The class

Well, for starters I liked the movie. It was different from all the other teacher student movies we have seen. I felt as though it was more realistic and less dramatized compared to other movies. Yet everyone played a defined role, Roles similar to the ones in all the others movies including ours. Everyone in this movie played his or her role throughout the movie, it was excellent.

I would like to point out that This movie demonstrates a semi-functional educational system. There are some major flaws. They have such a tight and organized way of doing things and it does not work in a functional way. The teaching always follows a certain curriculum. Each student is judged based on the same rubric. While each student has different strengths, weaknesses and faces different problems themselves. In the class when the one girl admits to Mr. Martin that she did not learn anything like the other students did. The educational system has flaws like any educational system probably would. And having one amazingly smart teacher, or a different curriculum does not fix the entire system. This is when I think Lisa Delpit’s studies are the best way to go. That’s teachers should make more of an effort to get to know students and take into account for their strengths and weakness. So when it was Souleymane’s hearing, no one thought to take into account his situation at home, or address the good qualities that come from him. I do not think it was fair to expel him.

The movie starts, and starts to focus on a student who does not take school seriously. He ends up getting in trouble time and time again. By talking back, not bringing his things to class, or distracting the class. It seems like all his priorities are at home, and so he lies to his mom about doing well. After a while the administrators put in up for a hearing regarding his explosion. Then It becomes a matter of taking his personal life into consideration or not. Based on the very strict rules of the educational system, they decided to expel Souleymane from the school. I do not agree with the final decision that was made to expel him.

Everyone should be responsible for his or her own actions. Souleymane is guilty for being disrespectful and yelling at the teacher. Although he was provoked by the situation that Esmeralda caused. That to caused the teacher to get angry and use the word “skank” to describe the two students. That was crossing a line of respect too. Everything could have been avoided. Everyone played a part in it and therefore everyone is equally responsible.

Weather they realize or not Teachers can have major effects on a student’s life inside and outside of school. When a student came to talk to Mr. Martin and tell him the effect that Souleymane’s explosion would have, only then did Mr. Martin realized the role he was playing in Souleymane’s life. Mr. Marin’s true colors shine through at the end of the movie. He was aware of everything that was going on, and towards the end of the movie he is reveled as an imperfect, confused and dishonest individual. He did not want any one to see him as flawed. He talked to the other teachers and he felt it was not fair to expel Souleymane. He chose to do nothing, and all the other administrations did not do anything, or any other interest in his life either. I think a systematic change is needed. A change that’s would give students the guidance they need personally. Although Mr. Martin did try to find out about the students lives, he failed to make a difference. He asked the students to write their self-portraits so he could learn more about them. During a discussion of Anne frank the class talks about their feelings and experiences similar to hers. Even though he ends up better information about his students live he chooses to do nothing beneficial, helpful or significant with it. When it came down to Souleymane’s hearing Mr. Martin made the chose to leave any personal outside of school related information out.

There is always room for improvement because no one is perfect, and no system is completely fair to everyone. So we should aim for only the best we can do.

Experience> Books, media,

Learning is defined by Webster’s dictionary as the skill "to acquire or obtain knowledge". All of us learn something new everyday. But it isn’t necessarily something we will know forever. Chances are we are going to forget and in fact not remember years from now what it was that you learned. The way we really learn something, something that we truly remember, is through our experiences. Whether it was a little life lesson, or learning from a mistake, the fact is that we learn better from experience. A very well known ancient Chinese philosopher, Confucius, says "tell me and I will forget, show me, and I may remember, involve me and I will understand.” (age-of-the-sage) One can only learn so much from books and the media can be misinterpreted. Even hard facts can be turned into stories and much can be lost in translation. So who knows if we are ever getting the whole truth?

Being able to experience something first hand is the more memorable and effective learning experience. When a person is able to see the sights, hear the sounds, meet the people, eat the food, be truly involved, there is simply no comparison. Then people really know for themselves and have their very experience to relate to and take ownership of.

It does not matter how many books you have read, how many videos you have watched, how many classes you have taken, or how much knowledge you have in your head. If you have never been on a bike then you do not know how to ride one. This theory applies to any learning.

For instance, the book Simply Alice written by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, it’s far from simple. The novel is the story of a girl and the challenges she faces through her road through adolescence. Throughout the book Alice's priorities cause trouble for her, and she ends up sabotaging the relationship she has between her friends and her boyfriend. One of Alice’s friend regrets not staying with her loving boyfriend, and is beginning to notice a similar thing happening in Alice’s life. As a close friend she warns Alice. Although Alice listens, she ignores what her friend confides and sure enough Alice loses her boyfriend. Here, Alice in fact has learned the mistakes she made. If this experience had not happened to her directly, she could not fully and understood the detrimental potential of her actions. So “learn from your mistakes” as the famous, saying goes.

