Hw # 58

Part 3: Interviews

The person that came into our class to be interviewed was Melissa, and like many other parents they enjoy talking about their kids. She begins by telling us their ages and how she had heard that having a boy first was the best because then they would be equally mature even thought her daughter was younger. When we asked her if she planned on having kids, she answered that she just assumed she would have kids someday. She also no longer wants any more kids because they are a lot of work and " want to raise a well - rounded kid that has strong values. And bringing up in New York will bring world views." In the role of parenting she says her husband is more of the authority over the kids, and a way of discipline is a time - out. Which she finds as a way to " get space when pushing each other's buttons." But she likes to focus more on the rewards than on punishment, and she is "enjoying every growing year with them." As a parent she'd also like to offer different cultural settings than she received, but they can still have their own perspective. We also asked her if she'd ever been judged as a parent, and she said of course, that even her own father tried to tell her how to discipline. " Once become parent, everyone judges you.." One thing she said that I completely agreed with was that "parents should get the ugliness because it means the child is comfortable with their parents."

Many people just assume that they will be parents someday (including me) but not every one, some people don't have the patience or want or are ready for kids in their life, while others its a natural part of life. I also agree shouldn't have so many kids like the famous woman Kate plus 8, why would have so many kids if you don't have the finance or time to raise so many kids? I believe as well because New York is so diverse with so many financial and cultural backgrounds people have that it will provide the child with many different types of perspectives and people, that is if the parent lets them explore them. And no matter what when you become a parent as Melissa mentioned, you will get judged by your own family to your friends, to even strangers. And the statement like I said before that I really like was that parents should get the ugliness of the child, and that shouldn't discourage the parent because it means they are more real and comfortable with them. And just enjoy every year to come:)

Part 4:

This mini - unit definitely made me understand the many ways one can parent, because when you are only exposed to one type of parenting, you think or believe every ones parent is like yours. But their NOT, and many of the things we spoke about parenting I was either astonished about or found myself nodding my head to. It had always occurred to me when I have a baby and it was crying, to run in and comfort it. But then spoke of other parents like Mr. Marx who instead used a method called Ferber method where you teach it to self - soothe. To me at first, i was sorta like why would you teach a 1 month or older baby how to self soothe? But many parenting methods I think should definitely be considered even if they seem a bit different than how you were brought up.

It also gave me get perspective on my own childhood and how my parents brought up my siblings and I. How my mother talked to my grandmother or older women for advice, because they already had children. The way some of my classmates were brought whether single parent or both or guardian gave more of view on how others are brought up as well as the interview of parents and their own methods and thoughts. But at the same time because I am still only a teen I don't completely understand or have the maturity to be able to parent, which is why many young parents struggle to parent. But something I do feel strong about parenting is if you don't have the time, because children need time and full effort from the parent then don't have any children until you do. Many make that mistake and send them off to a daycare while they work, then what was the point of having the child? But in the end the right way of parenting is... there is none, it's all what you believe is right.

Hw # 57

Part 1 -

Every parent parents their kids in their own way, in the way their parents did or didn't and what they believe is best. I believe kids should be given love and care and attention because if you planned on having the child, you want to give all of this to them. But they must also have discipline and be taught respect and be ready to be able to transition out to the "real" world. I am also completely against raising my child in a daycare if you choose to bring child into the world then why would you send off to be taken care of by complete strangers? When I have a child (which I plan to but long while from now) I want to take care of him/her and give full time and effort to raising him/her.

Some of the guiding principle parenting should have are love but at the same time the parent should never be the child's best friend because then they won't be able to make restrictions or rules that the child must learn to fit into society like in the working world. At work there are also rules to follow and time management, you can't walk in an hour late to work because unlike at home where you get a warning, at work you can be automatically be fired. And if they learn these rules at home, they are more able to transition to world place or school.

My parents never had time outs, they would just take away something we enjoyed like playing Xbox or going on the computer or hanging out with friends because they knew this was a much more of a punishment for us than a time out. My home was mostly child - centered, my father worked all day to get us a good education and provide for us while my mother at home watched and cared for us. But I think a balance in a home of both parents and children is better, because both are important and needed in a parent - child relationship. The best part of being parented for me was knowing and feeling assured that no matter what my family will be there for me. Another was the relationship my parents want us between siblings to have is strong and loving because they want us to have someone to be there when they are no longer with us. Another was knowing that my parents did everything for us to have the better life and get a good education, etc. But my parents like many others have been judged and even my siblings and I have been judged as well as if we are just the parent's mistakes or trophy. Many tend to blame the parent to be the one who did something wrong in their parenting that led to kid's failures. But in the end it really isn't the parents fault, the kid is the one who chooses to decide to listen or not.

