Yoga in the classroom System Final Draft

Today more and more students are feeling the consequences of this fast paced world full of stresses and high expectations. As stated by Lisa Ann Williamson in the Teaching Tolerance Magazine, she writes about a teacher’s experience with her elementary school students, “Her 3rd graders at the Title I school in Atlanta struggled to pay attention, and bickering, fussing and general behavior problems frequently interrupted lessons.” This is a reality that most teachers face every day. The question is what are we going to do about our next up and coming generation of kids? Numerous studies have already been done. The practice of yoga in the classroom to teach the students mindfulness among other things is starting to get noticed in our country. That is why I propose that a yoga class be added to our K-12 curriculum at the start of every school day.

Chelsea A. Jackson is a third grade teacher in Atlanta, Georgia. She decided to put a plan into action to help the students be more mindful. The magazine article written about her states, “She had been turning to yoga to help manage stress, and had found that the practice improved her fitness, attitude and self-confidence. Why couldn’t her students benefit in similar ways? She covered her classroom window with construction paper to reduce distractions. She showed her students how to focus on their breathing. She demonstrated a few simple poses.” Her plan had paid off and she noticed dramatic results. Williamson states, “Jackson says the effects were better than she had hoped in the weeks that followed. Student attention spans increased. They were resolving their own conflicts. Lessons went more smoothly. She describes how, before standardized testing, her students would request a ‘few minutes for breath.’ And it apparently paid off—though she did not teach to the test, she says her students’ scores were among the schools highest.”

Some parents argue that yoga is religious and should not be in a public classroom setting.  In California the issue was taken to court by parents and the judge ruled in favor of the school. In the Reuters newspaper article: “Yoga in school is not the same as teaching religion, California judge rules” written by Marty Graham, he writes; “A California judge refused on Monday to block the teaching of yoga as part of a public school's physical fitness program, rejecting parents' claims that the classes were an unconstitutional promotion of Eastern religions.”  The judge went on to state, “The Encinitas Unified School District had developed its own version of yoga that was not religious but distinct and separate from Ashtanga yoga.” The district got rid of “the Sanskrit and Namaste by the time the 2012-2013 school year began. “The poses had been renamed with "kid-friendly" descriptions, poses now called gorilla, turtle, peacock, big toe, telephone and other terms, according to testimony. The lotus pose, for example, is called criss cross apple sauce in Encinitas schools.” The whole point of introducing yoga into the students’ lives is to provide opportunities for reflection, patience, reduce impulsive behavior, encourage respect for oneself and others and to teach mindfulness, not to teach religion.

In the 1988 movie Stand and Deliver a math teacher, Mr. Escalante came to a school where his students were not interested in learning, involved with gangs and were in regular school fights. They did not know how to deal with their feelings and anger, so they put their energy into negative activities. As well as the movie Chalk, Mr. Lowry could not gain control of his classroom. His students did not listen to him nor did they respect him. It was clear that both teachers could have used some help with their students. In turn an article “Exploring the Controversy over Yoga in the Schools” in Move Yoga written by Allyson, she states the benefits of yoga the teachers, parents and students see: “Improved Focus to Support Learning.” Kids taking school yoga classes find it easier to pay attention. ADD inflicted students show approved attention spans in class, according to Portland teachers. “Reduces Obesity,” it is stated by Move Yoga kids are more fit when they do yoga, and that the government is giving grants to P.E. teachers who complete online training for yoga.  “Higher Grades,” UCLA did a study that found kids who practice yoga every day have higher grades than those who don’t do yoga. “Emotional Regulation,” Move Yoga explains how most people use yoga as a means to reduce stress by deep breathing, meditation and holding poses. This helps them learn how to calm the mind down in times of stress.  It’s clear that yoga is nothing but a positive influence for students learning to deal with their emotions and learning to become more mindful of themselves and others.

           

According to an article “A Real Education” written in the Shambhala Sun, Barry Boyce states, “Mindfulness and related contemplative techniques have been making strong  inroads in recent years as effective prevention tools." Boyce quotes Mark Greenberg who states, "because their effectiveness in bringing about certain desirable outcomes is being proven in setting after setting, and federal grant-making agencies and foundations are taking notice. Mindfulness practices can increase people’s awareness of their own emotions and their ability to regulate them. This can make it possible for them to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, and since a ‘pretty good percentage of teenagers are at risk for depression,’ it’s important to have it in the educational tool bag." He also states that "Another critical element that has made mindfulness appealing to educators is its effectiveness in increasing attention, ‘the ability to aim our cognitive capacities in one direction with as little distraction as possible.’ Attention is one of the greatest challenges for children, and perhaps only more so in a world offering so much distraction so frequently.” He also talks about Greenburg, a man who founded a Program on Empathy Awareness and Compassion in Education (PEACE). By him promoting and practicing his program they have been given grants to expand his program and do more research on the benefits of teaching yoga and mindfulness in the classroom. Greenburg also states, “Mindfulness is not just a series of practical techniques. It helps us have the ethical character we need to live in the world. It carries with it a world view of not harming others." Boyce also notes that, "Some may think that mindfulness needs to be married to Buddhist ethics, such as expressed in the Eightfold Path. Greenberg feels, however, that inherent mindfulness helps us to realize that we live in an interconnected world and puts us in touch with the golden rule.” With more kids turning to violence as a means of taking out their aggressions, this world could use more yoga programs like PEACE.

