Relate this book to anything we’ve
discussed so far during this course. I always find this book inspirational and I hope you do, too. That said, as always, feel free to discuss the book in whatever way you see fit. If you found any of his examples of things teachers do in their classrooms useful, please discuss...
"These teachers show us that teaching comes to life in context, and that pedagogy and technique are not the wellsprings of moral choice for teachers. Teaching becomes ethical action, the practice of freedom, when it is guided by an unshakable commitment to working with particular human beings to reach the full measure of their humanity, a willingness to reach toward a future fit for all." (intro, xi)
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this I thought it really eloquently summed up the purpose, or at least the purpose I have derived from this class in general. It kinda, for me, puts into terms why I chose this career path, and why the field of teaching is such a complex, nuanced, and changing thing. How do you quantify, or make standards pertaining to teaching someone about, how to embrace, and fulfill their humanity. You can't. The standards don't really apply, and neither does pedagogy, instead, it relies upon human-connection and the connections you share with others about the world, and abstractly, knowledge. I always think bout how typically people remember teachers, years later, who impacted their life, not with content or pedagogy necessarily, but typically, personally. Ayers touches upon this concept in the first chapter as well. This spoke to me as well, "education, no matter where or when it takes place, enables teachers and students alike to become more powerfully and self-consciously alive." When i read this I thought about transmitting and transcending societal values, and how teachers do/should do a little of both. We want the future peoples to be educated about the past, but also, we want better, don't we? So, we kind of walk this fine line of transmitting and transcending all at once, all the while, while educating people about their own humanity. It seems hard and overwhelming to think about, but it seems worth it, especially after reading some of Ayers.
A quote from the beginning of chapter one really struck me. It says,
ReplyDelete“Although education ignites initiative and courage, we know that some schooling is in fact the practice of obedience and conformity; if education stands in one instance for freedom and breaking through arbitrary and imposed barriers, we can point to other cases where it parades as a specific kind of repressive training, structured as steels bars and barbed-wire. We are drawn inexorably into conflict” (p. 2).
The reason this quote stuck out to me is because we have discussed this idea so many times in class in such a wide variety of circumstances. Our goal and hope as educators is to make a difference- for the better! But it feels so impossible as one person to really make school a place that “ignites initiative and courage.” Because there are so many issues outside of the education realm that are brought into schools (and schools are then expected to fix these issues- which we’ve also discussed in class), I think teachers and schools fall into a feeling of hopelessness and laziness which perpetuates schools that practice “repressive training.”
Lyly here.
ReplyDeleteWithin the first chapter of the book, "Between Heaven and Earth - What is teaching for?" Ayers explains that education enables both teachers and students to become more powerful and "self-consciously" alive. In other words, teaching is the task of humanization. This idea really stuck out to me and I would say I wholeheartedly agree. As teachers, we are can often be a student's first contact of the "real world" outside of their families and communities. Especially with our students who may not have the best backgrounds, instead of creating pre-judgments, we can use this opportunity to become mentors and to become that light at the end of the tunnel for our students. We are only human...well so are our students. As teachers, we need to put forth our best efforts to also understand our students, take their background into consideration, and do our part in trying to learn about them and their culture - especially when many cultures are represented within our classroom. We cannot go forth in teaching with the idea that we are creating cookie-cutter students. Instead, we need to embrace our students, embrace the differences that lay before us within our own classrooms and schools, and teach and learn towards a way that empowers everyone in the room.
"Thing of the teacher who extends the hand of possibility. Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you've done, this teacher invites transformation-there is still something more." (pg. 2).
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because as we have talked about many times, we need to give our student endless possibilities with their future. A lot of times students don't have a good home environment, or someone who believes they can do anything. We need to let our students know they can become more than what they are expected to be. However, when telling them this, you need to let them know that is will not be easy. Hard work and dedication will be two of the factors that can get you anywhere you want to go. There is more to see than what you are given. Show the student who says they can afford college that he can still go with scholarships or a grant. Show the student who believes they will get pregnant at a younger age because her mom did that that does not define who she will become. Let the student who is expected to go to college know that trade schools are just as good. Give them opportunities to explore who they are, and what they could become. One reason this stuck out to me was because everyone assumed my older brother would be in jail, or dead by the time he was 18. My parents tried to help him, his teachers tried to help him, but no one showed him there was another way until his 10th grade teacher at his alternative school. Thanks to him, my brother got his GED and now works for dominion power making good money doing what he loves. If we didn't have teachers that made a difference in our lives, where would we be? It should be our goal to help shape our students into something bigger than they thought they could be.