If I were to parent a child I would definitely look back at how my own mother brought me up, but also like many other parents will try to avoid everything I hated my parents would do when I was a child. But then again when I am an adult, I might view some of these things differently having more life experience. I also wouldn't want to have a child if I can't take care of it or let it get in the way of my future goals like finishing college. Me as a parent I'll probably read a couple of books but also look to my mom, my grandmother and the many other women in my family. Just as my mom did who spoke to her own mother for advice and other older women.

Babies should neither be treated as puppies or adults, they should be treated as babies! They are too young to be treated as an adult and are not a dog, they should be taken care of because they are young and according to many books these are the most important years, for their learning process like their first words, language, etc.

Part 2 -

When I read the first article when parenting theories backfire it made me laugh and recall all the times my little brother would do this because he was given more of choice from his dinner to clothing he would throw a tantrum in the middle of street MOMMY I want a car!!! and continue until my mother caved. Just like the mother in this article did. It also made me think of other methods that have backfired on other parents, probably if one asked every parent they'll tell you of one that backfired on them. But I believe the turn out of the method depends on the child because like in the article the child's outcome and reaction were and are different for each. So depending on the child, parenting methods can work for some and not work for others, because of how each child interprets it. Which is also the reason why siblings are different because of the way they take in and interpret what their parents teach them.

The Ferber method is worth trying, and to see the outcome or how comfortable the parent feels about it. Some might not like it because they recall their own parents doing this and feeling not loved or comforted. But there are those who say this is to prepare them in a less nurturing world so when got into the "real" world it won't be much of a shock. I personally would try it but depending on how I feel about leaving my child alone for five minutes or 2. But at the same time why would I teach it to self - soothe if I'm there to soothe and create loving connection with my own child. As parenting goes, each parent to his/her own...

Hw # 56

1) What are a few ethics your parents have taught you?

Matthew: To be nice, helpful, responsible, work ethics and have good character are few things they would like me to be.

Amber: My parents have taught me a lot of things, they have taught me from wrong to right. They are the ones that helped me become who I am and to think in the right direction keeping my religion and family in mind at all times.

Lizbeth: Religion is important, and so is our cultural background

2) Do your parent's influence your daily decisions? If so...

Matthew: Yes

Amber: Yes, my parents do influence my daily decisions, but I would say that all falls under my religion. My daily decisions are influenced by my parents because we are all influenced by our faith. This is what keeps me in the right path.

Lizbeth: They do sometimes, mainly if it is an important decision and remember when they mentioned consequences or other possibilities that could occur.

3) Which one of your parents influence you the most and why?

Matthew: My mom because I have a better speaking relationship with her and I do try to listen to her for the most part when she isn't annoying me. I think she's such a good person so I let her influence my decisions but I believe in the end it is your own decision.

Amber: I would say both my parents influence me a lot, but if I had to choose one. I would say my mom. I spend a lot of time with her, and I am more comfortable with her compared to my dad. But I am very close to my dad as well, but I guess I am more comparable to a female figure.

Lizbeth: I think both of my parents influence me equally because decision making is done between them both and i consult both of them

4) Do you feel like you are living your life according to your parents views?

Matthew: No I think if i was I'd be in a better place and for the most part I am living my life in my own views. I'd care about school and grades more and be better off. The reason I choose my own views over theirs is maybe there's is a quiet rebel inside of us that would rather do fun things instead of things we should do. I'm also hoping my own views lead me in the right track, because you have to make your own mistakes. How can you pick yourself if you've never fallen, your parents won't always be there. You have to have a bit of self - reliance.

Amber: Yes, I do feel like I am living my life according to my parents views. I have learned much from them and later on in life I will use what I have learned from them in a good way. If I live by their views, other people will notice me and say that when it comes to my parents and I, I will never let them down.

Lizbeth: I think i meet most of my parents ideals, and have a lot more to live up to as I grow

5) Do they have a certain path for you or are they happy with what ever life you choose?

Matthew: They definitely have a certain path for me but am i choosing to follow it? I think not. I think that's what parenting basically is the parent trying to approve on their mistakes through their own kid.

Amber: My parents do have a certain path for me. Some of it has to do with our religion, and the other stuff has to do with what they want.

Lizbeth: I think I meet most of my parents ideals, and have a lot more to live up to as I grow.

6) Do you think your ever going to end up being your parent?

