HW 45 - More Big Thoughts on Schools

E.D. HIRSCH AND TED SIZER SQUARE OFF ON STANDARDS" by Anne C. Lewis represents the two different arguments on education from Hirsch and Ted Sizer.The author explains her reasoning behind their two different opinions on the same matter. She said, "Part of the divisions between Hirsch and Sizer stem from their grade-level focus. Hirsch worries mostly about elementary schools, Sizer about high schools." In other words, it makes sense that Hirsch and Sizer disagree because they are targeting different levels of education. Sizer is concerned about how students End their education in high school, and Hirsch is concerned about children education in elementary school school (The beginning). Focusing on "transcendent" and "immanent" education, Hirsch and Sizer standards for a student would be both transcendent for focusing on how well students finish their education. Although they target different stages of education their response was very similar. Hirsch said, "Students should be able to read and know basic number facts by the end of the first grade." And Sizer said, "Students should leave school as well-informed skeptics, able to ask good questions as a matter of habit."
It seems that their points of view are not as different. The education received in elementary school and High School is indeed different. Seen from this point of view, their opinions cannot be entirely compared.

Analyzing Sizer and Hirsch' work separately would help distinguish their opinions. Perhaps these can be compared when seen as a way to improve the school system. As a student I wonder: Who has the best idea and what has it been done?
Supposedly School of the Future adopted Sizer's work into their system, just like many other schools. Sizer's speech in 1997 truly inspired headmasters to follow his methods. Reading Sizer's five imperatives for better schools, and comparing them to my current school system, it merely shows how my own school considered Sizer's opinion as a ticket to become a better school.
These imperatives are:

1.Give room to teachers and students to work in their own, appropriate ways.
2.Insist that students clearly exhibit the mastery of their school work.
3.Get the incentives right, for students and for teachers.
4.Focus on the students' use of their minds.
5.Keep the structure simple and thus flexible.


As a student of SOF I can distinguish Sizer's structures on the school's exhibition requirements. We must work on our Habits of Mind and be able to represent these beautifully in paper and speech. The exhibition process helps us to develop our minds, to "leave school as well-informed skeptics, and able to ask good questions as a matter of habit." Instead of presenting exams, which might not contribute as well as the exhibition process according to our school, we work on using our mind in a specific way.

Sizer also encourages teachers to not forget their place. According to him, us, the students are always watching the teachers and following their way of thinking. Therefore, Sizer as a teacher himself said, "We must live what we teach because how we live teaches. We cannot escape being models." These strict methods Sizer proposes will lead schools, teachers and students to succeed in their goals. As previously mentioned, Sizer's methods, are transcendent. The most important aspect of a school should be only results. This being said, most schools I have seen and known of work with the same system. Does this mean Sizer is right? Or perhaps Hirsch's idea is too complicated to practice and therefore seen as ineffective. However, based on the first article by Anne C. Lewis discussed on this post, Hirsch's work also suggests a transcendent education. So why has School of the Future adopt Sizer's work over anyone Else's?

Based on Sizer's speech and relating it to what has been discussed in class. He mentions the importance of every one's positions within the system. The teachers, for example, must present a good image and remain on their altar separated from students, and in some cases even looking down on them. These role models, known as teachers, are the ones with the authority within the classroom. But even the teachers are under the higher authority of the school's principal becoming part of a bigger chain within the entire country. There is always a higher power above us. This solid system makes things work due to its simplicity. As students we do not have to think much of what should be done in school. It is clear that we are there to learn for the future. If we enjoy it or not is not important. There are not speeches telling how children should have fun in school. The idea of going to school and have fun while learning everyday sounds too unrealistic to me. The same way it sounded to Sizer. High School is a crucial preparement for our futures. It should not be taken lightly by teachers and students. Sizer proposed a solid structure that would help schools and there are no fun activities involved.

Hirsch, just as Sizer, also completed his education and proposed his work on school system to help improve it. The essay, "E. D. Hirsch’s Curriculum for Democracy" talks about Hirsch's live and preparement. It mainly focuses on his experience in school and with schools. He saw how grown students did not have enough education and knowledge. For example, in his work he "had cited an experiment that found that college students unable to comprehend a difficult passage about the Civil War by historian Bruce Catton were also likely not to have learned anything about the Civil War in the early grades." He believed that these problems originated since early school life. Therefore something had to be done. Hirsch’s next book, "The Schools We Need and Why We Don’t Have Them" shows the democracy of Hirsch. He wanted to take the educational quality to a whole new level. He proposed different ideas to help children learn, such as poetry. It did not have to be necessarily fun but definitely helpful.