Experiential learning is a very effective way of learning. It engages people at a deeper level as something they can relate personally. I have learned more about Egypt by going there rather than from any class I have taken, or any book or newspaper I have read. Actually going to Africa, even after reading many books and newspapers, enabled me to come back with a completely new set of facts. Take the guards for instance, who are found everywhere. I did not know weather to be afraid or feel safe. They stood their in full uniform swinging a heavy duty gun on their side. Experience allows a person to learn first hand. They are forced to blend in with the culture and their surroundings. This method allows one to develop new skills, ideas and even an entirely new way of thinking. Seeing a picture captures a moment of the event, but seeing the event up close and being a part of it (even just by observing) is so much more real and captures the real experience. For me, it is like watching a child take their first steps; it’s a moment when you feel like this has an effect on your life. Something you could have never felt or been truly aware of without the actual experience and seeing it for your self.

Little events can teach us the smallest of skills. Simple sidewalk games for example, such as hopscotch, which teaches social skills, and bring a part of a team, its about communication, and learning how to a just your mistake to make them more effective. It is a game that is popular as a way of experiential learning because it is fun. Learning through fun helps the people stay interested for a longer period of time. Or take bungee jumping, the thrill and feeling no one would understand unless they have done it for themselves.

The opposite of experience learning is Freire’s educational method of the “Bank depositing” system of teaching. This is where the teacher is the one with ALL the knowledge who then feds the mindless students information. Information is basically forced fed and they lose the ability to think for themselves. The one and only perspective they ever get is the one from the teacher. This system does not allow students to develop their own ideas or thoughts about anything. With this system I do not see any way there can be any progression. If students all know the same things and have the same ideas, there is no room to expand. Which is method similar to that of the medieval times, called 'Teaching by pouring in'. When they would drill holes in the human head and using a funnel would pour information into the person’s brain. Either way it is not effective.

Living an experience is the most effective, deepest and touches the touches the deepest level of learning. Nothing compares to living with the experience of learning something new, To really know and see something for yourself.

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"The sayings of Confucius Chinese philosopher and sage." age-of-the-sage (2002): n. pag. Web. 26 Apr 2010. .

Other People

Gatto The six-lesson schoolteacher: Gatto writes about six factors of the schooling system. He tells it how it is, in a very brutally honest way. It seems as though he mocks the entire process throughout the document. And I find it hard to believe he actually enforces these as a teacher. Through these 6 steps he explains effective methods to teach student so they can get the "best education." Gatto makes the point that the way the schooling system is set up takes about from students as individuals. Students are taught from textbooks, they are taught facts and knowledge and are taught the exact opposite of how to think for themselves. He talks about how we are almost being watched. There is no privacy in a student’s life. That we are like animals acquired with strict limitations and under constant surveillance. This education system has a strict curriculum that never allows a student to express their full potential of creativity; they are deprived of having any time to themselves to learn on their own. Instead of being a place of self discovery school acts as a sorting machine where "Numbering children is a very big and profitable business.” that the teacher knows how to direct the attention in their room. Teachers conduct the classroom in a way where they control the attention in the room. Students are taught when to "turn on and off like a light switch.” Meaning students know what to do next, they are aware of what they should be doing and where to direct their attention. He ends his piece with a harsh and sad statement that describes, "School is like starting a life with a 12-year jail sentence in which bad habits are the only curriculum truly learned."

Having never thought about it before I realize now how mindless most of what we do everyday is. We are always stuck at school, or at home doing schoolwork. The other time we have is wasted on mindless electronic devices. We deal with all of it like mindless zombies with the same standard responses and the same ideas and information as everyone else. I do not feel like we get enough time where we are able to learn things for ourselves. It would be nice not to just learn what we had to but more of what we wanted too. SOF does offer some difference classes to take, but for the most part they are very similar. I think schools, ours included, should have classes or take trips that allow students to developed ideas themselves. I have heard of schools that have wood shop for students who are curious about building and forensic science for kids who like that difference type of science. But here and in most places these courses are not offer and therefore we will never know.

Freire is the man who came up with the idea of this “bank depositing” system of teaching. It works with a teacher depositing what he knows into the minds of students. Making the teacher the one with ALL the knowledge and the students the ones who know nothing. After the information is basically forced fed to them they are suppose to have learned something. The students really cant thin for themselves. The only perspective they ever get is the one from the teacher. This system does not allow students to develop their own ideas or thoughts about anything. With this system I do not see any way there can be any progression. If students all know the same things and have the same ideas, there is no room to expand. He brings up the other idea of the "problem-posing" educational system. Which involves the teacher creating dialogue with the students, and they both share their ideas. which allows both the student and the teacher to learn something new from each-other. This technique of teaching has the student come to perceptive of the reality of their situation.