Matthew: I don't think it'd be terrible but i would hope my life would be different and not end up where they are at, not that where they are now is bad but I want to have children from a long long time from now and I think marriage is silly. I know few parents that are successful but know a lot more marriages that are unhappy. I think if you know you love each other why do you need marriage.

Amber: Yeah, I think I will end up taking my experiences being parented from my mom and dad and use them in some ways when I parent my own child. There will be somethings I might have to change, because as a child there are always things you think you wouldn't do with your own child if you were to be a parent.

Lizbeth: I will probably have similar ideals as them, but not the same, and I would use everything they have taught me as a foundation to raise my children.

What I liked about the interviews is that they to me seemed honest, and 2 out of 3 talked about religion being one of the things their parents taught them, and I can definitely connect because I also was brought up with idea of going to church on Sundays, basically a religious background. And each family had different values that were taught in their homes like work ethics, cultural background or religion. All them answered yes to my third question that they do let parent's influence some of their daily decisions but I believe at the end of the day one is who makes the final decision, influenced or not. None of them wanted to be mirror image of their parents spoke of how somehow they wanted to be different but at the same time somehow similar. No one wants to be exactly their mother or father but sometimes we do some things they did without realizing it or wnting to. We also remember everything we hated our parents would do and try to avoid it with own children. They also all had a certain path given to them by their parents but again one chooses whether to take it or go complete opposite way. In the end it was nice to hear about other kid's parents and the goals and ethics the parents have for their own kids. Because not every family is like mine, even if we sometimes forget this they are not.

SURVEY QUESTION:

Are you choosing to follow the path your parents have for you?

Hw # 55

Pt 1:

How does your family make who you are today?

Pt 2:

Larche,

I like your questions but maybe make both questions in one to have more specific research or paper on one of these matters and perhaps bring up how birth order of you and siblings affect each other to tie the two together. But overall I think this is an interesting topic and will bring up many issues and thoughts about sibling relationships and you could even provide evidence of your own life.

Juliette,

You have a really good start, your question is argumentative and I'm sure you will find a number of magazine articles or books about the reasons why men and women cheat. You could also talk about the ethics in our culture today versus maybe 20 or 30 years ago when dating and cheating are not what they are today. You could also give your own opinion and others on this with interviews or use experiences of real people to support your arguments.

I had a hard time starting this because didn't know what I wanted to talk about but after reading others and getting an idea of how and where to start, I chose a topic I found interesting and significant to me.

Pt 3:

Magana, Lynette. "Family - child relationships ." Provider - Parent Partnerships: Family - Child Relationships. N.p., 2006. Web. 17 May 2010. .

This article is for people who are in childcare telling them how they must deal with children and how to have a healthy relationship between them and the child. I thought it was interesting that it said if the child has a parent who is loving and sensitive tend to adjust better in school and childcare settings versus those who don't. It shows just how much your parents affect you and the way you adjust to other environments besides your own home. It also talks about how there are many different types of rlationships between parent and child which I found true, not one family is the same. It also talks about how if child has a strong and supportive family means they can have strong relationships with others too.

Vuchinich, Sam. "Conflict - Couple Relationships, Family Relationships, Parent - child relationships." Conflict. N.p., 2010. Web. 17 May 2010. <http://family.jrank.org/pages/314/Conflict-PARENT-CHILD-RELATIONSHIPS.html>

This article is hits a lot of points about relationships in families, and even has articles on couple relationships, parent - child relationships,etc. I will even go on to recomend this to others who talk about one of these relationships(Even has about siblings and rivalry!) This article talks about the parent - child relationship and conflicts that occur between them but also the strong and loving bonds they still have for each other. Talks about the negative and positives of these relationships, "Specifically, childhood conflict interactions can contribute positively to personal and social development." is a way parents affect one as th child.

McClure, Robin . "10 ways to strengthen families." Ways to strengthen the relationships. About.com, 2010. Web. 17 May 2010.

This article talks more about the relationship a parent - child should have giving a list of tips to partns to make this connection stronger. It just goes to show how important this relationship between parent and child is and how much parent must be "good" and provide child with nuture and care.

Zonnios, Evangelia. "Family Influence." Family Influence Teaching your children values through example from their parents Family Influence: Teaching your children values through example from their parents. Suite101.com, Feb,21,2007. Web. 17 May 2010.

This article shows how much influence a parent has over their child "Even babies learn through example. Their habits and characteristics are formed through what they regularly see and hear from their parents, brothers and sisters." It's more on a child's early childhood as a baby and how important these years of develpment are but I still think child's whole entir development is important even to middle - age parents are still parenting.