            Another aspect that yoga teaches students is by learning to deal with their emotions, they are also learning to think for themselves in a calm collected manor.  In the book “Critical Thinking Practical Wisdom” by bell hooks, she states, “When in the classroom, teacher and students, recognizes that they are responsible for creating a learning community together, learning is at its most meaningful and useful. In such a community of learning there is no failure. Everyone is participating and sharing whatever resource is needed at a given moment in time to ensure that we leave the classroom knowing that critical thinking empowers us.”(11)  To help support the above statement, here are a few benefits stated by the website yoga4classrooms supporting research. It is stated that yoga in the class, “Encourages community and connectedness within the classroom. Promotes a more relaxed, comfortable state of being - the perfect state for teaching and learning.  Helps to create an atmosphere of confidence, enthusiasm and non-competitiveness where everyone can succeed.” It is ultimately enhancing their ability for critical thinking inside and outside the classroom.

            It has been shown with evidence of testimonies from people who have witnessed the benefits of yoga in the classroom, that it has dramatically helped the lives of not only the children but the teachers and parents as well.  In the article “Children, Arts, and Du Bois” written by Keith Gilyard, he states “The effect of all true education is not only gaining some practical means of helping present life, but the making of present life mean more than it meant before.”  Instead of turning to medication and repetitive punishments to solve the issues of our young generation, and after seeing a solution that makes everyone healthier and happier; it is not much of a competition. Adding yoga to our K-12 curriculum will bring out even more benefits that can only be determined with more time and more students.

 

Works Cited

Allyson. “Exploring the Controversy over Yoga in the Schools.” Move Yoga. Move Yoga, 20 August2012. Web. 5 December 2013.

Boyce, Barry. “A Real Education.” Shambhala Sun. Shambhala Sun Foundation, May 2012. Web. 12 December 2013.

Chalk. Dir. Mike Akel. Perf. Chris Mass. SomeDaySoon Production, 2006. DVD.

Gilyard, Keith. "Children, Arts, and Du Bois."  National Council of Teachers and English. September 2012. Print.

Graham, Marty. “Yoga in school not same as teaching religion, California judge rules.” Reuters. Reuters, 1 July, 2013. Web. 5 December 2013.

hooks, bell. “Critical Thinking”:  Critical Thinking Practical Wisdom. New York: Routledge, 2007.

Stand and Deliver. Dir. Ramon Menendez. Perf. Edward James Olmos, Estelle Harris, Mark Phelan. Warner Bros, 1988. DVD.

Williamson, Lisa. “Yoga In Public Schools.” Teaching Tolerance. Teaching Tolerance, Fall 2012. Web. 5 December 2013.

Teaching Yoga and Mindfulness Rough Draft

Today more and more students are feeling the consequences of this fast paced world full of stresses and high expectations. As stated by Lisa Ann Williamson in the Teaching Tolerance Magazine, she writes about a teacher’s experience with her elementary school students; “Her 3rd graders at the Title I school in Atlanta struggled to pay attention, and bickering, fussing and general behavior problems frequently interrupted lessons.” This is a reality that most teachers face every day. The question is what are we going to do about our next up and coming generation of kids? Numerous studies have already been done. The practice of yoga in the classroom to teach the students mindfulness among other things is starting to get noticed in our country. That is why I propose that a yoga class be added to our K-12 curriculum at the start of every school day.

Chelsea A. Jackson is a third grade teacher in Atlanta, Georgia. She decided to put a plan into action to help the students be more mindful. The magazine article written about her states,” She had been turning to yoga to help manage stress, and had found that the practice improved her fitness, attitude and self-confidence. Why couldn’t her students benefit in similar ways? She covered her classroom window with construction paper to reduce distractions. She showed her students how to focus on their breathing. She demonstrated a few simple poses.” Her plan had paid off and she noticed dramatic results. Williamson states, “Jackson says the effects were better than she had hoped in the weeks that followed. Student attention spans increased. They were resolving their own conflicts. Lessons went more smoothly. She describes how, before standardized testing, her students would request a “few minutes for breath.” And it apparently paid off—though she did not teach to the test, she says her students’ scores were among the schools highest.”

Some parents argue that yoga is religious and should not be in a public classroom setting.  In California the issue was taken to court by parents and the judge ruled in favor of the school. In the Reuters newspaper article: “Yoga in school not same as teaching religion, California judge rules” written by Marty Graham, he writes; “A California judge refused on Monday to block the teaching of yoga as part of a public school's physical fitness program, rejecting parents' claims that the classes were an unconstitutional promotion of Eastern religions. He also said the Encinitas Unified School District had developed its own version of yoga that was not religious but distinct and separate from Ashtanga yoga. By the start of the 2012-2013 school year, the Sanskrit and Namaste had been eliminated from the program, and poses had been renamed with "kid-friendly" descriptions, poses now called gorilla, turtle, peacock, big toe, telephone and other terms, according to testimony. The lotus pose, for example, is called criss cross apple sauce in Encinitas schools.” The whole point of introducing yoga into the students’ lives is to provide opportunities for reflection, patience, reduce impulsive behavior, encourage respect for oneself and others and to teach mindfulness; not to teach religion.

In the 1988 movie “Stand and Deliver” a math teacher, Mr. Escalante came to a school where his students were not interested in learning, involved with gangs and were in regular school fights. They did not know how to deal with their feelings and anger, so they put their energy into negative activities. As well as the movie “Chalk,” Mr. Stroup could not gain control of his classroom. His students did not listen to him nor did they respect him. It was clear that both teachers could have used some help with their students. In turn an article “Exploring the Controversy over Yoga in the Schools” in Move Yoga written by Allyson; she states the benefits of yoga the teachers, parents and students see: “Improved Focus to Support Learning. Teachers find that students have an easier time paying attention if they take kids yoga classes. Portland schools are seeking good ways to help ADD-afflicted students improve their attention, and (religious dogma-free) yoga is a great solution. Reduces Obesity. Kids who do yoga are more fit. This is one of the reasons why the federal government awards grants to PE teachers who have completed online teacher training in yoga. Higher Grades. UCLA researchers studied the Accelerated School, a charter school where kids practice yoga almost every day. They found a relationship between yoga and higher grades. (Moreover, the yoginis at this school were more fit than average in the district, as determined by the California Physical Fitness Test.) Emotional Regulation. Most people who have studied yoga in the West would say it’s about stress relief. Deep breathing, meditation, and physical yoga poses help train the mind how to calm down in times of stress. Some kids yoga classes even teach kids about how their brains work, so that they can better regulate their own emotions.” It’s clear that yoga is nothing but a positive influence for students learning to deal with their emotions and learning to become more mindful of themselves and others.

