We talked today in class about how the choices we make (as teachers, and as parents) demonstrate our values. They teach kids about who and what is valued, and send a message about the way power works in the world.
Just in case you want some summer reading, you can check out this book. I read it in a weekend and it was both entertaining and so informative!!! Here is a book review from the NY Times that you might also be into.
Is there such a thing as designed and dynamic MONOLOGICALITY -- where teacher action works to maintain the dominant ideology in planned and in the moment ways?
The reading for Monday focuses on issues surrounding lesbian gay, bisexual and transgender kids in schools. Over the past year there have been many public instances of bullying LGBT students; just last fall there were FIVE SUICIDES (that we know of) in one week of LGBT students who were bullied and harassed in their schools. This reminds me that no matter what your politics are, no matter what your religious background is, no matter what your personal opinions are, teachers MUST WORK HARDER to make schools safe spaces for all students. The Meyer article you are reading for this week (sent over email) raises questions about why teachers fail to intervene on behalf of LGBT students and how we can be getter at this kind of advocacy work.
The most extensive collection of educational resources for teachers is the Gay Lesbian Straight Educators Network. GLSEN is full of statistics, information, lesson plans, activities, and other resources for educators. Talk a look at everything that is available for you.
And you may have seen this video from Ellen Degeneres that has been widely floated around Facebook. It is worth watching and sharing.
Further, there is a powerful campaign on youtube right now, started by blogger Dan Savage, called the itgetsbetterproject. Check it out.
We will talk much more about all of this in class.. see you Monday!
There has been a lot of talk lately about America's public schools and how they are failing to serve our students. The blame is easy to spread but more often then not, teachers bear the brunt of that burden.
The film Waiting for Superman is one example of public discourse around education -- it takes up the failing public schools by naming the problem, explaining why it matters and then proposing a solution. But not everyone like the way WFS defines this problem or the remedies it seeks.
Rick Ayers, for examples, wrote a point by point critique of the film to explain how it functions to mistake the symptom for the cause and undermine the very efforts it seeks to aid.
The editors at Rethinking Schools (a progressive journal about educational reform) have also offered a counter narrative to the one that WFS puts forth. In the name of teacher professionalism, critical pedagogy and the silent majority of families who bear the burden of our failing schools, the editors initiated a response: www.notwaitingforsuperman.org
Next week in class we will watch the Waiting for Superman documentary together. For Thursday, please read of listen to Stan Karp's address found here. Also take a little time to explore the NWFS website to see what else it has to say about the film and the general controversy over educational reform.
The reading for Monday focuses on issues surrounding lesbian gay, bisexual and transgender kids in schools. Over the past year there have been many public instances of bullying LGBT students; just last fall there were FIVE SUICIDES (that we know of) in one week of LGBT students who were bullied and harassed in their schools. This reminds me that no matter what your politics are, no matter what your religious background is, no matter what your personal opinions are, teachers MUST WORK HARDER to make schools safe spaces for all students. The Meyer article you are reading for this week (sent over email) raises questions about why teachers fail to intervene on behalf of LGBT students and how we can be getter at this kind of advocacy work.
The film Waiting for Superman is one example of public discourse around education -- it takes up the failing public schools by naming the problem, explaining why it matters and then proposing a solution. But not everyone like the way WFS defines this problem or the remedies it seeks. 