What!
In Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation Jonathan Kozol argues against the notion "that the largest portion of the suffering poor people undergo has to be blamed upon their own 'behaviors'(p.21). He quotes professor Lawrence Mead saying: "If poor people behaved rationally, they would seldom be poor long in the first place." Kozol is arguing against this flawed ideology that poor people are to blame for their own suffering. This reasoning will logically produce contempt for the poor instead of compassion. Kozol does a great job of showing how some of the choices made by government (the city of New York in this article) and flaws in the welfare system contribute to make it difficult for those who live in poverty.
In this article, Kozol describes the South Bronx ghetto neighborhood Mott Haven as the poorest in the Bronx. He explains the epidemic rates of HIV and prevalence of drug addiction in this area.He also describe the substandard project housing that most people live in and shows difficult living conditions in this part of New York. One example of social injustice he shares is how the city of New York chose to locate the incinerator in this neighborhood over the objections of parents. The most disturbing point is that the original site location was cancelled over similar parental objections in the more affluent east side of Manhatten.
So What:
Kozol gives us real reasons to care about the conditions of the people in his article. He describes serious health risks to thousands of children. On page 4 he states "Depression is common among children in Mott Haven. Many cry a great deal but cannot explain exactly why. Fear and anxiety are common. Many cannot sleep." On page 5 Kozol asks: "What is it like for children to grow up here? What do they think the world has done to them? Do they believe that they are being shunned or hidden by society? If so, do they think they deserve this? What is it that enables some of them to pray? When they pray, what do they say to God?
It is clear that children who are living in poverty haven't done anything to blame for their suffering. Kozol then shares the story of Alice Washington to illustrate that adults are often forced into poverty even while making rational intelligent decisions. Mrs. Washington encounters a welfare system fraught with error and abuse that can make it difficult for some who need help to get it while others may receive checks for those who have died months or years ago. On page 20 Kozol quotes Mrs. Washington saying "My doctor says, when it comes to the poor, they can't get nothin' right." This is why Mrs. Washington and others in her community suffer in understaffed, substandard hospitals. Sadly there isn't just inequity in our society but injustice, poverty and few options for those who live in poverty. This results in a continuous cycle of poverty and injustice.
Now What:
Jonathan Kozol quotes Mrs. Washington's son David on page 23.
David says "Somebody has power. Pretending that they don't so they don't need to use it to help people --that is my idea of evil."
The implication in this statement is that many of us who have power and ability to help others pretend we don't have the ability to do anything. In many cases this may be a subconscious easing of conscience. The result is the same, cycles of poverty and injustice continue. The answer is for all of us to recognize the poverty around us and do what is in our power to help those in need. It is much easier for many of us to do nothing about the poor around us becaus we don't feel as privileged as we are. As Johnson says in his article, "We use reference groups to construct a sense of how good or bad, high or low we are... we usually don't look downward in the social hierarchy but to people we identify as being on the same level as or higher level than our own."
I have some additional thoughts that I would like to share. I agree with Kozol that many are poor because of a lack of options and opportunities rather than irrational behavior and poor choices as it seems Lawrence Mead and probably Goldberg would suggest. It is true that irrational behavior and poor choices that lead to various addictions can contribute to poverty. However, most people who are poor have limited opportunities to improve their situation. In any case, it is not my place to judge why someone is poor but rather to do what I can to help those who are poor. There is some great wisdom in what David said on page 23 of Kozol's article. As a Christian, I believe God calls us to use the power we have to help people, especially those who live in poverty. It doesn't help anyone to ask them what they did to become poor, or criticize them for not making the best decision possible in every situation. However, there is tremendous potential for positive change if we ask "what injustices are contributing to or causing their poverty?" Then we will be in a better position to seek social justice and help those in need.
I would like to share a relevant verse from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah:
Isaiah 58:6-7 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"
In his article titled "Jonathan Kozol," Goldberg is arguing that our schools teach anti-America propaganda. He says on page 294 that so many of today's schools are turning out "smart" kids with little understanding of how precious their heritage is." Goldberg then goes on to say that this problem is a complicated one but Jonathan Kozol has had considerable influence in changing our classrooms. His books "focused mainly on poor and minority kids, he has preached his version of how kids should be educated and his influence today is immense. Kozol is a fierce opponent of traditional learning... He believes that education cannot and should not be politically neutral."