           

According to an article “A Real Education” written in the Shambhala Sun, Barry Boyce states, “Mindfulness and related contemplative techniques have been making strong  inroads in recent years as effective prevention tools, Greenberg says, because their effectiveness in bringing about certain desirable outcomes is being proven in setting after setting, and federal grant-making agencies and foundations are taking notice. Mindfulness practices can increase people’s awareness of their own emotions and their ability to regulate them. This can make it possible for them to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, and since a “pretty good percentage of teenagers are at risk for depression,” it’s important to have it in the educational tool bag. Another critical element that has made mindfulness appealing to educators is its effectiveness in increasing attention, “the ability to aim our cognitive capacities in one direction with as little distraction as possible.” Attention is one of the greatest challenges for children, and perhaps only more so in a world offering so much distraction so frequently.” He also talks about Greenburg, a man who founded a Program on Empathy Awareness and Compassion in Education. (PEACE) By him promoting and practicing his program they have been given grants to expand his program and do more research on the benefits of teaching yoga and mindfulness in the classroom. He also states, “Mindfulness has something else going for it. “Mindfulness is not just a series of practical techniques. It helps us have the ethical character we need to live in the world. It carries with it a world view of not harming others.” Some may think that mindfulness needs to be married to Buddhist ethics, such as expressed in the Eightfold Path. Greenberg feels, however, that inherent mindfulness helps us to realize that we live in an interconnected world and puts us in touch with the golden rule.” With more kids turning to violence as a means of taking out their aggressions, this world could use more yoga programs like PEACE.

            Another aspect that yoga teaches students is by learning to deal with their emotions, they are also learning to think for themselves in a calm collected manor.  In the book “Critical Thinking Practical Wisdom” by bell hooks, she states, “When in the classroom, teacher and students, recognizes that they are responsible for creating a learning community together, learning is at its most meaningful and useful. In such a community of learning there is no failure. Everyone is participating and sharing whatever resource is needed at a given moment in time to ensure that we leave the classroom knowing that critical thinking empowers us.”(11)  To help support the above statement, here are a few benefits stated by the website yoga4classrooms supporting research. It is stated that yoga in the class, “Encourages community and connectedness within the classroom. Promotes a more relaxed, comfortable state of being - the perfect state for teaching and learning.  Helps to create an atmosphere of confidence, enthusiasm and non-competitiveness where everyone can succeed.” It is ultimately enhancing their ability for critical thinking inside and outside the classroom.

            It has been shown with evidence of testimonies from people who have witnessed the benefits of yoga in the classroom, that it has dramatically helped the lives of not only the children but the teachers and parents as well. The article “Children, Arts, and Du Bois” written by Keith Gilyard, he states “The effect of all true education is not only gaining some practical means of helping present life, but the making of present life mean more than it meant before.”  Instead of turning to medication and repetitive punishments to solve the issues of our young generation, and after seeing a solution that makes everyone healthier and happier; it is not much of a competition. Adding yoga to our K-12 curriculum will bring out even more benefits that can only be determined with more time and more students.

Works Cited

Stand and Deliver. Dir. Ramon Menendez. Perf. Edward James Olmos, Estelle Harris, Mark Phelan. Warner Bros, 1988. DVD.

Boyce, Barry. “A Real Education.” Shambhala Sun. Shambhala Sun Foundation, May 2012. Web. 12 December 2013.

hooks, bell. “Critical Thinking”:  Critical Thinking Practical Wisdom. New York: Routledge, 2007.

Williamson, Lisa. “Yoga In Public Schools.” Teaching Tolerance. Teaching Tolerance, Fall 2012. Web. 5 December 2013.

Graham, Marty. “Yoga in school not same as teaching religion, California judge rules.” Reuters. Reuters, 1 July, 2013. Web. 5 December 2013.

Allyson. “Exploring the Controversy over Yoga in the Schools.” Move Yoga. Move Yoga, 20 August2012. Web. 5 December 2013.

Chalk. Dir. Mike Akel. Perf. Chris Mass. SomeDaySoon Production, 2006. DVD.

Gilyard, Keith. "Children, Arts, and Du Bois."  National Council of Teachers and English. September 2012. Print.

 

Quoting sources that support learning Mindfulness in schools

In the article "A Real Education" written by Barry Boyce in the SHAMBAHALA SUN, he states,  "mindfulness practices can increase people’s awareness of their own emotions and their ability to regulate them. This can make it possible for them to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, and since a “pretty good percentage of teenagers are at risk for depression, it’s important to have it in the educational tool bag."

According to bell hooks in the book Critical Thinking, it is stated that "Sadly, children's passions for thinking often ends when they encounter a world that seeks to educate them for conformity and obedience only...most children in our nation learn to suppress the memory of thinking as a passionate, pleasurable activity" (8) .

In the movie Stand and Deliver it is shown that the students were not taught mindfulness through yoga or any other teachings by their lack of interest in their education; as well as their abundant gang violence and school fights.

