"How camest thou in this pickle?"

The Education of Margot Sanchez - By Lilliam Rivera We read the first chapter of this book in class and my first thoughts were... I would not read this book out loud in class. That being said, I would still like to use this book and I think it has a lot of great themes young adults and teens could relate to, especially in the modern world dealing with status and ways to fit in. I remember feeling that if I wasn't on the top of my game all the time I would be excluded as a kid, and being excluded felt like a death sentence. There is a song from the musical Heathers (based off the pop-culture classic movie Heathers) where one of the Heathers sings about suicide and relates high school to a life boat. It is a beautiful analogy and I think I would consider playing that song in class if I were to do a unit on this book. I think the book is interesting because it is easy to relate to even for those who don't have to deal with the factor of race. For example, we all have parts of ou...

Reading this book reminded my a lot of "An Actor's Work: A Student's Diary" by Konstantin Stanislavski. What I mean by this, for those who haven't read either book, is that you become immersed in the book. Almost as if you are one of the characters, learning along with them. This style of writing made the book very relatable even if the anecdotes introduced weren't true to your own experience. I love to read, and even then I do too also fake-read. Especially if it is for something I am not very interested in. ""Some kids are born good readers and some kids aren't. I've always been a bad reader and I always will be. It's too late for me." I have heard this quote being said a million times throughout my education, even teachers have told classes this, (pause for emphasis) teachers.  I know it is silly to go on and on about the very first chapter but it really stuck with me. I just kept thinking about my process and how I am still l...

http://plpnetwork.com/2011/05/23/the-power-of-the-connected-classroom-why-and-how-im-teaching-social-justice/ " I think empathy is one of the most important attributes for young people to develop. We need to cultivate in our students from a young age the gift of empathy; the power of understanding and imaginatively entering into another person’s feelings. And we need to act. In some way, every one of us on the globe does." Growing up I never really thought I had a voice, social injustice issues felt too far out of reach. I also thought it was someone  else's problem and when I actually wanted to do something I thought it was pointless to do because it was coming from me. Yet I have a voice, a quiet voice, but a voice and I should use it. I read an article about how so many people who are attacked end up dying, not because the emergency team responded too slow, but because the public always expected someone else to act. There is a mentality in ...

I came across an interesting quote the other day. I can't phrase it verbatim but it went along these lines.... White Privilege is your history being a part of the core curriculum while mine is being taught as an elective. Even at the college level, ethnic authors aren't introduced into the curriculum like white authors are. We talked in our discussion last week about the freedom of education and how education gives the student the ability to defend themselves, gives them the power to not depend on others to express their ideas, wants, and/or desires. We do not want to limit, constrain, or control actions or thoughts. I loved the idea of coupling the study of film, newspapers, magazines and music with the study of novels, poems, and plays. They all influence each other and it is great to see what one artist takes and adapts from the other. I also enjoyed the thoughts on discussion and how it is needed now more than ever. We are often prepared in the classroom to takes test...

“In problem-posing education, people develop their power to perceive critically the way they exist in the world with which and in which they find themselves; they come to see the world not as a static reality, but as a reality in process, in transformation.” I do not have a lot of experience in the class room as a teacher, but I do as a student. The banking system introduced in this reading reminded me a lot of my education. I would memorize to the point of a test and then toss it all aside in order to memorize the next bit of information. I never truly learned anything. Sure I learned some things due to the repetition of the subject but I felt that most of the knowledge I was learning was only short term, something only to remember for the next test and the next subject. But there was nothing I would necessarily use for the rest of my life. This repetition of memorizing and forgetting stems from the personal belief that High School was just preparing me for these tests and that’s...

I will definitely hold onto this text.  I find that most humans find themselves trapped in routine, and forget that there are other ways besides formal essays and tests to evaluate a student's learning. To encourage different assessments is important, because people have different strengths. There were certain assessments I was better at and others I wasn't. I also think certain assessments work better for certain subjects or criteria that is hoping to be met. I think that Journal/Blog responses are interesting because subtle changes can be seen over time, plus they are pretty consistent and routine. I also enjoy discussion evaluations/assessments. I think they can be a little more nerve wracking as a student but, I think they are great to use at the end of a quarter or semester.  People perform differently and a lot of that has to do with their strengths and weaknesses. When balancing between their strengths and their weaknesses and by applying different evaluations/as...

I am so excited to apply this reading. I found that it was incredibly easy to apply this reading to the theatre world. Trust me, we love analyzing text more than most English majors, and I'm not saying that lightly. When it comes to analyzing text the theatre geeks have everyone beat. If you are curious you can ask to see my Twelfth Night and King Lear analysis. I compared the reading to something I do on the daily, and these exercises and practices truly helps not only the actors, directors, and remaining cast and crew but the audience as well.  I often tell people who are going to see a play for the first time to read up on it, especially if they are going to see Shakespeare. While it is fun to be surprised from time to time, Shakespeare is just a little bit harder to follow especially if you aren't familiar with the text. The easiest thing to do is look at the characters and the structure of the play. I find that Ted Talks really help, especially if you want a brief ...