Learning from Other Cultures

I attended a lecture by Gemma, the woman who married into the Maasai tribe that lives in Tanzania. I found it amazing to listen to her wisdom from living in England and now in Africa. She described the culture of Tanzania, describing their education system, medicine system, and different aspects of their culture. I went to this lecture because at the time I was applying to spend my Jterm of 2008 studying abroad on the Tanzania trip. I now know I have made it and am excited to expand my knowledge and education by learning first hand by a different culture.

I think the opportunities Luther students have to study abroad are amazing. What better way to become a more well-rounded individual then leave the country to be educated. I think not only will I gain knowledge I would never get staying in the United States, but I will gain a life experience that will shape me as a person. Seeing first hand a new way of life will help me appreciate my own, and possibly positively change my ways.

As a teacher I hope to have experiences to share with my students. Although studying abroad with a classroom is unrealistic, the concept is not. We must teach our students about more than just America. They need to learn about global current events, global issues, histories of other countries, and the way people live in other parts of the world. I am excited that I am starting m y global travels at such a young age so I will be able to take what I learn and share my experience with my classrooms to help create globally knowledgeable students and well-rounded individuals.

Evolving Education

I decided to interview my dad about the changes that have taken place in education and teaching over the past twenty years or so. I had him narrow the changes down to the three he thought were the most important or the biggest changes. He talked about the increase in the need for teachers to have the ability to teach to a wider variety, including the broadened need of the diverse tools teachers need to teach the ever increasing diverse classrooms. Another difference he has seen is the level of accountability teachers have for student achivement has gretyly increased, for example the implications of the No Child Left Behind Act. The last difference we discussed have had to increase their skills to read and analyze data and have the ability to adjust their teaching strategies to match the needs determined from the data.

I really enjoyed discussing these differences with my dad because it shows how much can change from my first year of teaching to my last. I also gained insight on important aspects of teaching today. Today's education focuses a lot of meeting the needs of diverse students and creating an environment for all students to succeed in. While this is true, teachers have gained responsibility in creating successful students, no matter what the circumstance.

Exploring the Vegetarian Option

My older brother became a vegetarian a few years ago, and while I have discussed this with him briefly, I decided now would be a good time to learn more about the vegetarian diet and why he chose to change. His main reasons were due to way the meat was produced. Animals are antibiotics and steroids, they require a lot of water and agriculture which is taxing on the soil as well as pollutant. He also stated that if everyone ate a vegetarian diet there would be enough food for everyone. He believes the pros to being a vegetarian are being healthier, having cheaper food bills, and for him he has a sense of pride because his personal philosophy is reflected in his way of life. He did admit that there were cons to the diet, the main ones being it is difficult to go out to eat or prepare meals that appeals to meat eaters.

While I agree that these are good reasons to change a diet, they didn't quite convince me. His arguments did make me more aware of what I eat and I do think I will be more conscious from now on, making vegetarian choices occasionally.

I enjoyed creating a lesson for myself because I was able to choose something I am interested in, making the learning seem more meaningful.

HAIR!

I attended Hair on Thursday and I was impressed. Before I went I did not know much about it. I loved the topics they addressed and the characters. Each one did an exceptional job of being completely submerged in their character, making me forget that I knew so many of them. Hair is a great way to raise awareness about stereotypes, the draft, and the way we think. Even though it was in the 1960's, many of the issues are still apparent today. Once again, people are facing the decision of leaving their family and friends to fight for our country. We as a country are forced to think about what we believe in and decide if we will make a difference. Also, Hair destroyed social norms by the vulgar language and scenes centered around sex and drugs. I think it is important to recognize how much a show can accomplish, how much a show can make you think about your own views and beliefs.

Although Hair is not appropriate for most ages, the idea of the fine arts is. These days, standardized testing has become the focus and fine arts are being looked over in many cases. Is it fair for someone to decide that one kind of education is more important than another? Fine arts gives many creative students an outlet and a way to express themselves, and just like in Hair, profound messages can be stated in this way. I think educators need to realize the importance of fine arts, giving it the same amount of importance in a curriculum as math and science. Although I have never been involved too much in fine arts, I do appreciate it and believe plays and concerts can have as big of an impact on the audience as an impowering speech.