Yoga4classrooms

In the last decade rapid and significant progress has been made in the scientific investigations of the whole child approach to development, learning and well-being. The confluence of ideas across the disciplines creates a sound framework for theoretical and practical approaches at the core of Yoga 4 Classrooms^®.

The following are some of the benefits of yoga and mindfulness practices which address the whole child, thus maximizing the academic, social and emotional competence development in the educational settings:

• Provides students healthy ways to express and balance their emotions.
• Promotes a more relaxed, comfortable state of being - the perfect state for teaching and learning.
• Brings students into the present moment – the most basic requirement for learning.
• Encourages community and connectedness within the classroom.
• Helps to create an atmosphere of confidence, enthusiasm and non-competitiveness where everyone can succeed.
• Provides opportunities for beneficial motor breaks throughout the day.
• Eases anxiety and tension (such as pre-test or performance jitters).
• Enhances focus, concentration, comprehension and memory.
• Provides opportunities for reflection, patience and insight, reducing impulsivity and reactivity.
• Supports social and emotional learning.
• Improves listening skills.
• Wakes up sluggish minds and creativity as needed.
• Enhances organizational and communication skills.
• Improves posture, assisting students to sit comfortably for long periods.
• Enhances motor skills and balance.
• Improves mind/body awareness and connection.
• Improves confidence and self-esteem.
• Encourages respect for oneself and others.
• Creates a calm, harmonious classroom.
  
  Scientific research in the field of contemplative education
  
  Increasing numbers of teachers and administrators are recognizing that yoga, breath awareness and mindfulness activities as being beneficial to their students' (and their own!) mental health and well-being, and to the learning environment in general. As yoga offers a non-competitive alternative to sports, it's also becoming part of many physical education curricula and after school enrichment offerings.
  
  The many anecdotal benefits of yoga and mindfulness-based practices for children are well known, and carefully-controlled scientific research is growing every year.
  
   Based on the increasing evidence supporting the efficacy of kids yoga, special yoga-based programs within schools are being developed for children, designed to address stress and anxiety, place emphasis on individual abilities rather than competition, and provide non-threatening and gentle method to increase physical fitness and enhance health and well-being.
  
  Overwhelmingly, research shows that children who practice yoga-based movement, conscious breathing, and mindfulness activities are better able to regulate their emotions, manage stress and calm themselves. They may also choose better foods to eat and engage in more physical activity than children who do not. The studies also illustrate that centered, calm and focused children learn more easily, have better social skills and, in general, are much happier kids.
  
  Studies show that exercise facilitates children's executive function (i.e., processes required to select, organize, and properly initiate goal-directed actions) by increasing activation in the prefrontal cortex and serotonergic system. Because of the integration of physical movement with breathing exercises and mental focus practice, yoga may prove to be an ideal form of exercise to enhance those aspects of children's mental functioning central to cognitive development.
• This Information came from http://www.yoga4classrooms.com/supporting-research

Quotations that Support my Changes

Quotations from the reading that support the change I would make:
Bell hooks “critical thinking” states sadly children’s passion for thinking often ends when they encounter a world that seeks to educate them for conformity and obedience only. Most children are taught early on that thinking is dangerous. Sadly these children stop enjoying the process of thinking and start fearing the thinking mind. Most children in our nation learn to suppress the memory of thinking as a passionate, pleasurable activity.”
Quoted by Barry Boyce in “A real education:”
 “Kindness, caring, empathy, being able to de-center from your own point of view and listen deeply to others—these are values that should be cultivated in our classrooms,” says Mark Greenberg, director of the Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development at Penn State University. These are the social and emotional skills that a person who experienced “optimal nurturing conditions” would develop during childhood and adolescence and bring with them into adulthood.
“the programs feature “nonattachment, noticing our cognitions, and being able to find a spot in our heart and mind where we can see what’s going on but not get caught up in it.” This quality of nonattachment, Greenburg says, can emerge in sitting or walking meditation, in yoga poses, or through a variety of other techniques, where our inherent capability for relaxation with our mind’s activity can emerge.”
The program “aims to avert school failure, depression, and extreme aggression, but to promote positive qualities like empathy, citizenship, and strong friendships. Prevention focuses on “building resilience and promoting well-being in children, by working both with the children themselves and with their environments.”
“Mindfulness and related contemplative techniques have been making strong inroads in recent years as effective prevention tools, because their effectiveness in bringing about certain desirable outcomes is being proven in setting after setting, and federal grant-making agencies and foundations are taking notice.”
“Mindfulness practices can increase people’s awareness of their own emotions and their ability to regulate them. This can make it possible for them to reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, and since a “pretty good percentage of teenagers are at risk for depression,” it’s important to have it in the educational tool bag.”
“its effectiveness in increasing attention, “the ability to aim our cognitive capacities in one direction with as little distraction as possible.” Attention is one of the greatest challenges for children, and perhaps only more so in a world offering so much distraction so frequently.”
“In Baltimore, he has been involved in a study of the work of the Holistic Life Foundation, which teaches yoga to fifth graders in inner city schools as a means of helping them work with their emotions and find peace within their bodies.”

