“ I think therefore I am” Rene Descartes. (Weems 2005) This quote from Descartes really caught my eye as I was going through the book. Everyone has a mind and the ability to think, and that is a beautiful thing. This being said, I feel that education and using our brains is what really gives human beings the ability to grow. The ability to think, learn, and feel are the things that make us human feel alive, and really give us life. This is one of the main reasons why I wanted to become a teacher. People as individuals each bring something different to the table. Interaction in the classroom environment can really open students up to expressing themselves and learning from others. This reminds me of my seventh grade teacher. I asked him if he ever regretted becoming a teacher, and he said no it is something he loves to do. The money is not always good but I learn something new everyday. He also said that he learns just as much from us as we learn from him. At this time, I did not understand exactly what he meant. It is only now that I understand what he really means. One of those things that he told me is that you can never judge a book by its cover. This is one lesson that I continue to learn over and over, everyday of my life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adLxTDJgXUw“The plight of gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgendered students is another area in which imagination intellect can be nurtured.” I definitely agree with this statement and wish that I would have learned to be more accepting of gay or lesbian students in my early education. At some point when I was in elementary school I was taught by my peers that it was ok to say things like “that is gay” or “You’re a fag”. Unfortunately some old habits take a long time to get rid of. I will admit that even today I have caught myself saying that is gay. However, since I have taken this class I have been much more conscious of the words that I choose to use. Unfortunately, about two weeks ago I found myself talking to one of the guys in my class. To be honest I’m not sure if he is gay but he has always had feminine manurisms. Regardless, me and this student were talking about one of the assignments that we have and how difficult it is going to be. I found myself saying “ Yea that’s gonna be so gay”. This other kid gave me and odd look and said well I will see you in class man. As I thought about what I had just said, it finally registered that I might have really hurt his feelings. The lesson that I learned from this situation is that I have to watch what words come out of my mouth. Words can be really hurtful and often offend others. I feel that this situation could have been avoided if I had only be exposed to the idea of being more sensitive to the gay community. I feel that if kids are exposed to such ideas at a young age they would end up being more understanding and sensitive to others. In the long run I feel it would be very beneficial to individuals and society at large.
“ Aesthetic appreciation and expression should be explored simultaneously in the classroom.” I can say that I do agree with this point. It kind of goes along with giving kids a sense of confidence that they can create and that they can be individuals. I feel that I did not experience a lot of this during my time in public schools. However, I did witness this during my observations at Gilmour Academy. The class that I was in was of kids who were in first or second grade. The teacher read them a story about monsters and afterward they were told to create their own monster. As I walked around, I was very impressed. One of the kids drew a monster called radio man. This monster had speakers on every limb, and very intricate switches and buttons on his body. Furthermore, he had what appeared to be radio waves coming from his body. Behind radio man in the distance, were radio towers. I was surprised that a kid this age was so gifted and creative. Many of his peers also had very creative drawings. These students were pushed to be innovators through an exercise in which they created their own monsters. I thought that this was a really cool way for the kids to create something on their own, and they really seemed to enjoy it.
Violence can really hurt people, but can words sometimes hurt more?
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