If you dig deep enough, there are bits and pieces of these articles that are interesting, yet as a whole it's hard to get into. There are these two philosophers, E.D, Hirsch, and Theodore R. Sizer, and they both have different opinions on the direction students should be taught. Sizer thought that schools should focus on teaching students how to think using the Habit's of Mind (like our school), and Hirsch thought that we should learn the things that will help us learn other things.
Coming from our school, and having been there since sixth grade, I've had to work with the H.O.M's a lot. Yet the main time teachers make us use the Habit's of Mind are when we're doing our exhibitions. When we don't include the Habit's of Mind in our exhibitions, we get points taken off. I'm not at all complaining, but we aren't told a lot to use the Habit's of Mind in our daily school routines. Yes, we need evidence in science when we're doing experiments. There are mostly no alternatives to solving math problems, since math is based around formulas. We may use the habits of mind subconsciously, but we are not constantly told by our teachers to use them.
In a way, it doesn't seem like Hirsh and Sizer's ideas contradict each other at all. They both thought that students should learn in a certain way. For Hirsh it says "Hirsch, whose campaign for cultural literacy has resulted in several hundred whole schools designed around his specific nuggets of information all children should be expected to learn". And for Sizer, he expects us to learn based around the Habit's of Mind.
It's hard to balance Sizer and Hirsch on a perfect scale, because Hirsch mainly focused on elementary schools, and Sizer focused mainly on high schools. At the moment I can't remember who was saying this, but someone said how there was a teacher that used to be a teacher at college, yet they felt like instead of working with the unprepared students in college, they should be working in high school and to prepare the kids for college. That kind of sounds like Hirsch and Sizer both, but Hirsch because he focused on elementary school.
Something that I really agree with Sizer on is when he said "we have to stop equating serious education with test scores." There are so many ridiculous tests like the S.A.T's and the regents, which shows if students are good test takers or not. I feel like Hirsch would agree with him here, because Hirsch wrote in his book The Schools We Need and Why We Don't Have Them "Second, Romanticism concluded that a child is neither a scaled-down, ignorant version of the adult nor a formless piece of clay in need of molding, rather, the child is a special being in its own right with unique, trustworthy impulses that should be allowed to develop and run their course." There are teachers out there that want to play the hero, and shape students (us young people) into how the teacher wants us to be. Yet Hirsch wrote that we aren't clay that needs to be molded. We have our own individual shapes, and our own unique selves.
Something that I found kind of funny is how Sizer had written “Inspiration, hunger: these are the qualities that drive good schools. The best we educational planners can do is to create the most likely conditions for them to flourish, and then get out of their way.” The 'then get out of there way' part makes it seem like we're all going to sprint towards some piece of knowledge and tear it apart, or eagerly tear into it. I do agree with him though, sort of. We need to be inspired, then it's up to us what we do with our knowledge.
I think that both of the theories could definitely be 'adapted to work together'. They're both concerned with the same thing::the education of students. Sizer wants us to use the Habits of Mind, and Hirsch wants us to be able to learn the building blocks so that we can acquire other knowledge. Yet in a way the H.O.M's are a building block to a way of thinking, so those theories are kind of meshed together already.
Yet in the end, it is up to every individual how they chose to absorb information that is given to us, and every individual has their own perspective and way of pursuing what they want to pursue.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Homework #44.
From the Obama video:
-They have a high school student to do the whole introduction speech on how important school is.
-If I wasn't pursuing my education I wouldn't be here. We'll continue to have support.
-Teachers have to get us inspired, parents have to get us away from the tv, and OUR responsibility is to go to school and to put in the hard work that we're expected to do.
-"You have the responsibility for yourself to discover what that is." "You might not know that until you write that english paper... you might not know it until you do that for the science class."
-"I guarantee you'll need that education in order to do that. You cannot drop out of school and drop into a good job. The future of America depends on YOU." <-- but not pressure.
-We need every single one of you, to do this, to help us. "You're quitting on your country", if you quit school.
-"There is no excuse for not trying. Here in America you write your own destiny, you make your own future."
-"You believe what I believe."
I zoned in and out of his speech, but the things above are some of the things that I noticed. He's saying that as a mass of students, he's expecting all of us to do our best. That there's no reason for us to not try, and that if we quit school then we're quitting on the whole country. Yet I don't really know how if one student drops out of school, then the whole world will be altered? I don't think so. He says that we can't be successful if we don't have an education, yet I feel like there must be some people out there that are very successful and have either no education or not as much as we're forced into having.
From the Liberal Arts Education link:
-"..for developing the kind of intellectual power and propensity for action that the world needs to tackle the daunting challenges we face."
- if we read good works of literature, including Shakespeare, then it "can help clarify our own ideas and values and better understand the perspectives of others." So reading helps us understand our thoughts and the views of others.
-Science helps us test what we think and to analyze data.
-Studying art helps us appreciate diversity and "human imagination."
-It's not really what we learn in specific classes, but what we get out of it. And though 'our culture' tells us to focus on what we want to be, yet a lot of CEOs are looking for employees that have multiple skills.
-"The leaders of the future" are most likely going to be flexible.
Both of these articles expect us as a whole to help the world. They expect us to go to school, and develop our skills. I understand that we're the generation that is going to run things, and that adults are expecting us to go to school. But they all speak as adults expecting the kids to try hard in school so that they know they will be in good hands in the future. Obama acknowledged that students may have problems, and he named some examples of students -including himself- that overcame those problems. And, he said that there is no excuse for not trying. I don't like that both of these people are expecting US as a WHOLE to be GREAT.
-They have a high school student to do the whole introduction speech on how important school is.
-If I wasn't pursuing my education I wouldn't be here. We'll continue to have support.
-Teachers have to get us inspired, parents have to get us away from the tv, and OUR responsibility is to go to school and to put in the hard work that we're expected to do.
-"You have the responsibility for yourself to discover what that is." "You might not know that until you write that english paper... you might not know it until you do that for the science class."
-"I guarantee you'll need that education in order to do that. You cannot drop out of school and drop into a good job. The future of America depends on YOU." <-- but not pressure.
-We need every single one of you, to do this, to help us. "You're quitting on your country", if you quit school.
-"There is no excuse for not trying. Here in America you write your own destiny, you make your own future."
-"You believe what I believe."
