Lisa Delpit is a progressive African American educator who obviously had a rude awakening.

She taught at a public school on the border between a low income minority area and a higher income

white area. She is surrounded by other white progressive teachers except for the older African

American teachers who are still teaching the students in a traditional manner. Its quite a shock to

Delpit when, using her progressive methods her white students excell and her black students are

almost completely non-responsive. The really sad and startling thing is that you feel her shock with

her, her almost stunned reaction to her own failure.

How does something like this happen? The older, black teachers claim that the black students

need skills, not fluency. Perhaps coming from a less supportive home life the black students are

deficient in their base skills? In her desperation, Delpit feels herself falling into traditional teaching

methods in order to reach them. You feel her desperation at trying to make her progressive

methods work for her black students. You understand her frustration at trying to do something

better for her students, all her students.

Personally, I would like to know what happened to Delpit. Clearly she is a academic now and

no longer works in the classroom. But I would be most interested to know how her opinion has

changed over the years. Does she see things differently now or does she use her story as a teaching

tool for new teachers? I would hope both. Maybe young teachers can learn the main lesson of this

story which seems to be... stay open, to your students, to new ideas, to old ideas even! Mostly just

keep an open mind to what is best for your students, their needs and how you can meet them.

Surely if you keep to that, no matter what the color of your students, you'll be a successful educator.

#15 Importance of Writing in the Curriculum

Many of my fellow art education students have asked me, "do we really have to take that class?", or "is it any good?". My answers are an affirmative yes and yes. I have learned a great deal in this class; not just about the subject matter but about teaching in general. As an art teacher, when would I ever have the opportunity to learn how to grade a paper or create a rubric? These are important skills for any teacher, no matter what subject matter. In this economy, none of us are sure of where we will end up, being able to grade papers will be a skill we'll be grateful for if we end up substitute teaching. Not just these practical skills but the other writing skills one could add to any lesson, like write-arounds or exit slips. These activities have not only made this class more engaging and, dare I say, fun, but also have stimulated interaction in our class, forcing us to get to know each other. I can only imagine if these writing activities make our class more exciting, what it can do for our students.

I've also really enjoyed being in a class surrounded by other teachers of different subject matter. It has really helped me to see things from other perspectives and to realize how difficult each of us has it as a teacher, no one subject is particularly easier than another I learned! I have come to respect the differences in our teaching techniques and to truly respect those who teach subjects no one else wants to, like health. My respect for these teachers has really grown as I've listened to their engaging lesson plans and heard their comments on other areas. Some of us are already teaching and some of us are future teachers and this is a great mix of personalities for this particular class. We have really learned, in my opinion, what lies ahead for us, both from students and from our curriculums, for better or worse. The great thing is that this allows us to take in all these thoughts with a grain of salt and in an arena where we're all equal and all of our voices count for something. That's the best thing about this class, we've all had a chances to voice our opinions in a supportive and sharing environment.

#14 Reading Reflection Academic Language in Development

Academic language ought to be considered no different and equally as important as traditional academic writing. After all we ask our students to write in more sophisticated modes when writing essays, when they are making a presentation or debating using academic language is equally significant. Using social language in conversations with peers or family could also be considered equivilant to the casual language we use when texting or e-mailing; shortening words and phrases to speed up the verbal transaction.

I agree thoroughly with the article that academic language encourages thinking skills. Chatting with friends really does not require any in-depth thinking, that is why social language flourishes. You are not trying to gain anything other than surface information by speaking socially. When using academic language one is trying to gain information, evaluate ideas, present issues. If you were doing the same thing with writing you wouldn't do it in a casual way because that wouldn't express the importance of the ideas.

When I started graduate school the first thing I noticed was the usage of, as I put it, "big talk".. I realized my papers that possessed more sophisticated language came across better and tended to get higher grades. Then, when I had to give presentations I saw how fellow students who used casual language when presenting just seemed less informed of their topic. I'm not sure if they were or not but students that spoke more formally certainly sounded smarter! I can only assume that if one appears smarter, others will treat one that way and eventually, a level of accomplishment can be attained through one's response level. Does that mean everyone who 'talks big' is smart? That is not an assumption I'm willing to make but I do think people tend to live up to the expectations of other, low or high. Perhaps that is the assumption, communicating to people with intelligent language, can help their intelligence grow.

