parents should know what they are getting themselves into because parenting is a around the clock job.
How a child turns out is dependent on the parents and environment they provide the child with.Parents have the power to shape a child's life and identity. Parents are a child's foundation, starting ground to becoming who they are.Parent's set the tone for the child's life. A parents should be that child's support, provide them with unconditional love and help aid them in life.Never the less parents and children should ultimately grow and learn with each other.
Reading the text "lesson plan for developmental psychology course" I found the different parenting styles interesting. It agree with me on the fact that parents have an affect on a child's identity/personality.Different parenting styles can either set a child up for success or disaster in life. I think that parents should be a balance of a permissive and a authoritative parent. In the way that the parent should accept that the child is after all a child. They deserve the freedom to make mistakes and be free while also trying to get the child to understand and learn from their mistakes. The parent should reason with the child while still understanding where they are coming from.
After reading "When Parenting Theories Backfire" it is clear that you can't learn how to be a parent from what you read out of a book. It most likely isn't going to work. The parent has to work with the child in order to figure out how they are going to parent them. Every child is going to be different so the parent just has to figure out a way to deal with them appropriately. There isn't a set way to raise children that is going to work for all parents, therefore they have to know what their dealing with in order to progress with their child from there.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Hw 56
Interviews:
Q: Are you the oldest, middle , or youngest child in you family? How does that make you feel?:
Aiesha: I'm the middle child , It feels cool because I don't have to get jealous of who comes after me or who came before me.
Michelle: Middle, It feels like I can turn to an older or wiser person rather than a younger one.
Jamie: Middle,it doesn't make me feel any particular way...it is what it is.
Q: Do you feel like you have to compete with your siblings? If so, for what?
A: No, I don't have to compete with my siblings, I'm confident in my self.
M: Yes! With my older sibling I had to compete with him for toys and stuff and with my younger sibling I have to compete with for attention because I feel like the middle child and the oldest child get the most attention.
J: No, because I still get everything I want. If anything it would be in academics.
Q: Do you ever wish you were an only child? Why?
A: Yea because the only child gets all of the stuff but if I was the only child I'd be lonely and wouldn't have any fun.
M: No because then I'd be the center of attention and wouldn't be able to get away with stuff. It would also be pretty boring.
J:Yes! I just wish I didn't have a younger sister because she's so annoying.
Q: Which sibling are you closest with?
A : My sister because I can tell her anything and I trust her.
M: It used to be my older brother but since he moved out it is now my younger brother.
J: My older brother and I are because we are the closest in age, only 2 years apart.
Q: How often do you get into arguments with your siblings and over what?
A: I usually get into arguments with them a majority of the time either over clothes or when they start to irritate me and joke around too much.
M: A lot ! probably like three times a day especially with my little brother. We give each other the silent treatment. Over the most stupid things. I just get annoyed with him.
J: Everyday ,over everything.
Q: Do you ever feel like your parents favor one of your siblings over you? How does that make you feel?
A: Well not really...now that I'm older it doesn't really bother me but I think they favor my older brother because that was their first child, it's always like that. I think mothers always favor their first child.
M: Maybe my little brother. I sometimes feel he gets too spoiled. I feel like they love us differently in a good way.
J: No, I think I'm the favorite or at least my dad's favorite.
Q: How would you describe the relationship you have with your siblings?
A: Chaotic because they just act really crazy.
M: My relationship with my little brother is more nurturing and I try to be a good role model. My relationship with my older brother is more balanced. We help each other out depending on the situation.
J: It's different with each one. You know my relationships with different people are different.
Q: Do you go to your sibling for advice?
A: Um sometimes, it depends. If it's something really serious then yea. If it has to do with our parents. Like if I did something and I need help on how to tell my parents about it. I'll go to them for advice on it.
M: Yes when I'm in deep shit and I don't want to go my parents I turn to my older brother for help because he's been through a lot more.
J: No, because I don't think they are that much wiser than me. If anything I would go to them to vent.
Q: Would you say that your siblings have an effect on who you are? If so,in what
ways?
A: Yes in all types of ways like when I'm angry, when I need help, when I'm sad. They make me the way I am. I know for a fact that without them I wouldn't be who I am today. My personality wouldn't be the same. My life would also be dull.
M: Yes my brother influences me in my taste of music and maybe a few other things but I feel like I'm m own person. I hate it when my parents compare me to them. I'm trying to create my own path.
J: Yes! They influence my moods. They affect how I treat other people.
Q: What do you feel is the role you play in your family?
A: The honest and straight forward one. I keep it real with all of my family members. I don't hold anything back.
M: The good and responsible daughter. Which can be a pretty heavy role to live up to at times.
J: The Child... being the needy one because I always want something.
Q: Do you help your siblings out when they're in trouble with your parents or do you just let them face them alone?
A: (Laughs) I help them out but it also depends on what the situation is. But I do try to stick up for them mainly my younger siblings.
M: It depends... If they've got me into trouble before I use it as revenge. I let them face the fire alone.
J: yea I let them face them alone, laugh and put in my two cents against them because people don't get into trouble a lot in my house unless they deserve it.
Q: Do you get your siblings into trouble with your parents? How does that make you feel?
A: Oh yea I do , good because I just get them back for getting me into trouble.
M: Yea, it depends sometimes I feel like a jerk other times I laugh. I get good attention while they get bad attention.
J: If they did something to me yea... I do it all the time. I find it hilarious then I'm in a good mood. Like they deserved it.
Q: Do you ever get jealous of the amount of attention your parents show to another sibling?
A: Yes I do because sometimes I don't feel like they deserve it.
M: Sometimes especially if it's about good grades and I'm not doing so hot.... but I also don't mind them having the spotlight on them.
J: No I don't because I get a lot of attention.
Q: Who comes first - siblings or friends?
A: Siblings because at the end of the day they're all I have.
M: Siblings because they are blood. I have a completely different relationship with my siblings than I do with my friends. My relationships are different with certain people, it all depends...
J: I think friends are chosen siblings. I don't really know of any situations where I'd have to choose one over the other.
The interviews lead me to believe that siblings do have an effect on our personalities and they way we act. I also believe that a relationship with a sibling is one of the strongest relationships out there. It can be good or bad but at the end of the day they are one of the closest people to us, who we can turn to in need. Siblings are an important part of our lives and no matter how much we wished they didn't exist sometimes , life without them would be boring.
The interviews also showed that children do care about the approval and attention of their parents. They want their parents to notice them and show that they care. But they often find themselves competing with their siblings or others in the family for that special recognition. But this may not be true for some children who can do without the spotlight on them. Sibling rivalry is a common part of family life. Whether it's getting into fights with them or getting them in trouble. A relationships with siblings are different for everyone because every family is different we just have to learn how to deal with them.
These interviews also suggested that the "middle child syndrome" I researched isn't true for everyone. I interviewed only middle children to see if it would be true for them but it turns out it isn't. They don't really feel like their parents pay more attention to the oldest or younger sibling compared to them. If anything they feel like they get more attention than the youngest child. So birth order does seem to matter when it comes to the amount of attention a child gets from their parents. The middle child also seems to have a good relationship with the older sibling rather than the younger one.
Survey Question: Do your siblings influence your identity?
Q: Are you the oldest, middle , or youngest child in you family? How does that make you feel?:
Aiesha: I'm the middle child , It feels cool because I don't have to get jealous of who comes after me or who came before me.
Michelle: Middle, It feels like I can turn to an older or wiser person rather than a younger one.
Jamie: Middle,it doesn't make me feel any particular way...it is what it is.
Q: Do you feel like you have to compete with your siblings? If so, for what?
A: No, I don't have to compete with my siblings, I'm confident in my self.
M: Yes! With my older sibling I had to compete with him for toys and stuff and with my younger sibling I have to compete with for attention because I feel like the middle child and the oldest child get the most attention.
J: No, because I still get everything I want. If anything it would be in academics.
Q: Do you ever wish you were an only child? Why?
A: Yea because the only child gets all of the stuff but if I was the only child I'd be lonely and wouldn't have any fun.
M: No because then I'd be the center of attention and wouldn't be able to get away with stuff. It would also be pretty boring.
J:Yes! I just wish I didn't have a younger sister because she's so annoying.
Q: Which sibling are you closest with?
A : My sister because I can tell her anything and I trust her.
M: It used to be my older brother but since he moved out it is now my younger brother.
J: My older brother and I are because we are the closest in age, only 2 years apart.
Q: How often do you get into arguments with your siblings and over what?
A: I usually get into arguments with them a majority of the time either over clothes or when they start to irritate me and joke around too much.
M: A lot ! probably like three times a day especially with my little brother. We give each other the silent treatment. Over the most stupid things. I just get annoyed with him.
J: Everyday ,over everything.
Q: Do you ever feel like your parents favor one of your siblings over you? How does that make you feel?
A: Well not really...now that I'm older it doesn't really bother me but I think they favor my older brother because that was their first child, it's always like that. I think mothers always favor their first child.
M: Maybe my little brother. I sometimes feel he gets too spoiled. I feel like they love us differently in a good way.
J: No, I think I'm the favorite or at least my dad's favorite.
Q: How would you describe the relationship you have with your siblings?
A: Chaotic because they just act really crazy.
M: My relationship with my little brother is more nurturing and I try to be a good role model. My relationship with my older brother is more balanced. We help each other out depending on the situation.
J: It's different with each one. You know my relationships with different people are different.
Q: Do you go to your sibling for advice?
A: Um sometimes, it depends. If it's something really serious then yea. If it has to do with our parents. Like if I did something and I need help on how to tell my parents about it. I'll go to them for advice on it.
M: Yes when I'm in deep shit and I don't want to go my parents I turn to my older brother for help because he's been through a lot more.
J: No, because I don't think they are that much wiser than me. If anything I would go to them to vent.
Q: Would you say that your siblings have an effect on who you are? If so,in what
ways?
A: Yes in all types of ways like when I'm angry, when I need help, when I'm sad. They make me the way I am. I know for a fact that without them I wouldn't be who I am today. My personality wouldn't be the same. My life would also be dull.
M: Yes my brother influences me in my taste of music and maybe a few other things but I feel like I'm m own person. I hate it when my parents compare me to them. I'm trying to create my own path.
J: Yes! They influence my moods. They affect how I treat other people.
Q: What do you feel is the role you play in your family?
A: The honest and straight forward one. I keep it real with all of my family members. I don't hold anything back.
M: The good and responsible daughter. Which can be a pretty heavy role to live up to at times.
J: The Child... being the needy one because I always want something.
Q: Do you help your siblings out when they're in trouble with your parents or do you just let them face them alone?