I zoned in and out of his speech, but the things above are some of the things that I noticed. He's saying that as a mass of students, he's expecting all of us to do our best. That there's no reason for us to not try, and that if we quit school then we're quitting on the whole country. Yet I don't really know how if one student drops out of school, then the whole world will be altered? I don't think so. He says that we can't be successful if we don't have an education, yet I feel like there must be some people out there that are very successful and have either no education or not as much as we're forced into having.
From the Liberal Arts Education link:
-"..for developing the kind of intellectual power and propensity for action that the world needs to tackle the daunting challenges we face."
- if we read good works of literature, including Shakespeare, then it "can help clarify our own ideas and values and better understand the perspectives of others." So reading helps us understand our thoughts and the views of others.
-Science helps us test what we think and to analyze data.
-Studying art helps us appreciate diversity and "human imagination."
-It's not really what we learn in specific classes, but what we get out of it. And though 'our culture' tells us to focus on what we want to be, yet a lot of CEOs are looking for employees that have multiple skills.
-"The leaders of the future" are most likely going to be flexible.
Both of these articles expect us as a whole to help the world. They expect us to go to school, and develop our skills. I understand that we're the generation that is going to run things, and that adults are expecting us to go to school. But they all speak as adults expecting the kids to try hard in school so that they know they will be in good hands in the future. Obama acknowledged that students may have problems, and he named some examples of students -including himself- that overcame those problems. And, he said that there is no excuse for not trying. I don't like that both of these people are expecting US as a WHOLE to be GREAT.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Homework #42, The Importance Of Our Topics
Part B:
At first, I was wondering if there was an actual guide-book to how to be a teacher, so that's my first paragraph in part a. Then I decided to change my topic again to see if it was possible to be taught through poetry. So my question is how can education be found through poetry/ how do schools teach students through poetry?
For five years that I can really remember, and probably even before then, I've been really interested in reading and writing poetry. I remember when I was younger I got obsessed with poetry and my mom bought be a huge stack of poetry books. I had stayed up really late each night reading them. I don't write as much poetry as I would like to in my daily life, but when I do I enjoy it.
I am a poet, and it is part of my life. When I was in sixth grade I submitted a poem to a poetry website, and to my surprise it was published in a book among other poets. Then a couple years ago, I got published in another poetry book by the same people.
There are times in school where the teachers decide to have a poetry unit. In eighth grade the teachers had us create books of poetry, through collages as well as through typing up poems. We had students from the high school come in and help us, as well as to perform poetry that they had written. There was also another grade after that where they had us doing a poetry unit.
I cannot answer how poetry will change the world, but I know that it is in my life, it is sometimes in school, and there are a lot of poets in the world.
At first, I was wondering if there was an actual guide-book to how to be a teacher, so that's my first paragraph in part a. Then I decided to change my topic again to see if it was possible to be taught through poetry. So my question is how can education be found through poetry/ how do schools teach students through poetry?
For five years that I can really remember, and probably even before then, I've been really interested in reading and writing poetry. I remember when I was younger I got obsessed with poetry and my mom bought be a huge stack of poetry books. I had stayed up really late each night reading them. I don't write as much poetry as I would like to in my daily life, but when I do I enjoy it.
I am a poet, and it is part of my life. When I was in sixth grade I submitted a poem to a poetry website, and to my surprise it was published in a book among other poets. Then a couple years ago, I got published in another poetry book by the same people.
There are times in school where the teachers decide to have a poetry unit. In eighth grade the teachers had us create books of poetry, through collages as well as through typing up poems. We had students from the high school come in and help us, as well as to perform poetry that they had written. There was also another grade after that where they had us doing a poetry unit.
I cannot answer how poetry will change the world, but I know that it is in my life, it is sometimes in school, and there are a lot of poets in the world.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Homework #41, The Joys Of Researching.
How to become a teacher:
Dr. R. J. Kizlik, "Tips on Becoming a Teacher" http://www.adprima.com/tipson.htm, Updated February 13, 2010:
"Good teachers: are good at explaining things, keep their cool, have a sense of humor, like people, especially students in the age range in which they intend to teach, are inherently fair-minded, have 'common sense', have a command of the content they teach, et high expectations for their students and hold the students to those expectations, are detail oriented, are good managers of time, can lead or follow, as the situation demands, don't take things for granted, have some "hard bark" on them..." You get the point. I was wondering if there was an actual guide to how to be a teacher, and what tips would be recommended, and I found these things in the bold print of the website. I'm still wondering if teachers actually read things like this, or if it's all just taken for granted.
I know that our school is sort of unique, and how the teachers do their own things. Well, mostly. Like our whole digitalization unit, and how instead of desks we sit around in a circle so that we can all awkwardly make accidental eye-contact with each other. We have internship, and no school on thursdays. We have a roof garden. We have days where students teach mini-lessons or act.. etc. I guess every teacher does something different, but if anyone needs help that website might be useful.
A great lesson to learn, for inside school AND outside school. You can watch the video, or read it.
I saw this guy perform once upstate new york one time, and he was as amazing as he is here. So check it out, here. Or the words, here. I just thought this poem was a great example on why people can't always just use spell check, and how they still need to read over what they type to try and catch the mistakes as well.
I think this website is a great source, and that finding out things about learning in school is a great way instead of reading text books. A good lesson is that wisdom can be found everywhere, in books, in poetry, in painting, not just in school. Also, this guy Taylor Mali is a teacher, and has a great attitude towards teaching, and his kids. He has a whole book on poetry called What Learning Leaves, which discuses how it's like being a teacher and how it's like to be a student as well.
The problem with teenagers these days, and their lack of thinking and expressing themselves:
The video, here here. Words, here. This whole poem captures the way a big percentage of teenagers talk these days, on purpose or just because they were infected by the way other people speak. After I saw him perform this I realized how much I say "like", without even meaning to. He has stickers that say "this is a like-free zone", and stickers with the word like in a circle with a slash through them. Some lines that stood out to me are: "it has somehow become uncool to sound like you know what you're talking about? Or believe strongly in what you're saying?" I know how in movies there's often the really smart character (like in Grease) who gets laughed at by the not so smart characters. It depends on the group, but sometimes the incredibly smart people get laughed at, and the other people don't.
And this whole other chunk:
"I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you,
I challenge you: To speak with conviction.
To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks
the determination with which you believe it.
Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,
it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.