Hw # 54

My result: ESFP

Extroverted (E) 54.55% Introverted (I) 45.45% Sensing (S) 53.13% Intuitive (N) 46.88% Thinking (T) 50% Feeling (F) 50% Perceiving (P) 53.85% Judging (J) 46.15%

When I took this test many of the questions made me laugh and think how does this determine who I am and what career to choose. My results for the first letter were only a 5% off which I found to be true because I enjoy other people and don't feel exhausted after talking to others, but there are times when I just need some space and alone time to get all my thoughts together or just relax. I do agree with second letter because I am more about the present and reality but it doesn't mean i don't like to have my head in the clouds at times.

The third letter was exactly 50 50 but I had thought I'd be more thinking than feeling because I tend to over analyze things and use more of my thoughts than feelings to make decisions. And the careers it said I should be like massage therapist or travel agent are not by ideal jobs or jobs I had ever considered while the ones disfavored like artist or writer were more of what I'd like to do. So this test isn't 100% of who I am, and tomorrow I could decide to become more by the rules or to rely more on my emotions than my mind making it impossible for a test to determine who I am throughout the coarse of my life.

I think this test though would be helpful to understand a person but it can also create judgement of the person making it who they are when it isn't. In class I realized this test can be accurate but a person can change their preference making it no longer who they are. Also noticed when we tried to predict others letter we usually got it right, especially when we did it letter by letter. But we would question other's personality why are u so quiet and closed in? or why are you so loud and obnoxious. We think others are wrong but they are just different. This goes back to the survey we took we assume everyone is like us but in reality they aren't because then everyone would be the same. This is called projection, we try to judge others by what we are trying to do ourselves.

Hw # 53 - ALL 4 parts

Part 1: Took the survey

Part 2:

While taking this survey some of the questions did make me have to stop and think about the answer while others it only took a second to answer. Questions that i had to think more deeply were always about connections with others but the ones about previous experiences I answered more quickly because I had either already lived them or never did like love, drug use, etc. Thankfully I took survey at home but still has that thought in the back of your mind of what would someone else answer or say about your answer? Also noticed that the questions I stopped and thought longer about were things I really hadn't put much thought into before. I did try to answer ever question honestly but sometimes the questions needed more than just a yes, no or neutral answer. Which was reason why there were short - ended questions which I chose not to answer because felt like people in class might be able to recognize who wrote what.

Part 3 :

There were definitely some interesting scores for example there was a high rate of people who said that they have been in love which I had thought would be pretty low due to the fact most of us are 17 -18 and haven't experienced much of life much less love. Another thing I noticed was there was high rate of suicide which kind of scared me to think that someone nearby me has thought of killing themselves once. Which i thought no one would ever possibly think about because life is so worth living. But it just goes to show you how little I know about others and perhaps even myself. Anias also mentioned how many chose their friends over their own family and i remember answering this question quickly choosing my family. But now I realize for others maybe their friends are their family because their family might not be in the picture or as important to them. It makes you realize as well that everyone else is not like you, they have learn how to deal with their family, or the situations that come up in their life. " We all assume every one's family is like ours." - Yasmine. I thought it was nice that a lot people had a friend they knew would be their friend for the rest of their life. Another percentage i noticed was low was for the question i do stupid thing/ or things I don't like to for friends which i had expected to be high because I feel like everyone has done this once in their life maybe not stupid or life - threatening but have followed along with friends to be socially accepted and perhaps even become cool.

Part 4:

The professionally done survey gave background info on what they were proving. They then gave results on survey that was more specific k-just about teen sex and pregnancy unlike our which had many ideas going on family, friendship, love, ourselves etc. And because it was more specific it made it easier to connect many of the results like a low number of teens do not use birth control pills lead to the high percentage of teens getting pregnant. They also received a lot more data, even from every single borough, while in our quick survey only a few took it. Making our results a bit off and not as realistic. They also give list of ways to prevent all this (unprotected sex, pregnancies,etc.) while we just looked at results and thought deeply about what these results mean to us and our relationships. Our results also could've been off because like Jin said " we don't want to admit the truth." so we try to trick ourselves and lie to the survey making them not proof enough to make it a fact.

Hw #52

I like to think our theories on love, friendship and etc first come from our family, and especially our parents. But then we are exposed theories of our friends and even teachers. In the end we create a theory of our own but influenced by others or own experience. I also believe we get our ethics from our family like remember my mom telling me on the bus when I was younger to stand up if an elderly came on the bus. And I remember getting angry (im about 10) about the fact I have to give my seat up to someone else. As I got older though I began to understand the ethics my parents were teaching me, but like I said before there are many factor like friends and other family that influence us to do the things we do. There is the famous line treat others like you’d like to be treated, which for many is an ethic they were taught. For some though, it can just be easier to just let it go and have some humility.

