Group Discussion about Chalk with Comparisons to Freire, Gatto, Rose, and Black

In Gatto's "Against School", he speaks of students and teachers boredom and the structure that a public school environment enforces namely conformity and teacher/student dynamic. We see this in Chalk when Mr. Stroop the history teacher pulls two students aside and asks them to dumb themselves down so the teacher does not appear stupid in class. In effect he tells the young male student that they both know he knows more about history than he does, and to the young woman to stop using so many big words. He does this because he has a huge ego, but more importantly because the teacher/student dynamic was being disturbed. 

In Mike Rose's "Resolutions we should make for 2011", he mentions that one idea that has been stated is to get "rid of the bottom 10% of teachers (as determined by test scores) and replaced them with teachers at the top 10% we’d erase the achievement gap, or leap way up the list on international comparisons". He then mentions that this is flawed because a student’s achievement is often proportionate to their parent’s income. We can see this in "Stand and Deliver" because of how low income the students are and how it is a challenge for them to rise to occasion academically.

In the Daily Show rant, Lewis Black discusses a misplacement of funds or a lack of funds. He discusses a new school in California that is extremely lavish, and it was built for 570 million dollars. None of the money actually affects the educational quality "I’m pretty sure schools shouldn't be the nicest building you'll ever be inside, I went to school in an empty carton of Pall Malls!” In chalk there is a scene where one of the teachers is talking about how the volleyball team needs new uniforms, because they "can’t go out naked" but they cannot afford it. Also, a running gag throughout the movie is the broken copy machine that doesn't work the whole year, presumably because they cannot afford to fix it. 

Friere believes that students are forced to conform and that the teachers are oppressors that stifle creativity, the teachers teach and the students are taught in a rigid manner. "Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor". Mr. Lowry was very strict and anxious in the beginning, demanding respect from his students when he really had not done anything to earn it, like yelling and sending students out of the class. Over the year he starts to loosen up, he wins the Spelling Hornet and starts letting the students teach him and they open up to his teachings.

Purpose of High School

                The purpose of High School is to prepare and aware teenagers of the life they will have outside of high school in college and in the later years of their life. It prepares kids for their future career and teaches them work ethic and how to be exceptional at what they put their mind to.  High school also teaches people the basics of math, reading and writing which form the fundamentals of life. You will have to write essays all throughout your life, whether it is for college applications or letter of recommendations for other people later down the road. You will need to know basic math for when you bank your income and if depending on your career you may need more math knowledge. It allowed them to dig into what they wanted to be when they “grew up” and to learn about themselves and learn what they aspired to be later in life. Regardless if the high school system did this or not, they at least attempted and got some students to succeed in the program. For every student, the experience is different, but every administrator and teacher work their hardest for each and every student to push them and make them succeed have them become what they want. If there was something to change there would be the obvious "shunning" from teachers that students get who don't do Advanced Placement classes; the bullying, the selective function of students who aren't like them, who aren't their classes. I would change the conformity that teachers also expect from the students; having each student be the same and not think for themselves.

Chalk Notes

Chalk Notes-

• The students assume that the P.E. teacher Coach Webb is gay.
• The students in Mr. Lowrey's (one of the history teachers- the skinnier one) class don't really respect him. 
• They pushed him so far that he ended up just walked out of the classroom and left. 
• Coach Webb is fun and pushes the students to do things even if they're uncomfortable with it, and is fun with the students and it makes them like her. 
• Mr. Stroope (one of the History teachers-the chubbier one with the facial hair) doesn't like one of his students uses big words because it makes him feel dumb and he also feels that one girl knows more about history than he does. 
• Mr. Lowrey tried to bring humor into the classroom and it worked at first but then the environment started going downhill again and so his students didn't respect him again. 
• Mr. Stroope's students like him because he's funny and he tells them things and informs them on school things.
• Mr. Lowrey's students coached him on how to spell the slang terms that they use for the slang spelling bee and he ended up winning so he gained respect from them.
• Mr. Lowrey rapped in class to his student's instruction making them like him a little bit more.
• At the end of the year each teacher learned different things. 
• Lowrey learned that he didn't really like teaching.
• Webb learned that she should approach people with more grace and with a nicer approach.
• Stroope learned that he should conduct himself in his classroom better so his students don't think of him badly.
• Reddell (the Assistant Principle) learned that home life takes major precedence over school.