You have to speak with it, too." This poem should really be read by all teenagers. This is a really good example of what Jacara said, that "we just dumb ourselves down". There are also a ton of movies for example with the girl who dresses in a way that shows too much skin, and purposely acts like she doesn't know anything, but then she comes in wearing her glasses and carrying books and the other kids look at her and think "Woah, what happened to her? She's a hot mess." What's happened to us? Why is it considered by a large amount of us that it's uncool to be smart?
"What Teachers Make":
video, here. Words, here.
Chunks of this poem:
"I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best."
and..
"I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).
Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?"
He's a good example of a teacher who has the right kind of attitude. I remember sitting there and feeling like he was calling me out for something that I'd done wrong, even though I hadn't done anything. I was really sick this day and my dad had dragged me out of bed to see him perform, which I was so grateful for him doing. Taylor Mali is a very passionate poet, performer, and from his poetry he seems like a very passionate teacher as well. I got to speak to him for a couple minutes and he seemed like a really great person. This is a great example of being a teacher that is largely out of the box, instead of teaching the typical text book stuff. He makes a "goddamn difference! What about you?"
Robert Frost once said, "Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper." found here. Patience and to be able to hold your temper are some very important things to have, that a lot of people aren't very capable of doing. Robert Frost is saying that to be able to listen to anything without getting mad is to be educated. To be able to listen to stories, or lectures, (or anything else,) without getting mad, is what education is according to him.
This reminds me of the "In Death" series by Nora Roberts that I've been reading. The main character Eve is able to sit and interview tons and tons of people daily, and she has to keep her temper even when she's talking to people who piss her off, or who she thinks are the killers. Because if she and the other characters in the book weren't able to keep their temper while interviewing murderers, then they'd scare them away and they wouldn't be able to build a case against them because they'd have no evidence.
Wisdom, found once again in poetry:
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. " works to the rest of The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost, here. This poem tells a story of someone standing at a fork in the road, and seeing one path that is over grown, and one that's been walked on often. Then, instead of taking the road that everyone else traveled, he took the road "less traveled by." Taking this metaphor into real like, he's talking about there are so many times where people take the easy road, that everyone else has already taken. Because it's the easy way out, or because people know that other people have taken that path and been okay. Yet he decided to make his own way in life, instead of doing what everyone else before him had decided to do.
This is like how it would be for a kid in a family of dentists and lawyers to decide to become a poet or a musician instead of to continue along with the family tradition. The parents had probably decided that the kid would follow along in their footsteps, so the kid's decision to become an artist would be taken as shock and disappointment. This situation is told a lot in many stories. But instead of deciding to do what everyone else has already done, it is more important to follow your dreams, and/ or your gut, and do what you want to do.
Dr. R. J. Kizlik, "Tips on Becoming a Teacher" http://www.adprima.com/tipson.htm, Updated February 13, 2010:
"Good teachers: are good at explaining things, keep their cool, have a sense of humor, like people, especially students in the age range in which they intend to teach, are inherently fair-minded, have 'common sense', have a command of the content they teach, et high expectations for their students and hold the students to those expectations, are detail oriented, are good managers of time, can lead or follow, as the situation demands, don't take things for granted, have some "hard bark" on them..." You get the point. I was wondering if there was an actual guide to how to be a teacher, and what tips would be recommended, and I found these things in the bold print of the website. I'm still wondering if teachers actually read things like this, or if it's all just taken for granted.
I know that our school is sort of unique, and how the teachers do their own things. Well, mostly. Like our whole digitalization unit, and how instead of desks we sit around in a circle so that we can all awkwardly make accidental eye-contact with each other. We have internship, and no school on thursdays. We have a roof garden. We have days where students teach mini-lessons or act.. etc. I guess every teacher does something different, but if anyone needs help that website might be useful.
A great lesson to learn, for inside school AND outside school. You can watch the video, or read it.
I saw this guy perform once upstate new york one time, and he was as amazing as he is here. So check it out, here. Or the words, here. I just thought this poem was a great example on why people can't always just use spell check, and how they still need to read over what they type to try and catch the mistakes as well.
I think this website is a great source, and that finding out things about learning in school is a great way instead of reading text books. A good lesson is that wisdom can be found everywhere, in books, in poetry, in painting, not just in school. Also, this guy Taylor Mali is a teacher, and has a great attitude towards teaching, and his kids. He has a whole book on poetry called What Learning Leaves, which discuses how it's like being a teacher and how it's like to be a student as well.
The problem with teenagers these days, and their lack of thinking and expressing themselves:
The video, here here. Words, here. This whole poem captures the way a big percentage of teenagers talk these days, on purpose or just because they were infected by the way other people speak. After I saw him perform this I realized how much I say "like", without even meaning to. He has stickers that say "this is a like-free zone", and stickers with the word like in a circle with a slash through them. Some lines that stood out to me are: "it has somehow become uncool to sound like you know what you're talking about? Or believe strongly in what you're saying?" I know how in movies there's often the really smart character (like in Grease) who gets laughed at by the not so smart characters. It depends on the group, but sometimes the incredibly smart people get laughed at, and the other people don't.
And this whole other chunk:
"I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you,
I challenge you: To speak with conviction.
To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks
the determination with which you believe it.
Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,
it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.
You have to speak with it, too." This poem should really be read by all teenagers. This is a really good example of what Jacara said, that "we just dumb ourselves down". There are also a ton of movies for example with the girl who dresses in a way that shows too much skin, and purposely acts like she doesn't know anything, but then she comes in wearing her glasses and carrying books and the other kids look at her and think "Woah, what happened to her? She's a hot mess." What's happened to us? Why is it considered by a large amount of us that it's uncool to be smart?
"What Teachers Make":
video, here. Words, here.
Chunks of this poem:
"I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best."
and..
"I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).
Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?"
He's a good example of a teacher who has the right kind of attitude. I remember sitting there and feeling like he was calling me out for something that I'd done wrong, even though I hadn't done anything. I was really sick this day and my dad had dragged me out of bed to see him perform, which I was so grateful for him doing. Taylor Mali is a very passionate poet, performer, and from his poetry he seems like a very passionate teacher as well. I got to speak to him for a couple minutes and he seemed like a really great person. This is a great example of being a teacher that is largely out of the box, instead of teaching the typical text book stuff. He makes a "goddamn difference! What about you?"
Robert Frost once said, "Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper." found here. Patience and to be able to hold your temper are some very important things to have, that a lot of people aren't very capable of doing. Robert Frost is saying that to be able to listen to anything without getting mad is to be educated. To be able to listen to stories, or lectures, (or anything else,) without getting mad, is what education is according to him.
