Wk 2 - response to Dena

photo taken by Alicia Welch

Dena- I agree. Having the actual letters written to the teacher was a nice touch. It allowed the reader to see how actually giving students the A played out in the real world. So many times books offer suggestions, yet this one provided the examples of how the concept actually played out.

Dena's original post...

Wow!  I really enjoyed the reading.  I made so many connections, it was great.        It's All Invented The first paragraph told me a lot.  It's amazing how we can do or look at the same thing but perceive it differently.  That's what makes individuals unique.  I believe there is possibilities in every situation.  It is like students in our class.  We create possibilities for them regardless of their academic ability, race or gender.  How we perceive things makes the difference.  It also reminds me of how Bermudians complain about traveling from one end of the island to the other.  The island is only 21 square miles long.  It takes an hour at the most to drive from one end of the island to other end.  On the other hand we would travel overseas and drive for hours without complaining.  It is was how you perceive the situation.           Stepping into the Universe- Possibilities The way we look at possibilities depend on our situation.  In some instances it a can cause people to be selfish because they want to get as much as they can.  On the other hand they may not even see the possibilities awaiting them.        Giving This section of the reading really perked my interest.  Verbal or written feedback is more rewarding and meaningful compared to a grade.  I agree with Michaelangelo's statement, "inside every step of stone or marble dwells a beautiful statue; one needs only to remove the excess material to reveal the work of art within."  Everyone has strengths but we just need to find them.  I enjoyed the letters written to Mr. Zander.  They were great!  It is ok  to make mistakes as long as you learn from them.  Grades are invented.  I found that interesting.  I never looked at it that way but I agree with that statement.  That is the same as attaining degrees.  If you can't do your job effectively, your degree is useless.  It just means that you are paper smart and this has been a big issue here.  People can talk the talk and they get away with things.  Reading this chapter had me reflect on many situations in life.  In Bermuda the focus is on young black males.  It seems to be a connection with this chapter.  It was mentioned that people did not feel valued therefore negative things happened. This could be the same situation with some of the black males.  They may not feel valued therefore negative things happen.  This does not only apply to this situation but that is what I connected with immediately.   Contribution Society has programmed us therefore it may seem as if you don't know who you really are because you have to live up to others expectations.  They infringe on you and have you questioning yourself.  Even if you have contributed you are still asking, was that ok etc.  I have done that throughout this course if I am uncertain of the expectation.  I think that is a normal reaction because you want to be successful.  To see yourself as a contibutor is much more rewarding and it seems to alleviate some stress. I think I need to pay more attention to trying to make myself and my students think of ourselves as contributors.