Class Discussion

At the end of class we had a discussion I felt warranted more thought, and that was, should students be taught to multitask as that is the way the world works? Or should they be taught to concentrate and focus on one task at a time? Erma's point of view was that the world works that way and to a degree I tend to agree.

In the beginning of this class we were taught there are different types of writings and that when it came to grading the method of grading ought to be in sync with the type of writing. For instance, a formal or research essay should be graded for grammar, spelling, phrasing, and content, while a quick write or casual piece should be graded on a less stringent basis.

I feel that the same thing ought to be true of the skill of multi-tasking. Students should be taught when and how this skill is best used. Obviously its not all the time, but sometimes students should be encouraged to do more than one thing at once. When reading in depth academic articles I have noticed that I retain more when its done in quiet. I've tried to have the radio on or the tv in the background, but the level of informational intake is slower and tends to be vague. At the beginning of grad school I realized that my old reading habits wouldn't be successful when doing school readings, before school most of my reading was limited to child care books, popular magazines, or online news. The type of materials I read was in sync with the way I was reading, with the radio on, in the car, or with the TV on. Now that my materials had changed my methodology had to as well.

When would multi-tasking be appropriate? Of that I'm not sure, perhaps when studying languages and a student needs to listen to the language while writing or reading it. I'm sure that someone more skilled in teaching reading would know the answer to that. I know I don't have the answer every multi-tasking question but I'm sure that there is a place for everything somewhere in our teaching world.

The new NYC school Chancellor

How confusing it is to be an educator nowadays? One is forced to test students rather than teaching knowledge, students are crowded into classrooms, principals are required to justify their leadership by a graded system and now this... Joel Klein has been the longest sitting NYC school chancellor until now. He was responsible, according to some, for the one of the biggest overhauls in the modern educational system of NYC and Cathleen Black has now been appointed the new chancellor by Mayor Bloomberg. Ms. Black has no background in education and is a head executive at Hearst publishing.

There are the obvious questions and the obvious answers, regardless of whether any of them are right. First I have to wonder if the assumption is that there are no effective managers who have been educators anywhere. I do agree with the Mayor that Black has had experience managing thousands of employees and running many publications which is by all accounts a difficult, demanding job. But is there no one who has similar experience with an early history in education? Who understands what a student needs to succeed? I think the Mayor's technique of treating the department of ed as a business may be a smart move, after all, the department of ed does have thousands of employees, deals with unions, and has a yearly deadline to turn out millions of students. The one problem with his technique is that the product they're turning out is students and real live children tend to throw a wretch in any plan. Children are an unpredictable, frustrating, wonderful bunch and to lead them successfully it really takes flexibility, second only to experience. It seems that in the past the idea has been to deny these two things with rigid testing and to deny higher salaries for more experienced teachers who actually may possess knowledge to help us and our kids. On the other hand, maybe Bloomberg is on to something, getting the human element running smoothly by concentrating on the managing of them. If his plan works maybe there will be more left for the rest of the system once the human element is organized. If not, it will be a sad, sad mistake with our students as the losers, teachers will go on to teach more students, but our kids only get the one chance. I really hope Bloomberg has enough confidence in the success of his plan that he is willing to gamble.

"...People Still Read but Now its Social"

The idea that reading on a screen undermines "deep...focused book reading" is probably true as this article assertains, but my arguement is honestly, how many people still book read at all? Maybe there is a chance that screen reading, such as Nooks and Kindles, actually bring more readers to the world. My vote would be that creating more readers of ANY kind is a good thing, that they might not be reading to the same intellectual level as book readers is a non-issue. These new readers are out there purchasing fiction, staying informed, and keeping the industry alive is more important. More people are becoming readers and isn't that more important than the quality and quantity of what they are reading? The complaint is that these readers are "less focused but more connected" and implies that are missing out somehow from not turning a page. Maybe the types of material they enjoy don't require focus, maybe these electronic readers are making reading fun again for people who felt they weren't readers, is it bad if electronic readers encourage reading to just become entertainment?

