http://bit.ly/cShNtJ
In the reading for Dewey next week, "Nationalizing Education," he says that "the American nation is itself complex and compound......Our national motto, 'One of Many,' cuts deep and extends far." We have discussed this before that our classrooms will be filled with plenty of different cultures and backgrounds, and that we as teachers have to establish a learning environment inviting to all of the children. This lady discusses some different issues that have happened in her classrooms before. I just wanted to acknowledge some of what Dewey says, "He is not American plus Pole or German. But the American is himself Pole-German-English-French-Spanish-Italian-Greek-Irish-Scandinavian-Bohemian-Jew-and so on. The point is to see to it that the hyphen connects instead of seperates."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I agree. We discussed briefly in class the other day that school was once a place to indoctrinate children into the "American" culture. To me, that very idea seems so inherently un-American. Being American is about celebrating personal freedom and diversity. My great grandparents moved to America from Germany and Italy. They sought out the American dream. I'm proud of my heritage and I hope to encourage my students to learn about and celebrate their own heritage and the heritage of their classmates.
School should be a place to celebrate and accept each others differences, not create mass assimilation to make everyone the same. Students today are faced with many problems, "to fit in" my link above proves how that has become deadly. Anyone one that is thought to be different is outcasted, and in many cases faces harsh abuse especially in schools.
Schools need to be a place where we can all feel comfortable, share our differences and learn to accept one another for who they are on the inside, not what they look like on the outside or where they come from.
I agree with you both.
Teaching 5th grade at Hammond in Columbia (which was housed in the middle school) on the 8th grade hallway, I saw firsthand the harsh realities of bullying. One of the sad cases was a 6th grade Asian student who recently moved to the states/SC and knew very little English. As typical middle school students, some of them taught the student words and phrases during lunch and PE (specials times) that were inappropriate and when he repeated the words, the children taunted him even more. He wasn’t my student but it was heartbreaking nonetheless. My colleague, the student’s language arts and homeroom teacher, did all he could to help this student, working with the other teachers on his team/hall and our middle school head. The parents, in conjunction with the teachers, eventually decided another school that offered ESL classes would be a better fit. Sadly, it was a private school where social cliques were quite prevalent and instead of extending kindness, they deeply hurt this young man. We should celebrate and accept what makes each of us unique with regard to our familial and cultural histories – there’s so much to learn. The joy of working with young children (K-3) is they are more accepting of everyone, and as teachers we can help encourage this inclusive mindset and thus foster the changes we would like to see in our schools, communities, and our world.
Unfortunately I agree with all of you. And while the need to "fit in" and assimilate grows, it seems that we are also losing creativity and individuality. I think that it's important for students to recognize and celebrate their differences and their individuality. I get concerned sometimes because it seems that we are moving towards an education system where students are educated in an institutionalized manner, where uniforms are the norm, and where arts programs are, in some areas, cut out entirely. We wonder why these students do not get excited about learning and yet we do not allow them any way to express themselves or provide them educational opportunities that allow them artistic outlets. When the education system itself discourages individuality and creativity, how can we expect our students not to do the same?
Post a Comment