A: (Laughs) I help them out but it also depends on what the situation is. But I do try to stick up for them mainly my younger siblings.
M: It depends... If they've got me into trouble before I use it as revenge. I let them face the fire alone.
J: yea I let them face them alone, laugh and put in my two cents against them because people don't get into trouble a lot in my house unless they deserve it.
Q: Do you get your siblings into trouble with your parents? How does that make you feel?
A: Oh yea I do , good because I just get them back for getting me into trouble.
M: Yea, it depends sometimes I feel like a jerk other times I laugh. I get good attention while they get bad attention.
J: If they did something to me yea... I do it all the time. I find it hilarious then I'm in a good mood. Like they deserved it.
Q: Do you ever get jealous of the amount of attention your parents show to another sibling?
A: Yes I do because sometimes I don't feel like they deserve it.
M: Sometimes especially if it's about good grades and I'm not doing so hot.... but I also don't mind them having the spotlight on them.
J: No I don't because I get a lot of attention.
Q: Who comes first - siblings or friends?
A: Siblings because at the end of the day they're all I have.
M: Siblings because they are blood. I have a completely different relationship with my siblings than I do with my friends. My relationships are different with certain people, it all depends...
J: I think friends are chosen siblings. I don't really know of any situations where I'd have to choose one over the other.
The interviews lead me to believe that siblings do have an effect on our personalities and they way we act. I also believe that a relationship with a sibling is one of the strongest relationships out there. It can be good or bad but at the end of the day they are one of the closest people to us, who we can turn to in need. Siblings are an important part of our lives and no matter how much we wished they didn't exist sometimes , life without them would be boring.
The interviews also showed that children do care about the approval and attention of their parents. They want their parents to notice them and show that they care. But they often find themselves competing with their siblings or others in the family for that special recognition. But this may not be true for some children who can do without the spotlight on them. Sibling rivalry is a common part of family life. Whether it's getting into fights with them or getting them in trouble. A relationships with siblings are different for everyone because every family is different we just have to learn how to deal with them.
These interviews also suggested that the "middle child syndrome" I researched isn't true for everyone. I interviewed only middle children to see if it would be true for them but it turns out it isn't. They don't really feel like their parents pay more attention to the oldest or younger sibling compared to them. If anything they feel like they get more attention than the youngest child. So birth order does seem to matter when it comes to the amount of attention a child gets from their parents. The middle child also seems to have a good relationship with the older sibling rather than the younger one.
Survey Question: Do your siblings influence your identity?
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
hw 55
Possible Question: Does birth order in a family matter? What are the effects that siblings have on each other?
Amber,
I think your question is interesting and you could focus it in any direction. You will also be able to find quit a lot of research to help you answer it. A suggestion for you would be to do some specific research on what "other" people do people try to get the approval of if it's not their family members.
Bryanna,
I like your questions so far, I just think you need choose one and make it even more specific like maybe "Why do people hurt the people they love? " something like that. I think you have an interesting topic.
Boyse, Kyla. "Sibling Rivalry." University of Michigan Health System (2009): 1. Web. 13 May 2010..
This article was on sibling rivalry, which according to the article is the cause of birth order. How siblings has effect our personalities and behaviors. That siblings start fighting and competing for attention in the family once a new sibling comes along. This is useful in answering my question because it shows how much of an effect our siblings have on us and the place we have in our families. How each child wants attention from their parents and feel like they have to compete with the others in their families in order to get it. It was also helpful in giving some tips on how to improve these relationships.
"Middle Child Syndrome ." iloveindia.com 1. Web. 13 May 2010..
This article was on something called "the middle child syndrome".
This is something that the middle child in the family experiences according to the article. Being the second born child cause them to have certain certain behaviors and characteristics that has an effect on the child's sense of belonging in the family. This article will be helpful because it gives an insight into how birth order effects the children in the family and their sense of belonging.
Kluger, Jeffrey. "The Power of Birth Order." TIME (2007): n. pag. Web. 13 May 2010..
This article was more specifically focused on the effects birth order has on
a child's personality. The "power" birth order has over the family. This article is helpful to my research because it provides insight on how our families and siblings shape who we are and our behaviors and habits. How birth order has an effect on the type of individuals people are and turn out to be.
Kluger, Jeffrey. "The New Science of Siblings." TIME (2006): n. pag. Web. 13 May 2010..
This article was on the relationships siblings have with each other. The way siblings interact with bone another and shape each other. This will be helpful because is shows how siblings have positive and negative effects on each others lives and roles in the family. How the parents interact with each child and how the family functions or how they are changed.
Amber,
I think your question is interesting and you could focus it in any direction. You will also be able to find quit a lot of research to help you answer it. A suggestion for you would be to do some specific research on what "other" people do people try to get the approval of if it's not their family members.
Bryanna,
I like your questions so far, I just think you need choose one and make it even more specific like maybe "Why do people hurt the people they love? " something like that. I think you have an interesting topic.
Boyse, Kyla. "Sibling Rivalry." University of Michigan Health System (2009): 1. Web. 13 May 2010.
This article was on sibling rivalry, which according to the article is the cause of birth order. How siblings has effect our personalities and behaviors. That siblings start fighting and competing for attention in the family once a new sibling comes along. This is useful in answering my question because it shows how much of an effect our siblings have on us and the place we have in our families. How each child wants attention from their parents and feel like they have to compete with the others in their families in order to get it. It was also helpful in giving some tips on how to improve these relationships.
"Middle Child Syndrome ." iloveindia.com 1. Web. 13 May 2010.
This article was on something called "the middle child syndrome".
This is something that the middle child in the family experiences according to the article. Being the second born child cause them to have certain certain behaviors and characteristics that has an effect on the child's sense of belonging in the family. This article will be helpful because it gives an insight into how birth order effects the children in the family and their sense of belonging.
Kluger, Jeffrey. "The Power of Birth Order." TIME (2007): n. pag. Web. 13 May 2010.
This article was more specifically focused on the effects birth order has on
a child's personality. The "power" birth order has over the family. This article is helpful to my research because it provides insight on how our families and siblings shape who we are and our behaviors and habits. How birth order has an effect on the type of individuals people are and turn out to be.
Kluger, Jeffrey. "The New Science of Siblings." TIME (2006): n. pag. Web. 13 May 2010.
This article was on the relationships siblings have with each other. The way siblings interact with bone another and shape each other. This will be helpful because is shows how siblings have positive and negative effects on each others lives and roles in the family. How the parents interact with each child and how the family functions or how they are changed.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Hw 54
I was placed in the ISTJ category. Once I got the results and read the description I realized that I am a lot like the description describes as the type of person I am in most situations. I could identify with many of the characteristics of the results. I noticed that the results were a combination of the letters that balanced each other out to form a personality type.Though that doesn't mean that I'm not also like some of the other categories. In some cases it depends on the place I'm in and the people I'm with that I noticed I tend to be more of an extrovert than an introvert ,etc. Other than that I pretty much already had a sense what type of person I am, without having this test grouping me into a category.
This was a preference test and the results were calculated given our preferences to the questions. Therefore, I think that people can act differently from their preferences depending on the environment/situation their in and surrounding influences.I thought that the test for the most part would be reliable and accurate. We'll probably be able to pick each others category and personality type but maybe we'll be one or two letters off.
I think the results of this test were to give people a better sense of who they are. Of what category they fall into. I think it wouldn't be to hard to guess what category people fall into knowing what the letters mean.This test could give people insight to the type of people they are if they haven't already figured it out or didn't know because they don't see themselves this way but others do.
This was a preference test and the results were calculated given our preferences to the questions. Therefore, I think that people can act differently from their preferences depending on the environment/situation their in and surrounding influences.I thought that the test for the most part would be reliable and accurate. We'll probably be able to pick each others category and personality type but maybe we'll be one or two letters off.
I think the results of this test were to give people a better sense of who they are. Of what category they fall into. I think it wouldn't be to hard to guess what category people fall into knowing what the letters mean.This test could give people insight to the type of people they are if they haven't already figured it out or didn't know because they don't see themselves this way but others do.
Monday, May 3, 2010
HW 53
Taking the survey was time consuming because of all the questions but it made me think about my life and the relationships I have. Some of the questions I hadn't really thought about but taking the survey forced me to think about them. I was glad that the survey was anonymous otherwise I don't think I would have been comfortable taking it. I also tried to answer each question as honest as possible even though it was anonymous. I did find that for some questions I couldn't give a straight yes or no answer, like I'd answer neutral and that made me question why?
I mostly found the answers to the questions about drug and alcohol use to be surprising because I was expecting a much higher percentage of people to admit that they have. I felt people weren't necessarily being honest while taking the survey and the results showed that. I also found the answers to the questions about family and friends to be interesting. For example, " You do stupid things/or things you don't particularly enjoy to fit in with your peers" I expected a much higher percentage of people to agree with that statement. I feel like people especially teens get peer pressured into doing things they might later regret in order to be accepted by their peers. Everyone want to be liked and fit in with the circle of friends they are trying to be apart of. The results to some of the questions about family were different from the way I answered them. Which made me realize that all families are different and have different beliefs. Not everyone is the same.
Overall I think Michelle said it best " maybe we don't know other people and maybe we don't know ourselves" in regards to the survey. We don't realize how much we really don't know people. The results show that because none of us really expected to see the results we did. They were either the same or different from what we predicted they would be in class.
Comparing our survey results to other survey results I noticed that for some of the questions the percentages were off. Based on the results from our survey I believe that a lot of people lied while taking it which contributed to the percentage gaps between the surveys.I don't think that our surveys results are that reliable due to many different factors like not everyone took the survey,etc. Though the surveys do bring up some interesting points about relationships and life than would be worth exploring more.
I mostly found the answers to the questions about drug and alcohol use to be surprising because I was expecting a much higher percentage of people to admit that they have. I felt people weren't necessarily being honest while taking the survey and the results showed that. I also found the answers to the questions about family and friends to be interesting. For example, " You do stupid things/or things you don't particularly enjoy to fit in with your peers" I expected a much higher percentage of people to agree with that statement. I feel like people especially teens get peer pressured into doing things they might later regret in order to be accepted by their peers. Everyone want to be liked and fit in with the circle of friends they are trying to be apart of. The results to some of the questions about family were different from the way I answered them. Which made me realize that all families are different and have different beliefs. Not everyone is the same.
Overall I think Michelle said it best " maybe we don't know other people and maybe we don't know ourselves" in regards to the survey. We don't realize how much we really don't know people. The results show that because none of us really expected to see the results we did. They were either the same or different from what we predicted they would be in class.