#8 Reading Reflection on KWL

In chapter 4 of Content Area Writing is the first time I had ever heard about the 'KWL' and I can't wait to try it out. Asking what students 'know', then what they 'want' to know and wrapping it up with what they've 'learned' is something I plan on trying today!

I have an extra big after school sewing class this semester, my class went into a lottery system since so many kids wanted to take it. I settled on 12 maximum for basic sewing as long as the majority of them are 3rd graders. I figure that would help make the class a little more manageable. Since it's beginner sewers, and many of them may have no experience at all I figure this might be a good way to start the class, also the class is 10 sessions so I'll be able to see what I need to adjust to make my teaching more effective. Even though its only afterschool I feel like its important these kid's get their 'money's worth', after all, parents do pay a lot to take these courses and I want to give them the confidence that just because the class is in the school its still a quality lesson.

So I'll begin by asking them what they already 'know' about sewing, I'm sure some of the answers will be along the lines of " my grandma showed me how" or "I watched Project Runway". I will definitely try to include the extra 'H' or 'How can I learn more?' so that hopefully students aren't coming to me for every knot and needle thread. Its really important in my classes that some reciprocal learning takes place because this is such a hands-on activity. I've also found that some children are really good at threading needles, while others can ties knots better. By sending kids to the 'best knot tie-er' or asking kids to show fellow students the next step in the project not only is it creating extra moments for me to assist others but its truly helping them learn from each other.

Journal #7 Newark Public Schools donation

This past week it was announced on 'Oprah' that Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook has donated $100 million to the failing Newark public school system. The system itself has been turned over to Newark mayor, Cory Booker by NJ Governor Chris Christie. Evidently Zuckerberg and Booker met at a conference and discussed educational reforms. I caught a educational commentator on TV raising some questions that all this brought up in my head as well, particularly how, if other donations haven't helped, is throwing money at this system really the solution at this point?

Studies of other school systems around the world, abet more homogeneous and smaller ones, have shown that wonderful educations can be had for the same average we spend here in the U.S.. Research seems to show that money is not neccessarily the quick fix to the problem, neither are mass firings, which had also occurred in the Newark system. Seems that large scale firings do little more than lower school morale and weed out the small percentage of truly poor teachers. Donations of such large amounts seem to be purely for show and while appreciated, I myself am anxious to hear the voices of students these donations have actually helped.

While one can hope to hear success stories coming out of Newark in future years the reality is that positive effects of this donation may not been seen for years. Hopefully it will be used for some immediate concerns like decrepit facilities, up to date classroom technology, and replenishing of books and supplies. The intangible benefits are those which won't be measured by rigorous testing; community involvement, graduation numbers, improved school morale, and pride in teaching and I'm not sure any amount of money can truly change these things.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/education/23newark.html?_r=1

Reading Reflection; The "J"

The interesting thing about this article is that it clarifies an activity many writers do naturally. But not all students are natural writers and I particularly enjoyed Kirby's techniques for helping those students to whom writing does not easily to get started.

I think the main thing that writing in a journal does for a student is to begin to make the practice of writing easier, more fluid, and less of a chore. I'm sure for many English teachers the problem is not just teaching the classics or writing essays but how to get students to find any level of enjoyment in these tasks. It would stand to reason then, that if students enjoyed these things that they may retain them as well!

The wonderful side benefit of teaching journaling, in my opinion, is that many students today simply do not have anyone to tell their thoughts to. As they point out in the article, of course you have to set boundaries, no teacher want to hear about their students drinking or doing drugs! But today in our busy world with two working parents kids don't often have someone around to tell their thoughts to, much less someone who has the time or inclination to listen. Journals powerful benefit, aside from the gain in writing skill, is being the place where a student can be themselves and present their thoughts and opinions without judgement, a place where they can open up and create a confidant on paper, one who will always be there and never turn away.

I really enjoyed this article as a way to break down the steps to successful journaling. It was really presented in a way that made it easy, clear, and fun for teachers of almost any subject to implement.

