Sexual Orientation

It appears that everyone has their own set of stereotypes. Stereotypes are simply a broad category of expected behaviour that limits a person, often times negatively and correlated with sexism.

There is also a certain gender bias which consists of unexamined baggage but is primarily being a good role model.

One of the most concerning gender issues is a cluster if negative attitudes and feelings towards gay people. This negativity includes intolerance, hatred and fear.

Homophobia was always in our school. It seemed as though everyone used the odd, "don't be such a fag," or other harmful and hurtful accusation. One of my better friends in my graduation class came out as a bisexual our grade eleven year. It was extremely hard for him growing up because he never had similar interests as the other twelve boys in our class, and they were very quick to point out his differences. I don't particularly place importance on a persons sexual orientation but rather their personality and that alike. He was always a good friend to me so nothing else really matters.

I would agree with the fact that researchers that males are typically more homophobic than females. Growing up in the same home with the same parents and environment acting on us, my brother has developed homophobia which I have tried to rationalize him out of. However it makes him uncomfortable to be around fellow males with the same sex preference. I think that it is a personal choice which we all make.

As a teacher it is our job to ensure our classroom is always a safe and comfortable learning environment. Growing up as I did I witnessed hostility and harassment that someone should've never been put through. I don't blame the teachers because they can't control what goes on outside the classroom as much as they would like to, however I plan on opening up in the classroom where kids are able to be themselves and not worry about what will happen after school hours.

Picturing the Ideal

In our modern day Western Culture it has become a common everyday activity to judge each other. With this knowledge we were asked to create our gender ideal.

For females we chose Kate Middleton deciding she was everything a woman should be, beautiful, classy and a role model for all.

http://www.people.com/people/kate_middleton 

http://www.glamcheck.com/entertainment/2010/11/07/gerald-butler-chips-in-for-a-noble-cause/

For males we decided Gerald Butler because he is athletic, successful and confident.

The fact is that gender isn't as simple as it seems. There is our sex or biological status which is simply whether we are male or female.

There is gender, which is the learned behaviour or sociocultural dimension of sex.

This concept of gender leads to the development of gender roles which outlines the expectations for thinking, acting, or feeling (cognitive, behaviour, affect) that is permitted within society.

In society we learn our cultural schema (cluster ideas), stereotypes and eventually blend them with our own ideas. There are four main views on gender development.

The first and most logical is biological which pertains to the cause of gender in gender make up and is simply the way our brains are individually wired.

The second is social learning which I think is the most important and strongest contributing fact. How a child learns by observation and modelling which teaches them gender depending on how they were/ are socialized.

Third is the cognative development theory which is related to Kohlberg in terms of the development sequence in relation to concepts of gender.

Last but not least, is the gender schema theory is an information processing approach where children also develop concept of gender.

I think gender is a very delicate topic which as teachers we have to be open to discuss. Since children are raised differently with other beliefs and values we have to understand that they are not neccessarily mesh with their classmates like we would like them to.

Happiness is A Luxury

Whenever someone has asked me what I want to be in twenty years, or what I want to do with my life, I have always answered, I want to be happy.

In class 16 we watched a video by Shawn Achor debating The Science of Happiness & Potential.

He claimed that it was his understanding, those who are happy are more productive. He has conducted studies and observed this at Harvard where the smartest, most intelligent minds study everyday.

Being as I have just completed midterm week as a college student I agree with Achor. My marks were far from what I wanted, and looking back I would bet that majority of that is based on fact I was so stressed out and worried anticipating the exams. I was a puddle all week just fretting about the tests.

I think as a teacher this is hard to address because of the expectations of society. Only one of my parents went to post secondary and only one of my grand parents graduated high school. The fact is that presently we have placed such high expectations on youth that the true talent is being lost, and falling in the cracks.

Even as a teacher, in the days of Laura Ingalls Wilder, all you needed was an interest in teaching and adequate schooling (I believe she had a ninth grade education).

I believe this pressure exerted by society is doing more harm than good. Now we have high levels of depression, suicide, and various other ailments.