“You must decide for yourself. The student, then, is fully and finally responsible for his decision, without the benefit of blaming or crediting someone else. His eyes are open, and he must choose” (15). Although this was a response to a very personal and serious question (“Should I stay at home to care for my old and sick mother, or should I redeem the family honor by joining the Resistance to Nazi occupation?”), it is a response that will stick with me while I am teaching in the future. No matter how hard parents and teachers try to teach our kids, they must choose what path they want to go at the end of the day. However, it is our job to try our very best to gear our children to the right choice by sharing our experiences, providing important knowledge about our history and society, and giving them genuine feedback. It is also important to have them look at both of the choices in their own perspective. To make righteous decisions, it makes sense to see your life trying on different shoes.
ReplyDelete-Jin Kim
"We begin by standing with, not above, our students. We share their predicaments, and we do so in solidarity with them. We look beyond deficits to assets and capacities, strengths, and abilities, something solid that we can build upon. We see some common ground to pursue growth and development."
ReplyDeleteThis is a quote from chapter 2 of the book, "Turning to the Student." The nature of this quote- and ultimately most of chapter 2- reminded me a lot of the book I read for class, The Courage to Teach. In this quote by Ayers, we are challenged and encouraged to stand alongside our students and engage in their lives rather than stand on the sidelines and only interact through giving a lesson. The Courage to Teach talked a lot about knowing your students so well that it transforms their learning environment and how you teach. This concept meshes well with the quote I shared. I feel like we have had multiple conversations about standing in solidarity with our students, whether it be in regards to supporting their ethnic identity, gender, academic abilities, SES, etc. I feel like in order to truly make a change as a teacher we must roll up our sleeves and stand with- not above- our kids.
-Stephanie Liggitt
"There is in fact no promised land in teaching ; there is instead that aching, persistent tension between reality and possibility" (p18).
ReplyDelete"The good teacher provides recognition, and holds out the possibility of growth and a change in direction, the possibility of a new and different outcome ...(p34-5)
"This is how we might see them: as unruly sparks of meaning-making energy on a voyage of discovery through life" (p35)
The series of quotes above speak to the perspective and choices we have as future teachers. These are just a few lines of many thoughout the book that reminded me of what I believe was a consistent theme throughout our course.
There are no clear cut lines not to cross or black-and-white instructions to our chosen profession. Though we may sign contracts that are filled with do's and don'ts, the practicality of being a teacher means that most of our days will fall somewhere in the grey. It is up to us to choose for ourselves: What will we stand for ( and not stand for); How much time will we spend teaching our students to think ( versus transferring prescribed factoids); is our job to mold the future or just to help it grow (yes, these are different)?
So far, I have not read the entire book, but consider it an important read for a reflective practitioner.
-Chris Ruiz de Velasco
In particular, I really appreciated the ideas Ayers brings forth in one of the final chapters about speaking and thinking with freedom. He mentions: "I must try to convince my students, and you must try to convince yours, to look at the word for themselves, to make their own decisions. I must insist that each has a mind of his own, each can speak-and you as their teacher will be a living demonstration" (Ayers, 2004). I really love the ideas that Ayers mentions about being the model for our students and to demonstrate how to be individuals with our own voices. Ayers likes to throw out this idea of authoritarian models. I had never thought about education or society as being so similar to this model, but I see the value in thinking such. By thinking about the authoritarian model of the classroom and how we treat our students, we should attempt to foster growth and individualism rather than stifle their unique voices. It seemed so relevant to mention that teachers are a living demonstration of how to act as individuals. This quote really seemed to fully embody the idea of teaching towards freedom.
ReplyDeleteOne particular quote from this book that really resonated the most with me in regards to how it relates to the things we've discussed in this course.
ReplyDelete"Schools do not exist outside of history or culture, of course: they
are, rather, at the heart of each—schools serve societies; societies
shape schools. School is both mirror and window—it
shows us what we value and what we ignore, what is precious
and what is venal. Our schools belong to us, they tell us who we
are and who we want to be." (pg. 8)
What I took from that quote is that we do not teach in a vacuum. Schools are impacted by what is going on in society and society is impacted by what goes on in schools. We, as educators, have the responsibility for preparing our students to face the world as it is, not how textbook publishers, school board members, or elected officials see it. Schools also play a huge role in shaping society as well. We, as teachers, need to be agents for social change and teach our students to be likewise.
-Marc Heaton
I liked the section in chapter two that talks about the “island of deficiency” in a second-grade teacher’s classroom (p. 34). She describes this as an area where students are free to discuss the most “fraught issues.” For example, she tells students to ask first instead of making judgments based on stereotypes. What I like most is that she allows these conversations openly but respectfully. I think this is so important and definitely relates to our discussions on activism. In my reflection about the ITAG project I talked about wanting to include these types of conversations in my own classroom subtly. I am worried about stepping on people’s toes, but I think that I just need to continue to remind myself that these conversations need to happen and as long as they are done respectfully and we are thinking about how different people feel in these situations, we can achieve the goal of creating open-minded students and future citizens. Children are innately inquisitive, so we should foster this instead of trying to beat around the bush or simply avoid conversations because they are “off task” or not part of the curriculum.