Because of his work, many public schools have taught students to read trough the "whole language" method, which involves guessing the meaning of unknown words instead of using the dictionary.
Comparing this to my own school. I have seen Hirsch's ideas of teaching in most of my classes. Therefore I can tell that my school is actually a combination of two great educational ideas. And perhaps there could be more. Hirsch was indeed very optimistic about learning. He focused on encouraging the student even more than the teachers. As opposed to Sizer who assigned different roles and positions within the school.
However, as previously mentioned Hirsch work is also transcendent due to his purpose always consisted of helping children leave school with important knowledge that would help them in the future.

Hirsch and Sizer due to have similar points of view, but they focused on different areas of school which might have made them seem differently. In my opinion this is not a Hirsch Vs. Sizer situation. Both contributed to the current system in a way that actually made a difference until our current date. Their ideals might sound too strict or boring but unfortunately these work.
Students learn many things in school and they also learn how to think. This knowledge will be passed on to next generations and therefore make new discoveries. I do not blame nor judge them for not focusing more on the student's feelings. If they had done it, things would be completely different, and perhaps school would be actually fun. But would it work? Would I learn as much as I have learnt without it?
I don't think there is a way of knowing at this point.

HW 44 - Big Expectations for School

"What school is primarily for" is preparement for a world that as a child we are truly not ready for. This preparement is shapes us in a way to fit in with the others. In our perspective this preparement is essentatial as a human being. This is because we are aware that as people we must have an education. In any place in the world, a child receives an education from older generations. According to the diccionary, education is the knowledge attained from teaching and instrcution. We receive this knowledge that meets our cultural expectations, and therefore become part of that culture. In some places, this given knowledge is less than in others. And the methods used to provide it depend on how much knowledge is intended to give to the child. In our society, it is believed that the more knowledge the better. Therefore, similarly to all cibilized cultures, we have a system by the name "School" to educate all children with the suffiecient knowledge to not only fit in, but to outstand other people.


This paper is based on my own perspectve as a student under the common system of school. Throughout history generations and generations have gone through and completed this system after many years. Some of these people choose to encourage children follow the system with a great performance. Others, discuss methods to change the current school system. And others are simply not interested. In this paper, some articles about school will be discussed. This information is communicated by an adult point of view based on his past experience in school. At some point, an author's point will be compared to my own as a current student. Perhaps former students felt the same way students feel now in school, even though times have changed. This can help demonstrate how the school system affects everyone in a general way. But most importantly, it can help discover our need to follow this sytem, although some of us are against it.


At the beginning of this school year, Obama gave a truly inspirational speech, which I wish I could have heard before. Unfortunately do to the length of the speech and predictability, I did not pay attention to at least half of it (As shown in the video I was not clearly the only one, seen when the audience was filmed, some were even more focused on getting Obama videotaped then actually listening. "Hey guys, look! Obama came to my school and gave a speech! Doesn't that make us cool?!") However, the following quote caught my attention...

"So today I want to ask all of you... What is your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country? Your families, your teachers and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions...I expect great things from each of you. Don't let us down. Don't let your family down, your country down, and most of all don't let yourself down. Make us all proud."

Now that is pressure...
According to President Obama there are hundreds of people expecting something from me and all students in this country. And, it is our responsibility to not let anybody down. Although Obama may see this country as a united community, and intend to communicate his vision as best as he can, we are not able to see such a thing. I am not absolutely sure about every single person in this country, but I can confidently state that other than family, friends, acquaintances, and ourselves we do not give give much importance about the future of other people. This personal idea seems to be awfully accurate. Therefore, listening to Obama's "encouraging" speech seems as the usual and constant message delivered from most adult to students. Based on the previous quote from Obama's speech, I definitely ask myself: What will my contribution be? What useful discoveries will I make? How will I be needed? These questions remain until today, and personally I do not feel anyone is actually helping me with any answer. I have always considered looking for our purpose in life as a one man mission. And that will be the only way we convince ourselves that we must contribute to this world (our own individual world) no matter what.

School will never be united. Judging is one of our natural bad habits that will never go away. We must divide everything into groups according to what we perceive them not according to what they are. Perhaps through years judgement has lessen among schools, or perhaps people have simply stopped expressing it as much. The following link, shows a NY1 News video about violence in school.

"School Violence Hotline Goes Live"

This news represent the state's concern on children being safe in school. The interruption of their studies must be prevented. Although the measurements that will be taken on the student who disturbed the system are unknown, it is clear that something will be done with the purpose of permanent "peace" in school. In other words, adults do NOT want rebellion from confused children. It is not only the wrong decision in their point of view, but it is also a waste of time. It is known by everyone that school system will never be terminated. Therefore, there is no purpose on going against it. If gone against it, consequences will be severe as that person experiences the great limits of being uneducated.

Also children are encouraged to help maintain school development by reporting their classmates actions. For instance, if one student reports another student who he suspects from, then precautions will be taken on the student reported on. If that student is emotionally struggling, and expresses himself the wrong way, then instead of receiving the help he needs, he will be under suspicion. As a student myself, If i were struggling, the least thing I would want for myself would be being under supervision to prevent me from being a bad kid. That would cause me to eventually make the wrong decisions, due to being already seen as Wrong, and give up. There is no way those children will be encouraged.