So What:
Goldberg expresses extreme concern about Kozol because "Kozol is strongly admired in the education establishment and his ideas are put into practice every day in classrooms all across America from high school all the way to preschool." Golderg also expresses concern about Kozol encouraging students skepticism of authority and the "left wing publications and organizations including information agencies of the Chinese and Cuban governments where teachers can get worthwhile classroom materials."
Now What:
I'm not sure what Goldberg wants us to do about this. It seems like he wants us to teach patriotism, a pro-American view of our heritage and obedient civic behavior (p. 294-295).
I have not read very much of Kozol's writing, only the earlier article so I don't know what to make of this critique. However, America has a very painful past and a record of extreme racial injustice toward African Americans and near annihilation of native Americans. There are also other significant examples of racial injustice in our past such as Japanese-American internment camps. Interestingly we did not have the same camps for German-Americans.
We have both good and evil in our heritage and it is advisable to give our students the truth about both. We have provided a new home for many millions fleeing religious and other persecutions. We helped defeat Nazi Germany in World War II and are a land of opportunity for many. However, there is still a great deal of injustice and racism in our nation. It is a land where those who have money and privilege often easily gain more and those who live in poverty usually only have limited opportunities. I plan to read more of Kozol in the future to see what I think of his ideas as he expresses them. Then I will have a better context in which to evaluate the criticisms that Goldberg has raised. What I did read of Kozol resonated pretty well with my limited personal observations of our society and government.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
My Relationship to the Culture of Power
In The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People's Children, Lisa Delpit identifies how significant miscommunication occurs when dialoguing on the topic of "how best to educate children of color." She asks "how can such complete communication blocks exist when both nonwhites and whites truly believe they have the same aims?" In examining and reflecting on these issues, Delpit has found a connecting and complicated theme she calls "the culture of power" (p.24-26):
1. Issues of power are enacted in classrooms
2. There are codes or rules for participating in power; "that is there is a culture of power."
3. The rules of the culture of power are a reflection of the rules of the culture of those who have power.
4. If you are not already a participant in the culture of power, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier.
5. Those with power are frequently least aware of - or least willing to acknowledge - its existence. Those with less power are often most aware of its existence.
What is the culture of power like, what does it mean?
On page 25 Delpit says that "this means that success in institutions -- schools, workplaces and so on - is predicated upon acquisition of the culture of those who are in power. Children from middle-class homes tend to do better in school than those from non-middle-class homes because the culture of the school is based on the culture of the upper and middle classes - of those in power....children from other kinds of families operate within perfectly wonderful and viable cultures but not cultures that carry the codes or rules of power."
So what is my relationship to this culture of power? As a middle class American, I have had the benefits of access to the codes and rules of power. I don't normally think of myself as having personal power. However, each of the letters in the acronym SCWAAMP represents a characteristic true of me. I can also see some of the ways that society bestows on me certain privilege and benefits which others lack who are not as well connected to the culture of power. There are certainly others who have more economic and social capital than I do but I still benefit from significant privilege that I did nothing to earn.
I was raised in a middle class family, where I learned many of the codes and rules for participating in power. I also received the benefit of attending a good high school, good success in high school and college. As a white male, whose family had a middle - class lifestyle I have had many options to choose from for pursuing both higher education and employment. At times I have put in a great deal of work and effort to attain what I have, but I still benefit from significant privilege. I rarely fear for my safety. I don't need to worry myself with whether or not my landlord will renew my lease. I don't need to learn a second language in order to communicate or buy groceries, etc.
It is clear that there are people who have more property and/or economic and social capital than I do but I still benefit from many privileges that others lack. This isn't fair for the many people who need to work harder to achieve similar or lesser results.
Now what can I do as one who benefits from the culture of power? The more power we have the greater our ability and responsibility to help bring social justice and fairness to those who operate within cultures that lack the codes and rules of power. Since, I lack political power and have only limited social and economic capital, I am limited in my ability to bring change to our culture.
Since I plan to pursue a career as an educator serving in inner city schools there are several things I may be able to do. If I am able to find employment in a city school, then I need to follow through with Delpit's suggestion to consult with other adults who share the cultures of my students when deciding how to educate my students. I will need to listen well, especially when it is painful to do so and then learn from my mistakes. I would also like to help others grow in their awareness of the racial injustice that is happening all around us. When we become aware of the social injustice around us then we can help advocate for positive change and take appropriate steps to level the "playing field" for those who experience oppression in our society.