ReplyDeleteThere were numerous quotes that stood out to me from chapter one that I felt like I could tie directly to what I have taken away from this course or that I have specifically focused on. The first quote comes from page 8 in the textbook and it reads,
ReplyDelete"Schools do not exist outside of history or culture, of course: they are, rather at the heart of each schools serve societies; societies shape schools. School is both a mirror and a window-it shows us what we value and what we ignore, what is precious and what is venial" (p.8) - While this quote can be viewed in many ways, I related it directly back to the book that we read, "The Color of Their Skin" because so much change can be made -- or ignored, starting in schools. People in a community hold so much value to their schools yet I feel like schools often get the short end of the stick in many situations.
The next quote that I wanted to share was,
"I want teachers to figure out what they are teaching for and what they are teaching against. I want to teach against oppression and subjugation, for example against exploitation, unfairness, and unkindness, and I want others to join me in that commitment" (p. 18)
I just liked this quote by Ayers because he is talking about not only joining him in his passions, but I took it as also finding your own and reflecting that in your teaching.
-Maris
“We notice, then, that teaching is a site of hope and struggle, a contested space involving ideas about a future world we want to work toward and inhabit.” (p. 105)
ReplyDelete“In the first place, activists act. They engage, participate, contribute, stand up, sit in, initiate, move—this is the signature characteristic. They question received wisdom, they wonder what could be but is not yet, and then they act.” (p. 109)
These two quotes resonated with me the most. I agree with Ayers’ claim that teaching can be this strange intersection of hope and hopelessness as you have a front row seat to some of the injustices that plague our students, our classrooms, and our districts. I think that reality leads directly into the second quote – there is a point when those injustices can no longer just be observed; when you make the conscious decision to move from a place of compliance to a place of resistance, you become an activist. Someone willing to act on the behalf of those who cannot act for themselves – as a teacher, most likely your students. I like that the core behavior that Ayers mentions to characterize activists is such a simple, yet so complicated concept: act. Acting without any outlined instructions can be terrifying, but I think the notion of acting requires some level of networking with others who are also fired up and ready to make change. I think that through those interactions we are able to do our best work in and out of the classroom, as long as we keep our students and our causes at the center of everything that we do.
- Jamiee
"I want teachers to figure out what they are teaching for and what they are teaching against."
ReplyDeleteThis quote reinforced themes we've examined in this course over the semester which are:
1. Teachers need to know what they're combating. This could be social concerns like poverty, racism, and inequality, or reinforcing ideas like self agency, bolstering motivation, and engagement, but they need to be ready to confront these issues.
2. Teachers need to teach beyond classroom content. Our role isn't strictly limited to what we do in the classroom.
3. In order to do this, educators need to engage in reflection not only of the system in order to know what they and their students are up against, but also self reflection. He mentions becoming a "...student of your students"; learn them, understand what methods work for them, and which don't. What practices do you undertake that set your students up to succeed?
As I said, it really served to reinforce ideas and themes we've been encouraged to grapple with this semester, especially in our role as teacher as an advocate. I feel more prepared for this role than I did previously by being so encouraged to examine how I can help my students within the current system, and how I can affect change.
"In political debate, teachers are depicted variously—as serious professionals worthy of the community’s praise if not its bounty, or as underskilled and unmotivated placeholders grown lazy in the sinecure of government employment." Pg 19
ReplyDelete"The energy and resources sucked into the business of testing represent a demonstrable drain on commitments to put more qualified teachers in classrooms, to lower class and school size, to increase curriculum offerings and access to community learning resources, or to build more modern schools." Pg 25
“The same simplistic standard is being pushed onto teaching: a “qualified teacher” can pass a simple test, period. The testing business cheats students, families, and teachers materially, deceives them educationally, and is a step backward for education.” Pg 25
I pulled a few quotes that struck me, all of which pertain to the political aspects of teaching, which we’ve spent a great deal talking about. The first stands extremely true as we are always depicted on opposite sides of the spectrum. We’re either deemed worth professionals who deserve higher pay, better treatment, etc or seen as those who didn’t have high enough gpa’s to succeed in other career fields or spend our days babysitting. Secondly, this quote spoke to be as I appreciate the wording. The comparison of testing as a drain on commitments. It’s entirely true; as whole, our system has lost focus on what’s most important and all resources have been funneled toward testing. Lastly, I agree that the testing system is one that affects us all negatively.
From the mind of Callie...