The bank depositing method is not the way to go. Students do not get to come up with their own idea. it reminds me of the medieval method of 'Teaching by pouring in'. When they would drill holes in the human head and using a funnel would pour information into the persons brain. Either way it is not effective. the posing problem perceptive seems similar to the education that is taught at our school. We simply sit around and chit chat for the whole class, where the teacher and students exchange dialogue and in the end walk away learning from each-other. It does seems to work fairly well in our classrooms, Because all different ideas are laid out on the table to pick and chose from. From this system i might admit that i have learned alot.

Lisa Delpit has surrounded her studies on the education of children. This interview shows her opinion on how schools should go about teaching. She believes that schools often misjudge a student’s brilliance. Delpit makes a point that a student’s knowledge can not only be judged in their test taking. She discussing the lack of effort teachers make in order to discover their students strengths, “I don't think we do a good enough job of showing teachers how to uncover the children's strengths.” The best way to discovery a student’s skill is through art. She recommends teachers to encourage their students to do art, which allows them to see their students in a new light. Another technique is to have an idea of what the children is like outside of school. by talking to people who are with the students. That way the teacher gets more of sense of who the student is and where they come from.

I think her methods make the most sense. Each person has something different to offer. Spending time getting to know a little bit about student can be beneficial. It helps the teacher teach the student in more of way they can learn and relate too. It helps the student by being able to learn more and feeling more comfortable with the teacher. I believe that people are the way they are for reasons. If people in generally (and teachers) were aware of a persons situation that might explain some of the things they do. For explain if someone acts out in class on a regular basic, instead of assuming they are just a bad student it helps to know what might be causing it. Maybe the student is ignored at home and wants attention and acts out as a way to get it even if it is negative. I feel like this is a good method to use in schools.

Mr. Manley a current English teacher at school of the future and just about the nicest guy ever came to talk to us about school. From being a student to than being a teacher everything is a lot different. Coming from a very traditional educational system SOF he says is a lot different. From his experience students sat a desk everyday, with very little minorities. He said overall he enjoyed his school experience. He went all the way to college before ever thinking about becoming a teacher. Currently loves his job at SOF. He describes this teaching job as a very rewarding because here he is able to connect with students, teach more freely. Manley says interacting with students that he is constantly reminded of himself.

From our conversation with Manley I realize how different our school is from others. I realize the difference in our environment, the people, the curriculum, and our relationships with teachers; it’s all very cool. I do not think I would like being at a traditional school (Although that might be because I have been here for so long already.)

He remembers a school he taught at where he was told to only teach grammar. He was informed how he should never talk about his personal life. Standing, teaching grammar and only grammar day after day was not a good experience for him. However it was a learning experience and that’s how he ended up at SOF. I can honestly say I am glad our school does not teach like that. I like being able to interpret things for myself, and talk freely in talking about it.

Class Movie reveiw

The role I played in the film was one of the gossip girls as well as the girlfriend (who u do not get to see clearly). The character who carded more about what happening socially than school. which was shown with us gossiping in the corner with each other. even though the three of us played small roles in the film they were still important. I believe they added to the setting of the class room. each one of us played a different role of the class, and each showed the different perspectives or outlooks on school. Next to us was the rebellious students who generally did not care about the material in school. then there were the smart kids, who did not contribute to the chaos of the class.

Our film demonstrated some of the different social groups found in school. it had a teacher who was tried to teach material that the students were not interested and unresponsive about. i think the message was that, students do not understand the value of school, and instead of making the best of it or taking advantage of what it has to offer they just ignore it. Our film was both different and similar from the other savior teacher films. In the other films like freedom writers the class room was a carnival. Those students were there because they felt like they had to be and they just cared about getting in and out of it. Everyone in the class each played a different role, but one thing all the students had in common was their disrespect for the teacher. Which was the case in our film as well. The bad boy, Ev and the others showed that they were not interested in the teacher, they did not care what he had to say. the reason: well because they did not see how in anyway it related to their personal life. Which was a re-occuring theme and characters we saw in most of the other movies we watched.

The big difference comparing our movie to the other typical teacher savior movies is the teacher failed. He worked at trying to get students to relate and interested in the topics, but was out of luck. and so our movie ended more like that of Dead poets society. except our teacher was no hero at all, because unlike dead poets society he was unable to change the students perceptive at all. Hence how the students in our movie continued on their lives unchanged after the teacher stormed out. which creates an overall sad, disturbing tone of the whole play. again similar to that of the Dead poets society.

And as a last point, i think their is a big gap between education and salvation in our schooling system. i have yet to find or have a teacher who tried to "enlighten" a class of mine. then again i am speaking for only about three schools, so there probably is a teacher out there who does have a great positive impact on students.

But when i think about it again....i guess in my opinion people can be saved in all sorts of ways though. So if you wanted to say that "saving someone" was just making them see in a new light then yes, there are plenty of teachers and students who have the power to do so. and IF that is the case then i myself can say i have been saved by one person or another.