When I have traveled in Europe and Mexico, it has been helpful to read guidebooks and study the language and customs of the countries I visited. When I went to Mexico and Germany, I actually received the benefits of specific cross-cultural training. This helped me to have a more successful experience during my time in these countries. Without learning some of the codes and rules of these cultures, I would have risked miscommunications, offending others and my personal safety.
In a similar way, our students who are not part of the culture of power need to learn the rules that will enable them to have success in this culture. When educating my students I would like to help them learn the codes and rules they need to know, while also validating and appreciating their cultural backgrounds. They will still have significant barriers to overcome in our society but if they know the rules it will be possible for them to achieve success and to potentially help bring change to the culture of power. They can help cause change when they get opportunities to "tap the glass" of our society's most valued ideologies.
1. Issues of power are enacted in classrooms
2. There are codes or rules for participating in power; "that is there is a culture of power."
3. The rules of the culture of power are a reflection of the rules of the culture of those who have power.
4. If you are not already a participant in the culture of power, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier.
5. Those with power are frequently least aware of - or least willing to acknowledge - its existence. Those with less power are often most aware of its existence.
What is the culture of power like, what does it mean?
On page 25 Delpit says that "this means that success in institutions -- schools, workplaces and so on - is predicated upon acquisition of the culture of those who are in power. Children from middle-class homes tend to do better in school than those from non-middle-class homes because the culture of the school is based on the culture of the upper and middle classes - of those in power....children from other kinds of families operate within perfectly wonderful and viable cultures but not cultures that carry the codes or rules of power."
So what is my relationship to this culture of power? As a middle class American, I have had the benefits of access to the codes and rules of power. I don't normally think of myself as having personal power. However, each of the letters in the acronym SCWAAMP represents a characteristic true of me. I can also see some of the ways that society bestows on me certain privilege and benefits which others lack who are not as well connected to the culture of power. There are certainly others who have more economic and social capital than I do but I still benefit from significant privilege that I did nothing to earn.
I was raised in a middle class family, where I learned many of the codes and rules for participating in power. I also received the benefit of attending a good high school, good success in high school and college. As a white male, whose family had a middle - class lifestyle I have had many options to choose from for pursuing both higher education and employment. At times I have put in a great deal of work and effort to attain what I have, but I still benefit from significant privilege. I rarely fear for my safety. I don't need to worry myself with whether or not my landlord will renew my lease. I don't need to learn a second language in order to communicate or buy groceries, etc.
It is clear that there are people who have more property and/or economic and social capital than I do but I still benefit from many privileges that others lack. This isn't fair for the many people who need to work harder to achieve similar or lesser results.
Now what can I do as one who benefits from the culture of power? The more power we have the greater our ability and responsibility to help bring social justice and fairness to those who operate within cultures that lack the codes and rules of power. Since, I lack political power and have only limited social and economic capital, I am limited in my ability to bring change to our culture.
Since I plan to pursue a career as an educator serving in inner city schools there are several things I may be able to do. If I am able to find employment in a city school, then I need to follow through with Delpit's suggestion to consult with other adults who share the cultures of my students when deciding how to educate my students. I will need to listen well, especially when it is painful to do so and then learn from my mistakes. I would also like to help others grow in their awareness of the racial injustice that is happening all around us. When we become aware of the social injustice around us then we can help advocate for positive change and take appropriate steps to level the "playing field" for those who experience oppression in our society.
When I have traveled in Europe and Mexico, it has been helpful to read guidebooks and study the language and customs of the countries I visited. When I went to Mexico and Germany, I actually received the benefits of specific cross-cultural training. This helped me to have a more successful experience during my time in these countries. Without learning some of the codes and rules of these cultures, I would have risked miscommunications, offending others and my personal safety.
In a similar way, our students who are not part of the culture of power need to learn the rules that will enable them to have success in this culture. When educating my students I would like to help them learn the codes and rules they need to know, while also validating and appreciating their cultural backgrounds. They will still have significant barriers to overcome in our society but if they know the rules it will be possible for them to achieve success and to potentially help bring change to the culture of power. They can help cause change when they get opportunities to "tap the glass" of our society's most valued ideologies.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Lisa Delpit "The Silenced Dialogue"
In "The Silenced Dialogue" Delpit expresses the point of view that we need to teach students "the spoken and written language codes that will allow them success in the larger society." On page 45, Ms. Delpit argues that "while students are assisted in learning the culture of power, they must also learn about the arbitrariness of those codes and the power relationships they represent." Delpit is arguing that in order to change the status quo of the current culture of power, students of groups oppressed by this culture need to know how to communicate within the culture of power. If they are to assist in bringing positive change then they will also need to recognize how power relationships have been established.