This reminds me of the "In Death" series by Nora Roberts that I've been reading. The main character Eve is able to sit and interview tons and tons of people daily, and she has to keep her temper even when she's talking to people who piss her off, or who she thinks are the killers. Because if she and the other characters in the book weren't able to keep their temper while interviewing murderers, then they'd scare them away and they wouldn't be able to build a case against them because they'd have no evidence.
Wisdom, found once again in poetry:
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. " works to the rest of The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost, here. This poem tells a story of someone standing at a fork in the road, and seeing one path that is over grown, and one that's been walked on often. Then, instead of taking the road that everyone else traveled, he took the road "less traveled by." Taking this metaphor into real like, he's talking about there are so many times where people take the easy road, that everyone else has already taken. Because it's the easy way out, or because people know that other people have taken that path and been okay. Yet he decided to make his own way in life, instead of doing what everyone else before him had decided to do.
This is like how it would be for a kid in a family of dentists and lawyers to decide to become a poet or a musician instead of to continue along with the family tradition. The parents had probably decided that the kid would follow along in their footsteps, so the kid's decision to become an artist would be taken as shock and disappointment. This situation is told a lot in many stories. But instead of deciding to do what everyone else has already done, it is more important to follow your dreams, and/ or your gut, and do what you want to do.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Homework #40, Interviews And Other Thoughts
Part A:
Questions:
For kids/other:
-What is your favorite part of school, that makes it more unique than other schools?
-Can you name three (positive) things that you like about school?
- Borrowing/using one of Jacara’s questions: If you had to describe school using one word what would it be?
-Do you think you learn more from school or from social interactions?
-What would you spend your time doing instead of going to school?
-What are some things that you’ve learned outside of school that are more important than things you’ve learned in school?
-What are some qualities that make up your favorite teacher?
-Least favorite teacher?
-If you could pick a class that you could eliminate, what would it be?
-If you had the choice to create a class, what would it be?
-What is your favorite time of the school day?
Adults:
- What is one of the memories that you cherish the most from high school?
- If you’ve taught before, or are a teacher, what are some things that you’ve decided to teach differently instead of following by the books?
-As a teacher, what are some important qualities that you have found in your students?
- Can you name three skills that you learned in school that you use in your every day life as an adult?
A short, informal interview with Janet:
February 20th, 2010:
I was talking to a woman in Florida who had taught English for high-schoolers for thirty-two years.
Q: If you’ve taught before, or are a teacher, what are some things that you’ve decided to teach differently instead of following by the books?
A: She'd told me how she'd taught a course on passion in literature, and her students had studied relationships between characters in books. Then the headmaster at the school had told her that she had to change the course name so that it didn't say "passion", and was instead named “relationships found in literature," since her boss obviously couldn’t deal with thinking about passion. She had felt that instead of going by the books, she wanted to teach her students a different way of thinking.
Q: How could you teach high-schoolers for thirty-two years? It must have been hard.
A: I actually liked teaching your age group. I’ve had other people ask me that before, but I thought it was a great experience.
Q. As a teacher, what are some important qualities that you have found in your students?
A. She told me how I seemed like an intelligent individual, who knew what she wanted and how to express myself. And my mom had said, “There you go Hannah, coming from a former English teacher that must be a good thing.”
Interviewing myself:
Q: As a student, can you name three (positive) things that you like about school?
A: The best thing that has come out of school is the people that I’ve met. Well person I’ve met. It’s the reason that keeps me going to school –and staying in school- on the days that I don’t want to be there. I also really enjoyed having art class four times a week, and getting to do something that I enjoy doing during school hours. I also liked when we got the chance to read for a period in English class, since it was like a break from the usual routine.
Q: What is your favorite part of school, that makes it more unique than other schools?
A: Something that I like about our school is that we’re basically a non-regents school. Instead they prepare us for college by making us write exhibitions. I feel like being able to write a big important paper and present it is better than taking some tests.
Q: If you had to describe school using one word what would it be?
A: Frustrating.
Q: Why?
A: Because it consumes eight hours of the day that we have to be in school, and then teachers insist on giving us homework to do when we’re outside of school. We’re teenagers! We have social lives that exist outside of school! Plus, teachers have to create the work and grade it!
Q: Do you think you learn more from school or from social interactions?
A: I think I learn some interesting things in school, but that I also learn a lot of fascinating things outside of school. Over vacation I’ve been learning a lot of different facts from my grandpa, and hearing how life has changed since he was my age. Overall, I’d definitely say I learn more things from social interactions/being outside of school.
Q: What would you spend your time doing instead of going to school?
A: I’d spend my time reading, writing, and doing artwork. I’d get to paint a lot more. I feel like I would spend some of the time exploring new places, and re-visiting old places. I’d also spend even more time with my loved one.
Q: If you had the choice to create a class, what would it be?
A: I think it’d be free time. I know some other schools have at least an hour of study time/free-time, where they get to just hang out or do their homework.
Interviewing my brother Kyle:
Q: If you had to describe school using one word what would it be?
A: Artistic.
Q: What is your favorite part of school, that makes it more unique than other schools?
A: The fact that we have studios that divide the students, for example: we have dance, drama, fine arts, and etcetera.
Q: Can you name three (positive) things that you like about school?
A: The people, the building, and the location.
Q: What is good about the location and the building?
A: The school is in a brand new building, sponsored by Tony Bennett, and it’s in Queens..
Q: Do you think you learn more from school or from social interactions? (Like outside of school)
A: Social interactions.
Q: Why?
A: Because in school we learn things that won’t be necessary in life, and outside of school we choose what we’re going to talk about.
Q: What would you spend your time doing instead of going to school?
A: Mm.. Make-up and.. Hair.
Q: If you could pick a class that you could eliminate, what would it be?
A: Global. I f**king hate global. Actually no English. Wait math, because we’ll never need to know any of that bull***t.
Q: If you had the choice to create a class, what would it be?
A: Make-up! Or nap-time. Oh. Fierce 101 with Kyle F.
Q: What is your favorite time of the school day?
A: Lunch? *Laughs* No actually, I like art, because I have two hours of it, and it’s nice and relaxing.
Interview with my grandpa:
High school, beer parties, being pinned
My grandpa talks a lot, but there are times where the things he’s saying are actually interesting. Or parts of them.
Q: What is one of the memories that you cherish the most from high school?