ReplyDeleteIn the Ayers reading, there was a paragraph that spoke to me about how as humans, we are unfinished beings. The students, the teachers, the parents, all of us! This idea brought me back to the Kohn reading when Kohn discussed how we want our children to be life-long learners and we can't just meet these "benchmarks" that the policies are enforcing. Yes, the core subjects are important, but I feel it is more important to show students how to think for themselves and attack unfamiliar problems with confidence. Ayers argues that since we humans are aware of our incompleteness and unknowingness, that it would be wildly foolish to put these labels on children and in turn, categorize them into boxes where they have an extremely difficult time getting out of.
"...it creates a grotesque misrepresentation: to his community Harold may be a generous helper, but to the school he is a 'reluctant reader'..."
That statement has a few things wrong with it. That is clearly the teacher's opinion of his reluctancy. Does he have a learning disorder? How might his home life be affecting his schoolwork? No, not everyone enjoys reading but there's more to the story here than meets the eye and it's simply not fair for that claim to be made on a student. Harold just might be having a hard time, but I don't believe it's part of any child's core to be a "reluctant reader". Children just don't work that way.
As Ayers argues, “Committed and aware teachers must endeavor to accomplish two crucial tasks. One is to convince students…that there is no such thing as receiving an education as a passive receptor or an inert vessel, in that direction lies nothing but subservience, indoctrination, and worse. All real education is and must always be self-education. the second task is to demonstrate to students…that they are valued, that their humanity is honored, and that their growth, enlightenment, and liberation are the paramount concern”.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with this opinion- the essence of education is not to pour prior knowledge toward all students, but to guide students to learn self-education to create an education tailored for each individual. Some students are not willing to go to school or have difficulty in grasping knowledge taught by teachers in class, partially because they are just passive receptors. Therefore, it is difficult for students to recognize the important of education and digest the knowledge they should grasp in the path of growing up. Moreover, the goal of education is not to obtain perfect academic performance, but to reach the full measures of people’s humanity.
- Feifei Xu
I was wary of this book as I started reading it. Ayers is a poet when it comes to romanticizing the practice of education. I feared that what would follow is simply an analysis of education through the use of grand metaphors and intangible but pretty sounding phrases. Reading further however I see that Ayer does step down from that lofty prose and artfully identifies some of educations most pressing problems. As a strong proponent of public education, I felt Ayers comments on the push to turn schools into a more free market system really struck a chord with me. He so skillfully captures the issue and the hypocrisy behind the movement pushing towards the privatization of schools through destruction of the public. He says:
ReplyDelete“The marketplace has rarely had a heart or a soul – it is not designed to make judgements of value or answer normative concerns. The market creates a class of winners and a much larger class of losers”
I see so many proponents of the free market system as a solution for everything, and I wonder at the moral character of those who see it as the solution to education. I feel they seem to forget that whole winners and losers bit. What do we do with the so called “losers?” Stop educating them? Cast them off? Leave them by the wayside to fend for themselves? The free market is rooted in Darwinism so do only the strong get to survive, are only the winners of education allowed to live? How would they feel if one of their own children, or themselves fell into this loser bracket? Would they just settle for the fact that the all mighty free market has spoken?
-Peter LaBarr
I really appreciated that Ayers discussed that students’ need for individuality. Our current educational curriculum is very focused on a one-size-fits-all approach. We assume our students all need to be taught the same way and also assume our students need the same knowledge to function in society. A student that goes in computer programming needs much different knowledge than a student that decides to go into plumbing repair. Students learn in different ways and also have different academic strengths and weaknesses than each other. I think we should focus on celebrating students’ strengths and weaknesses in school instead of making students feel they need to be the same as the next student. In class we’ve discussed that schooling can become opinionated, through our own views and through what the curriculum values. We should change those values and opinions in our schools.
ReplyDeleteIn this book, I really liked the idea of making education about helping students making informed decisions. I think that sometimes people get so caught up with testing that they forget that we need to teach these children with something else other than just for a standardized test. This story really advocated for students to be autonomous with their learning and their decisions. I think that is something that we need to take into account when assessing students is there need to know how to decisions and learn.
ReplyDelete-Farrell Bishop
"Teaching toward freedom goes beyond presenting what already is; it is teaching toward what could be, what ought to be, what is not yet."
ReplyDeleteI think this quote really sums up my thought about Ayers' text. I think the book does a wonderful job of of providing a framework, of sorts, of how to be a thoughtful teacher. The quote above really speaks to the idea that it is important to get students to question everything, to go off with their curiosities, and to develop their own way of seeing the world. I think it's a great reminder going in to student teaching, and as a future teacher. I want my students to want to learn more than is necessary, and I hope I can facilitate that!
-Ashleigh Ingram