As Shawn Achor went on to say, "Happiness is a Necessity."

What Determine's a Child's Success

As a teacher, your first job is to embrace the diversities a child may have that can affect the education of said child in a classroom. This may be easy or difficult. If you look at how school is organized majority of these speed bumps are easy to address.

1. Socioeconomic Status (SES): This inequality is unfortunately quite highly correlated with a child's academic success. It is a ranking system based on the hierarchy of wealth. You must try to avoid this having an effect on education. However I think this is a bigger problem in the cities because my highschool was small enough that the gap was pretty small.

2. Cultural Capital: The skills and habits inherited from family or community.

3. Reduce Barriers: This includes fashion (brand names), attitude and that alike. It is important as a teacher to watch that you avoid having expectations for specific students and to watch our own personal attitudes.

4. Multicultural Education: It is important that you empower students to take pride in their personal backgrounds. This empowerment will improve the community and their personal wellbeing.

This brings me back to my original point, what is it that determines a childs success? Thinking back to my schooling, I was always at the top of the class. For me this was not only an expectation of my parents, but of myself personally. I was encouraged to be the best I could be and to always try my best. So I think that home situation may be the strongest contributing factor to acedemic success. However I think having a strong role model also helps. Sometimes a child isn't lucky enough to have a foundation at home, and hopefully they can find guidance somewhere else. You should at least give them a positive learning environment where they have the opportunity to develop and potentially succeed.

What Is Your Multiple Intelligence?

Traditionally the two multiple intelligences that society has valued are those of mathematics and verbal. Mathematics is straight forward covering the areas of numeracy, logic and reasoning. Verbal is the more language oriented intelligence including writing skill, fluency with language, reading and speaking.

However there are numerous other intelligences which get pushed aside so to speak. There's musical, which includes differentiating between pitches and harmonies. There's spatial which an architect would fall under in terms of imagining things in 3D. Bodily kinaethestic people are those with a true talent for athletics, dance, gymnastics and those alike.

The intelligence I most relate to is interpersonal which includes sensitivity and the talent of relating to others. There is also the opposite to that being intrapersonal which is self knowledge, understanding and the power to bring the best out in yourself. There is naturalistic scientific which is an organic connection with the world. Spiritual intelligences believe they are connected to something larger than themselves individually. There is also existential which is an extremely philosophical outlook which is non religious but once again focused on the big picture.

While is it possible to relate to more than one intelligence, as I mentioned above I see myself as a interpersonal intelligence. Ever since I was young majority of my friends would come to me with problems. I like to think my dominate features are compassion and understanding.

Where Do You Stand?

IQ: "a simple way to describe intelligence by assigning it a number that represents the ratio of mental to chronological age, multiplied by 100. Average IQ is therefore 100 and is based on a comparison between an individuals performance and that of comparable people."

In this class the most interesting thing we discussed for me was the common myths associated with a person's IQ.

1. IQ doesn't measure some mysterious quality, rather it is simply a measurement of performance on a test.

2. A person's IQ is not a constant variable, rather it is always changing.

3. IQ tests measure the only important variable worth testing. IQ doesn't determine key concepts.

4. Your IQ is impartial. However we know every test has its imperfections r bias.

This draws attention to the value in IQ testing, especially that done on children. Is a standardized test like an IQ test plausible for children? To me it seems a bit unappropriate. As children in Western society we are already subjected to expectations in our personal, acedemic and mental standing. The first time I remember having this pressure placed on myself is as early as grade six. If it was beginning that early for me, I'm sure in elementary schools it's beginning earlier now. It is wrong to place these tests on a child whose biggest concern should be who they're going to play with at recess or what they're going to have for supper that night. That's where I stand.  

http://www.free-iqtest.net/iq-score-guide.asp

The Care Perspective

Kohlberg's perspective of justice may be considered awfully narrow. Another theorist, Carol Gilligan saw this individualism and gave it a more feminine approach. She supported his theory but wanted to introduce a more relationship oriented spin on it with a concern for others. Gilligan combines Kolhberg's justice with her care, which is a theory I can really support. She sees a community instead of fifty individuals.