Author that agrees with me and supporting my argument

A change that I would make to the K-12 curriculum would be having a yoga class at the beginning of the school day for all students and teachers to practice mindfulness. What I mean by that is that kids will learn to calm themselves and regulate their emotions in a variety of situations; understand their own emotions, accurately perceive others’ emotions, and empathize; listen attentively to what someone is saying, negotiate, and confidently persuade; think through problems effectively while considering others’ perspectives. Today it seems that kids are very hyper, have trouble concentrating, and are more interested in video games rather than activities that help them grow. By teaching kids mindfulness they can learn how to deal with their emotions rather than burry them with drugs, food, tv, or other unhealthy activities. They need to learn how to deal with failure as well, because it is a part of life for everyone and they will learn how to overcome it and move on being proud that they did.
            The Author Barry Boyce in “A real education supports yoga practice for students. He states, “ Greenberg founded a program in his center called the Program on Empathy Awareness and Compassion in Education (PEACE), which focuses on ways to promote pro-social behavior. He and colleague Patricia Jennings have also done groundbreaking work with the Garrison Institute’s initiative on contemplation and education. The teacher training program that Jennings directs as part of the initiative recently received a second major grant from the U.S. Department of Education to study the effects of mindfulness and related practices with classroom teachers. The first grant worked with teachers in and around Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The second grant— approximately $5 million over four years, divided among Garrison, Fordham University, and Penn State—will take the program into New York City schools. Programs that use yoga for both students and teachers have also been an important part of Greenberg’s research agenda. In Baltimore, he has been involved in a study of the work of the Holistic Life Foundation, which teaches yoga to fifth graders in inner city schools as a means of helping them work with their emotions and find peace within their bodies. Likewise, with support from the 1440 Foundation, he has begun work on a study involving teachers practicing yoga prior to the start of the school day as a way to prepare themselves both physically and mentally for the challenges in their classrooms.”
All of these facts support my argument and I will use them in my final paper.

Group Argument on Mud Wrestling

                                       Group Argument on Mud Wrestling

Thesis:
Cartoonists do not value mud wrestling, but they should because mud wrestling actually increases their chances of becoming successful cartoonists.

Topic sentences:
1. Mud wrestling will increase their adrenaline and in turn their creativity.
2. Mud wrestling relieves stress from a long day of cartooning.
3. Mud wrestling is comical which can inspire them to create funnier cartoons.
4. Mud wrestling will increase their popularity as a cartoonists.

The Most Important Change Group Exercise

                                    The Most Important Change Group Exercise

The most important change in our education system is mindfulness. It is extremely important to build a level of mindfulness for the students in order to teach then to think and learn for themselves. "It teaches them kindness, caring, empathy, and being able to decenter from their own point-of-view and listen deeply to others." This sets up the students to be better communicators with other people and increases their chances of success in whatever they choose. With increased mindfulness, there is increased passion and creativity and therefore increased success.

My Rankings of Importance

The idea I think is most important is learning mindfulness. It is actually something I never thought about teaching children. But helping children deal with their emotions and helping their attention span is a big deal. And teaching them those qualities will help their learning tremendously.
The second most important is critical thinking. What we are doing now is just teaching them to conform and obedience. That besides obedience is crippling them. I think this is important because I can relate. I am usually scared to speak up and ask question, and I have to fight that every day. If I was taught to ask and analyze I think I could have gone much farther in school.
The third is the gift of grit. I think it is important to nurture and bring children up so they can be the best they can be. And they do not deserve any less!
The article by Deb Aronson is very important because it shows that the politics played in choosing programs is very crooked. Because a program was based towards Mexican- Americans they didn’t like that. Despite the fact that there was evidence proving that it helped those kids tremendously. It shows how prejudice  our politicians are.
The last one by Keith Gilyard talks about how humanities need to stay in the curriculum. I do think this is very important as well. I just had to put the upbringing of kids first because I think that’s where it all starts. All of the points the writers were making are very important and we would benefit from all of these ideas.

How each Author supports their ideas for change

In the article “A real education” by BARRY BOYCE he talks about the benefits of teaching mindfulness. He states, “Kindness, caring, empathy, being able to de-center from your own point of view and listen deeply to others—these are values that should be cultivated in our classrooms.” He says that a lot of children are at risk for depression by teaching them mindfulness through yoga and other practices it can “increase their awareness of their own emotions and their ability to regulate them.” Greenburg founded a PEACE program and has been funded millions of dollars and has helped students’ teachers and parents. He says his practice also helps children cope with anxiety and it is also effective with increasing children’s attention; which is another common problem among children today.
In the article by Jerry large “Gift of Grit curiosity helps children succeed” he speaks about a book by Paul Tough. He states, “Tough pulls together research and real-world experiences that indicate the relentless pursuit of higher test scores and greater proficiency in this subject or that is not the way to produce successful people.” He says to build “grit” or character in children will lead to success. He says parents and teacher can help them build character by nurturing them at an early age.
In the article “Children, Arts and Du Bois” by Keith Gilyard he speaks about a creative arts program that was shut down due to lack of funding; and explains why those programs are so important. He talks about the benefits of liberal thinking and how it relates to Du Bois and his effect on the education system. He says liberal thinking helps gain some practical means of helping present life. It also helps make present life mean more than it meant before. He also touches on the fact that students who grow up bottom or middle class do not have financial means for college and that more funding should be put towards their education as well as humanities.
In the article by Deb Aronson “Arizona bans Mexican American Studies Program,” they talk about a Mexican American Studies (MAS) program that raised the graduation rate significantly for Mexican-Americans as well as how many went to college after high school. Despite these great achievements the program was shut down saying that the program “promoted resentment to mainstream culture.” Other excuses were made like fighting in a Mexican book that they had removed from the curriculum. But there were other American books that had similar scenes in them. It was obvious the decision was crooked.
In the article “critical thinking” by bell hooks she touches on the fact that the world wants to only educate children on conformity and obedience. Which makes them think that thinking is dangerous, and don’t enjoy the process of thinking and instead fear it. She talks about how Engaged pedagogy is a teaching strategy aimed to restore students will to think and that in fact most students resist the critical thinking process. They are more comfortable with learning that allows them to remain passive because that is what they were taught.  

