1. Mr. Hundert's quote is completely accurate in my eyes. Stupidity is a common enough disease among people, and sadly it is something that can never be cured. If a person cannot open their minds to new ideas and experiences, they will be forever ignorant. That type of thinking is counterintuitive and as ancient and outdated as chiseled word on stone.
2. Sedgewick Bell is a very manipulative and intelligent con artist. He has Mr. Hundert believing in him and then betrays his trust. Hundert is hurt and shaken by the experience because he truly saw himself in Sedgewick and believed he could overcome his bad upbringings. Through this experience Hundert's view on the world is tinged and he is unable to realize what great accomplishments as a person he has achieved.
3. Once bad behavior is introduced into the classroom, several of the boys follow suit. Sedgewick introduces his bad behavior and laughs about it, and the other boys laugh as well. Discipline becomes a joke and some of the boys break campus rules and even neglect studying because of the bad role model Sedgewick provides. This trend is described by Hundert as a type of "hypnosis" because they are all amazed by Sedgewick's boldness.
4. Hundert is torn between allowing Martin, the rightful 3rd place, or allowing Sedgewick who has worked so hard to get to this point to compete. While Martin actually made the mark, Hundert decides to bump up Sedgewick's final essay grade to allow him place 3rd and compete in the competition. Martin is devastated by this because of his father's history in winning the competition.
5. While at the contest Hundert notices that Sedgewick is cheating and is faced with the dilemma of calling him out or doing as the dean says and ignoring it. While Sedgewick's father is a major donor to the school, Hundert cannot allow this betrayal bear fruit. Hundert asks a question that was not in the reading and stumps Sedgewick, allowing the other student who had done extra reading to be the victor.
6. Hundert agrees to participate in the rematch of the contest because Sedgewick promises to make a huge donation to the school if he does. Hundert hopes that through time his student has matured and grown above his cheating ways. Sadly at the contest Sedgewick attempts to win through cheating again and Hundert stumps him with question everyone but Sedgewick knew. While saddened that he could not make a difference in Sedgewick's life, Hundert's hope is renewed when all his other students (Even Martin) award him with a plaque telling him how much he has made a difference in all their lives.
7. There is an immense amount of tension between Hundert and Sedgewick in that bathroom scene. One can literally see the fury emanating from Sedgewick as he tramples all over Hundert's concepts of morality. Fortunately ( or unfortunately for Sedgewick) his son emerges from the bathroom stall, clearly shaken and disturbed by his father's admission of being a complete ...jerk. This does not change Sedgewick in the least though, because he is too settled into the idea of being a liar and a cheat the rest of his life.
8. Mr. Hundert's hopes are renewed for the future by his former students praise. He believes that he can make a difference in their lives and hopes to mold character for future generations to come. Martin's son walks in late the very first day he comes back. This is a surprise because of Hundert's formal betrayal of Martin, but this forms as a sort of recognition of apologies.
9. Hundert uses many types of problem-posing aspects in his classroom. He asks the students to relate why Emperors were good or bad. By wearing togas he also helps his students to connect more to the subject matter at hand. Hundert also asks his students to question why things happened the way they did, instead of having them memorize dates.
10. All of Hundert's students went on to be successful men in a variety of fields. The winner of the Julius Caesar conquest went on to become a scholar. The fact that students went on to do so many different types of things is proof of how much Hunderts' teachings affected his students.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Well-placed Suggestions
Moments of utter clarity are not often found throughout the years of our lives. They are few and precious, but often give life changing perspectives for better or for worse. A previous academic advisor of mine had given me such a moment, but I shall preface it with some prior knowledge. Throughout high school I fiddled with the idea of being a psychologist. With further research into that field I decided it was not for me. I then attended the university of Michigan for two years as an art major. While an art major I decided I then wanted to be an architect. Having great taste and passion in architecture I figured it would be a great career to pursue. I then met with my Academic advisor to discuss my possible transition of majors. He asked me what I enjoyed doing in my spare time, and my response was playing video games. Then he threw out the question "Have you ever considered a career in that field?" Well I had, I responded, but I wanted to go into a field that was a bit more practical. My advisor then responded with the most witty and well placed comment ever. "You want practical? You know you're in art school right?" Wow... my mind was blown! Despite being such an obvious option I really had not realized that even though I wanted practicality I really should follow my dreams, because I had been following them all along.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Banking Concept of Education
1. Narration sickness refers to the traditional mode of education in the classroom where the teacher simply talks on and on and the students must sit patiently and listen like little receptacles of knowledge.
2. Narration sickness is similar to standardized testing practices because there is no real involvement for those taking the tests. Nothing is learned, and all they expect is students to memorize facts and spew them out on paper. Its not so much of a test as it is a see-how-many-you-get-before-times-up race.
3. My previous high school computer teacher was an avid practicer of some of the banking concepts of education. He would frequently remind us how well versed he was and how uneducated the class was. We had no say in what went on in the class, we were merely there to massage his ego and help him feel as though he was an excellent teacher. To say the least, he was just full of hot air.
This method of teaching is not advantageous for any student. There is no communication involved and this leads to severe alienation. Not only that, but students eventually grow to resent teachers who act high and mighty and lord their knowledge over them. Communication is vital in producing a productive learning environment.
4. Possibly one of the most memorable professors I have ever had was my college english teacher, my sophomore year. Never have I been more expressive and inspired in my writings than I was over those literary works. The course was mainly focused on writing, and we wrote about great novels and short stories. We were not required to write about anything in particular until later on in the course, so I was able to express my passion over certain aspects and qualities of the literature. My papers were humorous, exciting, and easy to read. His passion flowed to everyone in the class and it had a great effect on our writing skills. Open conversation over the works was common, debate and comparison were commonplace. This communication really involved those who partook in it.