Can Exercise make us Smarter?

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/phys-ed-can-exercise-make-kids-smarter/?emc=eta1

According to this recent article in the NY Times, there are recent studies showing that its not the exercise that makes us smarter but the physical connections that enable us to think and intellectualize that are made stronger by physical activity.

There is no doubt that physical and outdoor activity of any level are a positive influence on a growing child. Recess happens in schools the world over, even in third world countries where the academics are limited, the importance of children getting out and burning off energy is never discounted. So the article itself doesn't seem to be claiming that this activity makes kids actually smarter, merely that it is a significant part of creating a healthy mind. The studies prove without a shadow of a doubt that physical effort strengthens the body and makes the mind sharper.

How schools manage to make due without any specific space or format for free outdoor play is unbelievable. At my older child's first school there was no recess. At first it became obvious that being in an urban area, this parochial school simply did not have the space.They had a full gym but this was only available certain times of the day and certain days of the week. But as time went on, as a parent, it became obvious that the funding and organization had never been put in place to put the playground in the best place; the rooftop. It took over 2 years to just get the organization, the permits, the paperwork in place to finally get it built, even with a parent contractor! The public school my children go to now is also experiencing a recess-free period. Supposedly there is a beautiful new, state of the art school yard with ball field, track and tree going in now. However, as a parent, the decision to start construction in the few weeks before school started is highly questionable! The children are forced, in beautiful fall weather, to alternate between watching movies in the auditorium, and playing in the small fenced in 'garden' area in the front of the building! I am shocked that children are expected to appreciate the sacrifice they're making when all they really want to do is run and jump and play.

Maybe because I am the parent of boys I never underestimate the power of play. When my kids were younger I used to equate outdoor play with tossing the tennis ball for a puppy, they could never get enough and in fact, seemed to crave it like nourishment. Hopefully, this article will only go to prove what the parent of young children learn at the onset of the toddling years, that a strong body can help a strong mind grow.

Journal #4 First Day Jitters

Well, its official now, both my kids are away at school, the oldest in first grade and the youngest in Pre-K. I can't lie and say its been an easy road to getting them through daycare, nursery school and both into a top tier public elementary school. But now that they're both there I feel my work as a parent has just begun.

We live in Cobble Hill in Brooklyn, a now upper class neighborhood next door to Brooklyn Heights and running along the water. We've lived in a three block radius for close to twenty years moving from a large pre-war to a garret with low ceilings, before finally settling in a beautiful two bedroom in a new building along the outskirts of the neighborhood. Our neighborhood has gone from largely Italian and Hispanic to mostly upper-middle class Manhattanites.

I struggled for years to give my two boys a pre-school education and activity level that was on par with other local kids. Despite the fact that living on one income severely limited our activity level I managed to find ways to give my kids the best available in our price point. My oldest went to a local parochial school for pre-school that was hidden away in Brooklyn Heights. Though it was a Greek Orthodox school the school was reasonably priced and had wonderful facilities. My youngest was lucky enough get a spot at a highly regarded city daycare across from the housing projects on nearby Hoyt street. The city daycare was beautiful, clean, had college educated teachers, freshly cooked meals, and rooftop playgrounds. Leaving it behind for public pre-K more than tripled my after school care costs for my youngest but placed him in the same school as his older brother and thus shortened my pick-up and drop off time.

Now that we're in a public school I feel my job has just begun. In a class of 26 first graders I fear my oldest will get lost in the cracks in such a large class. I also worry his boyish behaviour will make classroom management difficult for his young, inexperienced teacher and lead to discipline issues. My youngest will adjust fine, but he is entering a class where he knows no other kids. To go from going to school with kids from the projects with a highly diverse classroom to a class full of kids who've gone to private pre-schools and have nannies is a difference I hope he doesn't notice as much as I do. Indeed, I wonder if he even does notice the difference or if its just another group of friends.

Hopefully, things will go fine, new friends will be made, and they will adjust. For me its another question altogether; will they make friends? will they have a positive learning experience? will they enjoy being students? will their teachers connect with them?Most of these questions are things that we probably will not know the answers to until the end of the school year.