Comparing Gatto & Freire

     Other than his idea of Radical Democracy and how everyone should be represented equally and have the same amount of rights, I didn't understand much of what Freire was saying. So luckily what I did understand, the Radical Democracy, ties into what Gatto said. He many times pointed out how the K-12 education system made the students conform to one idea of what the students should be like. He also talked about a "selecetive function" that the education system also brought upon students that didn't give students the same amount of equality because it discriminate against the students that weren't in the higher, Advanced Placement classes.  They also both assume that the student knows nothing. In Freire’s “The Banking Concept of Education” he plainly points out that he doesn’t think that the students know anything. He says, “the teacher knows everything and the student knows nothing;” demeaning students in the same fashion Gatto does. Other than wanting equality in the education system and thinking that students didn’t know anything while teachers knew everything, I don’t see any other similarities because I didn’t understand Freire’s essay very much. I couldn’t contrast them either because I didn’t know what he was talking about most of the time.

Group Exercise (Friere)

Friere had a lot of experience with education because three of his children became educators. He was prisoned in Brazil for 70 days as a traitor which inspired him to write Pedagogy of the Oppressed. This gave him lots of time to reflect of education and be able to criticize the education system. Friere addresses the teacher as a “narrating subject” and the students as “listening objects”. For example he states in his Pedagogy, “This relationship involves a narrating subject (the teacher) and patient, listening objects (the students).”  He claims that “the teacher knows everything and the students know nothing” which shows how highly he thinks of himself and how little he thinks of the students, as if they are helpless individuals. He worked for 10 years as a special education advisor to the world congress of churches, during which he traveled worldwide to help countries implement popular education and literacy reforms. The website clarifies the student-teacher relationship by showing us Friere’s desire for a radical democracy.  Other than these points the website did not really clarify the ultimate purpose of his Pedagogy. The Banking Concept of Education talks about his critical view on education and the website mostly talks about his life and the challenges that he faced.

Comparing Between My Ed Experience & Gatto's Writing

                My high school experience was completely different from what Gatto explained. Boredom did have a part of it, but it definitely did not define it in a whole. Though I do believe that being in high school very much did revolve around grades and keeping them up, I know for a fact that I was interested in what I was learning. The Kindergarten through 12^th grade education system, in my opinion, is not set out to tear you down, but to build you up and set you up for a great career in college and your future jobs. For me, that’s what it was like. The teachers, staff and administrators at my school were all exceptionally supportive and helpful in the walk through the high school years and on to through the college years. My friends and I can remember tons of teachers and staff that really, truly loved and believed in the students and thought they could succeed. Gatto also had a very negative aspect of high school and believe that high school could be very positive for different reasons and people. Some people it could be negative but it’s biased that it he says every part is negative. He also says that children don’t learn anything, but that doesn't mean every student doesn't learn anything. Some could, and some couldn't. Also, if you get into trouble then you get detention which is still a form of childish punishment which coincides with what Gatto said about children growing old but never growing up. I also saw a lot was that there was a lot of segregation between “good students” and “bad students” who take the advanced placement classes and who don’t. This is connected to what he says about the selective function. 

Small Group Discussion

The claim society makes for the purpose of education is to "1. To make good people 2. To make good citizens and 3. To make each person hisor her personal best." The true purpose isn't to make good people but Gatto explains the true purpose in Inglis' six basic functions. "The adjustive or adaptive function," "The integrating function," "The diagnostic and directive function," "The differentiating function," "The selective function," and "The propaedeutic function." These functions state that the American Education system keep the children more restricted and make them servants to the upper class. The purpose of the K-12 education system shouldn't be to restrict the students, but to give them more responsibility, welcome creative thinking, and encourage them to manage themselves to later assume adult roles. Gatto emphasizes this in the last sentence saying, "Let them manage themselves." This should be this way because the K-12 education system represses artistic development and treats every student like they're the same. 