The professor was a young writer himself, and readily identified with his class. He was genuinely concerned over our progress and had office hours throughout the day. What I have learned in that classroom I have applied to all of my papers since then. I have learned that through humor and passion any topic can be expressed in a grand way.
5. That is indeed a tough question, but I feel that the Athenians (being the more open-minded group) would readily embrace the change of liberated education. Visigoths I feel would not appreciate education as much and would rather explain things and be done. Surprisingly my calculus course has quite a bit of conversation, while my computer course is severely lacking in it. I feel as though more passion for the subject from the professor, and a more positive outlook could really benefit that class.
2. Narration sickness is similar to standardized testing practices because there is no real involvement for those taking the tests. Nothing is learned, and all they expect is students to memorize facts and spew them out on paper. Its not so much of a test as it is a see-how-many-you-get-before-times-up race.
3. My previous high school computer teacher was an avid practicer of some of the banking concepts of education. He would frequently remind us how well versed he was and how uneducated the class was. We had no say in what went on in the class, we were merely there to massage his ego and help him feel as though he was an excellent teacher. To say the least, he was just full of hot air.
This method of teaching is not advantageous for any student. There is no communication involved and this leads to severe alienation. Not only that, but students eventually grow to resent teachers who act high and mighty and lord their knowledge over them. Communication is vital in producing a productive learning environment.
4. Possibly one of the most memorable professors I have ever had was my college english teacher, my sophomore year. Never have I been more expressive and inspired in my writings than I was over those literary works. The course was mainly focused on writing, and we wrote about great novels and short stories. We were not required to write about anything in particular until later on in the course, so I was able to express my passion over certain aspects and qualities of the literature. My papers were humorous, exciting, and easy to read. His passion flowed to everyone in the class and it had a great effect on our writing skills. Open conversation over the works was common, debate and comparison were commonplace. This communication really involved those who partook in it.
The professor was a young writer himself, and readily identified with his class. He was genuinely concerned over our progress and had office hours throughout the day. What I have learned in that classroom I have applied to all of my papers since then. I have learned that through humor and passion any topic can be expressed in a grand way.
5. That is indeed a tough question, but I feel that the Athenians (being the more open-minded group) would readily embrace the change of liberated education. Visigoths I feel would not appreciate education as much and would rather explain things and be done. Surprisingly my calculus course has quite a bit of conversation, while my computer course is severely lacking in it. I feel as though more passion for the subject from the professor, and a more positive outlook could really benefit that class.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Clergymen's Letter and the Civil Rights Movement
Passive resistance is the practice of achieving socio-political goals through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, and other methods, without using violence. In other words, trying to raise awareness of your opinion through non-violent means. There have been several individuals who have used this method. They include Gandhi, Tolstoy, Sakharov, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
The first photograph is of a protest march. There are many african americans marching for equal rights. One of the first things I notice is the angle of the photo. This makes me wonder where exactly the cameraman was standing. It is odd to look back at something so unfamiliar to my own views, I cannot imagine how the times were back then. There even appear to be a few white men marching among the crowd for equal rights.
The second photograph is also a protest march, but a completely different vibe is given from this photo than the previous. There are also african americans marching peacefully for their rights, but with guns pointed at them from law enforcement. This gives the viewer a much more sympathetic view for them because they are under serious threat. Once again this photo makes me wonder where the camera man is standing.
There is and always will be discrimination in all communities and walks of life. Discrimination is inherently a part of man, and will only be lost through education over time. What once was considered scandalous (an exposed wrist, or even ankle) is now considered the norm. Such will be things like piercings, tattoos, sexuality, and all things. The world will eventually delve into such a homogenous mess that nothing will shock us. There are many forms of discrimination, aside from the more major ones. For example, when you see a girl walking around in winter in a short skirt with tons of cleavage, what do you think? Likely that she's not the smartest person because she's freezing her butt off(among other things)! This is a form of discrimination, and as long as people judge others by initial outside factors it will live on.
My next essay is all about how discrimination is alive and well because when it comes down to it, man is evil, and it will never die. I will be able provide examples supporting logos in my essay through current day and historical references such as Nazi Germany and Rowanda. Ethos can be easily established through citation of these sources because they are credible and undeniable.
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The second photograph is also a protest march, but a completely different vibe is given from this photo than the previous. There are also african americans marching peacefully for their rights, but with guns pointed at them from law enforcement. This gives the viewer a much more sympathetic view for them because they are under serious threat. Once again this photo makes me wonder where the camera man is standing.
There is and always will be discrimination in all communities and walks of life. Discrimination is inherently a part of man, and will only be lost through education over time. What once was considered scandalous (an exposed wrist, or even ankle) is now considered the norm. Such will be things like piercings, tattoos, sexuality, and all things. The world will eventually delve into such a homogenous mess that nothing will shock us. There are many forms of discrimination, aside from the more major ones. For example, when you see a girl walking around in winter in a short skirt with tons of cleavage, what do you think? Likely that she's not the smartest person because she's freezing her butt off(among other things)! This is a form of discrimination, and as long as people judge others by initial outside factors it will live on.
My next essay is all about how discrimination is alive and well because when it comes down to it, man is evil, and it will never die. I will be able provide examples supporting logos in my essay through current day and historical references such as Nazi Germany and Rowanda. Ethos can be easily established through citation of these sources because they are credible and undeniable.
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