Passages of Interest:
This passage helped illustrate how we can attribute value to the culture values of an oppressed group while equipping students to communicate in the dominant culture. However, in many of our inner city classrooms our students come from diverse cultural and lingual backgrounds. These students share a common need to learn to speak and write in our society but it will be quite challenging to develop an awareness of the cultural values of each individual student. The classroom I volunteered at thursday provides us a good example of a multicultural teaching situation with Latino, African-American, Asian and White students all present. In a more homogenous teaching environment in the suburbs, educators prepare mostly white students to communicate and live as adults in a white dominant society.
In inner city schools or other locations where there are a significant number of people of color, students need to learn a great deal more to effectively operate in the culture of power. This fact helps illustrate how the S.C.W.A.A.M.P. culture of power remains privileged and those who are not privileged continue to experience the cycles of oppression. If some students of oppressed groups can learn to operate within the culture of power while recognizing the dynamics of power structute, then real "Change" may come.
These quotes and a few other similar ones caught my attention. We need to learn to properly assess the needs of our students and equip them for the challenges they will face in society. This is especially true for students from inner city schools who face oppression along with so many obstacles in our society.
When I graduate, I will need a job and will have to take whatever teaching position I can. However, I would like to serve as an educator in an inner city school. There are obviously great needs in our cities and I am more motivated to serve in a place where I may be able to help people who are seeking to overcome significant obstacles. As a result, I find it very helpful to think about these issues and as I read this article it made alot of sense to me and I found some helpful principles.
For example, it isn't a good idea for me to assume that I will always know what my students need to learn. I need to learn from my students and their parents what their needs are and then give them what they need even though it will be difficult. Effective teaching is more about teaching students and helping them learn and develop the skills they will need rather than about me teaching them the ways or material that I would like to teach.
Questions/Comments/Points to share:
I thought this was a very interesting article. Even though I am missing some pages from the article, I think the material here was pretty clear in expressing Delpit's "suggestion that students must be taught the codes needed to participate fully in the mainstream of American life." Sadly for most of American history significant groups of people in our nation have been prevented from participation in the freedoms and privilege of some Americans. When the founders of this nation wrote the Declaration of Independence discussing certain "Inalienable rights" many of them owned other people as slaves. This oppression although to a lesser degree continues to exist in our nation till the present day. Hopefully we as educators can help make a difference in helping Change our society.
In addition to these comments, I have a question about No Child left behind. Obviously, Delpit expresses disapproval towards the No Child Left behind act in her introduction. Most of the teachers I've talked to have had at least partially negative attitudes toward this act and the results of it. What do you see as the problems with this act and what could be changed to make it effective in promoting quality education for all?
Passages of Interest:
- On page 40-41, Delpit says: "But I also do not believe that we should teach students to passively adopt an alternative code. They must be encouraged to understand the value of the code thy already possess as well as understand the power relation in this country. Otherwise they will be unable to work to change these realities...she labels 'Our Heritage Language,' On the other half of the bulletin board she puts the equivalent statements in 'Standard English,' which she labels 'Formal English.'"
This passage helped illustrate how we can attribute value to the culture values of an oppressed group while equipping students to communicate in the dominant culture. However, in many of our inner city classrooms our students come from diverse cultural and lingual backgrounds. These students share a common need to learn to speak and write in our society but it will be quite challenging to develop an awareness of the cultural values of each individual student. The classroom I volunteered at thursday provides us a good example of a multicultural teaching situation with Latino, African-American, Asian and White students all present. In a more homogenous teaching environment in the suburbs, educators prepare mostly white students to communicate and live as adults in a white dominant society.
In inner city schools or other locations where there are a significant number of people of color, students need to learn a great deal more to effectively operate in the culture of power. This fact helps illustrate how the S.C.W.A.A.M.P. culture of power remains privileged and those who are not privileged continue to experience the cycles of oppression. If some students of oppressed groups can learn to operate within the culture of power while recognizing the dynamics of power structute, then real "Change" may come.
- In another thought-provoking passage, (p. 29) Delpit quotes a parent. "As one parent demanded, 'My kids know how to be black you all teach them how to be successful in the white man's world.'" A little later (p.32) she includes another related quote:
These quotes and a few other similar ones caught my attention. We need to learn to properly assess the needs of our students and equip them for the challenges they will face in society. This is especially true for students from inner city schools who face oppression along with so many obstacles in our society.
