January 28

We began class with a writing into the day answering one of the following questions: (1) What is the value of education for you? (2) Why do we go to school? 

Then, we got back into the groups from last class and watched clips from movies and TV shows that depict school.  We watched clips from Dead Poet's Society, Boy Meets World, Stand and Deliver, Freedom Writers, Dangerous Minds and The Ron Clark Story and answered a series of questions that can be found on the "Pop Culture Representations of School" handout.  In the last 15 minutes, we had the following discussion:

What were the similarities you saw across the six representations of school?

• Slacking, ungrateful students
• Motivational teachers
• Life lessons (rather than book work) were important to the teacher
• Bad kids from bad surroundings
• The teachers were not liked by the other teachers in the school
• The students didn't see the value in education
• The teachers seem to stumble on inspirational speeches
• Administration thinks that the students are the problem
• Both students and teachers have a choice
• Students are responsible for their learning
• Personal classes were more diverse
• Teachers must prepare students for the next level or else the teacher failed at his/her job
• Experience means everything in teaching
• Administration is by the book

How do you see these stereotypes of school shaping what we expect from school in real life?

• Students don't realize they have a choice
• Success really is only about taking a test. People assume that the test shows what you learned, but it's not always true.  You can learn something, but not be able to show it on the test.
• School is a binary.  Pass/fail.  Graduate/don't graduate.  In movies, there is always a teacher who flips the binary.
• The stereotypes in movies are more exaggerated, but what they show is real.
• Teachers really do motivate
• Teachers do meet students where they are.
• Teachers are passionate (if they are not in it for the money).

What do you expect from your teachers?

• Passion for the subject
• Motivation
• Encouragement, while also being realistic
• In English, teachers will care and inspire.  In Math and Science, the classes seem to be more about structure.
• Help.  However, the student has to ask for help.

Homework:

• Read "My 54 Year Love Affair with the SAT."  Read only the first five pages (page = a page of the book, not an 8X11.5 page.)  Stop reading at the three stars.
• Post a reading response on your blog.