How Chalk proves the charges Freire, Gatto, Rose and Black have aginst the education System

How Chalk proves the charges Freire, Gatto, Rose and Black have aginst the education System   

A scene from Chalk that supports one of Friere's concerns is one with Mr. Lawery. During the movie he has lines on the chalkboard that he has the students read and repeat with him. He does not go into any explanations or interact with the students to get them to understand. He talked at them instead of with them. This is a prime example of the "Banking Method" explained by Paolo Freire in "The banking concept of education."

     In chalk Mrs. Riddell the vice principal comes to the principal of the school for important questions regarding the benefit of the school and its students. Every time she asks him a question he always answers with something completely unrelated because he either doesn't know or doesn't care about her concerns. As stated in the article "resolutions on education" by Mike Rose , "To ensure that people who actually know a lot about schools will appear on Oprah and will be consulted by politicians and policy makers. When President Obama visited my home state of California, the person he met with to talk about education was Steve Jobs." If the representative is asked an important question, just like politicians they will change the subject if they don't want to address that issue.

     Mr. Lawery's teaching methods were boring and he knew it. During a scene in Chalk he goes into the library and gets a book on "Classroom Management." He then goes to class and actually interacts with the students and had more fun. He even won the "spelling hornet" that was put on by the kids. This pertains to John Taylor Gatto's "Against School." He states, "Of course, teachers are themselves products of the same twelve-year compulsory school programs that so thoroughly bore their students, and as school personnel they are trapped inside structures even more rigid than those imposed upon the children. Who, then, is to blame? We all are. ”Mr. Lawery was not taught to teach the curriculum in a fun manor. Once he saw how boring it was he decided to "go outside the box."

    In Lewis Black's video "Education in Crisis" he shows a blip from someone responding to how to help our education system, he said "if you drive by a public school even if your kids don't go there, walk in and ask if you can help." Obviously that isn't how we are going to help our education system. The person that stated that was not educated enough to answer on how we can better our educational system. In the movie Chalk the new assistant principal Mrs. Reddell was hired because the old one was fired and they needed a quick replacement, and not necessarily because she was qualified. It shows that we will hire people who are not qualified to find solutions to our educational problems.


   

Rose vs. Balck

As stated by Mike Rose, something he wants to change is "To stop the accountability train long enough to define what we mean by “To stop making the standardized test score the gold-standard of student achievement and teacher effectiveness. In what other profession do we use a single metric to judge goodness? Imagine judging competence of a cardiologist by the average of her patients’ cardiograms." He means that we are grading a person by something that should not define their intelligence. I think black would agree with that. Black gave some opinions that he had but no direct facts to support his anger towards the education system. One thing he showed was that we were 21st and in 26th place for math and science in the world. And that we were in first place for self-esteem. And it shows a boy trying to make a jump on his bike onto a roof and misses. I think that shows the way our generation is. We are more into doing crazy things that can harm ourselves then caring about math and science. That is why we need to change our educational system. Both Rose and Black think that the educational systems are failing our kids in America and need to change. Rose states, “To make do with fewer economists in education. These practitioners of the dismal science have flocked to education reform, though most know little about teaching and learning. I mean, my Lord, with a few exceptions they did such a terrific job analyzing the financial and housing markets – something they do know a lot about – that the field of economics itself, according to The Economist, is experiencing an identity crisis. So tell me again why they’re especially qualified to change education for the better.” He is saying people who aren’t qualified to analyze teaching are; and people just listen and don’t even think about the fact that they might not even be qualified to make those assumptions. I think that Black would agree with that statement made by Rose. I agree with both of them, I just need to look into more of the correct facts at the right websites.

What i think high school is for....

I think that high school is about preparing already knowledgeable teenagers for adulthood. We learned how to read, write and about basic arithmetic in elementary and middle school.  So High school is more for applying those basic skills towards higher education that is forced upon us, while we are still treated as we were in elementary and middle school. I would change high school by making it all about what profession we decided to go for as adults or somehow applying a program to help the students that don’t know what they want to do after high school. I had a few ideas of what I wanted to do but didn’t have much help following them through. I know plenty of students that have no idea of what they want to do and just get by in high school to not know what they want to do after school. I think a big thing is kids just wanting their freedom after being treated like a child their whole lives. And if they weren’t treated as much like children and more like adults and talked to about their hopes and dreams and had help putting them into action; well that might help out some of the “lost” kids in high school.

Chalk's Illustratioins of Gattos and Feire's charges against education

Chalk shows the real lives of teachers in the educations system. Gatto states that he as well as his students are bored because of the educational system. In the movies Chalk Mr. Lawery reads lines off of the chalk board and makes his students repeat it with him. This is two of Gatto's charges against the educational system; the students are bored as well as the teacher and it is a prime example of the banking method. The teacher reads the information and the students repeat it and "store" it in their minds. Gatto also states that the system says that the teachers are the authority and that they are always right. Mr. Stroup talks to one of his students for using words that are too big and that the teacher does not understand. So the student is wrong for trying to use his full potential because it makes the teacher look bad. Again Mr Lawery's way of teaching is not letting the kids live the lessons of life by preaching the information he wants the students to know. As stated by Gatto "the students are filed away through the lack of creativity." Mr. Stroup pretend calls a student’s parent and says that he has a bad grade. He wouldn’t tell the student why he was in trouble. The he just made him leave afterwards. That was an example of a statement made by Gatto; “the teacher confuses the authority of knowledge with his own professional authority. He had no right to do that but he did it anyways.