Comparison Essay - Final Draft

            There are countless of educators that people will endure throughout their lives. They start out with merely their parents, teaching them to eat, speak, and walk. They then graduate to the most highly accomplished professors in college and experience a completely different learning experience. We encounter informal teachers too, from Sunday school teachers, to our friend’s parents teaching us their secret cookie recipes. People have faced countless teachers that impacted their lives forever, many teachers that were only average, and a few teachers that were just terrible. The two teachers that serve as examples as great educators are, Mr. Keating from the movie Dead Poet's Society, and my high school history teacher, Mr. Mosby. Being the exceptional teachers they are, Mr. Keating and Mr. Mosby impacted the lives of their students by being devoted to them and being truly brilliant.  

            Devotion is an important key to being exceptional. Being an exceptional teacher doesn't hinge just on their ability to teach well and being well liked, like Mr. Mosby, an exceptional teacher needs to be devoted. Mr. Mosby showed his devotion to his students in multiple different aspects. He stays after school to help, he works with students even in their toughest times, and he finds and gives his students every opportunity possible to succeed.

            Devotion comes in many different ways. Setting your students up for success with every possible tool is definitely a form of devotion. Mr. Mosby found and used hundreds of different handouts, books, power points, and guides to help his students succeed. He put together handouts that guided his students through studying before a test and vocabulary words to study to further their knowledge. He has books on tips for getting a five on the AP exam for reference and he does tutoring sessions in the library on set days when his students need it. He is exceedingly devoted to the success of his students.

            Mr. Mosby got results. He got good grades from students; got them to work hard and always finished the year with a job well done. He even got this from the students who were going through the toughest times, or in the toughest situations. Students of his get into car accidents, get sports injuries, or go through tragedy all the time and have to miss school more than usual. He does the most possible to get them caught up, to keep their grades up, or to just ease the stress. He devotes himself to getting them back into things and ending the year with a good grade regardless of the situation. This is one of the many reasons why he gets endless respect from his students, past or present, and his peers.

            Mr. Mosby was an exceptional teacher as well, because he was brilliant. He truly was a genius, especially in the eyes of his students. He did many things that astounded his students and he always knew the right thing to say. This is not the case with Mr. Mosby. He always knew what he was talking about, asked brilliant questions to make his students really think, and applied everything in a way that his students understood.

           

            Every student knows that a teacher will not give you an answer that directly answers your question. He will dance around the correct answer so that you can figure it out on your own. Mr. Mosby brilliantly thought up questions to make his students think and dig deep into their own knowledge to figure it out themselves. He would ask questions that related to what he talked about to everything else that he taught, to make it easy for his students to understand.

            Mr. Mosby genuinely was brilliant because he applied everything in a manner that his students could understand. He didn't just read something off the paper and let them figure it out themselves or teach his students something without an application or an allusion to something else. He always used his knowledge to further deepen his students' understanding of the subject. He would allude to the Bible and the stories that a many of the students heard as little kids or to books that they were reading in their English classes. He would apply the war schemes of the Germans and their allies against the Austro-Hungarians and their allies in World War I to the floor and the set up of the classroom. Every power point and handout was articulated magnificently so that every one of his students could follow along.

            Just as Mr. Mosby was a great teacher because of his devotion and brilliance, Mr. Keating possessed the very same qualities. Mr. Keating was also very devoted to his students. He believed in them and pushed them to do what they wanted to do. He consistently stood up for his students and defended them. He advocated for their ability to think for themselves. He pushed them to do things they were uncomfortable with in order for them to succeed and he unquestionably believed in his students.

            At the beginning of the movie Dead Poet's Society Mr. Keating advocated for his students' ability to think on their own without even knowing them. He stood up for his students against another teacher at the school already believing in them without having personal relationships with any of them. Throughout the story he consistently defends them against Mr. Nolan, other teachers and administrators and even the student's parents who don't believe in them and what they're capable of. He was truly devoted to his students and their lives.