Why do we want an education?

Not only adults want to educate their children, but children also want to be educated. Looking back in History when the black community was not being educated, they ran numerous protests demanding an education. Today, students also want to continue on being educated. This is because their future depends on their education, or so we believe. It is not as if we will not have a future at all, it will only be dissatisfying. Most people would feel they failed when their education was interrupted. We see no good life, unless we are prepared to have one.

I believe that answer to this question is because we want to be needed and school provides the necessary tools to make it happen. Unfortunately, as part of this culture, I think that school is the right place for me. I belong no where else, but in school. I must finish my education and become SOMETHING. I cannot live without being Something that someone else could count on. The more they count on me, the more I express myself through my work, the more satisfied I would be. We all want to be part of the world, and we are, but at some point being just part of it becomes not enough. As time goes we are hungry for more, and we want to make our lives meaningful. We want to be remembered, in a way saying that our birth was not in vain. I think this is the reason we want to go to school.

But still...

And cannot wait for Friday.

HW 42 - More Research and More Thinking

School may not be the source of our depression, but it definitely is one hell of a helper. And
what bothers me the most about school, is thinking how it most likely contributes to the suicide of thousands of teenagers. What exactly are we getting from school?

Just to be clear, I am not against nor in favor of school. This being said, I do not consider school as an "evil system" which has the only purpose of ruining children's lives. Even if this may be the case, I do not think of it that way because I have been taught that school is GOOD. My negative thoughts on it come from self experience.

After researching on school as a source of teenage depression, I have found many articles suggesting that indeed there are many students being negatively affected by all the pressure and discomfort in school, and most importantly these teach how to identify depression signs in students to avoid the risk of suicide.
Suicide is not only ending your suffering, but your entire life. Personally I have never had serious suicidal thoughts. The typical phrase "I ll just kill myself so I don't have to go through this or that" has never actually meant suicide. However, there are people out there how are seriously thinking of way to end their lives. And these people could be my classmates. Thinking it from this perspective, I have become worried about my classmates and friends. I do not know what is happening in their personal lives, but I have an idea of what they are feeling in school, and it might not be helping them. And although suicide will end all our problems, it will also end our dreams, hope and goals. But these are not even recognized when when we are depressed.

This is not the case for every student. While researching I found poems about school. There were some children who wrote poem expressing their immense love for school, and that is completely valid, but not understandable from my perspective. I can barely relate to people who love waking up every morning to go to school. It is not only strange, but somewhat concerning. I tend to think that those people are not entirely aware of what is happening in school. In other words, they are living in their heads, where it's "safe". Or perhaps I am the one who is unaware of what is happening, and I just happen to be a rather negative human being.

This topic overall, personally matters to me because of the simple fact that I am a student and I do not like going to school. Much less studying or doing homework. Just thinking that I have to wake up at 7:20am to go to school ruins my night and morning. And my feelings of disliking school are clear specially when I realize how happy I am when I have vacations. These negative feelings toward school, also represent that I become sad when I think of it. Because of college I am not able to enjoy one second of class. I currently feel very pressured and I also feel that my teachers have given up on me. I am NOT happy in or about school. At this point not even seeing my friends changes my mind.

I am truly concerned about myself, and because of the research I did I have been looking at myself and searching for any signs of depression. Currently I have some of them, but personally I do not think these will become any worse. I cannot say that I will not definitely commit suicide because I do not know what will happen to me in the future. However, at the moment I do not nearly wish to do so. My sign of depression is my lack of motivation and interest.
No matter what i do I cannot become interested for a long period of time. By not being interested I live unmotivated. This is also causing me to skip school, avoid my chores, miss my private lessons, etc. I see no point in doing my best when I know that is not what I want.
I really truly want to feel motivated again, it is a matter of time until I find something interesting enough to motivate me. I do not like being in "stand-by".

This whole topic also reminds me the movie Pink Floyd- The wall. Although I do not remember very well the main story, I do remember a famous song about children and their interaction with society and education. School was represented as a factory of making worms. And these worms represented society. That is something similar to my own point of view. I think that school is teaching us to become SOMETHING that will fit into a bigger group of people. It teaches us how to think in a specific way, so that we can function properly individually. School might as well just be a factory, and the system is just a whole industry. We are the product. The following link shows the mentioned song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24hkfhw-uXs

This video shows many different aspects and characteristics from a child's point of view. And it also explain the teacher's character. This is more like the children defending themselves from the teachers, the system. Even though a teacher might have the best intentions of all he or she will still brainwash his or her student into his or her own beliefs. Those believes shape us into something that fits. It could be a worm like the ones in the video. However, it was all a fantasy in the end. Children could not really go against it. All students could never agree to destroy and burn down the entire school. Because for these children, it is too late.