Comparing our survey results to other survey results I noticed that for some of the questions the percentages were off. Based on the results from our survey I believe that a lot of people lied while taking it which contributed to the percentage gaps between the surveys.I don't think that our surveys results are that reliable due to many different factors like not everyone took the survey,etc. Though the surveys do bring up some interesting points about relationships and life than would be worth exploring more.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
hw 52
We look to get affirmation from others because we want to feel special and important. We want others to make us feel valued. What other people think of us matter. I know I struggle with this, because I care maybe too much. Always wondering what other people think of me, always trying to make a good impression. And I know I judge people all the time. We all want to be accepted. This is why we construct different identities for ourselves and play these different roles with the people in our lives.
We depend on the relationships we have with others. Depending on our needs and motivations we decide which relationships are more important than others, which relationships we can do without and those we can’t live without. I feel like we put people into different categories depending on whom they are and measure their value to us and our lives. I can read people pretty well which allows me to put them in different categories and that’s how I decide how I’m going to interact with them. Depending on who they are and what category they fall in I decide if we’ll be friends or not, if I like them or not, if they’re good people or bad people, etc. The relationships I have in my life with various people all matter to me in some way and I depend on them to fulfill my needs and motivations.
Relationships to us matter because they add meaning and a sense of belonging to our lives. Our families for example provide us with love and support and they make us feel safe. Our parents value us and think we are special people. We feel like we each have a place in our family. We depend on them. Our families provide us with a security blanket. Like we know or would like to believe that they will be there to help and protect us throughout our lives. We need our families and in return we try to provide our families with the same love and respect they give us. Which is why many people love their families (parents, siblings, grandparents, etc) more than any other relationships. Family comes first for some; I know that is true for me. Our families are the foundation of our upbringing and who we are. They were the first people we learned how to treat, respect, love, and care about.
With friends we are free to let our guards down and just be ourselves. There is no acting or playing different roles with them. They accept us for who we are and like us for that. I feel like there is no pressure to impress friends like there might be for the other relationships we have. We also form some of our ideas on how to live our lives and ethics on how to treat people from our friends. Every relationship influences us.
I believe we all learn and grow from our relationships. I know that many of the relationships I have with people in my life, teach me a lot about myself and how I should treat and interact with people, but also how I should live my live. For example our families are the core of our beliefs and ethics on life, for example many people follow a certain religion because their families do. I pull from the many relationships I have on how I choose to live my life. I think we all do in some way.
Life is all about the relationships we have with people. We depend on these relationships. We function because of these relationships. Society is one big relationship between people. In a society everyone is trying to maintain a functioning relationship. The question is how to make that relationship better?
We depend on the relationships we have with others. Depending on our needs and motivations we decide which relationships are more important than others, which relationships we can do without and those we can’t live without. I feel like we put people into different categories depending on whom they are and measure their value to us and our lives. I can read people pretty well which allows me to put them in different categories and that’s how I decide how I’m going to interact with them. Depending on who they are and what category they fall in I decide if we’ll be friends or not, if I like them or not, if they’re good people or bad people, etc. The relationships I have in my life with various people all matter to me in some way and I depend on them to fulfill my needs and motivations.
Relationships to us matter because they add meaning and a sense of belonging to our lives. Our families for example provide us with love and support and they make us feel safe. Our parents value us and think we are special people. We feel like we each have a place in our family. We depend on them. Our families provide us with a security blanket. Like we know or would like to believe that they will be there to help and protect us throughout our lives. We need our families and in return we try to provide our families with the same love and respect they give us. Which is why many people love their families (parents, siblings, grandparents, etc) more than any other relationships. Family comes first for some; I know that is true for me. Our families are the foundation of our upbringing and who we are. They were the first people we learned how to treat, respect, love, and care about.
With friends we are free to let our guards down and just be ourselves. There is no acting or playing different roles with them. They accept us for who we are and like us for that. I feel like there is no pressure to impress friends like there might be for the other relationships we have. We also form some of our ideas on how to live our lives and ethics on how to treat people from our friends. Every relationship influences us.
I believe we all learn and grow from our relationships. I know that many of the relationships I have with people in my life, teach me a lot about myself and how I should treat and interact with people, but also how I should live my live. For example our families are the core of our beliefs and ethics on life, for example many people follow a certain religion because their families do. I pull from the many relationships I have on how I choose to live my life. I think we all do in some way.
Life is all about the relationships we have with people. We depend on these relationships. We function because of these relationships. Society is one big relationship between people. In a society everyone is trying to maintain a functioning relationship. The question is how to make that relationship better?
Saturday, April 24, 2010
hw 51
“School is like a 12 step brainwash camp”
Schools are a part of a system of oppression that prepares people for a place in society. Schools are institutions that are designed to teach its follows(students) that without it they are failures. Without getting an education there is no way they will be able to succeed in life. Schools are there to “save” them. Teaching them how to function and behave in society, instead of teaching them how to think for themselves.The schools hold the power. Schools are teacher centered rather than focused on the students. The teachers teach students what they want. Students are taught to with a specific curriculum and textbooks are beaten into their heads, forcing them to conform with the system.
There’s a bigger picture to what is being taught in schools . There is a “hidden curriculum” where students are taught by the teachers to obey authority, to do as they are told, to become like sheep. In order to function within existing systems in our society. So those students who rebel against this teaching and disrespect the teachers (authority) are seen as the “trouble makers” in classes and are reprimanded by school authority.
A certain set of values, attitudes, and knowledge taught by the teachers are enforced and conveyed to the students. For example “the teacher disciplines and the students are disciplined; the teacher chooses and enforces his choice, and the students comply; the teacher knows everything and the students know nothing; the teacher is the Subject of the learning process, while the pupils are mere objects”. Teachers prepare these students for a place in society where the same rules apply, they must be able to obey those with the power and not have anything against it but accept it as reality.
The system wants students to learn certain skills and knowledge from school so that they can become working class citizens. So that they can go to college, get a job, and work for the man. To become workers and consumers. It’s like a cycle. There’s a path that schools teach students to follow which is to cooperate with society. Being brainwashed by learning how to please and follow society’s rules. Students without an education are seen as failures in society. They are made to believe that there is no way to succeed in the future or in society if they don’t become what society wants.The system oppresses the students, holds them back and dumb them down. Teaching stuff that doesn’t encourage free thinking. According to Paulo Freire, teachers use the “banking” approach to education which allows them to fill the students with information. That the students store and memorize in their brains becoming “deposits”. This allows the teachers and the system to control their minds, which the system benefits from not the students.
Freire proposes a different way of teaching to escape this oppression. By changing the way schools are teacher centered and making them student centered. To get the students to start thinking for themselves instead of what they are being taught to think. The school should work together with the students to create their own curriculum and knowledge being taught. In the movie “Dead Poets Society” the teacher encourages the student’s free thinking by making them rip up their textbooks. The teacher encourages learning from a new perspective. The students break routine and are encouraged to consider what they think. Teachers should be guides for students learning process not saviors or dictators.
Theodore Sizer, an education reform advocate, would also agree with Freire. That school should focus on the students using their minds more. Where the students are valued and the teachers are just their coaches. This is how SOF was designed. In SOF the students and teacher work together to improve the learning process and knowledge being taught. Students use the habits of mind which push their thinking further and allows them to question the material being taught to them. The school and teachers encourage free thinking. It’s more focused on the students and what they have to say, rather than the teacher doing all of the teaching. Instead of
oppressing the students, SOF offers a type of balanced education.
Dr. Lisa Delpit also agrees with the idea of working with the students and not against them. To bring the students and the teachers together to develop a curriculum that the students can benefit from. Where the students are taken into consideration and their knowledge is being pushed. Where the students are actually learning and thinking for themselves.
Schools should not oppress the students but should encourage the student’s free thinking. To give the students a chance and to stop teaching that without an education or following what society wants them to become there is no way for them to succeed in life. The system as a whole has the power and won't compromise with the students wants but schools should encourage students and teachers to work together for a better learning experience at least in their classes. To not conform to what society wants but becoming a free individual. To not let the system over power them, dictate ,or plan out their lives.
Work cited:
Dead Poets Society
Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Stanley, Nile. " Interview with Lisa Delpit: Discovering Brilliance in Our Children." Publication of the Florida Reading Association 40.2 (2003): n. pag. Web. 25 Apr 2010..
Dead Prez- "They Schools"
Fox, Margalit. "Theodore R. Sizer, Leading Education-Reform Advocate, Dies at 77 ." New York Times (2009): n. pag. Web. 25 Apr 2010..
Schools are a part of a system of oppression that prepares people for a place in society. Schools are institutions that are designed to teach its follows(students) that without it they are failures. Without getting an education there is no way they will be able to succeed in life. Schools are there to “save” them. Teaching them how to function and behave in society, instead of teaching them how to think for themselves.The schools hold the power. Schools are teacher centered rather than focused on the students. The teachers teach students what they want. Students are taught to with a specific curriculum and textbooks are beaten into their heads, forcing them to conform with the system.
There’s a bigger picture to what is being taught in schools . There is a “hidden curriculum” where students are taught by the teachers to obey authority, to do as they are told, to become like sheep. In order to function within existing systems in our society. So those students who rebel against this teaching and disrespect the teachers (authority) are seen as the “trouble makers” in classes and are reprimanded by school authority.
A certain set of values, attitudes, and knowledge taught by the teachers are enforced and conveyed to the students. For example “the teacher disciplines and the students are disciplined; the teacher chooses and enforces his choice, and the students comply; the teacher knows everything and the students know nothing; the teacher is the Subject of the learning process, while the pupils are mere objects”. Teachers prepare these students for a place in society where the same rules apply, they must be able to obey those with the power and not have anything against it but accept it as reality.
The system wants students to learn certain skills and knowledge from school so that they can become working class citizens. So that they can go to college, get a job, and work for the man. To become workers and consumers. It’s like a cycle. There’s a path that schools teach students to follow which is to cooperate with society. Being brainwashed by learning how to please and follow society’s rules. Students without an education are seen as failures in society. They are made to believe that there is no way to succeed in the future or in society if they don’t become what society wants.The system oppresses the students, holds them back and dumb them down. Teaching stuff that doesn’t encourage free thinking. According to Paulo Freire, teachers use the “banking” approach to education which allows them to fill the students with information. That the students store and memorize in their brains becoming “deposits”. This allows the teachers and the system to control their minds, which the system benefits from not the students.