Technology--A Do or a Don't??

Today the Internet and technology are a major part of our society, as well as most people's everyday lives. It is also impacting education. I think that there are both positive and negative aspects to the increasing usage of technology. For one, it is efficient (if it is working), gives students and teachers another resource, and opens the door to opportunities one would have a hard time finding in their local library. Also, incorporating technology into the classrooms allows for an easy way to present lessons, for example through PowerPoint's, and make learning fun and interesting by mixing things up.

The flip side of this though is the negative impact of the Internet and technology. For example, in class we discussed how some children cannot spell without spell check. This is an example of the great disadvantages future students will have when they rely on technology to do their work.

I think that technology should be incorporated in the classroom, yet in moderation. Also, it is important for teachers to make sure their students are understanding the basics that technology can do for them, such as spelling and grammar issues. If both skills are taught, then I think that the Internet and technology do offer great promise and hope for education in the future.

Raising Awarenessin a Unique Way--Vagina Monologues

I atteneded the Vagina Monologues for the second time this year and I love it. I think these monologues are a greaty way for women to come together, along with men, and discuss issues that are, for the most part, not discussed. The Vagina Monolgoues does a great job of incorporating humor, as well as the sad but true facts about violence against women--rape, battery, incest, sexual slavery and female mutilation. These monolgoues empower women, telling them they are beautiful, normal, in power, and have control over their bodies. I wish more people were aware of the distrurbing statistics and attended the Vagina Monologues to become aware.

The Vagina Monologues is a great way to educate people in a unique way, yet I do not believe it is age appropriate for the majority of students, even in high schools. At best, seniors may be mature enough to watch a show like this. With that being said, it is a great way to educate college students and raise awareness. Although the Vagina Monologues may not be appropriate for education, I once again thought about the issue of Americans not knowing what is going on in other countries. It is true that rape, battery, and violence against women does take place in America, but the female mutilation, sexual slavery and mass cases of abuse generally take place in other countries. I find it amazing that I live my life here in America and until a few years ago was unaware of the conditions many people live in. Once again, I do not think it is appropriate to teach students the in-depth statistics about violence aginst women, but I do think education about the world needs to become a part of the curriculum in public schools. This is the only way we can educate our students enough that they become passionate about making a difference. Americans supposedly hold the most power in the world, so shouldn't we also be creating citizens that take that power and make a positive difference in situations such as violence against women, poverty, global warming and other issues our world faces today. I think it is the schools' role to teach students that everyone in this world is important and we cannot have an elitist view of ourselves. Many in America are simply not aware of issues in other parts of the world, or even worse, do not care because it does not affect them. We as educators need to change this view and make our students conscious of the world around them.

Sex Education--What else needs to happen before we begin to teach it??

Teen pregnancy in high school has become especially disturbing to me since I have been in high school. In my four years, I would say at least twenty girls were pregnant at some point, some even having their second child before they graduate! Some may think that all of these girls were the stereotype of teen pregnancy, the students who are uninvolved in school and seem to have something else that is more worth their time. This wasn't the case. Some of the pregnant teens were my friends, cheerleaders, and good students. I also know that this is a problem in many school systems. The reason this issue distrubs me so much is because in my high school we really didn't have any sex education. For maybe two days we covered the basics, but really I would not say it went in depth enough to address the seriousness of the issue. Because of this I believe sex education should become apart of high school curriculum.

Our society these days is exposed to sex all the time, and kids are being exposed to more and more at a younger age. Many get the idea from shows and movie that sex is not a big deal, and for many, this may be where they get a lot of their ideas about sex. I think schools need to take control. I believe sex education should be taught in high schools, requiring students to have some form of it each year so they don't forget about it. I also think the education needs to be realistic. I do not think it would be helpful to teach abstinence as the only solution. I think this should be discussed, yet solutions such as birth control, condoms and other prevention methods need to be taught. Also, I think situations that many young teenagers may think they cannot get pregnant from must be discussed. Many students are simply ignorant, and ignorance about the issue of sex can lead to life changing consequences. Overall, I think sex education needs to be implemented in all schools as a serious subject to be taught. It affects so many lives and I think if students were educated better on the issues surrounding it, a lot of unwanted pregnancies can be prevented.