A: I remember there was this one time, there was this event that you had to ask a girl or boy on a date to. And it was fancier or more sophisticated to have a girl shipped in form another school. So I asked this girl that I had hung out with at summer camp if she would be my date. I’d never dated her at camp, or outside camp, but I could never stop thinking about her. So, I met her at the train station, and she was waving and screaming “Barry! Hello, hello!” Then we took the bus up to the campus together. And on the bus, I remember her telling me that she was pinned.
Q: Pinned? What does that mean?
A: Pinned is like promising yourself to someone. It’s like: I’m going to go buy the ring next week when I’ve saved enough to buy it. This was very serious in our day. She had promised herself to another man, and then agreed to be my date, forgetting to mention that she was pinned until she was on the bus up with me! So, I’d told my buddies, and they sympathized with me, because everyone knew it wasn’t cool to be pinned and let a guy spend his time and money on you while you were already pinned. So, my friends' solution was to get me drunk. I was a freshman in college, and they were older than me. I don’t think I spent one day with her the whole time she was there.
Q: Why did she come as your date if she was already pinned?
A: She had told me that her mom had told her to go, as a good learning experience to get to see the campus. Not considering the guy that was taking her as his date, but because it would be a good learning experience for her daughter.
Q: Huh. Is there a specific tradition that your school used to do?
A: There was this one tradition that our school had. There was a bridge between the campus and where the living cabins were, and it was a tradition for couples to come and kiss their dates in the middle of the bridge. I remember offering to walk her back to her cabin one day, and trying to kiss her on the bridge. And it was a suspension bridge, so it was kind of scary. She had told me that she wasn’t going to let me kiss her, because her mother had told her to wait until the sixth date until she kissed him. So I took her out on the second day, third day, fourth day, fifth day.. And then on the sixth day I tried again, and she let me kiss her in the middle of the bridge.
He also suggested that I should never take a college class at 8am, because everyone is tired then and no one feels like working. Also because when you have a choice to pick what time you can take classes, why would you chose a class at 8 in the morning? I found this to be a good piece of advice.
Another really interesting thing about my grandpa and schooling is that he teaches a class every year to the other people in the community that he lives in here. He teaches a whole course on Gilbert and Sullivan, where he shows plays by Gilbert and Sullivan, and he also holds lectures on them.
Q: What is the main difference between teaching a course to high-schoolers, versus teaching people my grandpa's age?
A: He'd told me how it's "absolutely silent when I'm showing a movie." and that he would just sit there while they were watching a movie, and he'd listen to the silence. "At my age they've been taught to be disciplined, and to behave like adults." He also said how there was one woman out of the whole class that left after act two, and how he had thought "oh well, you win some, you lose some", but that she had come back inside three minutes later. "I think that she had gone outside to blow her nose or something!"
Interviewing my mom:
Q: If you had to describe school using one word what would it be?
A: Am I allowed to say education? It seems obvious.
Q: What is one of the memories that you cherish the most from high school?
A: Every day at ten of four, my crew would meet in the cemetery, across the street from school, and hang out, and talk, and hang. To this day, when I look at a clock, and I see it's ten of four, and I think about those guys. Therefore, it's not a memory that has anything to do with being in school..
Q: If you’ve taught before what were some things that you decided to teach differently instead of following by the books?
A: I taught social work graduate students for many years. What I liked best was that when I taught them the theories I also helped them learn to apply the theories to real people. What was important and different about that was that it helped to train them to understand real people and made the theories come alive. A lot of teachers just teach theory, and never teach their students how to question them, understand them, and apply them to the real world.
Q: As a teacher, what were some important qualities/good that you found in your students? Or can you describe one of your old students?
A:The best and most important quality in a student is the ability to wrestle with an idea until you understand it, and then, to hold it up to the real world, see if it works for you, and have the courage to reject it if it doesn't, no matter how famous the person who said it was. I was an awesome teacher.
Q: Can you name three skills that you learned in school that you use in your every day life as an adult?
A: I like that question. Um, one, what I just discussed, about the importance of questing everything, no matter who said it. Two, from psychology, the ability to read people's behavior, and analyze both their conscious and unconscious thoughts, intentions, and meaning. The third one is the ability to research, which I think is one of the most important things you -hopefully- learn in school, and need for the rest of your life.
Q: Can you name three (positive) things that you liked about school?
Um, I liked having my preconceptions challenged. That's one, two, I liked working in groups, collaborating. Can I say lunch, no I'm kidding, that was just a joke.. The moment when you understand an idea.
Part B:
Something that I had thought about before, but also am thinking about even more now because of the interviews is how important it is to take what teachers are trying to teach us, and question them. Like how my mom said to be able to disagree with anyone's ideas, no matter who said it. There are some things that you can't really question about school, like formulas in science class to find density, or how to find the change in electronegativty etc that work when you use them, but there are other classes/things that it's important to question and synthesize what we're learning. A good motto to have, even in school, is to “dare to be remarkable”. To be able to speak up when the teachers are saying something wrong, or just to be able to disagree with another student and to speak one's mind.
Another thing that one of the interviews made me think about is how cool art class was two years ago, because Ms Kaye taught us art and art history. While I was interviewing Kyle I felt like he would of said something about school being boring as his one word, yet he said it's artistic since he goes to an art school. Another other thing that I found interesting were all the stories my grandpa was telling me about traditions like being pinned, and kissing on the bridge, and how our school doesn't really do anything like that. So, there are some positive things that our school does, like not being test taking school, but where are the interesting things?
Questions:
For kids/other:
-What is your favorite part of school, that makes it more unique than other schools?
-Can you name three (positive) things that you like about school?
- Borrowing/using one of Jacara’s questions: If you had to describe school using one word what would it be?
-Do you think you learn more from school or from social interactions?
-What would you spend your time doing instead of going to school?
-What are some things that you’ve learned outside of school that are more important than things you’ve learned in school?
-What are some qualities that make up your favorite teacher?
-Least favorite teacher?
-If you could pick a class that you could eliminate, what would it be?
-If you had the choice to create a class, what would it be?
-What is your favorite time of the school day?
Adults:
- What is one of the memories that you cherish the most from high school?
- If you’ve taught before, or are a teacher, what are some things that you’ve decided to teach differently instead of following by the books?
-As a teacher, what are some important qualities that you have found in your students?
- Can you name three skills that you learned in school that you use in your every day life as an adult?
A short, informal interview with Janet:
February 20th, 2010:
I was talking to a woman in Florida who had taught English for high-schoolers for thirty-two years.