Freire proposes a different way of teaching to escape this oppression. By changing the way schools are teacher centered and making them student centered. To get the students to start thinking for themselves instead of what they are being taught to think. The school should work together with the students to create their own curriculum and knowledge being taught. In the movie “Dead Poets Society” the teacher encourages the student’s free thinking by making them rip up their textbooks. The teacher encourages learning from a new perspective. The students break routine and are encouraged to consider what they think. Teachers should be guides for students learning process not saviors or dictators.
Theodore Sizer, an education reform advocate, would also agree with Freire. That school should focus on the students using their minds more. Where the students are valued and the teachers are just their coaches. This is how SOF was designed. In SOF the students and teacher work together to improve the learning process and knowledge being taught. Students use the habits of mind which push their thinking further and allows them to question the material being taught to them. The school and teachers encourage free thinking. It’s more focused on the students and what they have to say, rather than the teacher doing all of the teaching. Instead of
oppressing the students, SOF offers a type of balanced education.
Dr. Lisa Delpit also agrees with the idea of working with the students and not against them. To bring the students and the teachers together to develop a curriculum that the students can benefit from. Where the students are taken into consideration and their knowledge is being pushed. Where the students are actually learning and thinking for themselves.
Schools should not oppress the students but should encourage the student’s free thinking. To give the students a chance and to stop teaching that without an education or following what society wants them to become there is no way for them to succeed in life. The system as a whole has the power and won't compromise with the students wants but schools should encourage students and teachers to work together for a better learning experience at least in their classes. To not conform to what society wants but becoming a free individual. To not let the system over power them, dictate ,or plan out their lives.
Work cited:
Dead Poets Society
Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Stanley, Nile. " Interview with Lisa Delpit: Discovering Brilliance in Our Children." Publication of the Florida Reading Association 40.2 (2003): n. pag. Web. 25 Apr 2010.
Dead Prez- "They Schools"
Fox, Margalit. "Theodore R. Sizer, Leading Education-Reform Advocate, Dies at 77 ." New York Times (2009): n. pag. Web. 25 Apr 2010.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Hw 50
The piece “Against schools” by Gatto was about his experience as an educator in the public school system. He questions the purpose of schooling and if students are really learning this way. He believes in education but not “schooling”, he’s against the system. He believes that schools fall short of accomplishing the mission they were founded. He states that there are other ways a person can educate themselves instead of submitting themselves to a forced education system. That schooling is not all what it’s cranked up to be. He states in a nutshell that schools cripple the individual by dumbing them down and making them conform to the system. That school is basically a trap to get us to conform.
I actually agree with a lot of the points Gatto makes. I also find myself questioning the point of school. Why? I don’t really think we need schooling in order to be successful which is what society wants us to believe. I don’t feel think students really learn much in school for various reasons. Mainly because they simply aren’t interested in what is being taught to them. Everyone in school is taught the same things and therefore everyone believes the same things. It’s the whole plan of the system, to get everyone to conform. I agree that “schools really are: laboratories of experimentation on young minds, drill centers for the habits and attitudes that corporate society demands.” This is why we all go to school and is why society wants us to go to school. School is a trap and we can’t escape it, we have to join the institution or it will find us.Schools are nothing more than a part of a system of oppression that keeps us down.
The piece “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” by Freire talks about how schools are part of a system of oppression, it oppresses the students and “mirrors society as a whole”. He talks about how education is basically a narration with teachers as the narrator. Who deposit specific information into the students and if the students believe and store that information, they are getting their job done. How the students are being misguided by the system. Students are being taught to comply which therefore makes them “manageable beings”.
It’s the teacher’s job to prepare us for a role in society. To conform and comply with what society expects from us. The minds of the students are being controlled. The teachers are teaching but students aren’t really learning anything. They are just storing all the information being fed to them. Students aren’t taught to think for themselves. Students are being taught there is no alternative. “The oppressed are regarded as the pathology of the healthy society”, you will become what society wants you to become and one way of doing so is by what you are taught in school. Students aren’t benefiting from the institution of education instead they are being oppressed by it.
The interview with Lisa Delpit by Nile Stanley is about her being the director of the Center for Urban Education and Innovation at Florida International University in Miami and what the school is about. The goal of the school is to “provide schools and communities with the necessary skills to insure excellent education for low-income children of color, particularly African-American”. She’s basically like a “savior” for the students and is all about really showing teachers how to see how smart their students really are. She also believes that the arts are really important in uncovering the strengths of students. She wants to teach teacher's how to see the best in the students they teach. To work with the students and not against them.
I agree with many of the things Dr. Delpit had to say in her interview. I think that many schools are lacking teachers who take a genuine interest in their students . Which doesn’t enable them to see the strengths of their students but rather what they still need to teach them. Instead teachers need to develop a relationship with their students and work around what they already know and do well. This is what she refers to as “teaching to the students needs” which is important because that way students actually learn. Teachers should also develop strategies and curriculum's that help them better relate and understand their student’s needs to inspire them to learn and bring out their “brilliance”.
Interview With Mr. Copeland:
Mr. Copeland's goal as a teacher is to bring some degree of social justice regarding education. He believes that students need certain skills that high school has to give them in order to be successful in the real word/future. He hopes that his students are learning the material that he teaches and is satisfied when they do. A personal gain teaching gives him is that "being a teacher forces you to constantly educate yourself and not every job does that". He feels that he learns from his students. Whether it's about the issues they deal with or about their backgrounds which might have been different from his own. He tries to show his students a different point of view. But mainly he doesn't "need to watch a movie on how to be a teacher" and feels his students "don't need to watch stuff on TV to see how they want to be".
After interviewing Mr. Copeland it seems that he believes in having a mix of the two types of education -transcendence and immanence. He doesn't strike me as being a "savior". He just wants to educate his students on issues of importance and wants them to learn certain necessary skills that will help them in the future. His students learn from him but in return he learns from his students. It seems he has a relationship with his students that enables him to understand and work with them better.
I actually agree with a lot of the points Gatto makes. I also find myself questioning the point of school. Why? I don’t really think we need schooling in order to be successful which is what society wants us to believe. I don’t feel think students really learn much in school for various reasons. Mainly because they simply aren’t interested in what is being taught to them. Everyone in school is taught the same things and therefore everyone believes the same things. It’s the whole plan of the system, to get everyone to conform. I agree that “schools really are: laboratories of experimentation on young minds, drill centers for the habits and attitudes that corporate society demands.” This is why we all go to school and is why society wants us to go to school. School is a trap and we can’t escape it, we have to join the institution or it will find us.Schools are nothing more than a part of a system of oppression that keeps us down.
The piece “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” by Freire talks about how schools are part of a system of oppression, it oppresses the students and “mirrors society as a whole”. He talks about how education is basically a narration with teachers as the narrator. Who deposit specific information into the students and if the students believe and store that information, they are getting their job done. How the students are being misguided by the system. Students are being taught to comply which therefore makes them “manageable beings”.
It’s the teacher’s job to prepare us for a role in society. To conform and comply with what society expects from us. The minds of the students are being controlled. The teachers are teaching but students aren’t really learning anything. They are just storing all the information being fed to them. Students aren’t taught to think for themselves. Students are being taught there is no alternative. “The oppressed are regarded as the pathology of the healthy society”, you will become what society wants you to become and one way of doing so is by what you are taught in school. Students aren’t benefiting from the institution of education instead they are being oppressed by it.
The interview with Lisa Delpit by Nile Stanley is about her being the director of the Center for Urban Education and Innovation at Florida International University in Miami and what the school is about. The goal of the school is to “provide schools and communities with the necessary skills to insure excellent education for low-income children of color, particularly African-American”. She’s basically like a “savior” for the students and is all about really showing teachers how to see how smart their students really are. She also believes that the arts are really important in uncovering the strengths of students. She wants to teach teacher's how to see the best in the students they teach. To work with the students and not against them.
I agree with many of the things Dr. Delpit had to say in her interview. I think that many schools are lacking teachers who take a genuine interest in their students . Which doesn’t enable them to see the strengths of their students but rather what they still need to teach them. Instead teachers need to develop a relationship with their students and work around what they already know and do well. This is what she refers to as “teaching to the students needs” which is important because that way students actually learn. Teachers should also develop strategies and curriculum's that help them better relate and understand their student’s needs to inspire them to learn and bring out their “brilliance”.
Interview With Mr. Copeland:
Mr. Copeland's goal as a teacher is to bring some degree of social justice regarding education. He believes that students need certain skills that high school has to give them in order to be successful in the real word/future. He hopes that his students are learning the material that he teaches and is satisfied when they do. A personal gain teaching gives him is that "being a teacher forces you to constantly educate yourself and not every job does that". He feels that he learns from his students. Whether it's about the issues they deal with or about their backgrounds which might have been different from his own. He tries to show his students a different point of view. But mainly he doesn't "need to watch a movie on how to be a teacher" and feels his students "don't need to watch stuff on TV to see how they want to be".
After interviewing Mr. Copeland it seems that he believes in having a mix of the two types of education -transcendence and immanence. He doesn't strike me as being a "savior". He just wants to educate his students on issues of importance and wants them to learn certain necessary skills that will help them in the future. His students learn from him but in return he learns from his students. It seems he has a relationship with his students that enables him to understand and work with them better.
HW 49
Section A’s class film was different from all the other films we have been watching in class( Freedom Writers, Dangerous Minds, Blackboard Jungle, etc.) in the sense that in the end the teacher wasn’t able to “save” the students. The teacher wasn’t able to reach his students in the way he would have liked. The students didn’t seem interested in learning. This ultimately led the teacher to give up on his students.
Unlike the films we watched in class the teacher didn’t try to get his students to quite down and pay attention to him by yelling or anything like that. He waited for the students to quite down before beginning his lesson. He didn’t seem to inspire them with his lesson either leading him to give up . This led him to turn to drinking openly in the classroom while the students sat around and engaged in conversation with each other. Probably because he felt like he was hopelessly failing as the “savior” teacher. Not realizing that he couldn’t magically inspire the students or get them to care about what he was teaching if they didn’t want to or weren’t interested. The students seemed more into socializing with one another instead of giving the teacher respect. The teacher also brings his personal problems (drinking) into the classroom. The teacher also takes his frustrations out on the students. He puts them down instead of trying to uplift and save them. The students in the end don ‘t wind up being saved by the teacher or develop a sense of respect for him either. The teacher didn’t drastically change the lives of the students in any way or was seen as inspiring to them.
Like the films the students don’t acknowledge his presence in the classroom with all the chatter taking place. The students seem disrespectful and like they would rather be someplace else. The teacher tries to engage them in learning what he has to teach.