Human motivation I believe comes from the fact we are trying to accomplish goals others and we have and having a impact on the world somehow. To leave an imprint so we are not forgotten when we pass away. To travel the world, to get a degree, to have a family are some of the accomplishments we have that motivate us to keep living to accomplish them.

My theory on friendship, is throughout our lives we gain friends from childhood, from school, when a teenager, adult and finally wise older person, making it that we have had many different friends depending on what we are living and experiencing and what we need/want of for a friend. But there are also friends for life, for example me and Amber were friends in Pre – k then lost touch but then met again in high school and it was like we were friends just yesterday not 10 yrs. I do distinguish my best friends from friends because I feel like my best friends have gone through the tough and happy times in my life and I’ve known them for a long while versus the friend I just talk to in class.

I also like drift away sometimes from usual friends to meet other people, to meet those outside my circle and create a connection with others out there. Friendships first begin with a connection of having things in common but then the differences I believe are what keep us together and make an interesting friendship. Because if not I’d probably get bored or sick of them after awhile if the reason “ why becoming friends is like loving a mirror.” – Andy. In friendship we also expect the other to be faithful and caring friend and not “ steal my BF or tell others my personal life, the usual drama, because then he/she isn’t really my friend. There is also friendship for ones benefits to get connections to go to baseball game or fashion show or to have around when don’t have anyone else. And in the working world this is recommended to get higher status and job. I remember my grand ma telling me once that my only real and true friend is God. And I think it is true but also think need friends that will physically not just emotionally help out.

Theory on love is that every single person has the same understanding of love and what we want of a lover but are always confused on what others want. Making a wall between people that doesn’t allow there to be love. Also people view different types of love, for example our parents if they are divorced, you wonder to yourself why do they not love each other no more? Making one think maybe love is but a played out theme in movies and not real versus the child living in a two parent family, they see it as unconditional love that parents might argue but in the end they work it out. There are many different situations of this but they all affect our view on love. Our friends impact our view on love too because you watch them go through relationships and the way they act, the way they treat their partner, and even ask for advice for your own relationships at times. But I believe no matter what whatever you do, you are the one who makes the final choice.

Gender can be difficult at times because usual thought on this is that females and males are two completely different species but aren’t we all human? There are always books helping guys understand the female brain or vice versa, are we really that different? Is this why it’s difficult to create friendships between males and females? I think it is possible to have a guy friend but at times there are things that come up between genders like he’d rather play sports and she wants to go shopping, or how lover can be your best guy friend making friendships between male and female end or become something else. There is also the view society has on women and men, men are supposed to bring the “bacon” home while women takes care of house and kids. Of course nowadays its can be different but this view is still there, which doesn’t make sense when there are more women attending college than men.

How do people live together? They blend and adapt to fit into their culture, neighborhood and many other settings in one’s life. Which goes back to months ago when we spoke of playing role and scripts in society to have an identity and receive affirmation of others.

Hw # 51 - NOT DONE.. ALmost

They hurt you at home and they hit you at school,

They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool,

Till you're so fucking crazy you can't follow their rules,

A working class hero is something to be,

A working class hero is something to be.

- John Lennon

When I think of school, I see a classroom full of students and a teacher, I see my “future” all depending on this word education. Ever since I was born I was taught that we (my siblings and I) must go to school to succeed in life and one day be able to go to college. We come into school knowing "nothing" to be taught and educated until high school and then we decide whether or not we continue on to college. But even then our culture gives more to those who follow this path of education because in the end we receive a better and high paid job. Is this a trick to keep us locked in this prison we call school? Or as John Lennon would say to just become part of the working class?

Teachers from pre –k to high school teach us how to be disciplined, to not question authority and adapt to the content given. Is this fair? Nope but who’s to stop this way of educating that has been happening for many many years. One is taught to stay in the class we are designated and if we need to use bathroom or want a drink of water, one must ask for permission and a pass. And for students these moments are our few minutes of privacy. Which might be the reason why students leave the class several times a day, because sometimes class can seem never ending. We learn to become depositories, just being filled with information that holds no meaning or significance. Like to find x – intercepts use the quadratic Formula or the Civil War began April 12, 1861, but why is algebra important to me? Or how much significance does the Civil war hold in my life? That we as students just accept our ignorance and allow teachers to teach us without knowing that we as well teach our own teachers. We just receive it and memorize making us more intelligent and "better" student to teachers.