When I graduate, I will need a job and will have to take whatever teaching position I can. However, I would like to serve as an educator in an inner city school. There are obviously great needs in our cities and I am more motivated to serve in a place where I may be able to help people who are seeking to overcome significant obstacles. As a result, I find it very helpful to think about these issues and as I read this article it made alot of sense to me and I found some helpful principles.
For example, it isn't a good idea for me to assume that I will always know what my students need to learn. I need to learn from my students and their parents what their needs are and then give them what they need even though it will be difficult. Effective teaching is more about teaching students and helping them learn and develop the skills they will need rather than about me teaching them the ways or material that I would like to teach.
- The other passage that I would like to comment on is found on page 45. Ms. Delpit "suggests that appropriate education for poor children and children of color can only be devised in consultation with adults who share their culture. Black parents, teachers of color, and members of poor communities must be allowed to participate fully in the discussion of what kind of instruction is in their best interest. ... Massey, Scott, and Dornbusch found that under the pressures of teaching, and with all intentions of 'being nice,' teachers had essentially stopped attempting to teach black children. In their words: 'We have shown that oppression can arise out of warmth, friendliness and concern.'"
Questions/Comments/Points to share:
I thought this was a very interesting article. Even though I am missing some pages from the article, I think the material here was pretty clear in expressing Delpit's "suggestion that students must be taught the codes needed to participate fully in the mainstream of American life." Sadly for most of American history significant groups of people in our nation have been prevented from participation in the freedoms and privilege of some Americans. When the founders of this nation wrote the Declaration of Independence discussing certain "Inalienable rights" many of them owned other people as slaves. This oppression although to a lesser degree continues to exist in our nation till the present day. Hopefully we as educators can help make a difference in helping Change our society.
In addition to these comments, I have a question about No Child left behind. Obviously, Delpit expresses disapproval towards the No Child Left behind act in her introduction. Most of the teachers I've talked to have had at least partially negative attitudes toward this act and the results of it. What do you see as the problems with this act and what could be changed to make it effective in promoting quality education for all?
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Privilege, Power, and Difference
"Privilege, Power, and Difference" by Allan G. Johnson
In this work, Johnson argues that "a great deal of trouble surrounds the issue of difference in this society". He communicates that there are social constructions which lead to privilege for some and result in oppression for others. Collectively we don't get along with each other and we need to examine the reasons for this. He communicates that the differences we possess from each other are not the problem but rather the system that provides unearned benefits to a white male like myself and unearned liabilities to people of non-privileged groups.
Passages of Interest:
In this work, Johnson argues that "a great deal of trouble surrounds the issue of difference in this society". He communicates that there are social constructions which lead to privilege for some and result in oppression for others. Collectively we don't get along with each other and we need to examine the reasons for this. He communicates that the differences we possess from each other are not the problem but rather the system that provides unearned benefits to a white male like myself and unearned liabilities to people of non-privileged groups.
Passages of Interest:
- "The existence of privilege doesn't mean I didn't do a good job, of course, or that I don't deserve credit for it. What it does mean is that I'm also getting something that other people are denied, people who are like me in every respect except for the gender, race, and sexual orientation categories they belong to.... In other words, 'To be white in America means not having to think about it'' (Johnson 24-25).
Johnson is making a great point here. It is true that as a white male there are many things that I don't have to concern myself with which many others do. I take it for granted that I will be safe from physical harm and harassment in many situations. I remember several years ago when my wife and I lived in Buffalo, NY that sometimes she wore a baseball cap to make it less obvious she was a woman when she needed to go out at night. This passage is a good reminder that their are many privileges bestowed on me as a white male in American society that many others are unable to benefit from.
- On pages 36-37 Johnson states that "The paradoxical experience of being privileged without feeling privileged is a second consequence of the fact that privilege is more about social categories than who people are. It has to do primarily with the people we use as standards of comparison -- what sociologists call 'reference groups.' We use reference groups to construct a sense of how good or bad, high or low we are in the scheme of things. To do this, we usually don't look downward in the social hierarchy but to people we identify as being on the same level as or higher than our own....Since being white is valued in this society, whites will tend to compare themselves with other whites, not with people of color...What this means is that whites will tend not to feel privileged by their race when they compare themselves with their reference group, because their reference group is also white."