Teachers in my opinion want to be saviors. They want to help their students in some way or another. Teachers want to inspire their students to want to learn and they want to be successful doing so. Their desire to be saviors is satisfied if they get to make and see a change in the students. If they can successfully get them to care about their education and the lessons they are learning in school. Our society sees teachers as heroes who help the youth better themselves and get the students to apply themselves in order to be successful in school and ultimately in life.
Unlike the films we watched in class the teacher didn’t try to get his students to quite down and pay attention to him by yelling or anything like that. He waited for the students to quite down before beginning his lesson. He didn’t seem to inspire them with his lesson either leading him to give up . This led him to turn to drinking openly in the classroom while the students sat around and engaged in conversation with each other. Probably because he felt like he was hopelessly failing as the “savior” teacher. Not realizing that he couldn’t magically inspire the students or get them to care about what he was teaching if they didn’t want to or weren’t interested. The students seemed more into socializing with one another instead of giving the teacher respect. The teacher also brings his personal problems (drinking) into the classroom. The teacher also takes his frustrations out on the students. He puts them down instead of trying to uplift and save them. The students in the end don ‘t wind up being saved by the teacher or develop a sense of respect for him either. The teacher didn’t drastically change the lives of the students in any way or was seen as inspiring to them.
Like the films the students don’t acknowledge his presence in the classroom with all the chatter taking place. The students seem disrespectful and like they would rather be someplace else. The teacher tries to engage them in learning what he has to teach.
Teachers in my opinion want to be saviors. They want to help their students in some way or another. Teachers want to inspire their students to want to learn and they want to be successful doing so. Their desire to be saviors is satisfied if they get to make and see a change in the students. If they can successfully get them to care about their education and the lessons they are learning in school. Our society sees teachers as heroes who help the youth better themselves and get the students to apply themselves in order to be successful in school and ultimately in life.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
The Class
The film “The class” is a definitely a more realistic portrayal of classroom interactions. When it comes to the interactions student’s have with their teacher and with each other. When compared to all the other films we have watched in class. The film is a “savior” film in the sense that the teacher (Mr. Marin) aim’s to inspire his students. This film deals with the behavioral problems and the interactions the teachers have with the students and takes a look at how they deal with it.
I do think that in some way Mr. Marin was responsible for Soleymane’s expulsion. The fact that he gave him a bad grade and said things to the committee of teachers about him made it that much easier for them to expel him. I think that Mr. Marin should have defended Soleymane a little more. I think that Mr. Marin gave up on Soleymane towards the end by thinking he was “limited”. I think that Mr. Marin should have found a different way to individually deal with the problems he was facing with Soleymane’s behavior instead of getting the whole team of teachers involved. Which made it that much easier for the team to expel him. On the other hand Soleymane should also be held responsible for his own behavior and actions in class. He did disrupt the learning environment in class and was labeled the “trouble maker”.
I don’t think the teachers cared what Soleymane was going through at home which could have caused the problems he was having in school. The teachers didn’t take that into consideration. I think it was a systematic issue if these teachers where expelling so many students at their school. I think that it was both the teachers and the students fault. I think the teachers should have tried to work with the “problem” students, to try and better the situation. Instead of just giving up on them and sending them to another school where they will become another group of teachers’ problem. The teacher’s should have tried to reach out to the students to show they care by praising them for the good they were doing in class. Instead of punishing them for all the bad they were doing. I think their system of discipline could have been better effective if they worked with the students instead of putting them on trial.
I do think that in some way Mr. Marin was responsible for Soleymane’s expulsion. The fact that he gave him a bad grade and said things to the committee of teachers about him made it that much easier for them to expel him. I think that Mr. Marin should have defended Soleymane a little more. I think that Mr. Marin gave up on Soleymane towards the end by thinking he was “limited”. I think that Mr. Marin should have found a different way to individually deal with the problems he was facing with Soleymane’s behavior instead of getting the whole team of teachers involved. Which made it that much easier for the team to expel him. On the other hand Soleymane should also be held responsible for his own behavior and actions in class. He did disrupt the learning environment in class and was labeled the “trouble maker”.
I don’t think the teachers cared what Soleymane was going through at home which could have caused the problems he was having in school. The teachers didn’t take that into consideration. I think it was a systematic issue if these teachers where expelling so many students at their school. I think that it was both the teachers and the students fault. I think the teachers should have tried to work with the “problem” students, to try and better the situation. Instead of just giving up on them and sending them to another school where they will become another group of teachers’ problem. The teacher’s should have tried to reach out to the students to show they care by praising them for the good they were doing in class. Instead of punishing them for all the bad they were doing. I think their system of discipline could have been better effective if they worked with the students instead of putting them on trial.
Monday, April 12, 2010
HW # 48
Treatment
A teacher changes how a class full of delinquents view themselves in life. The students the teacher has to deal with and teach are students who associate themselves with gang violence , drug dealing ,etc. It's the teacher's first day on the job teaching in a new school. He walks into a class full of rowdy students who are fooling around and acting like school is a playground. The students don't acknowledge him or care what he has to say. the teacher realizes he has a long school year ahead of him. He makes the decision that he is going to motivate the students to be better. He plans on teaching them that they can escape their current situations if they just apply themselves in school.
The students at first just think the teacher is like all the other teachers they have had in the past. Who don't really care about them but are just in it for the paycheck. The teacher however, tries to relate to the students by telling them his story. He captures their attention. The teacher lets them know that he came from the same background and neighborhood just like the one they live in but he escaped. He lets them know that he left his neighborhood and all his friends behind to make something out of himself.
The teacher motivates the students by switching up his curriculum. He makes home visits to the students homes to get their parents involved. The teacher improves the students grades and focus in class. Students begin to like the teacher and find themselves relating to him. The teacher inspires them to want to do better and escape their troubled lives.
A teacher changes how a class full of delinquents view themselves in life. The students the teacher has to deal with and teach are students who associate themselves with gang violence , drug dealing ,etc. It's the teacher's first day on the job teaching in a new school. He walks into a class full of rowdy students who are fooling around and acting like school is a playground. The students don't acknowledge him or care what he has to say. the teacher realizes he has a long school year ahead of him. He makes the decision that he is going to motivate the students to be better. He plans on teaching them that they can escape their current situations if they just apply themselves in school.
The students at first just think the teacher is like all the other teachers they have had in the past. Who don't really care about them but are just in it for the paycheck. The teacher however, tries to relate to the students by telling them his story. He captures their attention. The teacher lets them know that he came from the same background and neighborhood just like the one they live in but he escaped. He lets them know that he left his neighborhood and all his friends behind to make something out of himself.
The teacher motivates the students by switching up his curriculum. He makes home visits to the students homes to get their parents involved. The teacher improves the students grades and focus in class. Students begin to like the teacher and find themselves relating to him. The teacher inspires them to want to do better and escape their troubled lives.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
HW# 47
Film Ideas:
1.) A teacher struggles to discipline students but they win .Then the teacher wins them over by teaching them something their interested in.
2.) A back and forth battle between the teacher and the students.
3.) A teacher who breaks all the rules and goes by there own curriculum but is seen as too radical.
4.) A teacher transforms a class of unruly underachievers to disciplined/polite students who succeed.
5.)A teacher who rules there students with force but has to change there method to better suit the students.
1.) A teacher struggles to discipline students but they win .Then the teacher wins them over by teaching them something their interested in.
2.) A back and forth battle between the teacher and the students.
3.) A teacher who breaks all the rules and goes by there own curriculum but is seen as too radical.
4.) A teacher transforms a class of unruly underachievers to disciplined/polite students who succeed.
5.)A teacher who rules there students with force but has to change there method to better suit the students.
HW #46
"Give a boy a gun" by Todd Strasser, is about two boys Gary and Brenden who open fire at a school dance. Seeking revenge on all the teachers and students who bullied and tormented them over the years. The author also offers information (facts) about other school shootings and the gun culture.
Even though this is a fictional story "Give a boy a gun" mirrors real-life school shootings that have occurred. This is useful for my topic because it relates to school safety. As well as what roles are played in school to contribute to the violence and how it affects the way a school is run and chooses to discipline there students.
The book is about a school shooting but it makes me think could school shootings alike be prevented. The boys also seek revenge on the students they feel have caused them so much suffering and humiliation in school but was their shooting justified. Does that make it okay for school violence to occur? The events taken place also make me question why was it so easy for these students to open fire at a school event and no one seemed to have seen it coming. Are kids really safe in school?
Even though this is a fictional story "Give a boy a gun" mirrors real-life school shootings that have occurred. This is useful for my topic because it relates to school safety. As well as what roles are played in school to contribute to the violence and how it affects the way a school is run and chooses to discipline there students.
The book is about a school shooting but it makes me think could school shootings alike be prevented. The boys also seek revenge on the students they feel have caused them so much suffering and humiliation in school but was their shooting justified. Does that make it okay for school violence to occur? The events taken place also make me question why was it so easy for these students to open fire at a school event and no one seemed to have seen it coming. Are kids really safe in school?
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Hw 45
Sizer focused more on the the habits of mind and how teachers should teach them to students in school. He opposed "one-size-fits-all educational methods". Sizers form of education is structured around less testing and grading but more on the amount of knowledge a student is prepared with. His teaching was more of going deeper than the basic knowledge of things.
Hirsch ideas of education were if you don't know stuff then you can't understand it. You understand what you are taught more from books which is focused less on using the habits of mind. He argued that " an important factor in determining comprehension, an even more important consideration was background knowledge." So having basic knowledge on things is most important to understanding stuff in our culture. He focuses less on students different learning abilities but more on a one-size-fits-all education.
SOF definitely follows Sizers ideas on what schools should be like. The school is focused on the habits of mind and using them in our educational experience. Which is why SOf doesn't do much standardized testing,etc which is different from other high schools. I am more used to Sizers educational methods than Hirsch.
Hirsch ideas of education were if you don't know stuff then you can't understand it. You understand what you are taught more from books which is focused less on using the habits of mind. He argued that " an important factor in determining comprehension, an even more important consideration was background knowledge." So having basic knowledge on things is most important to understanding stuff in our culture. He focuses less on students different learning abilities but more on a one-size-fits-all education.
SOF definitely follows Sizers ideas on what schools should be like. The school is focused on the habits of mind and using them in our educational experience. Which is why SOf doesn't do much standardized testing,etc which is different from other high schools. I am more used to Sizers educational methods than Hirsch.
Monday, March 15, 2010
HW 44
In Obama's speech on education I agree with him on understanding that sometimes kids don't feel like being in school "wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning". He identified with that feeling of just blowing school off but that it's solely up to us to decide what kind of an education we want and how hard are we going to work as individual to get it. I think it's interesting when he mentions that an education can open the doors to self discovery, like an education can help us create goals for ourselves and help us discover what we want out of life. He's saying that a good education is out there for us we just have to want it and push ourselves to do better. We also won't get anywhere in life without an education which is what makes having one so important.
