I took from this more than just the story, but I took this from an educational standpoint. Some times it seems that we have to say things over and over to our students. I know at my school there is an A, B, and C day for all grade levels, so that means I teach the same lesson at least 3 times depending on how well the students learn the information. This story lets me know that sometimes repeating that information is not a bad thing because in a test that's all the students would have is that memory of you and the information that you were quoting sometime daily. In the situation that he was in, I know that sometimes when in a stressful situation we can forget everything that we have been taught. In his case at first all he could think about was survival. Eventually he remembered what he had been taught to do. I think this story is the reason why we have teachers to guide us into the education that we deserve.
I think that it is important that we think outside of the box that we live in. Everything around us in this world is not always right, its just here. Some of these things we see, we can change and some we can't. Living outside of the box is a good thing to do, I would not confine myself to things that the world does as a means of entertainment or fun. The biggest thing that a high school students has problems with is being themselves. Most of them want to dress alike and act alike until they are not even themselves. Then you have some students that would rather hang with no one just to live outside of the normal High School box and it most cases these are the individuals that the followers cling to and hopefully start to be themselves.
So we should ultimately let go of that box and step out and be something that we have never been before.....OURSELVES.
Photo from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/megansauce/5315674796/
Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your reflection. At first I really had to think hard about which story was "Toes to your nose......" but after finishing your reflection the whole story came back to me....It was like I was reliving the story and watching this happen and hearing the words from the writers mouth. I remember that as I was reading this story, I kept thinking to myself....wow this guy is just like our students and the lady that was speaking that he was getting annoyed with is...US! We do keep repeating ourselves on a hourly and daily basis but we do have reason to do so in our classrooms. But you are most def right that there is a reason behind it...that if we discontinue to do this...things might not stick. I feel like our role as an educator is to have the patience and understanding to do this and help our students achieve at higher levels. Comeon' even as an adult I need people to help me remember things and repeat themselves for me all the time!
I also really enjoyed reading your reflective piece on people being themselves...we need that in our world and I think it is sad that people are judged by how they look and act...why can't we all just be ourselves!? Growing up in the world we live in is getting harder and harder and my heart goes out to children growing up and going into high school because as the days go by...they get harder and harder...but there is always a life lesson to be learned in all situations....
Your picture and closing sentence really close out your blog nicely and solidifies what you have reflected upon. Thank you for sharing Tiffany :)
Stephania you are so right! High school learners are still very impressionable. They want to be like one another except they are quite unique from one another but don't want to accept their uniqueness in some instances. I have learners that are loners too and they don't care about being like the others. I believe these students have the concept of stepping "out of the box" by being themselves and they allow their uniqueness to guide them to their destinations.
ReplyDeleteGreat image and insight on how the chapter reflects on your own experiences in the classroom. Thanks for sharing.
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