Hw # 50

Freire talks about what a teacher does, he/she must teach those (students)who know nothing. Teachers discipline while students are disciplined, the teacher chooses the curriculum,while the students who have no say about it just adapt to it, etc... Freire creates this whole list of basic things a teacher does. The teacher must "fill" students with information and the more they fill the students completely, the better the teacher is. And the more the students allow themselves to filled, the better the student is. When he/she is teaching "the teacher talks about reality as if it were motionless, static, compartmentalized, and predictable." They just say words and information with no actual meaning or significance. Like four times four is sixteen or the capital of Para is Belem and students then just record, memorize and repeat without finding out what 4 times 4 is sixteen really means or the significance of "capital" Freire says that because of this education is an act of depositing, teacher's are like depositors while students are depositories. He calls this " banking" education in which students can only receive, file and store the deposits given by teachers.That we as students just accept our ignorance and allow teachers to teach us without knowing that we as well teach our own teachers. He says this serves the purpose of the oppressors because the more we "fit" into this world, the less we question it.

Freire seems to have a negative view on education but there are many things he says that I find true, being someone who has been sent to school to be educated my whole life. For example, we come into school knowing "nothing" to be taught and educated until high school and then we decide whether or not we continue on to college. But even then our culture gives more to those who follow this path of education because in the end we receive a better and high payed job. We also learn to be disciplined by the teachers and learn the "rules" society has. We are constantly filled with knowledge that we have no say in or much understanding of. We just receive it and memorize making the more intelligent and "better" student. But why must we be graded on how much we memorize, does that really determine how smart or educated a person is? And are we really as ignorant as we are made to believe? Friere also talks of oppressors, in which education serves them because we begin to "fit" in the world already made and do not question it. But who are these oppressors? the teachers? government?

Copeland came into our class for a bit, he talked about how being a teacher doesn't mean you stop learning after get your degree, one must constantly become more educated, by reading newspapers, watching news, etc. He also spoke of how he wanted to inform his students about oppressed people's struggles and show how many of those oppressed groups connect and share common goals. A student questioned him why must he must learn more if he had learned everything he needed to know and teach in college. Copeland answered by saying that everyday there are new events, occurrences, etc and i must inform myself to better teach students. Someone else asked him if he believed in the Super - teacher figure, but he said no, absolutely not that it was just a movie. We drifted a bit and spoke of music and he said music makes you more of a whole person no matter what type of music you listen to.

I thought it was interesting how he said he felt like he was learning everyday, usually teachers don't say this. And it made him a teacher who did care about the education he was giving his students. The more he learned, the more he could teach his students and even connect current events to those of in the past. What he said he taught in class wasn't what is usually taught in a regular history class, the most you learn about is the groups being oppressed and then move on to next unit. He made it seem like he tried to show how different oppressed groups connect and maybe connect to one.

Ms. D also came into our class to be interviewed and talked about how she first began working not as a teacher but in filming and then in a non - profit organization. But she didn't seem to enjoy it, and realized she liked working with teens more than younger kids, because she could create a bond or connection with teens . She didn't see herself as filmmaker or anything else, because she didn't have a vision she thought the world needed to see. But at the same time she said it was hard to create that connection as a teacher because there was a certain line she couldn't"t cross in a student and teacher relationship. And could only create this connection if the student allowed her to and didn't have a problem sharing their personal life.

It was nice to hear once that teacher honestly cared about her students and didn't only want to teach them but create a connection with her students. Making a student feel comfortable and have the choice to talk to a teacher about something other than schoolwork. And for some people who don't have anyone to talk to at home or else where is pretty great. And she saw she could do more as a teacher with students than if she would've gone into school policy. And unlike her before jobs, i think she was more satisfied and happy with her students at the end of a long day.

Gatto gives six lessons the teacher should know, # 1 stay in class where you belong, he says he doesn't know why his students must endure being locked together but he must enforce the rule. Like a prison cell and can not leave until the class is over. # 2 we must turn our light on and off, meaning our brain in every class must turn it on and understand math then turn it off when class is over and enter another class and must turn on again. Making it impossible to ever finish fully learning something in a class. # 3 is basically to teach students to allow themselves to be controlled and like a slave or prisoner we need a pass to leave to go to bathroom for a few minutes of freedom. #4 is only teacher determines the curriculum, the students have no say about it. This is when being labeled as good or bad kid is determined, the less student fights against the task and shows enthusiasm = good kid, if they fight and don' t do task then they are labeled as the bad kid. # 5 teachers must always evaluate and judge student, through tests, grades, and report cards. Allowing others to judge them as well through this evaluation like parents, fellow students and one day colleges. # 6 is student is always being watched through whole entire class, they have no private time. Students are even encouraged to "tattle" on other students. This surveillance even goes home where must do homework.