Journal #3 'Waiting for Superman'

In this week's New York magazine there is an article about the release of a new movie about the school system called 'Waiting for Superman'. The film is directed by the same director as the acclaimed 'An Inconvenient Truth', Davis Guggenheim. He had previously directed a film about first year teachers, 'The First Year', which followed young teachers as they struggled through their first year teaching in the L.A. Unified school districts toughest schools.

New York claims that the film ostracizes the two most influential parties in the school system, the AFT and the reformers. Though Guggenheim claims he made the film to show how kids are the real losers in the entire situation, the article says that the film only polarizes the two sides. The film shows the competitive nature bought about in the race to win a coveted spot via lottery in a charter school. Often seen as the last hope for poor inner city minorities, charter schools are seen as the best way out of a bad environment and the only way to a better life through education. Whether this is actually true or not, the film doesn't go into, rather, it portrays the system that forces parents to go to such lengths to get the education each child deserves.

I feel that the educational system is in such a place that any publicity is good publicity. Educators are hoping that this can do for education what 'Inconvenient Truth' did for climate change, but bring it into a realm which is more relative to viewers. Whereas global warming is scary and distant nothing could be warmer and closer to most people's hearts than kids. Guggenheim even admits that his liberal private schooling of his own children was part of the reason he felt it important to do this movie. His own yuppie guilt which so many of us posses only helped to portray how very unbalanced the system is. Hopefully the combination of sympathetic subject matter and adorable needy kids will help in getting the film's larger point across. I can only hope it does for the sake of our future careers and the kid's we all hope touch in our futures as teachers.

Journal #2 Plumbers and Reading

In our last class discussion I lamented about the decline of the blue collar worker due to the demands of higher education among all working people. Specifically, I used the example of my uncle and father-in-law who were plumbers themselves. However, upon further reflection I realize I really only told the class half of the story.

My uncle, Tom, followed my grandfather into the plumbing business. My grandfather owned his own business and my grandmother was the secretary/bookkeeper. Just as my husband had done with his father, my uncle spent summers and holidays working for his dad as an assistant. My husband often said he could not turn his father down, he paid him well and was a fair boss compared to other teen jobs.

Here is where the stories cease to merge..my uncle went on to become a plumber himself, though never opening his own business. My husband never got his journeyman's license and went to college for engineering. This is where the importance of reading and writing does indeed enter into the career of a plumber (aside from whatever professional testing may occur). My uncle was applying for a job at a major pharmaceutical company outside Chicago, this job would have been a staff position for the company working in their facilities and offering what I can only guess would be good benefits and the other perks that go along with major corporate employment in the early 80's. He interviewed, but to actually be offered this job he had to pass a basic reading and math test. Needless to say he did not pass and was not offered this job. Feeling embarrassed and humiliated, he never spoke about it again. This man in his 40's could not pass a rudimentary reading test and missed out on the benefits that were still offered by corporate culture in the 80's. Today he has retired early on disability.

My father in law owned his business and worked at it diligently until he burned out on it in the late 70's. Most of his bookkeeping was done off the books and cash often passed under the table with no paperwork attached. This was common in this field in his day. But I'll never forget one Christmas when I was dating my husband and we went to visit him on his organic farm (turns out he had always wanted to be a farmer anyway!), we decided to play Scrabble in lieu of television. My father-in-law, as it became painfully obvious, could not spell! It took him many many minutes to Scrabble out three letter words. He didn't really read the paper or novels and I wonder now if it was because of lack of skill.

I can now honestly say after reflecting on our class discussion and my comments that its clear how in my family, the skill of reading (or lack thereof) has truly changed the course of people I know. It makes me sad to think of the benefits my uncle could have retired with, or the novels my father in law will never read because of this void in their education. I'm just grateful they were able to make by with the skill levels they possessed.

Why do I want to become a teacher?

The reasons I want to become a teacher aren't invested in one answer alone, but in many; some rooted in my past, some my present, and some in the person I want to be. When I was in elementary school I would spend my extra time helping out in the kindergarten classroom earning myself the 'Most Likely to Become a Teacher' award upon primary school graduation. Even my family always thought I would become a teacher and in fact, many of them are!