Q: If you’ve taught before, or are a teacher, what are some things that you’ve decided to teach differently instead of following by the books?
A: She'd told me how she'd taught a course on passion in literature, and her students had studied relationships between characters in books. Then the headmaster at the school had told her that she had to change the course name so that it didn't say "passion", and was instead named “relationships found in literature," since her boss obviously couldn’t deal with thinking about passion. She had felt that instead of going by the books, she wanted to teach her students a different way of thinking.
Q: How could you teach high-schoolers for thirty-two years? It must have been hard.
A: I actually liked teaching your age group. I’ve had other people ask me that before, but I thought it was a great experience.
Q. As a teacher, what are some important qualities that you have found in your students?
A. She told me how I seemed like an intelligent individual, who knew what she wanted and how to express myself. And my mom had said, “There you go Hannah, coming from a former English teacher that must be a good thing.”
Interviewing myself:
Q: As a student, can you name three (positive) things that you like about school?
A: The best thing that has come out of school is the people that I’ve met. Well person I’ve met. It’s the reason that keeps me going to school –and staying in school- on the days that I don’t want to be there. I also really enjoyed having art class four times a week, and getting to do something that I enjoy doing during school hours. I also liked when we got the chance to read for a period in English class, since it was like a break from the usual routine.
Q: What is your favorite part of school, that makes it more unique than other schools?
A: Something that I like about our school is that we’re basically a non-regents school. Instead they prepare us for college by making us write exhibitions. I feel like being able to write a big important paper and present it is better than taking some tests.
Q: If you had to describe school using one word what would it be?
A: Frustrating.
Q: Why?
A: Because it consumes eight hours of the day that we have to be in school, and then teachers insist on giving us homework to do when we’re outside of school. We’re teenagers! We have social lives that exist outside of school! Plus, teachers have to create the work and grade it!
Q: Do you think you learn more from school or from social interactions?
A: I think I learn some interesting things in school, but that I also learn a lot of fascinating things outside of school. Over vacation I’ve been learning a lot of different facts from my grandpa, and hearing how life has changed since he was my age. Overall, I’d definitely say I learn more things from social interactions/being outside of school.
Q: What would you spend your time doing instead of going to school?
A: I’d spend my time reading, writing, and doing artwork. I’d get to paint a lot more. I feel like I would spend some of the time exploring new places, and re-visiting old places. I’d also spend even more time with my loved one.
Q: If you had the choice to create a class, what would it be?
A: I think it’d be free time. I know some other schools have at least an hour of study time/free-time, where they get to just hang out or do their homework.
Interviewing my brother Kyle:
Q: If you had to describe school using one word what would it be?
A: Artistic.
Q: What is your favorite part of school, that makes it more unique than other schools?
A: The fact that we have studios that divide the students, for example: we have dance, drama, fine arts, and etcetera.
Q: Can you name three (positive) things that you like about school?
A: The people, the building, and the location.
Q: What is good about the location and the building?
A: The school is in a brand new building, sponsored by Tony Bennett, and it’s in Queens..
Q: Do you think you learn more from school or from social interactions? (Like outside of school)
A: Social interactions.
Q: Why?
A: Because in school we learn things that won’t be necessary in life, and outside of school we choose what we’re going to talk about.
Q: What would you spend your time doing instead of going to school?
A: Mm.. Make-up and.. Hair.
Q: If you could pick a class that you could eliminate, what would it be?
A: Global. I f**king hate global. Actually no English. Wait math, because we’ll never need to know any of that bull***t.
Q: If you had the choice to create a class, what would it be?
A: Make-up! Or nap-time. Oh. Fierce 101 with Kyle F.
Q: What is your favorite time of the school day?
A: Lunch? *Laughs* No actually, I like art, because I have two hours of it, and it’s nice and relaxing.
Interview with my grandpa:
High school, beer parties, being pinned
My grandpa talks a lot, but there are times where the things he’s saying are actually interesting. Or parts of them.
Q: What is one of the memories that you cherish the most from high school?
A: I remember there was this one time, there was this event that you had to ask a girl or boy on a date to. And it was fancier or more sophisticated to have a girl shipped in form another school. So I asked this girl that I had hung out with at summer camp if she would be my date. I’d never dated her at camp, or outside camp, but I could never stop thinking about her. So, I met her at the train station, and she was waving and screaming “Barry! Hello, hello!” Then we took the bus up to the campus together. And on the bus, I remember her telling me that she was pinned.
Q: Pinned? What does that mean?
A: Pinned is like promising yourself to someone. It’s like: I’m going to go buy the ring next week when I’ve saved enough to buy it. This was very serious in our day. She had promised herself to another man, and then agreed to be my date, forgetting to mention that she was pinned until she was on the bus up with me! So, I’d told my buddies, and they sympathized with me, because everyone knew it wasn’t cool to be pinned and let a guy spend his time and money on you while you were already pinned. So, my friends' solution was to get me drunk. I was a freshman in college, and they were older than me. I don’t think I spent one day with her the whole time she was there.
Q: Why did she come as your date if she was already pinned?
A: She had told me that her mom had told her to go, as a good learning experience to get to see the campus. Not considering the guy that was taking her as his date, but because it would be a good learning experience for her daughter.
Q: Huh. Is there a specific tradition that your school used to do?
A: There was this one tradition that our school had. There was a bridge between the campus and where the living cabins were, and it was a tradition for couples to come and kiss their dates in the middle of the bridge. I remember offering to walk her back to her cabin one day, and trying to kiss her on the bridge. And it was a suspension bridge, so it was kind of scary. She had told me that she wasn’t going to let me kiss her, because her mother had told her to wait until the sixth date until she kissed him. So I took her out on the second day, third day, fourth day, fifth day.. And then on the sixth day I tried again, and she let me kiss her in the middle of the bridge.
He also suggested that I should never take a college class at 8am, because everyone is tired then and no one feels like working. Also because when you have a choice to pick what time you can take classes, why would you chose a class at 8 in the morning? I found this to be a good piece of advice.
Another really interesting thing about my grandpa and schooling is that he teaches a class every year to the other people in the community that he lives in here. He teaches a whole course on Gilbert and Sullivan, where he shows plays by Gilbert and Sullivan, and he also holds lectures on them.
Q: What is the main difference between teaching a course to high-schoolers, versus teaching people my grandpa's age?