What Good Are Morals Anymore?

In class twelve we talked more about Kohlberg's levels and stages. His ideas consist of three stages with two different counterparts.

1. Pre Conventional
a. punishment: concentrate on avoiding personal unpleasant results.
b. hedonism: moving towards external pleasant things.

2. Conventional
a. "nice girl/ nice boy": concerned about what peers think and begin to internalize.
b. law & order: reference to formal convention of criminal law.

3. Post Conventional
a. social contrast: we're all in this together, challenge what is immoral.
b. universal ethical: weighs options and consequences. This is an area with great moral thinkers, so very few people ever make it this far other than Jesus or Gandhi.

Majority of the class (including myself) find ourselves in the "nice girl/ nice boy stage." For me often my biggest concern is what those around me are thinking. I wonder what people say about me, and therefore find myself over thinking everything I do. I would like to think I'm becoming comfortable enough to move onto the next stage however I don't think that will be in the near future.

Heinz' Dilemma

"Heinz wife is dying. One special drug discovered by a local druggist might save her but the druggist is selling it at an exorbitant price. So Heinz, after failing to borrow the money he needs, pleads with the druggist to sell the drug cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist refuses."

In class we were proposed with this scenario and then asked what we would do in this situation and why. This is a pretty big question, as it challenges all your morals. This scenario pertains to Kohlberg's levels and stages of moral development where there are no right or wrong answers.

Reasoning is what matters in such a situation. Majority of people said they would steal the drug. They claimed that the consequences are worth it, because a human life is much more. However rather than thinking of myself as Heinz, I chose to think of it from the wife's perspective. Sure, dying and leaving my husband wouldn't be the greatest, but I wouldn't ask for my husband to steal the drug. I'm too selfish to think about him attempting the robbery, getting caught and leaving me alone. Besides that personal opinion, the drug is not even 100% effective and may not be worth the chance to obtain it. If the drug was defective I wouldn't want my husband to live with himself as a thief. I suppose I'm much too optimistic, but I just don't see the chance worth taking. I would rather focus on him spending my last days together and telling him all I wanted him to know before I passed on. I'm a strong believer that everything happens for a reason and that hardships will work out for the best in the end.

A Digital Nation

It's no secret that Canadian society is becoming more and more technologically advanced and this includes education. When I worked an a work experience student in grade one last year the changes to how the students learned was eye opening. When I was a grade one student we wrote journal entries, counted pennies and listened to tape cassettes. Now in grade one they have computer class, count apples on a Smartboard, and all are required to have their own calculators.
It's one thing to give grade ten, eleven and twelve students lap tops, but do grade ones really need a computer class?
This is a really two sided argument. Personally growing up my parents were always faulting my brothers and I for the amount of time spent on the computer on MSN and Google. They didn't understand the hour conversations we had on the phone with friends we would see the next day. When we asked for a cell phone in grade ten, they didn't think it was necessary. However now we depend on our Blackberry's for communication. Texting, Skyping, and Facebooking have become common terms in society as well as dominate forms of communication.
The increase in technology is concerning to some people because they worry we are losing important aspects of human interaction. Thinking back when is the last time you received a hand written letter? This used to be an everyday occurrence, and now if you asked a sixteen year old to write one, they wouldn't even know where to begin. Critics are worried that face to face communication is becoming extinct and that people don't know how to socially interact. Viable concerns when you reflect on the addictions teens are developing for video games, texting and Myspace.
In class we watched a video with facts on the effects of technology on education. Researcher's went to one of the top universities in the US and talked to the top multi taskers in the school. It turns out that all that texting, emailing, and Facebooking between studying and writing essays may be inhibiting our ability to learn and retain knowledge.
Being an aggressive multi tasker myself this was alarming. I've always gotten good grades, and been able to keep up with all my social needs. When I do anything my phone is near by. I don't even know how to study without music playing and it has to be a pretty tough test to make me turn my phone off to look over the notes.
Research continues and we are left wondering, as the digital generation are we only setting ourselves back that much more?