But as we grow older sometimes we see the life we thought we wanted in our 20's change into a pressurized, stressful, all-consuming, and not so great career in our 40's. I loved my original career as a costume designer for television and film. It was fast-paced, glamourous, and exciting, but once I started a family all that changed to equal long hours, relatively low pay, and superficial characters. It no longer fit the life I had come to live.

Being a teacher was a dream I decided to return to after my second child was born. I could no longer work and afford the childcare we needed and wished to have more time to see them grow. I have also changed, I'm one of the most patient people I know, I've learned the true value of money and how to stretch it, and I've realized I truly enjoy sharing with children and helping others. These are not things I might have said about myself at 20. So in conclusion I can honestly say that I want to become a teacher not just to share with kids all I know, but to spend time learning from them too.

Smoking Baby?

Yeah, we all know smoking is bad for you but in other cultures evidently its ok....for babies?? The question we have to ask ourselves is whether its a cultural interpreation or an instance of uneducation. Obviously in many foreign countries people smoke the locally grown tobaccos as part of a recreational form of relaxation, many of them may not have other forms of social relaxation such as bars or sporting events. However, I think the thing we are missing is that these are all 'adult' forms of relaxation. Children don't need cigarettes or alcohol to relax!

The father of this child was offered a truck to make his child stop this habit. Even if he is uneducated and the smoking started on a lark to laugh about around the dining table, that doesn't make it. At this point however, all the publicity may make them not quit merely to keep the public attention. But to turn down a vehicle in their poor village is bad judgement alone..

copy and paste this URL into a new browser window.
http://www.nypost.com/video?vxSiteId=fe3e21a8-49f1-4cec-9ba5-cfe372fa6572&vxChannel=PostTopFilmStrip&vxClipId=1458_948331&vxBitrate=300

Observation Hours

Children Observation Hours start with the word 'Observing': 10 hours

Observing at :

Zoo

Monkey Joe's

Million Dollar Playground

Teens at a Starbucks

Skateboard Park

Playground

Kids-N-Action

Birthday party

Teens in the Snow

Afterschool Class

Museum/Gallery/Event Hours titles have a *: 12 hours

Staten Island Children's Museum

NYC Transit Museum

MOMA: Tim Burton

MOMA: Marina Abromovic

Precious

Inglourious Basterds

Ramp It Up

The Invisible Dog Gallery

Brooklyn Children's Museum

Noguchi Museum

Socrates Sculpture Park

Shadowed Dreamer

Class Presentations 5/18

This weeks presentations consist of a group exploring internet relationships, the art of horror movies, and various forms of punk music.

I had difficulty with the first group for the same reason I did last week, they seemed to be two separate presentations rather than one cohesive topic. They were both extremely interesting in their own right but formed no whole viewpoint. I loved seeing how the internet gaming world is totally different for young girls. We constantly hear how violent video games adversely affect boys, it was interesting to hear that young girls are not immune to the negative effects of the Internet either. It seems that the world wide web is an equal opportunity exploiter! I also noticed how I have tended to do a majority of my shopping online for the exact reason they are training young girls to, the ease, the convenience, the feeling that money is not a real thing.

I was a bit worried that the horror movie presentation would be a bit more for me to stomach, not that I'm squeamish but I generally don't chose these types of movies for myself, preferring the pyschological thrillers. I was glad that he had edited them so as not to be too graphic. My one issue was that even though he seemed to have a focused group of films chosen there was not a very specific list of what he considered to be artistic. I was unclear as to what the criteria were to make his list and how each individual film attained that quality. I was curious to hear how they achieved the artistic visions he appreciated so much. This made it difficult for me to see his point of view.

The final presentation was on two branches of punk and presented by two people. I think they did a great job out of all the people doing group presentations where they had their own topics that came together to form one group. They each chose a branch of punk that related to the other and in their video we could clearly see their connection. The interviews were specific and planned with engaging questions and clear video. The presenters made their points with valid excursions as well. I also felt the video was really well done and they had clearly worked together to create it. I thought this was one of the most successful group/separate presentations.