Gatto makes these lesson like the bible for teachers, and everything he said teachers must do is true. For example # 1 we as students must stay in class at certain time and place, we can not just enter whichever class we want. Is it because there will be chaos or because the teachers would rather have authority over this? #2 is definitely correct, I do feel like every time i enter class must automatically learn and remember things that are being taught in a certain class for example math and then turn the "switch" off and enter my science class to once again turn it back on something totally different. For his third lesson he talks of how we must get a pass to go to bathroom, but why must we have a pass to pee?! or be 5 minutes late to class? Will those five minutes really impact my learning? His fifth lesson I really connected with this year, because for me this is the year that counts for the colleges, I will have the possibility to enter depending on the evaluation my teachers give me. But why must someone determine my capacity or intelligence with just a letter? A? F? His last lesson #6 is how we are always being watched by our teachers even with the homework we are given everyday. When I could be learning something other than what I learn in class, something more meaningful and productive.

Delpit in silenced dialogue speaks about how those who do not come into school knowing certain content or skills are placed in remedial classes as if they weren't capable of "critical and higher-order thinking and reasoning." She says that instead of doing this they should not separate children because of different family background but to have strategies for all the children. She also talks about " cultural power" and codes some have versus others, those she says don't have these is the non - white and poor students/families. That schools don' t realize the reason why they are not taught these certain things is because kids are instead being taught by their families how to live and learn the codes of their own life and community. She continues to give a list of what her theory of " cultural power" is. For example, how much power education has, because schooling determines the job and status a person will have in the future.

I noticed she seemed to put all culture groups that weren't Caucasian or wealthy together, and how they seemed to be the ones who had trouble knowing the codes and content many of the other kids come in knowing. Is this really true? I find myself wondering why this is, but then she talks about how its because one is taught other things to fit in our community. And that when we become part of school community, it is something alien to one who is not white or wealthy. I am still not convinced that all Caucasian come in knowing content or that none of those who are non - white don't come in knowing some or all content. And the solution she seems to give for this is pretty absurd, how can teacher figure out a strategy that will be good for EVERY single student? When she talks of codes it reminded me of a lecture in my college class where we talked about how many of the kids in bad neighborhoods sometimes escape by getting jobs during summer but that at these jobs they learn the codes of another culture outside of theirs. And I think these are the codes she says many of those non- white and poor kids don't come in knowing, and I agree sometimes it is because they are not given the chance to learn these codes, but it doesn't make them less intelligent than the ones who do know these codes.

Hw #49

My section didn't successfully complete the film because tape was lost or didn't work, but we planned to have Victor be the " Bully" and Brandon being the kid being bullied even though this has nothing to do with the Super Teacher movies (Victor just wanted his few minutes of fame) and then it would transition into scene where Teacher would try to get through to Victor and try to make that connection with him. He would then have a conflict with class trying to get their attention, while my class would be talking or texting or just goofing off completely ignoring him. Then he would hand out pieces of paper ( Not Notebooks) to write something personal on, and then Victor confronted him and said " Are you trying to the Freedom Writer's shit, cuz I saw that movie and I'm not going to fall for that." And students either write bad comments or made paper airplanes. In the end teacher can't succeed in being the savior, because they already knew all the things he would try to do having seen all the super teacher movies.

In in the end I was supposed to edit video, but it was lost or something. But the message we wanted for our video was clear, we didn't want to be like those other students who never dealt with a " Super teacher" but know movies at the back of our hand that we could easily call out the teacher for trying some of their techniques or attempts. And have teacher fail miserably at being our savior because realistically you can't get through to students from one day to another or make them understand that they all somehow connect no matter background, race, gender, etc. Also wanted to show the whole idea of having a "savior" as a joke because why must teenagers be presented in these films as savages that need saving? When in reality this is not true, what exactly do we need to be saved from? ourselves? or school? The tone of our movie was same as most of scenes of Super teacher films but instead of at the end having piano and violins playing when teacher finally gets through to students, I probably would've played some rap or heavy rock song to show the tone as being harsh because the teacher failed instead. The tone was also very dramatic when it came to the scene with class conflict and confrontation between teacher and student and the chaos the class was making because we don't truly act this way in any class or else the teacher everyday would be dialing 555(or whatever the number is for security)