A: He'd told me how it's "absolutely silent when I'm showing a movie." and that he would just sit there while they were watching a movie, and he'd listen to the silence. "At my age they've been taught to be disciplined, and to behave like adults." He also said how there was one woman out of the whole class that left after act two, and how he had thought "oh well, you win some, you lose some", but that she had come back inside three minutes later. "I think that she had gone outside to blow her nose or something!"
Interviewing my mom:
Q: If you had to describe school using one word what would it be?
A: Am I allowed to say education? It seems obvious.
Q: What is one of the memories that you cherish the most from high school?
A: Every day at ten of four, my crew would meet in the cemetery, across the street from school, and hang out, and talk, and hang. To this day, when I look at a clock, and I see it's ten of four, and I think about those guys. Therefore, it's not a memory that has anything to do with being in school..
Q: If you’ve taught before what were some things that you decided to teach differently instead of following by the books?
A: I taught social work graduate students for many years. What I liked best was that when I taught them the theories I also helped them learn to apply the theories to real people. What was important and different about that was that it helped to train them to understand real people and made the theories come alive. A lot of teachers just teach theory, and never teach their students how to question them, understand them, and apply them to the real world.
Q: As a teacher, what were some important qualities/good that you found in your students? Or can you describe one of your old students?
A:The best and most important quality in a student is the ability to wrestle with an idea until you understand it, and then, to hold it up to the real world, see if it works for you, and have the courage to reject it if it doesn't, no matter how famous the person who said it was. I was an awesome teacher.
Q: Can you name three skills that you learned in school that you use in your every day life as an adult?
A: I like that question. Um, one, what I just discussed, about the importance of questing everything, no matter who said it. Two, from psychology, the ability to read people's behavior, and analyze both their conscious and unconscious thoughts, intentions, and meaning. The third one is the ability to research, which I think is one of the most important things you -hopefully- learn in school, and need for the rest of your life.
Q: Can you name three (positive) things that you liked about school?
Um, I liked having my preconceptions challenged. That's one, two, I liked working in groups, collaborating. Can I say lunch, no I'm kidding, that was just a joke.. The moment when you understand an idea.
Part B:
Something that I had thought about before, but also am thinking about even more now because of the interviews is how important it is to take what teachers are trying to teach us, and question them. Like how my mom said to be able to disagree with anyone's ideas, no matter who said it. There are some things that you can't really question about school, like formulas in science class to find density, or how to find the change in electronegativty etc that work when you use them, but there are other classes/things that it's important to question and synthesize what we're learning. A good motto to have, even in school, is to “dare to be remarkable”. To be able to speak up when the teachers are saying something wrong, or just to be able to disagree with another student and to speak one's mind.
Another thing that one of the interviews made me think about is how cool art class was two years ago, because Ms Kaye taught us art and art history. While I was interviewing Kyle I felt like he would of said something about school being boring as his one word, yet he said it's artistic since he goes to an art school. Another other thing that I found interesting were all the stories my grandpa was telling me about traditions like being pinned, and kissing on the bridge, and how our school doesn't really do anything like that. So, there are some positive things that our school does, like not being test taking school, but where are the interesting things?
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Homework #39, School.
Questioning School- It definitely needs to be done.
Part A:
Interesting Questions:
1. Why is school like a prison?
2. Why are we not all learning the same things?
3. Why would they bother to name a school "School of the Future"?
4. Why don't we have art class anymore?
5. Why don't we have at least one free period?
Fascinating Questions:
1. Why do we have to study the same things over and over again until we're sick of them? Like having to study the egyptians every year in middle school.
2. When are we ever going to have to apply at least half of the things that we learn in school in the real world?
3. Why do schools insist on making us read Shakespeare? Why can't they find a newer writer than Shakespeare that students actually want to read?
4. What is a good reason for studying ancient civilizations? Like the ancient greeks, romans, and egyptians..
5. Why is it that the moment after teachers let us have some fun in school, -and participate themselves,- they all of a sudden turn on us and try and punish us?
Powerful Questions:
1. Why do the people that say the most typical, predictable, knee-jerk things get to speak the most?
2. For adults: name three skills that you learned in school that you use as an adult.
3. Why do we have a principal, a school dean (well, we did), security guards, and teachers to keep us students in our place? What are they so afraid of?
4. Why do we have to go to school from 8:30am to 3:10pm, and then the minute school is over we're ushered as far away from school as they can possibly get us?
Ideas:
1. School is like a stage where we can all go to and perform.
2. Teachers like to take over and have all of the power, or so they think they do.
3. High school is something no one can make sense of, so they make movies and books to try and understand school more.
Part B:
Why do the people that say the most typical, predictable, knee-jerk things get to speak the most?
The people that speak up the most feel like everything that they say is so brilliant, and has to be shared. They have a role that they feel they must play, as the person who has to speak up constantly for what they believe in. This sounds like a positive thing, yet after a while it becomes so predictable that the people who have to listen to them know when they are going to speak up. And the moments after these students speak that are filled with silence, not because they are blown away by what the person has said, but bored by the typical response that this person has said.
There are those quiet students in every class that want to speak up or are to shy, and there are also the people that just don't want to talk, so they all sit there quietly rolling their eyes or doodling in their notebooks. Some people just don't feel like speaking up in class no matter what, because they don't feel compelled to share what's on their minds. The people that always share their ideas are expected to speak in class, so if they didn't share their ideas one day people might think something was wrong.
Also:
Why do we have a principal, a school dean (well, we did), security guards, and teachers to keep us students in our place? What are they so afraid of?
If there was no one there to enforce the rules of school, then school would be like a play ground. People would get hurt. There would be parties in the hallways. Students would dance on the tables and lay on the floor. There would be couples hanging out in the bathrooms all day. More people would cut class and hang out in gym, or in the locker room. There would be even more trash on the floor and graffiti on the walls.
Everybody wants to lean on someone else, just like the song by Bill Withers says "Lean on me, when you're not strong,
and I'll be your friend I'll help you carry on." The teachers like to complain to the principal about their students that are misbehaving. The security guards are there prowling the halls to butt into other people's business and make sure the students are in their classes. After school the security guards also have another job to do- they have to make sure that the kids don't stand outside of school. It's all about protecting the school's 'face'. There are occasionally fights that happen outside of school, or near school. If someone that doesn't go to the school sees the students fighting, the school is going to get a bad reputation.
