Response #5 School Reform

School Reform

It seems as though the argument being made in this article is that the real reason for public school reform is because it currently is set up in a way that feeds into the failing cycle that has lead to the state our economy is in now. The current model was arranged to produce a new generation that would carry on the capitalist way of life and now that society is being hit hard by a failing economy we wonder, where do we change the system? The answer seems to lie in the school system.

Knowing much less than those who are most likely devoting their lives to this issue, I would at least be willing to say that this “capitalist” model of the public school served as a great way for this country to get where it is today. However, it is unfortunate that there was no plan to reform the school system after becoming such a dominant world power. I suppose the reason for this is because those who find themselves in power and without so much as a single worry about their finances in the midst of our financial crisis would prefer to not upset a cycle that has benefited them so well.

Now that our country is at a place where doing things the way they have been done for years and years, centuries and centuries isn’t working anymore what do we do? The capitalist form of education is what has led to books like “Some Place Like America” being written, it has led to Americans who have relied on an education to get a degree now being unemployed and homeless. This is why we need to explore what we have been exposed to by people such as Ken Robison who see the need in cultivating the creativity in all of us as children instead of mass producing robotic human beings who fallow the rules and know their place in the world due to the “need” of continuing on in a way of building huge corporations.

There are enough billion-dollar corporations that can contribute to the economy of the United States, but if we were to actually invest in the creativity of our children I wonder what the future would hold, not only for them and not even for America but also for the world. I have a feeling that just as our nation experienced a boom in the economy as a result to the industrial revolution we would just the same experience a boom in a whole new way if the school systems where flipped upside down and children were not taught the rules of the “real world” but were exposed to endless opportunity to create a new world, a world that no one has ever seen before. We could be limitless if we could let loose the mysteries that live inside our heads. Lets no longer be victim to a dying way of life whose final cycle is hopefully coming to and end. 

Response #4 Preach Brother Preach

Preach Brother Preach

            The words of Ken Robinson are profound. Unfortunately for those of us who share some of the same views as him or at least resonate with what he said about the need for reform in the education system around the globe, we will most likely be waiting quite a while before seeing anything implemented. There were many wonderful points brought to light by Sir Robinson, but one of the more profound ideas that stuck out to me was that around the would there are two kinds of people in the world, academic and non-academic. What makes this interesting to me is when he goes on to say that the academic people are often times recognized as the smart people and the non-academics are sadly seen as not smart people. Unfortunately we non-academics can end up being pretty down on ourselves for not being very bright because of the current paradigm of the education system of today.

            Ken talks in another video about how he believes we are all bourn with creativity, but because around the world math, science, and humanities are always the focus and the arts are left at the bottom we then beguine to leave our creativity behind along with our adolescence. That being said, even if students continued to go through their entire education with other children of the same age at least through high school an equal amount of emphasis should be placed on the arts. Ultimately when students are approaching collage they shouldn’t have a preconceived notion that what they like to do (if it’s an arts related craft) is a dead end and that no meaningful life’s work could come from it.

            If we could get to a point where we taught like this wouldn’t it even be beneficial in the “professional” world where thinking outside the box is key? Think about this, when Ken was explaining divergent thinking and talked about how divergent thinking produces more ways of use for a single item and how ninety eight percent of children tested at a genius level, don’t you think those are the kinds of people you would want working for your company in the marketing department? This is I’m sure only one of probably thousands of examples for why the education system should be restructured to emphasize the arts all the way through school.

            However, at the top of this entry I mentioned that even though this would be a wonderful to see come to pass, it is still far from happening. Why? Because as we read in the article Teachers Wonder, Why the Scorn, before we can make any headway with what is being taught we have to make sure we have teachers to teach our students. Right now in New York and Providence Road Island nearly two thousand teachers have been told they will loose their jobs. Now, does that sound like we are anywhere close to even beguine thinking about a major restructuring of public education? I don’t think so federal spending may be tight but teaching is one area we can’t afford to cut back on.

Based on:

RSA – Changing Paradigms By Sir Ken Robinson

Do Schools kill creativity? By Sir Ken Robinson

Teachers Wonder, Why the Scorn? By Trip Gabriel

Response #3 My simple and Honest Thoughts Based On The Introduction To “Some Place Like America”

My simple and Honest Thoughts Based On The Introduction To “Some Place Like America”

It seems interesting to me that a book written about our blue-collar working class America starts out with a story about a homeless community. And then I read the line, “Where do you think you are? … “In some place like America” Then I realize it is setting up what is to be a story of the hardship our country has faced over the years after so many once readily available jobs became nonexistent. The year1982 was the beginning of this journey for Michael and Dale when they set out to document the growing disparity in our country as once common jobs became nonexistent or nearly impossible to come by. They began to see in the eyes of Americans a since of fear for they were now left homeless in the land of opportunity.  