Idealism and Teaching from Jiesamfoek's Class

A certain amount of idealism is crucial to educating children as no one can predict the influences they will encounter in life that will contribute to or sabotage future success. But whether these outside influences are positive or not it’s important to try to instill in each child the confidence in themselves to want to succeed and this can best be attained through the upholding of a moderate level of idealism in teaching.

Teaching a subject is only part of our job as educators. It is key that we use our time in the classroom with children to positively enforce discipline (Ozman), teach an appreciation of others, allow for the growth appropriate for each child’s development, and encourage a love of learning. Perhaps, as the metaphor Plato demonstrates in The Republic of a blinded man seeing for the first time, educators have the power to expose their students to new, unseen worlds. The students already have the potential within them but require assistance in releasing it. We shouldn’t judge that a certain children have no ability or need to learn certain subjects (Ozman). All children must be offered an equal chance to reach their potential. Surely many students will go on to prove correct a teacher who offers all equal chances to succeed, perhaps some even surpassing the educator themselves.

In conclusion one can see how allowing for a little idealism in your assessment of children can be encouraging to educators and students. Educators can assess students on their potential as well as their abilities. What a joy to be the teacher who might change a child’s life! This situation may never come along but without allowing for idealism you’re closing the door on the possibilities. For students, being assessed outside the confines of their class, race, and income allows for change to happen. When change is allowed growth can happen, and with growth brings new knowledge, experience and joy in the process of learning.

Reflections on my Sculpture Project 2

What is a life made of? The interactions between people or the transactions between them? Over the past weeks since beginning to collect purchase receipts I have been shocked by the number I have accumulated, both from everyday necessities and specialized purchases, like new socks. These items are just that, temporary transactions revolving around the acquiring of things, not creating relationships, memories, or even a life. Its seems as if a huge part of this accumulation makes up a life but adds nothing to it.

Even the process of building the globe represented to me how the thrill of a special purchase is soon overshadowed by another and another until the original excitement of that purchase is long forgotten.

The globe itself is comprised of approximately 300 receipts for everything from Metrocards, groceries, superhero underpants, videogames, pet food, dinners out at restaurants, birthday gifts, and clothing.

Class Presentations 5/11

Locavores, suffering artists, and aerial performing artists...its was an interesting night of divergent discourses our first class of presentations (for the purpose of this essay I won't include my own). The first thing I noticed was that groups that were covering one issue without splitting off were more effective in defending their point of view than groups that covered one subject matter. The second thing I noticed is that there is a lot of great stuff going on in Brooklyn!

I had heard of the locavore movement and been interested in it from going to green markets with my kids but never knew exactly what it was. Now I am energized enough to want to go to some of the restaurants mentioned and experience this first hand. I did however, have a few unanswered (due to time constraints) questions. For instance, don't you ever want a mango? I would like to have heard the view points of some die-hard locavores if they don't tire of the same locational fruits and vegetables. Surely these North-easterners tire of apples and potatoes at times? But I truly appreciated the POV and information presented and feel its really important to understand why these food movements are important to our overall health.

I found the 'Suffering Artists' presentation to lack a bit in the explanation of what exactly qualifies as 'suffering'. I would have liked to known what were their criteria for these artists to be considered as such. Surely most of us have had to do without when we were starting out in life. Particularly living in a major urban environment I had to question whether working at a job you don't love, while living in a apartment thats too small, saving your money to do what you love, was really anything out of the ordinary in this day and age. But I found the points of view of the individuals profiled to be fascinating as to their priorities at this stage of their careers and I felt they were all artists with a voice.

The aerial performers in the final presentation were a fascinating mix of athleticism and dance. I love it when performers allow us to see the strength it takes to perform. Much like dancers who make everything look so simple these performers are amazingly strong and agile. However it was difficult to imagine how difficult doing the 'silks' is because we had no comparison. I would have loved to have seen the presenters trying to do the 'silks' during their inaugural lesson trying it out. Maybe then I would have been able to appreciate it better. Overall I really enjoyed the outsider aspect of the activity and have investigated taking my kids to a show there sometime in the future.