Give Me Head with Hair

lifestyle in which drugs, music and My roommates and I were fortunate to attend the Luther College Theater/Dance Department production of Hair. The reason why I wanted to go is because I loved the movie and I enjoy many of the song that are featured in the musical. When they were holding auditions in the fall, I wanted to try out but since I had to take Ed 115 I couldn't. The musical of Hair centers around the hippy culture in the 1960s in which drugs, music and the love-peace lifestyle was significant. The plot also surrounds the issue of the draft that occurred in the Vietnam War. I believe the musical Hair was a good experience because it dealt with many issues that can relate to many of the same issues that are happening today. I also believe that the musical Hair can be education because it demonstrates how the war affected the lives of the youth in the 60s. This related to what is happening with today's youth. Many of today's youth oppose the war that is occurring over seas. The musical Hair in my opinion is a good experience for up incoming educators because it demonstrates that everyone has their own opinions about controversial issues such as war. In order to be a good educator, we must be able to listen to every one's opinion instead of trying to change them to agree with your own.

Ethnic Art Festival

My friends and I attend the Ethnic Art Festival which consisted of: booths that represented different countries throughout the world, a bazaar of goods that came from different countries, a performance consisting of acts from different countries and cultures and a dinner with different foods from all over the world. Although the festival was a good way to learn about the culture of countries, I do not know if is the best way to educate students. We discussed in Ed Psychology that Culture Day is not the best way to educate people of other cultures but instead provide a curriculum that integrates cultures throughout the world on a everyday basis. Although the enjoyed the Ethnic Art Festival, I believe that we should find another way to integrate this educational experience on a everyday basis instead of one day of the year.

Vagina Monologues

Every year I get very excited to attend the Vagina Monologues. One of the reason is because many of my friends are part of the production. I believe the Monologues is a good opportunity for people that are not actively pursuing a Theater Major to get involve with theater and acting. Another reason that I attend the Vagina Monologues is because it is very entertaining as well as being extremely educational. The Vagina Monologues is based on over 200 interviews that were conducted by Ensler who is the founder of the V-Day movement. The Monologues celebrates the strength and sexuality of women as well as educating people of many gender equality issues. I believe that the play educates many of the issues that women must and went through throughout history. Although some of the interviews are vulgar and use appropriate language, I believe that everyone should attend the Vagina Monologues because the interviews are direct reference from real women and issues that happen in their lives. I believe that all teachers should attend so they can educate their students of gender equality issues which will help make the classroom a more equal environment.

Black History Month

This year, Luther College was fortunate to hold the Black History Month Conference. This conference consisted of a weekend full of lectures dealing with issues concerning the African American community. I was fortunate to attend one of the lectures that was held during the conference. The lecturer's name Walter Benn Michael and he presented a lecture entitled "Model Minority." Michael spoke about race and the Luther community. He believes that ending racial injustice will not be the solution for ending all other injustices. He also claims that issues of poverty has to do with racial problems. He believes that "Ending racism will not end those problems." He states that the issues between races are fantasies that the American society created. Micheal goes on to relate the idea of race to the college setting. According to him, Asian-Americans are over-represented in American colleges and universities whereas blacks and African-Americans are under represented. His reasoning behind this is because Asian Americans are looked at as being "white" in the eyes of Americans. According to Michael, economic inequality is a bigger issue than racial disparities. He believes that if race was completely gone, there would still be inequalities in the United States.

I did not agree with much that Micheal said in his lecture. In my opinion, I believe that the economic issue for black Americans is a race issue. Many economic issues that are happening and happen in the United States are due to the issue of race. I believe if race and the issues behind race were abolished, many of the issues behind economic issues would be abolished as well.

Technology: Friend or Foe

In my field of education, which is art, I feel that technology is becoming more and more needed to teach a various different kinds of arts that require different kinds of mediums. I feel technology is helpful for doing research on art related topics and presenting presentation. There are also certain types of art such as graphic design, 3-D design and so on that rest solely on the advances in technology. It is because of this connection between technology and art that many art programs still only teach the basics in art technique such as drawing, painting and clay work. Many school can not afford many of the programs that are needed in teaching such classes as graphic design and 3-D design, so they do not offer them. I believe when mixed in with many of the basic techniques of art, technology can broaden a students experience in art. This will give a student a taste of what is out there in art instead of just limiting them to certain mediums. I believe the use of technology should be added to what is commonly being taught in the art classroom today in order to give students a well rounded art experience and give students whatever tools they need to express their creativity.

Controversial Issue in the Educational System

There are many controversial issue that are affecting the educational system. We were asked to write about one of them and share our opinions and thoughts about the issue that we write about. The issue of the Pledge of Allegiance in schools today has always interested. Some people believe that it is perfectly alright, some believe are total against it and some people are borderline. The issue with the Pledge of Allegiance is that there is a line within it that state "One Nation, Under God...." By making students recite the Pledge at the beginning of the day, we as a society are mixing the realm of religion and public school together into one which by law is not to happen. We are also not taking into account that all students do not believe in the Christian God. There are many students that attend public school that do not practice Christianity. By making them recite the Pledge, we are kind of making them renounce their faith. In my opinion, we should not say the Pledge of Allegiance at school or we should come up with an alternative.

My very first post!!!!!

Why do we teach?

There are so many different reasons why I believe educators teach. The reason why I want to teach is that when I was in elementary, middle and high school, I had so many excellent educators (ie. teachers, administrators, community members, family, etc.) that cared about me and made sure I did my best so I could succeed in the future. I want in some way to thank them and repay them. By becoming a teacher I believe I am helping this group of people by following in their footsteps, educating and supporting the next generation so they can succeed in their future. In some way I believe that is the purpose of all educators. (You know it is not for the money!) I believe educators today want to give back to society by educating the next generation, supporting them so they can achieve and be the best person they can be.

What is the difference between school "work" and student "learning"?

There is huge difference between these two concepts, "school work" and "student learning." School work is something a student does in the classroom (ie. labs, projects, etc) or outside of the classroom (ie. homework, reports, studying, etc.) This work is given by educators for the purpose of student learning, but this is not guaranteed. Students might do school work and learn all the material that is covered in that work, but students might also get nothing outside of the school work, complete the work only to get it done. Student "learning" is when the student actually knows and understand the material that is taught in class.

What makes for good teaching?

In my opinion, there are many qualities that a educator can have for a good teaching. The first thing that I believe makes for good teaching is excitement for the material and excitement to actually be there. If an educator has this excitement, this will help get the students excited to be in school learning. Educators must also make sure students actually learn the material that they are teaching in class. There are many times when students comes from a classroom and can't remember a thing that they were just taught. Educators must make sure the students understand all that is being covered in the classroom. This will guarantee that the student is learning. I also believe that students learn more when they are engaged with the lesson. More hands on activities will engage the student, resulting in children's learning and therefore good teaching. Support is another quality that is need for good teaching. Support should be everywhere in a school system: between teachers, between administration and teachers, between teachers and their students, between students and their peers, etc. If there is support between all, this will make for good teaching. These are a few qualities that I believe makes for good teaching.