While reading the article "Where the Bar Ought to Be " I agree that teachers should have/want the desire to inspire their students to want to learn and get an education since the students are in their classrooms everyday. It seems that good teachers are hard to come by because most of them are just average educators who might not really care about their students. To have good teachers and understand the value of them in students lives will make for a much richer educational experience.
While reading the article "Where the Bar Ought to Be " I agree that teachers should have/want the desire to inspire their students to want to learn and get an education since the students are in their classrooms everyday. It seems that good teachers are hard to come by because most of them are just average educators who might not really care about their students. To have good teachers and understand the value of them in students lives will make for a much richer educational experience.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
HW 41
Kelly, Melissa. "Violence in Schools." About.com Guide 1. Web. 24 Feb 2010. .
This article was about the violence that takes place in schools. It consisted of a list of statistics about the danger that is present in schools and how common it is.
This article is useful if interested in school safety at schools. Who's to blame for school violence? and how do you prevent it? What measures need to be taken.
Crowley, Michael. "Outrageous! "A" Is for Average." Reader's Digest 1.1 (2004): 1. Web. 24 Feb 2010..
This article was about rewarding students for their excellency in school. Also how it is effecting those who aren't rewarded and how it causes competition between them. This article is helpful if interested in the competitive side of school. The students vs. students, students making their parents proud and students winning the favor of their teachers in order to succeed in school. Is the competition good or bad?
Clayton, Victoria. "School debate: public vs. private." msnbc 1.1 (2010): 2. Web. 24 Feb 2010.
This article was about public schools vs. private schools and what to consider when picking which one to go to. This article deals with the different factors of the public school system and the private school system.
"School Shootings and School Violence." Enyclopedia (2008): 1. Web. 3 Mar 2010..
This article was about the history of violence in schools and how long it has been occurring for. Dating all the way back to the 17th century to today and how it has changed over the years. The struggle between the the students vs. authority in school. What roles are played in school to contribute to the violence. What is being done to instill discipline in the schools.
" Bad school experiences affect juvenile delinquency." China Daily 1. (2004): 1. Web. 3 Mar 2010.
This article was about how bad school experiences and bad grades affected some students life outside of school. From being at home with how they are treated by there parents for not excelling at school to being social outcasts and treated badly by other students in school. Which made them turn more to crime because of the way they felt about school and turned them into delinquents.
Additional Works Consulted
GLG Expert Contributor, . "Finishing schools are grooming students for better life." manjitkauracademician September 27 ,2009: 1. Web. 24 Feb 2010.
Tamanini, Kara. "How Do We Stop Bullying in Schools?." psychcentral 1.1 (2009): 1. Web. 24 Feb 2010.
PEDIATRICS, . "Out-of-School Suspension and Expulsion." AAP Policy (2008): 1206-1209. Web. 3 Mar 2010.
Holguin , Jamie. "School Suspensions: Do They Work?." CBS Broadcasting 1. (2004): 1. Web. 3 Mar 2010.
Part B
I think I'm going to focus my paper on some aspect of the way schools are run/function. In particular looking at school safety and how it's a form of school discipline. The students point of view and how they see school as a prison and feel controlled by the teachers. As well as looking at the teachers point of view.
School discipline is important because it maintains order and safety but do some schools take it too far? Taking a look at how disciplinary measures affect the students, teachers and the school as a whole. This also relates to the struggle of power in schools.
This article was about the violence that takes place in schools. It consisted of a list of statistics about the danger that is present in schools and how common it is.
This article is useful if interested in school safety at schools. Who's to blame for school violence? and how do you prevent it? What measures need to be taken.
Crowley, Michael. "Outrageous! "A" Is for Average." Reader's Digest 1.1 (2004): 1. Web. 24 Feb 2010.
This article was about rewarding students for their excellency in school. Also how it is effecting those who aren't rewarded and how it causes competition between them. This article is helpful if interested in the competitive side of school. The students vs. students, students making their parents proud and students winning the favor of their teachers in order to succeed in school. Is the competition good or bad?
Clayton, Victoria. "School debate: public vs. private." msnbc 1.1 (2010): 2. Web. 24 Feb 2010.
This article was about public schools vs. private schools and what to consider when picking which one to go to. This article deals with the different factors of the public school system and the private school system.
"School Shootings and School Violence." Enyclopedia (2008): 1. Web. 3 Mar 2010.
This article was about the history of violence in schools and how long it has been occurring for. Dating all the way back to the 17th century to today and how it has changed over the years. The struggle between the the students vs. authority in school. What roles are played in school to contribute to the violence. What is being done to instill discipline in the schools.
" Bad school experiences affect juvenile delinquency." China Daily 1. (2004): 1. Web. 3 Mar 2010.
This article was about how bad school experiences and bad grades affected some students life outside of school. From being at home with how they are treated by there parents for not excelling at school to being social outcasts and treated badly by other students in school. Which made them turn more to crime because of the way they felt about school and turned them into delinquents.
Additional Works Consulted
GLG Expert Contributor, . "Finishing schools are grooming students for better life." manjitkauracademician September 27 ,2009: 1. Web. 24 Feb 2010.
Tamanini, Kara. "How Do We Stop Bullying in Schools?." psychcentral 1.1 (2009): 1. Web. 24 Feb 2010.
PEDIATRICS, . "Out-of-School Suspension and Expulsion." AAP Policy (2008): 1206-1209. Web. 3 Mar 2010.
Holguin , Jamie. "School Suspensions: Do They Work?." CBS Broadcasting 1. (2004): 1. Web. 3 Mar 2010.
Part B
I think I'm going to focus my paper on some aspect of the way schools are run/function. In particular looking at school safety and how it's a form of school discipline. The students point of view and how they see school as a prison and feel controlled by the teachers. As well as looking at the teachers point of view.
School discipline is important because it maintains order and safety but do some schools take it too far? Taking a look at how disciplinary measures affect the students, teachers and the school as a whole. This also relates to the struggle of power in schools.
Monday, February 15, 2010
HW 40
Interviews
Do you like school?
Cousin ( 6 years old): " Yes, school is fun! I have a lot of friends and my teacher is really nice."
Friend 1:" Yes! I enjoy school because I go to an alternative school where I don't feel like I'm in a prison, I don't feel like I'm less than my teachers, we are all on the same page. My classes are discussion based and our subject matters are more complex than regular schools. I like all of my classes. For example toy design ,Shakespeare goes to the movies, dance dance revolution. Seriously my school is soo awesome!
Friend 2:" Yeah because we don't have grades, it all depends on the students work ethic and all of my classes are integrated and diverse. We are exposed to so many different people."
Kid (12 years old): "Yea I guess, it depends on the day and how much homework I get."
Is school more important than your social life?
Friend 1: "It's sort of a trick question b/c I feel like part of school is learning how to be social. Neither one trumps the other. Part of being smart is learning how to deal with people, both are equally important. At my school we have an hour lunch and 2 breaks each day where people socialize with each other."
Have you ever considered home schooling?
Friend: "Yes I have because I was basically told I was unwelcome at a previous school and then I decided to consider my options and homeschooling was definitely one of them.
Friend 3: "Yeah because when I first came to my school I hated it and was afraid to go to another school. It's always a fantasy - why can't I be home schooled?"
If you could substitute a subject in school with something you're interested in what would it be?
Friend 1:" I wouldn't have to do that because all of my classes are so unique and interesting compared to other schools. There is something offered for everyone at my school. Ex. scrap booking, acting class, whose line is it anyways, human diseases, poetry, dance class, kickboxing, film class, sketch book art, photography class, American film and pop culture , cooking class, just to name a few.
Friend 2:" I would substitute math b/c I feel like I'm not going to use what I learn in math now , later on in life. I feel I know enough about math (the basics) so I'd rather do art because it's something I really enjoy doing and am passionate about. I wouldn't get annoyed learning about it."
Part B:
School should be a place where learning is made interesting and and inspires the students thinking. Where students should actually enjoy what they are being taught. Where they don't feel like the are less than their teachers or are in a prison where they are being taught to believe and accept whatever is being drilled into their heads. Also that grades don't necessarily determine how much a student knows/learned. Grades shouldn't determine a students success in school.
Do you like school?
Cousin ( 6 years old): " Yes, school is fun! I have a lot of friends and my teacher is really nice."
Friend 1:" Yes! I enjoy school because I go to an alternative school where I don't feel like I'm in a prison, I don't feel like I'm less than my teachers, we are all on the same page. My classes are discussion based and our subject matters are more complex than regular schools. I like all of my classes. For example toy design ,Shakespeare goes to the movies, dance dance revolution. Seriously my school is soo awesome!
Friend 2:" Yeah because we don't have grades, it all depends on the students work ethic and all of my classes are integrated and diverse. We are exposed to so many different people."
Kid (12 years old): "Yea I guess, it depends on the day and how much homework I get."
Is school more important than your social life?
Friend 1: "It's sort of a trick question b/c I feel like part of school is learning how to be social. Neither one trumps the other. Part of being smart is learning how to deal with people, both are equally important. At my school we have an hour lunch and 2 breaks each day where people socialize with each other."
Have you ever considered home schooling?
Friend: "Yes I have because I was basically told I was unwelcome at a previous school and then I decided to consider my options and homeschooling was definitely one of them.
Friend 3: "Yeah because when I first came to my school I hated it and was afraid to go to another school. It's always a fantasy - why can't I be home schooled?"
If you could substitute a subject in school with something you're interested in what would it be?
Friend 1:" I wouldn't have to do that because all of my classes are so unique and interesting compared to other schools. There is something offered for everyone at my school. Ex. scrap booking, acting class, whose line is it anyways, human diseases, poetry, dance class, kickboxing, film class, sketch book art, photography class, American film and pop culture , cooking class, just to name a few.
Friend 2:" I would substitute math b/c I feel like I'm not going to use what I learn in math now , later on in life. I feel I know enough about math (the basics) so I'd rather do art because it's something I really enjoy doing and am passionate about. I wouldn't get annoyed learning about it."
Part B:
School should be a place where learning is made interesting and and inspires the students thinking. Where students should actually enjoy what they are being taught. Where they don't feel like the are less than their teachers or are in a prison where they are being taught to believe and accept whatever is being drilled into their heads. Also that grades don't necessarily determine how much a student knows/learned. Grades shouldn't determine a students success in school.