"Chalk" Movie Notes

Chalk

·         His whole family was teachers

·         He wouldn’t be who he is without his teachers

·         50% of teachers quit within the first 3 years

·         Mr. Stroup teaches history its his third year, he starts out with a joke. He is a jokester and opens the kids up by asking them what they did this summer. He wants to win teacher of the year.

·         Coach Webb is excited teaches PE. 2^nd year. She says she depends on other people a lot and sayd ppl don’t realize how hard it is to be a teacher.

·         Show up to class and be prepared with paper says another teacher

·         Another teacher was told that she could kiss his white ass

·         Mr. Lowery A boring teacher is trying to get his students to read the board with him. He has a degree in computer science and this is his first time teaching.

·         Administration is there from 6 30 to eight on the weekdays and comes in on Saturdays too. He thought he wouldn’t have to do that since he wasn’t a teacher anymore.

·         Mrs. Reddell first year AP

·         Mr. Stroup’s three goals from last year for is sarcasm, cleanliness, organization, and lesson plans.

·         Mrs. Reddell breaks up a fight.

·         Ms. Webb says people assume she is gay.

·         They say don’t be the students friend. He wants to let them know that he cares about them early on. The students start fighting and don’t really listen to him.

·         Third nigh in a row Mrs. Reddell gets home after ten pm. She hasn’t had much of a relationship with her husband.

·         Pe teacher makes a nice math teacher enforce the no tardy rule.

·         Someone takes Mr. Stroup’s chalk and won’t give it back.

·         So he lets a kid teach the class instead because they won’t respect them.

·         Ms. Webb says that she makes students understand her expectations and thinks she can help the students believe they can be athletic even though she knows they don’t want to be athletic.

·         Mr. Stroup talks to two students about using big words he doesn’t understand. And tells him not to because it makes him look dumb.

·         Mrs. Reddell tried to chase a cat down.

·         Ms. Webb teaches the kids some yoga positions.  A guy says it’s making him hot and vulnerable.

·         Mr. Stroup says he’s tried to incorporate humor and jokes into class.

·         Ms. Webb says she finds herself interested in someone at work.

·         Teachers discuss a few questions. Mr. Lowery wants to know who checks their personal email during class. He asks who borrows paper from the teacher room and who borrows cash from the petty money. He wants to know who took his stapler because its win integrity now month. He’s explaining to them about integrity and how their supposed to be role models.

·         Mr. Stroup calls a student’s parent and says that he has a bad grade and fakes it. He doesn’t even tell the student what it’s about.

·         Teaching is taking up Mr. Stroups life and he can’t imagine dating anyone because of that.

·         Mr. Stroup freaks out on his students for having their cell phones go off. And kicks someone out and then tried to make him come back and he doesn’t and tell him he is a shitty teacher.

·         Mr. Lowery gets nominated for teacher of the year.

·         He speaks at the teacher of the year debate. And gets recognition from the crowd. But he doesn’t win.

·         The assistant principal said she filled in for teachers twice in the whole year and those were her best days. She misses teaching and has no life as an administrative assistant.

·         Mr. Lawry wins the teacher spelling hornet.

·         Mr. Lawry raps with the kids and has a good time.

·         Mr. Lawry doesn’t know if he is going to come back next year. He says he respects teaching more, but he doesn’t know if he likes it very much. Another teacher says he wishes he had the guts to leave.

·         Ms. Webb learned people are very insecure and she is very pushy and she needs to be more encouraging.

·         Being a teacher is a gift maybe someone can learn but nobody has taught me. Says Mr. Lawry. He didn’t sign for next year.

Different Strategies for my Essasy Development

After reading the sections in our writing simplified book a couple of them stick out, and I will use them to write my formal paper #3. The first one is cause and/or effect. I will gather many facts about how the education system is today. Then I will explain the effects it has had on the students. I want to find stories of many students’ and how they educational system effected their life. As well as find studies that have been done. In order to persuade my readers I must have many facts and evidence to back up my opinion on the subject. The other one is argument. I will be arguing that the educational system needs to change. The world is ever changing and we cannot get by with the same educational system in place. It too needs to be ever changing, and flexible to adapt to the needs of its students. In order to have a good argument paper I must clearly state my point of view about the educational system. I must not state a fact, since I cannot argue a fact, it must be arguable. I will have a clear thesis at the beginning of my paper so the reader knows exactly what I will be arguing. And of course I MUST have good supportive evidence to support my argument. I also read about classification and compare and/or contrast. But after reading all of the different sections I will be sticking with cause and/or effect and Argument.

Freire and Gatto's Smilarities

Paulo Freire and Gatto's papers have very strong opinions on the educational system in America. Gatto goes more in depth on the history of how we attained our system in America. While Freire explains the system in which the students are taught. I think they would both agree that the system they use to teach today is very boring. As stated by Gatto "Boredom was everywhere in my world, and if you asked the kids, as I often did, why they felt so bored, they always gave the same answers: They said the work was stupid, that it made no sense, that they already knew it. They said they wanted to be doing something real, not just sitting around."  A quote from Freire states “The teacher talks about reality as if it were motionless, static, compartmentalized, and predictable. Or else he expounds on a topic completely alien to the existential experience of the students. His task is to "fill" the students with the contents of his narration -- contents which are detached from reality, disconnected from the totality that engendered them and could give them significance. Words are emptied of their concreteness and become a hollow, alienated, and alienating verbosity.” After reading that I just think of how boring the lesson plans are for the students. Both of them talk about the “oppressor” who wants to keep things the way they created it to be and that they are not interested in people asking questions or changing their ways of doing things. As quoted by Freire, “The capability of banking education to minimize or annul the student's creative power and to stimulate their credulity serves the interests of the oppressors, who care neither to have the world revealed nor to see it transformed. The oppressors use their "humanitarianism" to preserve a profitable situation. Thus they react almost instinctively against any experiment in education which stimulates the critical faculties and is not content with a partial view of reality always seeks out the ties which link one point to another and one problem to another.”  Gatto talks about how they put down originality and want to breed the same safe students who won’t ask questions and just do as their told. He states, “Compounding our error is the fact that the national literature holds numerous and surprisingly consistent statements of compulsory schooling's true purpose. We have, for example, the great H. L. Mencken, who wrote in The American Mercury for April 1924 that the aim of public education is not to fill the young of the species with knowledge and awaken their intelligence. ... Nothing could be further from the truth. The aim ... is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality.” They both have a lot of the same beliefs.