Our film compared to teacher films like I mentioned before failed in getting through to students no matter what tricks he tried to use from Super teacher films, because we knew them all and " weren't going to fall for it." We like Super teacher films represented my age group, as kids with no respect or no "discipline" or not smart or involved in drugs and so much more. Why must movies represent us teenagers this way? When in reality, we may sometimes be a little disruptive but not to the point where we all turn a class into a free period. And if this has ever happened the possibility is very rare. I also don't believe the fault is only of the students but also of teachers who expect that they can teach us to be easily controlled and easily manipulated to learn a certain curriculum. We also incorporated the scene from Freedom writers where teacher hand out notebooks telling students to write things about their personal lives and only if they wanted be read by her. But unlike this film we just crumpled up the paper or made paper airplane, because we had no interest in sharing our lives just to get a "connection" with teacher and finally have our attention.

I believe not all teachers believe in themselves as saviors but there are a few, that will do anything to create that connection between student and teacher without crossing the line. Allowing the teacher to be able to change or impact their lives. Maybe the teachers that believes this is because of how culture shows how much influence a teacher has on students and the responsibility they have to be able to teach them the required needed to move to next grade. And how satisfied and important they will feel at accomplishing this, that they have changed one's life.

I also watched the video of the class with Will playing teacher and I saw how both of our classes had the same message of how in the end, even though Will confronted students and told them how it was. When he was done with his drunken rant and left, the class went back to it's usual disruptive self from beginning of film. Showing how even through his confrontation with students, he still hadn't gotten through to the students and did not change the class's tone.

Extra Credit - THE CLASS

The film The Class was definitely different from most Super - teacher movies because for once the teacher as what happens in real - life can't get through to every single student of his/her class. For example Souleymane, I do not hold teacher responsible for what happened to Soulymane because in the end it wasn't teacher's decision to expel him but the other staff and principle's decision to go ahead with it. The teacher did try to get through to Souleymane by meeting his parent's or praising him for his Self - portrait and for a brief second it seemed to work. But his violent behavior and arguments with teacher's didn't seem to stop until one day he exploded and hurt a student (by accident), leading to his hearing to decide whether or not he will be expelled. Teacher tried to change the other staff's mind telling them how he'd be sent back to Mali if he was expelled, but they didn't care. I did think this was a little too harsh for Souleymane's actions, i don't ever recall them suspending him or trying to find out what was making him so angry and upset in class first, they just immediately held a hearing for his expulsion, he was just going to become part of the many that had been expelled. ( 12)

14 - 15 years old are morally responsible for their actions because they are the one's who decide in the end whether or not what they do is right or not, even if they are being influenced by classmates. For example Carl did change, he changed his "attitude" while Souleymane did not. But at the same time teachers and principal during a meeting about students and their grades kept repeating the word attitude and behavior of a student which determined their grade not their actual work, " if only he changed his attitude in class.." they might say. Why must that determine their grade? and why did they want all their students to always be silent and silent and perfect? The way they talked about students though reminded me of Blackboard jungle because they talked about how students were in the yard, like if animals not people.

I believe a teacher is morally responsible for finding a solution to the institutional car wreck that they're steering their class through like Mr. Marlin tried to and did succeed with some like Khoumba and Carl. They can't just turn a blind eye like most of the other teachers wanted to do, then why be a teacher? All the other teachers would complain about students calling them names and saying they didn't care anymore if they learned or not. Which might explain why the girl in the end told Mr.Marlin she hadn't learned a thing the entire year and she didn't seem to be a rebel or troublemaker, she just simply was not taught or given the extra help to understand classwork. Making this girl tell him she did not want to go to vocational school because she didn't want to be the only one who knew nothing, which seems to be the reason many give up going to college. They also turned a blind eye on the fact Souleymane would be sent back to Mali where he would have no future and be working for the rest of his life, nut when they were told of this one teacher put it as many get threatened by parents so why should it be true? Or it shouldn't affect the decision with student's personal life but his actions. But how can you possibly sent a child to a life of work and misfortune because of a decision one makes? This is why I think it should be seen as both systematic issue and an individual moral issue, because they just see it as a systematic they can hurt children's future and if they also see it as a individual moral issue they can see why the child is acting the way they are.

The Class and SOF compare in the grading system because in my history class and in the French school it is 1 - 10 grade instead of percentage. Another similarity between Mr.Marlin's class and my history class is both have class representatives that let teacher know classes thoughts, views or questions. The way they have parent's come in to meet teacher's and the way parent's talk about their child as the best. Maybe not necessarily just SOF but how teachers are quick to judge student's behavior as the "bad" students versus the good ones, letting that affect their judgement of them, their grades and disciplinary action.