Monday, February 8, 2010
HW 39
Part A :Questions about School
1. Why do we have to go to school for so many years?
2. Why can't we decide what we want to learn in school? Who gets to make the decisions?
3. Why don't we learn anything useful?
Ideas
1. I don't feel like students actually really learn what they are being taught.
2. We don't really learn anything useful in school that will help us later on in life.
3. School becomes repetitious.
Experiences
1.School is where you meet some of your friends and create long lasting relationships with people.
2.You learn some disciple and how to respect authority figures while in school
3.School teaches you how to be social and interact with others
Part B:
Schools are put in place to help us learn though school isn't going to be a good learning experience if isn't enjoyable. It depends on the schools environment,teachers, friends and curriculum if school is going to be a good experience. Going to school for so many years is a waste of time when we could spend that time doing other things with our life. People don't really want to go to school or like it for that matter they just attend because it determines their success in the real world.
1. Why do we have to go to school for so many years?
2. Why can't we decide what we want to learn in school? Who gets to make the decisions?
3. Why don't we learn anything useful?
Ideas
1. I don't feel like students actually really learn what they are being taught.
2. We don't really learn anything useful in school that will help us later on in life.
3. School becomes repetitious.
Experiences
1.School is where you meet some of your friends and create long lasting relationships with people.
2.You learn some disciple and how to respect authority figures while in school
3.School teaches you how to be social and interact with others
Part B:
Schools are put in place to help us learn though school isn't going to be a good learning experience if isn't enjoyable. It depends on the schools environment,teachers, friends and curriculum if school is going to be a good experience. Going to school for so many years is a waste of time when we could spend that time doing other things with our life. People don't really want to go to school or like it for that matter they just attend because it determines their success in the real world.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
HW 38
HISTORY VIDEO PROJECT ME AND PROJECT PARTNERS from Yurelis Ramirez on Vimeo.
Credits:
Director: Larche .G
"Cool Chicks": Bryanna. W & Jessica .C
"Cool sidekick": Yasmin. J
Instigators: Michelle .G & Yurelis . R
This art project was a collaborative effort (people listed above). Our video was about how gossip can spread from one person to another and create problems. Also how the "Cool chick " wanted to be a youtube celebrity which is why she had her friend video the fight which causes all the attention to be on her. Which draws everyone in to watch and see what's going on. It becomes entertaining- "Who's gonna win?" and people start to get involved and egg on the situation.
1. Insights from watching this video is being cool means getting attention from others. Also no one want to be played in a situation or look stupid, so they try to turn the situation around so they come out looking cool in the end. Getting validation and approval from others by all means necessary.
2. I was the director of this video and it was my job to capture the "cool" scene that we created. Everyone had a specific role in putting this video together. We rehearsed the scene a couple of times before deciding which video we would select to be shown.
3. I think that art is cool because it's a creative outlet for people to express there ideas and thoughts. It's a way for statements to be made and messages to get across to people in a creative way.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
hw 37
Cool isn’t so easy nor is that simple to achieve. There are a lot of different parts to this desire that people have for coolness. One of them being that we are a part of socialization, where our society imposes on us what is or isn’t cool. We in return try to follow and become those things, in order to matter and feel some sense of self. We can’t ignore the norms of society which therefore lead us to create and play different roles in our lives to suit them.
Cool over time
It's no question that what’s "cool" has changed over the years and people have changed with it. What's cool today certainly wasn't cool 20 years ago. Cool is something that is forever changing and evolving. Like the latest trends, what's cool today might not be so cool tomorrow. We as individuals and as a society also change along with it. “ If cool is inherent in people rather than objects ,then what is seen as cool will change from place to place, from time to time, from generation to generation.” (Pountain, Dick, and David Robins. Cool rules: anatomy of an attitude. London : 2000. 12-33. Print. ). For example the different style eras, from the 196o’s, when the whole hippie look and lifestyle was in because at the time there was a drug-induced revolution against traditional American values happening in society. To the 1970’s- 1980’s when the punk look was in to rebel against the other mainstream trends that were out and to go along with the anti-government theme. These style eras are evidence of what’s seen as “cool” changing over a period of time with society and people following it. Every generation has their own idea of cool based on how they were brought up during their time but regardless will need to change to fit into the “new” cool societies and generations.
Others perspective on Cool
There are many different perspectives on what cool is and how it is defined. A major difference between people’s ideas of cool is either being “authentically” cool or being “fake” cool. “Cool is an attitude or personality type that has emerged in many different societies.” (Pountain, Dick, and David Robins. Cool rules: anatomy of an attitude. London: 2000. 12-33. Print.) Cool is a lifestyle and part of people’s culture. It’s a way of dressing, talking and acting. Cool is the individuals’ way of adapting to the ideas of society. The way people have described being authentically cool is “being you" or “being original”. Our identities have many different faces and some of them might be “fake”, being just products of the situation we are in. I don’t believe that anyone can ever be truly authentically cool because people are always going to be inspired by something or someone else around them. Like through the media, the media sells a lifestyle and a culture to societies. We are marketed what cool is through the media. From all the magazines, movies, music videos, etc. being watched and listened to and all the celebrities we look up to. We can’t help but be influenced by all that surrounds us.
Cool as a performance
We are constantly being watched by society. Therefore we concern ourselves with influencing the way others treat and look at us. In order to be cool or seem important we turn to playing different roles in our lives. I think that everyone wants that special recognition from others. We all want to be apart of "a group/tribe". We want others to acknowledge our importance and one way to do that is through being cool via the "characters" we choose to play. These "characters" enable us to get attention and approval from those around us. We turn to using various methods to execute these performances perfectly. By making the self seem different and much bigger as an attempt to matter. We turn to aggrandizing ourselves because we think it will make our performances seem more real from "getting tattoos, piercings, becoming buff, wearing make up; these are all things we do because we are told to do so. " (Amber). Constructing identities is evidence that we are controlled by the society we live in. Certain situations are all ready set up for us by the systems we live in. So we have to create these characters and put it along with a performance we have to pull off in response to the situation. Our characters and our performances are all "scripted" for the most part. In the sense that we sometimes arrange the situation we are in and set up the way we present ourselves to those watching us. It becomes a routine for us, everyday we wake up a play some type of role.
Conclusion:
The only reason cool exists is because people want to be somebody. People want a name for themselves, whether it be "the jock", "the beauty" or "the funny person". They want that certain recognition from society and the group they are trying to be apart of. We try to fit in and become what is cool in order to be and feel accepted, important, and special. We desire to be cool. People feel like they matter through being cool and being admired by others. But really we are just feeding into societies ideas, instead of creating our own. If we don't start thinking for ourselves and if we continue to worry about being cool, we 'll just end up following the society and systems we live in.
Work sited:
Pountain, Dick, and David Robins. Cool rules: anatomy of an attitude. London : 2000. 12-33. Print.
Amber Mujeeb , Triangle partner comments hw
Interviews
Cool over time
It's no question that what’s "cool" has changed over the years and people have changed with it. What's cool today certainly wasn't cool 20 years ago. Cool is something that is forever changing and evolving. Like the latest trends, what's cool today might not be so cool tomorrow. We as individuals and as a society also change along with it. “ If cool is inherent in people rather than objects ,then what is seen as cool will change from place to place, from time to time, from generation to generation.” (Pountain, Dick, and David Robins. Cool rules: anatomy of an attitude. London : 2000. 12-33. Print. ). For example the different style eras, from the 196o’s, when the whole hippie look and lifestyle was in because at the time there was a drug-induced revolution against traditional American values happening in society. To the 1970’s- 1980’s when the punk look was in to rebel against the other mainstream trends that were out and to go along with the anti-government theme. These style eras are evidence of what’s seen as “cool” changing over a period of time with society and people following it. Every generation has their own idea of cool based on how they were brought up during their time but regardless will need to change to fit into the “new” cool societies and generations.
Others perspective on Cool
There are many different perspectives on what cool is and how it is defined. A major difference between people’s ideas of cool is either being “authentically” cool or being “fake” cool. “Cool is an attitude or personality type that has emerged in many different societies.” (Pountain, Dick, and David Robins. Cool rules: anatomy of an attitude. London: 2000. 12-33. Print.) Cool is a lifestyle and part of people’s culture. It’s a way of dressing, talking and acting. Cool is the individuals’ way of adapting to the ideas of society. The way people have described being authentically cool is “being you" or “being original”. Our identities have many different faces and some of them might be “fake”, being just products of the situation we are in. I don’t believe that anyone can ever be truly authentically cool because people are always going to be inspired by something or someone else around them. Like through the media, the media sells a lifestyle and a culture to societies. We are marketed what cool is through the media. From all the magazines, movies, music videos, etc. being watched and listened to and all the celebrities we look up to. We can’t help but be influenced by all that surrounds us.
Cool as a performance
We are constantly being watched by society. Therefore we concern ourselves with influencing the way others treat and look at us. In order to be cool or seem important we turn to playing different roles in our lives. I think that everyone wants that special recognition from others. We all want to be apart of "a group/tribe". We want others to acknowledge our importance and one way to do that is through being cool via the "characters" we choose to play. These "characters" enable us to get attention and approval from those around us. We turn to using various methods to execute these performances perfectly. By making the self seem different and much bigger as an attempt to matter. We turn to aggrandizing ourselves because we think it will make our performances seem more real from "getting tattoos, piercings, becoming buff, wearing make up; these are all things we do because we are told to do so. " (Amber). Constructing identities is evidence that we are controlled by the society we live in. Certain situations are all ready set up for us by the systems we live in. So we have to create these characters and put it along with a performance we have to pull off in response to the situation. Our characters and our performances are all "scripted" for the most part. In the sense that we sometimes arrange the situation we are in and set up the way we present ourselves to those watching us. It becomes a routine for us, everyday we wake up a play some type of role.
Conclusion:
The only reason cool exists is because people want to be somebody. People want a name for themselves, whether it be "the jock", "the beauty" or "the funny person". They want that certain recognition from society and the group they are trying to be apart of. We try to fit in and become what is cool in order to be and feel accepted, important, and special. We desire to be cool. People feel like they matter through being cool and being admired by others. But really we are just feeding into societies ideas, instead of creating our own. If we don't start thinking for ourselves and if we continue to worry about being cool, we 'll just end up following the society and systems we live in.
Work sited:
Pountain, Dick, and David Robins. Cool rules: anatomy of an attitude. London : 2000. 12-33. Print.
Amber Mujeeb , Triangle partner comments hw
Interviews
Thursday, January 21, 2010
HW 36
Amber,
It sounds like your saying that we are constantly being watched and that we can't escape the pressure to be cool. Cool is taking over our lives, all we are focused on is being "cool".