One thing I found interesting was the question, “Do we want to reserve life chances for a very few who are wealthy, or do we desire to be a nation of opportunity, offering a level playing field for everyone” What I wander when I read this is, don’t we? Doesn’t America offer to all the very same opportunity? It seems as if Dale is suggesting that there isn’t the opportunity to succeed no matter who you are. It certainly will take others more dedication and hard work than others, but the opportunity, I would argue is always there. I love that a book has been written about those who are most often completely overlooked but I can’t totally get on board with an idea that the rich and wealthy in America are purposefully keeping lower class Americans down. I can’t get on board with the idea that the unemployed and homeless are this way because those in high power positions want them that way, and that seems to be the ideas written here.

I get tired of hearing people talk about the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The reality is the only way it can actually be that way is if a person wants to rely on an American system to “give” them the life they want. The fact is, and I say again, you will always only be the person you aspire and work to be. There is no obligation for the wealthy in America to take care of those who have little to nothing. You might argue an obligation based on spiritual conviction, but there is nothing about America that deems it a necessary to give hand outs, raise taxes for a certain economic class, or even create jobs. I want to know why we should, as Dale describes it, “…stop relying on the words of supposed experts and should instead listen to the voices of people like those in this book…?” He says that they are the real experts. I would have to say I disagree. The people in this book may be experts on a hard life but, when it comes to knowing what’s going on Wall Street, I’m inclined to believe that the experts are in fact experts.

I don’t mean to be completely callous and cruel for I do know that there are great unfortunate circumstances that people face through no fault of their own. There are no doubt people who have become unemployed after years of hard work that have a hard time figuring out what’s next for them and what to turn to after losing what they have worked their whole lives learning how to do and for those people I do feel bad. Then again I am reminded that even if their jobs were lost do to out sourcing and in order to make some CEO richer there is still nothing illegal about that. Despicable and tasteless yes but illegal or criminal no.      

Response #2 Men and Women: A common struggle to be perfect.

Men and Women: A common struggle to be perfect.

Culture has for years defined the way men and women should look, both by body type and by cloths. That being said, however it is our women that we are usually subjecting to unrealistic or shallow expectations. It is interesting to read about the way “fitness” is portrayed and what male models are going through to make it seem a way that it isn’t but, I still don’t think we can put this on the same level as the standard to which women are held to on a daily basis.

Sure it’s a little silly that men are putting themselves through probably agonizing days and weeks in order to portray a look of health and fitness when what they are really doing is being harmful to their bodies but don’t women do this too? Maybe women models aren’t the same in regards to fitness magazines but what about the beloved Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, pin-up calendars and posters? The women that are modeling for things like these are often times putting their bodies through just as much to look that same unattainable way. I’m a little ashamed to admit this but hey I’m married and when you’re married you do things for her that you might not normally do yourself. In watching “Americas Next Top Model” you’re all the time seeing girls talk about picking up smoking to help keep them skinny and being either anorexic or bulimic in order to again, help keep them skinny. Even aside from these physical extremities there are still the same lighting, posture, and Photoshop tricks that the article talks about.

This article goes on to talk about how men and women both have unrealistic expectations projected on them, to fit in to the mold that society has carved out and deemed mandatory. While this is absolutely correct I have to say that women are far more subjected to this than men are. This is the first time I have ever seen or heard someone publicly talk out about culture trying to shape men and have them fit into a certain criteria. Women on the other hand have been openly publicly objectified for years. You hear the term sex sell all the time and its true but which sex is selling, men or women? Women! TV adds, billboards, music videos, signs and packaging, it all is sold, it is almost always women who are dressed or nearly stripped to in such a way to provoke a certain way of thinking by both men and women.

Men think what they see everywhere is what a female is supposed to look like by what they ware and what kind of curves their bodies have. In turn women feel like no matter how they where born and what body type they have this is the way they are supposed to look. Every day I walk on campus I see guys just standing around and comparing one girl’s “ass” and “tits” to the next and I see girls who are trying to bee something they really aren’t. All this said, when it comes to men and women, but especially women I agree with Greta when she says, “Be who you are. That's actually an attainable goal. And it's a hell of a lot more fun.”

This response was based on Greta Christina’s article: Wealthy, Handsome, Strong, Packing Endless Hard-Ons: The Impossible Ideals Men Are Expected to Meet

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