I find this quote challenging and the point Johnson makes here indicates part of the reason privilege and oppression consistently continue in our society. Instead of doing what we can to help those who are oppressed and advocate for social justice we are caught up in complaining or feeling that we don't have it as good as we should have it since some of our friends and family have bigger houses, nicer cars, etc. I tend to think of myself as having a relatively modest lifestyle when I observe many of my friends. It is more difficult to compare myself with families who live crowded in small inner city apartments and it is still even more difficult to take significant action to help those who live in poverty.
- On page 40 Johnson says "in order to have the experience of being oppressed, it is necessary to belong to an oppressed category. In other words, men cannot be oppressed as men, just as whites cannot be oppressed as whites or heterosexuals as heterosexuals because a group can be oppressed only if there exists another group that has the power to oppress them."
I disagree with Johnson's statement here. It appears to me that Johnson is saying that men cannot be oppressed as men. I may be confused by his meaning of the term oppression. It seems to me that through affirmative action a white man or woman may experience some form of oppression because of preferential hiring of a person of color. Obviously the white person will typically benefit from privilege outside of this situation, but they are still experiencing some reverse discrimination. When I was in college back in the early 90's looking for jobs in Wildlife Biology I was concerned that it would be more difficult for me to get a job because of being a white male because of affirmative action concerns.
More recently, I directed an inner city mission project in New York. Since I wanted a more diverse team I held open positions and charged white students more then ethnic minority students because of our desire for a racially diverse team. I don't think this was oppressive in any sense for the white students but rather helping to level the field for ethnic students. However, this type of affirmative action can contribute to resentment in white people and potentially be oppressive in certain situations.
Questions/Comments/Point to share:
I felt Johnson raised alot of great points and I agreed with most of what he said. I think it is great for us to think about and discuss these issues of privilege and how privilege for some of us creates such a significant cost for others. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to bring about true racial reconciliation and healing to our society. I would like to ask (if you are willing to share) others in the class, are you aware of ways you have or do experience the benefits of privilege or costs of oppression?
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
"A Great Teacher"
Mr. Mac stands out as my most memorable and effective teacher in high school. In his ecology class he entertained us with his great stories, which carried with them a significant message. He used stories about the impact of human activity on the relationships of animals and plants existing together in community. This helped us learn that everything we do can have an impact on our environment. He used humor and stories to develop our interest in the ecological topics we studied. One story I still remember 22 years later is about the Kern county mouse war. Hearing stories like this helped me realize the delicate balance of ecosystems, and learn the material. This also did a great job of helping us see the impact we can have on the world around us for good and bad depending on how we treat the environment. Mr. Mac was a great teacher because he helped make the learning process enjoyable and interesting.
He made our classroom a safe place to learn by sharing about his personal interest in and passion for birds and nature. He told us about his experiences birding at nearby Trustom pond. Some of them were humorous but most importantly, this helped me see that science wasn’t just a subject he taught at school but something he did for personal enjoyment. I knew that I enjoyed nature and wildlife and participating in Mr. Mac’s class helped inspire my interest in studying wildlife biology. Now as I look back, I can also see how my time in his class helped me decide to pursue a career in secondary education. Mr. Mac probably doesn’t remember me or know how his teaching has impacted my life but he had a profound impact on me and many other students from our school.
He made our classroom a safe place to learn by sharing about his personal interest in and passion for birds and nature. He told us about his experiences birding at nearby Trustom pond. Some of them were humorous but most importantly, this helped me see that science wasn’t just a subject he taught at school but something he did for personal enjoyment. I knew that I enjoyed nature and wildlife and participating in Mr. Mac’s class helped inspire my interest in studying wildlife biology. Now as I look back, I can also see how my time in his class helped me decide to pursue a career in secondary education. Mr. Mac probably doesn’t remember me or know how his teaching has impacted my life but he had a profound impact on me and many other students from our school.
welcome to my Saw-whet blog!
Welcome to my blog.
My name is John Mitchell. It is a pleasure to be here at RIC taking secondary ed. classes. I would like to introduce myself by letting you know that I live in Cranston and am a native Rhode Islander. My wife and I have two lovely children: Anna & Samuel. Anna will turn 3 on May 31st! I look forward to posting a picture soon.
Thanks for coming by and visiting my blog.
John
My name is John Mitchell. It is a pleasure to be here at RIC taking secondary ed. classes. I would like to introduce myself by letting you know that I live in Cranston and am a native Rhode Islander. My wife and I have two lovely children: Anna & Samuel. Anna will turn 3 on May 31st! I look forward to posting a picture soon.
Thanks for coming by and visiting my blog.
John
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