No one is truly original because everything around us influences us in some way or another. We are always trying to set up the situations we are in so that we make ourselves look good or cool. Cool gives us the attention we crave. We try to get people to recognize us. Which makes us feel special in return. We become obsessed with presenting ourselves to our audience, whether it be real or fake.
Michelle,
Your saying that we create different identities for ourselves that aren't original but come from other sources.
We are constantly performing these roles that are shaped by many different things in our lives. So we aren't ever truly ourselves. But are trying to impress others and live up to our audiences expectations of cool all the time. We have many different identities and we get to pick which ones we want to play on a daily basis. With whichever group of people we want to get the approval of.
It sounds like your saying that we are constantly being watched and that we can't escape the pressure to be cool. Cool is taking over our lives, all we are focused on is being "cool".
No one is truly original because everything around us influences us in some way or another. We are always trying to set up the situations we are in so that we make ourselves look good or cool. Cool gives us the attention we crave. We try to get people to recognize us. Which makes us feel special in return. We become obsessed with presenting ourselves to our audience, whether it be real or fake.
Michelle,
Your saying that we create different identities for ourselves that aren't original but come from other sources.
We are constantly performing these roles that are shaped by many different things in our lives. So we aren't ever truly ourselves. But are trying to impress others and live up to our audiences expectations of cool all the time. We have many different identities and we get to pick which ones we want to play on a daily basis. With whichever group of people we want to get the approval of.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Cool paper draft
Cool isn’t so easy nor is that simple to achieve. There are a lot of different parts to this desire that people have for coolness. One of them being that we are a part of socialization, where our society imposes on us what is or isn’t cool. We in return try to follow and become those things, in order to matter and feel some sense of self. We can’t ignore the norms of society which therefore lead us to create and play different roles in our lives to suit them.
Cool over time
It's no question that what’s "cool" has changed over the years and people have changed with it. What's cool today certainly wasn't cool 20 years ago. Cool is something that is forever changing and evolving. Like the latest trends, what's cool today might not be so cool tomorrow. We as individuals and as a society also change along with it. “ If cool is inherent in people rather than objects ,then what is seen as cool will change from place to place, from time to time, from generation to generation.” (Pountain, Dick, and David Robins. Cool rules: anatomy of an attitude. London : 2000. 12-33. Print. ). For example the different style eras, from the 196o’s, when the whole hippie look and lifestyle was in because at the time there was a drug-induced revolution against traditional American values happening in society. To the 1970’s- 1980’s when the punk look was in to rebel against the other mainstream trends that were out and to go along with the anti-government theme. These style eras are evidence of what’s seen as “cool” changing over a period of time with society and people following it. Every generation has their own idea of cool based on how they were brought up during their time but regardless will need to change to fit into the “new” cool societies and generations.
Others perspective on Cool
There are many different perspectives on what cool is and how it is defined. A major difference between people’s ideas of cool is either being “authentically” cool or being “fake” cool. “Cool is an attitude or personality type that has emerged in many different societies.” (Pountain, Dick, and David Robins. Cool rules: anatomy of an attitude. London: 2000. 12-33. Print.) Cool is a lifestyle and part of people’s culture. It’s a way of dressing, talking and acting. Cool is the individuals’ way of adapting to the ideas of society. The way people have described being authentically cool is “being you" or “being original”. Our identities have many different faces and some of them might be “fake”, being just products of the situation we are in. I don’t believe that anyone can ever be truly authentically cool because people are always going to be inspired by something or someone else around them. Like through the media, the media sells a lifestyle and a culture to societies. We are marketed what cool is through the media. From all the magazines, movies, music videos, etc. being watched and listened to and all the celebrities we look up to. We can’t help but be influenced by all that surrounds us.
Cool over time
It's no question that what’s "cool" has changed over the years and people have changed with it. What's cool today certainly wasn't cool 20 years ago. Cool is something that is forever changing and evolving. Like the latest trends, what's cool today might not be so cool tomorrow. We as individuals and as a society also change along with it. “ If cool is inherent in people rather than objects ,then what is seen as cool will change from place to place, from time to time, from generation to generation.” (Pountain, Dick, and David Robins. Cool rules: anatomy of an attitude. London : 2000. 12-33. Print. ). For example the different style eras, from the 196o’s, when the whole hippie look and lifestyle was in because at the time there was a drug-induced revolution against traditional American values happening in society. To the 1970’s- 1980’s when the punk look was in to rebel against the other mainstream trends that were out and to go along with the anti-government theme. These style eras are evidence of what’s seen as “cool” changing over a period of time with society and people following it. Every generation has their own idea of cool based on how they were brought up during their time but regardless will need to change to fit into the “new” cool societies and generations.
Others perspective on Cool
There are many different perspectives on what cool is and how it is defined. A major difference between people’s ideas of cool is either being “authentically” cool or being “fake” cool. “Cool is an attitude or personality type that has emerged in many different societies.” (Pountain, Dick, and David Robins. Cool rules: anatomy of an attitude. London: 2000. 12-33. Print.) Cool is a lifestyle and part of people’s culture. It’s a way of dressing, talking and acting. Cool is the individuals’ way of adapting to the ideas of society. The way people have described being authentically cool is “being you" or “being original”. Our identities have many different faces and some of them might be “fake”, being just products of the situation we are in. I don’t believe that anyone can ever be truly authentically cool because people are always going to be inspired by something or someone else around them. Like through the media, the media sells a lifestyle and a culture to societies. We are marketed what cool is through the media. From all the magazines, movies, music videos, etc. being watched and listened to and all the celebrities we look up to. We can’t help but be influenced by all that surrounds us.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Hw 34
Cool is defined by popular culture which causes individuals to identify with what is defined by the masses to be in the "in crowd". The lines of race have been blurred with "cool". Nowadays white kids want to wear baggy jeans and listen to rap music because that is what is being put out by the rappers as cool. Another example is the skateboarding culture, before it used to be a "white thing" now it's evident in both white and black youth.
I think that "cool" is more of a middle and lower class mentality. I don't see rich people caring about being cool as much as they do about their careers, money , being smart or having the best opportunities. Cool is more of a concern to the middle and lower classes. For example in the show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Carlton whose rich and aspires to attend an Ivy League or so called "white school",and who is on his way to getting a good job would be considered uncool. Whereas his cousin Will who comes from a "ghetto" neighborhood, is "fresh", talks slang and has no interest in his academics is the cooler one.
I think that this type of mentality definitely relates to certain classes and races and their socioeconomic backgrounds. These factors end up having effects on culture and people's perceptions of it. I think it depends on the situation that the individual is in rather than the individual.
I think that "cool" is more of a middle and lower class mentality. I don't see rich people caring about being cool as much as they do about their careers, money , being smart or having the best opportunities. Cool is more of a concern to the middle and lower classes. For example in the show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Carlton whose rich and aspires to attend an Ivy League or so called "white school",and who is on his way to getting a good job would be considered uncool. Whereas his cousin Will who comes from a "ghetto" neighborhood, is "fresh", talks slang and has no interest in his academics is the cooler one.
I think that this type of mentality definitely relates to certain classes and races and their socioeconomic backgrounds. These factors end up having effects on culture and people's perceptions of it. I think it depends on the situation that the individual is in rather than the individual.
Monday, January 11, 2010
hw 33
1. Cool back then to now , how cool has changed over the generations. All generations define cool differently.
2. Others perception of cool (interviews, readings)
3. Cool as a performance and a presentation of the self
2. Others perception of cool (interviews, readings)
3. Cool as a performance and a presentation of the self
Monday, January 4, 2010
Hw 32 - Tattoos
Tattoo's used to be so taboo but now they have become so popular. Tattoos have become the latest must-have accessory. Just ask Rihanna or Lil Wayne , it seems like every other celebrity in Hollywood has branded themselves "cool" by getting one or many tattoos.From previous generations getting a tattoo was seen as bad or a rebellious act and according to some religions it's forbidden but that isn't stopping today's generation from partaking in the tattoo craze. Branding themselves for life with their own personal stamp(s) of "individuality".
Tattoos are now a "cool obsession". If it wasn't then there wouldn't be shows like LA Ink & Miami Ink which is all about tattooing people, how cool it is and what a big business it has become. It's become a trend, so many people are getting them and if your not one of them it's like 'what's the wait?". Like getting matching tattoos with your friends, getting tattoos similar to your favorite celebrities,etc.Tattoos give those who have them to the opportunity to project a "cool image" to their audience and gives them certain roles to play like the "rebel" or "badass".
People today see getting tattoos as a way of standing out, making a personal or political statement. Some claim the reason for getting a tattoo is a way to self express who they are. But is it really? or is there more to the reason. According to a study done "those with tattoos said that having a tattoo has made them feel more rebellious (29%) while others said a tattoo makes them feel more attractive (26%). But tattoos apparently won't do much for your intelligence or your physique, as few Americans reported that tattoos make them feel more intelligent (5%), more healthy (4%), or more athletic (3%)"(http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoo_facts.htm). It seems like there are a multitude of reasons why people get tattoos but all of them seem to fall into the category of being cool and letting everyone know it.
The popularity of tattoos is on the rise because it's seen as expressing one's coolness and who they are as individuals and their life story through art. The popularity of tattoos is only going to increase over the next couple of years because it seems like everyone either has one or wants one and I don't see anything original about that.
Tattoos are now a "cool obsession". If it wasn't then there wouldn't be shows like LA Ink & Miami Ink which is all about tattooing people, how cool it is and what a big business it has become. It's become a trend, so many people are getting them and if your not one of them it's like 'what's the wait?". Like getting matching tattoos with your friends, getting tattoos similar to your favorite celebrities,etc.Tattoos give those who have them to the opportunity to project a "cool image" to their audience and gives them certain roles to play like the "rebel" or "badass".
People today see getting tattoos as a way of standing out, making a personal or political statement. Some claim the reason for getting a tattoo is a way to self express who they are. But is it really? or is there more to the reason. According to a study done "those with tattoos said that having a tattoo has made them feel more rebellious (29%) while others said a tattoo makes them feel more attractive (26%). But tattoos apparently won't do much for your intelligence or your physique, as few Americans reported that tattoos make them feel more intelligent (5%), more healthy (4%), or more athletic (3%)"(http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoo_facts.htm). It seems like there are a multitude of reasons why people get tattoos but all of them seem to fall into the category of being cool and letting everyone know it.
The popularity of tattoos is on the rise because it's seen as expressing one's coolness and who they are as individuals and their life story through art. The popularity of tattoos is only going to increase over the next couple of years because it seems like everyone either has one or wants one and I don't see anything original about that.
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