So.. The principal is the top dog, the school dean is in charge of coming up with punishments as well and to make sure kids sign in on the late book in the morning -now the principal has to do that though-, the security guards are like sheepdogs that have to make sure we are in class, and the teachers have to teach us something. What do we students have to do? Take notes, participate in class, and listen to the teachers. If there wasn't this whole power structure of authority figures backing up each other, then the students would revolt and run the schools.
Part A:
Interesting Questions:
1. Why is school like a prison?
2. Why are we not all learning the same things?
3. Why would they bother to name a school "School of the Future"?
4. Why don't we have art class anymore?
5. Why don't we have at least one free period?
Fascinating Questions:
1. Why do we have to study the same things over and over again until we're sick of them? Like having to study the egyptians every year in middle school.
2. When are we ever going to have to apply at least half of the things that we learn in school in the real world?
3. Why do schools insist on making us read Shakespeare? Why can't they find a newer writer than Shakespeare that students actually want to read?
4. What is a good reason for studying ancient civilizations? Like the ancient greeks, romans, and egyptians..
5. Why is it that the moment after teachers let us have some fun in school, -and participate themselves,- they all of a sudden turn on us and try and punish us?
Powerful Questions:
1. Why do the people that say the most typical, predictable, knee-jerk things get to speak the most?
2. For adults: name three skills that you learned in school that you use as an adult.
3. Why do we have a principal, a school dean (well, we did), security guards, and teachers to keep us students in our place? What are they so afraid of?
4. Why do we have to go to school from 8:30am to 3:10pm, and then the minute school is over we're ushered as far away from school as they can possibly get us?
Ideas:
1. School is like a stage where we can all go to and perform.
2. Teachers like to take over and have all of the power, or so they think they do.
3. High school is something no one can make sense of, so they make movies and books to try and understand school more.
Part B:
Why do the people that say the most typical, predictable, knee-jerk things get to speak the most?
The people that speak up the most feel like everything that they say is so brilliant, and has to be shared. They have a role that they feel they must play, as the person who has to speak up constantly for what they believe in. This sounds like a positive thing, yet after a while it becomes so predictable that the people who have to listen to them know when they are going to speak up. And the moments after these students speak that are filled with silence, not because they are blown away by what the person has said, but bored by the typical response that this person has said.
There are those quiet students in every class that want to speak up or are to shy, and there are also the people that just don't want to talk, so they all sit there quietly rolling their eyes or doodling in their notebooks. Some people just don't feel like speaking up in class no matter what, because they don't feel compelled to share what's on their minds. The people that always share their ideas are expected to speak in class, so if they didn't share their ideas one day people might think something was wrong.
Also:
Why do we have a principal, a school dean (well, we did), security guards, and teachers to keep us students in our place? What are they so afraid of?
If there was no one there to enforce the rules of school, then school would be like a play ground. People would get hurt. There would be parties in the hallways. Students would dance on the tables and lay on the floor. There would be couples hanging out in the bathrooms all day. More people would cut class and hang out in gym, or in the locker room. There would be even more trash on the floor and graffiti on the walls.
Everybody wants to lean on someone else, just like the song by Bill Withers says "Lean on me, when you're not strong,
and I'll be your friend I'll help you carry on." The teachers like to complain to the principal about their students that are misbehaving. The security guards are there prowling the halls to butt into other people's business and make sure the students are in their classes. After school the security guards also have another job to do- they have to make sure that the kids don't stand outside of school. It's all about protecting the school's 'face'. There are occasionally fights that happen outside of school, or near school. If someone that doesn't go to the school sees the students fighting, the school is going to get a bad reputation.
So.. The principal is the top dog, the school dean is in charge of coming up with punishments as well and to make sure kids sign in on the late book in the morning -now the principal has to do that though-, the security guards are like sheepdogs that have to make sure we are in class, and the teachers have to teach us something. What do we students have to do? Take notes, participate in class, and listen to the teachers. If there wasn't this whole power structure of authority figures backing up each other, then the students would revolt and run the schools.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Homework #38, "Follow the neon in young lover's eyes.." -Hair
I'm really fascinated by the hippies, and the musical Hair, so I wanted to make a painting out of it. Everyone has a different opinion on what "cool" is! There are always arguments on what cool is a what it isn't. The fact that hippies were into romanticism, and standing up for peace is pretty cool. Like my favorite character Claude, -who I've mentioned many times before- who has the long hair, tight jeans, headband with a feather tucked into it, and wears his moms jeans. I like that the guys grew out their hair to rebel against their parents and the war. As well as growing out their beards as opposed to being clean-shaven and having a military cut. The women with their long hair and uh not shaving and burning their bras can be considered cool as well I guess.
Their whole flower power, bell-bottoms, and flowing shirts are pretty cool.As well as their peace signs and wearing the flag to disrespect the flag is fascinating. Taking after the Native Americans and everything with their naturalness (the flowers).
The process of making this painting was sort of long and painful at times. In the beginning I kept having to draw and erase the spiral over and over again until I liked it. Then there were times where I wasn't sure which color to put where, until I decided to stop looking at a picture I was trying to work on and actually picked out all the colors I liked. Then I had to pick the very last color which was also a little difficult at first. I had a lot of fun painting the hair, and the letters 'Hair' as well as gluing the little hearts on the headband (it's kind of hard to see them in the picture). I also liked making the spiral go into the heart, and I loved being able to incorporate the actual tickets from the two times I've seen Hair into the painting. I got to see Hair the very first week that it was open, and the ticket is a different color for some reason. Then I got to see it again during the summer that just passed, as a present to one of my friends.
Do I think making art is cool? Of course! I think that to be able to make any form of art is cool. Painting, writing stories or poetry, or even beat making is cool. I know for me I love having a plan or an idea of something to make, and then seeing the end result when it's finally finished. Having proof of something that you've spent your time working on is also nice. This painting took me weeks and weeks to do, and I'm really proud of the end result.
I think that artisans are amazing. I went to Buenos Aires in Argentina about three or four summers ago, and they had these fairs where they would set up tents in a huge circle and the artists would come and set up their artwork to sell there surrounded by tons of other artists. I found it really fascinating to be able to walk through the tents of paints, wind-chimes, jewelry, food, and printed t-shirts. To be able to be a part of that community of artists even just for the time that I spent walking through there was amazing.
So yeah, I think to be able to make art work as well as to look at other people's art work is cool. Being able to see people painting on the streets, or in central park or the Cloisters is also pretty awesome.
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