 

Paulo Freire "The Banking Concept of Education "

After reading INFED's opinion on Paulo Freire idea of "free style" learning. They say that, "Freire certainly made a number of important theoretical innovations that have had a considerable impact on the development of educational practice." They talk about both his contribution to the educational system and the critique they have for his methods of thinking.

They also said that "The process is important and can be seen as enhancing community and building social capital and to leading us to act in ways that make for justice and human flourishing."

They also critique him saying that his new ideas of teaching aren't so far off from the banking method.

Reading this article honestly confused me and I have to break down many words to understand what information the writer was trying to his readers to understand.

One thing I think about Paulo Freire’s ideas on teaching is that there is no authority. He wants the teachers and the students to be equal. I believe that we should be treating high school students more like adults and need to stop instilling so much fear and doubt in them. I found an anonymous quote on search quotes. “What causes adolescents to rebel is not the assertion of authority but the arbitrary use of power, with little explanation of the rules and no involvement in decision-making... Involving the adolescent in decisions doesn't mean that you are giving up your authority. It means acknowledging that the teenager is growing up and has the right to participate in decisions that affect his or her life."

I believe this statement and I think it speaks for itself. Allowing a teenager to have a say in decisions that affect them will help them to feel more empowered and ultimately help them grow into mature adults.

Comapring my high school experince to Gatto's experience

     When I think back on my high school experience I did have some good teachers that I enjoyed very much. If I really thought about why I enjoyed them, besides the fact that they were cool people I enjoyed being around; the other reasons were because they were real with me. To explain further they probably didn't always act and say things that they "were supposed" to say. They went out of the formal teacher student relationship which could have been frowned upon by the school faculty. Having them treat me as an adult made me respect them and listen to their advice and teachings. So in contrast I could say that my teachers that were completely ethical in their student teacher relationship with me did bore me. Following the same boring lesson plan semester after semester was boring to listen to. It didn't grab my attention in any way, and especially me being young and immature I didn't care about school like I should have because it didn't interest me for the most part. If high school was more interactive and if they treated us more like the adults we were turning into (if we deserved it of course) would have been more interesting and enjoyable for me. So I would say that my experience was similar to Gatto's and I agree with what he has to say about the education system.
     In conclusion, I would have to admit that high school for the most part was boring and did not grab my attention; except for the few teachers that treated me as an adult and made class more fun in ways some school faculty probably wouldn't approve of. We would be better off with our future high school students if we listened to Gatto's opinion on the education system we have in America.

How public education cripples our kids and why Group Discussion

           We agree with the statement because he was taught how to teach by a system that he doesn't agree with. He states, "the work was stupid,  and that it made no sense." Since he was forced to teach in a way he didn't like he was bored for his whole career.

Boredom is the common condition of schoolteachers, and anyone who has spent time in a teachers' lounge can vouch for the low energy, the whining, the dispirited attitudes, to be found there.

 Of course, teachers are themselves products of the same twelve-year compulsory school programs that so thoroughly bore their students, and as school personnel they are trapped inside structures even more rigid than those imposed upon the children.

Boredom was everywhere in my world, and if you asked the kids, as I often did, why they felt so bored, they always gave the same answers: They said the work was stupid, that it made no sense, that they already knew it.

They said teachers didn't seem to know much about their subjects and clearly weren't interested in learning more. And the kids were right: their teachers were every bit as bored as they were.

He told me that I was never to use that term in his presence again, that if I was bored it was my fault and no one else's.

This question can also be supported by the Ken Robinson video who thinks that the school system is crippling our students by squashing their creativity.
Also Dead poets society supports this question. the teacher Mr. Keating has a different approach to teaching. He wants to get the kids out of the classroom to see life differently and think for themselves.

Question 2:
Gatto acknowledged the problems of the education system and wanted to improve it.
teach your own to be leaders and adventurers
teach your own to think critically and independently

Question 3
Schools are to establish fixed habits of reaction authority.
The integrating function might well be called the conformity function
make children as alike as possible

Question 4
The entire pop benefits from teaching children to grow independently
Were taught education is to help kids reach their personal best
education system dumbs people down and discard them if they don't conform.

Question 5
Alexander Ingles 1918 book
compulsory schooling on this continent was to be intended to be just what is was for Prussia in 1820's
Modern schooling was to make a sort of surgical incision into the unity of the underclasses
divide children by subject, age-grading gender by constant rankings on tests and many other subtle means.

Question 6
adapted function, fixed habits of authority like speaking out against teachers and getting punished
make children diagnosed
The way students are tested
children are only sorted into a role and trained only as far as their desination
The system is kept going by training an elite group to carry it on.

Question 7
Modern schooling turns kids into addicts by having routine
turning school into second nature
"do we need to go to school?"
other people have been successful without school
our addiction to staying childish, not thinking we can do more when we can.

Question 8
Maturity by now has been banished
Easy divorce laws have removed the need to work on relationships
easy credit, removed the need for fiscal self control
answers have removed the need to ask questions
we have become a nation of children