            Neil, one of Mr. Keating's students, wanted to be an actor, but his father didn't approve of this because he was paying large sums of money to allow him to go to this school and he was planning for him to be a doctor. His father wanted to decide his future for him and think for him. Mr. Keating didn't believe in that and had unconditional faith in Neil and his interests. He believed that Neil should stand up for what he wanted to do and to tell his father that he wanted to act. Mr. Keating pushed him to pursue his passion. He believed that he could do it and was dedicated to his students and committed to building their self-esteem.

            Not only was Mr. Keating exceptional because he was hilarious and devoted, he was also brilliant. His teaching was brilliant. His witty remarks were brilliant. His humor was brilliant. The fact he could use a quote from a poem for every situation was brilliant, and his advocacy for his students was brilliant. He used his genius to create a great learning environment for his students and made them want to learn. He brilliantly used poetry to immerse his students, used analogies and imageries to captivate them, and he truly knew and loved poetry.

            Mr. Keating used poetry absorb his students into what their lives would be like if they lived it a certain way. He brilliantly used the words "Carpe Diem" which means "seize the day," to make the boys interested in poetry and make an impact on the school in the way they live their lives. He used what he loved, poetry, to immerse them in the idea of seizing the day and getting them interested in his class and in poetry.

            To get his students to understand poetry the way he does, Mr. Keating uses things that they do everyday to figure it out. He takes them to the soccer fields multiple times and have them quote poems as they kick the balls. Mr. Keating also has them stand on top of his desk to look at the world in a different way for them to understand perspective. He constantly takes them out of class to show the connections between poetry and everyday life. His students understand and love poetry the way he does by the end because of the efforts he makes. Mr. Keating uses these analogies and imageries to captivate his students in the world of poetry so they will understand. This is not only brilliant but also devoted.

            Even though both Mr. Keating and Mr. Mosby provide exquisite examples of being devoted and brilliant, they do have differences. They're two educators, teaching in two different time periods. For example, their view on teenagers and authority were different. However, people can have educators with different mindsets completely but still have exceptional experiences with both. People encounter dozens of educators in their life. They can range from just your old neighbor man who teaches you good morals to the most accomplished professors. Regardless, they're all important. Some may be good, others may be bad, and if you're blessed, you'll get the most exceptional of teachers. Being of the exceptional type, Mr. Keating and Mr. Mosby were devoted to their students, kept them interested by being hilarious, and were genuinely brilliant, which in turn impacted the lives of their students immensely.  

First Paragraph (with thesis)

          There are countless of educators that people will endure throughout their lives. They start out with merely their parent, teaching them to eat, speak, and walk and we graduate to the most highly experienced of professors once we get to college. We encounter people who teach us things informally too, from Sunday school teachers, to our friends parents teaching us their secret cookie recipes.  I have faced countless teachers that impacted my life forever, many teachers that were average, and few teachers that were terrible. The two teachers that serve as examples of great educators are, Mr. Keating from Dead Poet’s Society and my high school history teacher, Mr. Mosby. I can’t say that Mr. Keating has impacted my life but he definitely impacted the lives of his students in the same way Mr. Mosby has impacted mine by showing me patience, kindness, determination, and teaching me hard work.

The two teachers I'm writing about

For my first paper I'm going to be writing about my teacher Mr. Mosby and Mr. Keating from Dead Poet's Society. I wanted to use a teacher from my personal experience and from one of the movies. I chose these two because I love my teacher Mr. Mosby. He's great and he always gets me to learn. I've had him twice so I know him pretty well making it pretty easy to write about. Mr. Keating made me laugh countless times and I loved watching the movie because of him. He has many of the same teaching aspects as Mr. Mosby so it should be easy to compare the two. These two educators teach in two completely different time periods, so they have different mind sets and views on what children, or teenagers in this case, should be. Keating teaches in a time of transition between the kids' parents and authorities thinking for them to a time of free thinking and kids making their own decisions. Mosby is already in this time, in fact he grew up in this time and is deep into the twenty first century where the struggles are not of whether the kids are thinking for themselves enough or not, its if they are thinking for themselves too much and causing them to disrespect the thoughts of their authorities in the process instead.