Coins are an interesting representation of many cultures. What came first, coins or dollars? After a little research, I’ve come to the conclusion that coins were around first. They are often times made of metal. In some ancient cultures, the coins had a hole through the center so that they could tie them on a string and not lose them. Coins usually have an image or historical figure on them, sometimes a slogan, and sometimes their worth is shown in a numerical value. Coins have been made out of precious metals in the ancient times and slowly have become more cost effective by using mixed metals. Coins are significant in culture because without coins, people couldn’t survive. Coins are earned by working and then people buy things with coins such as land, housing, and food. One time for Christmas, my grandma gave all of her grandkids a gold coin for a present. Back then it was worth $300 dollars. I decided to sell mine to my dad, in exchange for a plane ticket to California with my best friend and her family. My dad told me that I could buy it back for $300 when I had the money. I never bought it back from him and it is now worth a lot more. I am wondering if I should buy it back or just let him keep it since he is the rightful owner? I don’t think about it that much any more, but it was a really cool gift for a 12 year old girl!
1. The coin activity had such a big impact on me personally. I had never stopped to think of what was on the coin and how with that written on the coin, how ignorant our culture is about this. Rosa had a coin I am sure and so did that bus driver. Am I capable of making my classroom E PLURIBUS UNUM? Absolutely. I like I think I do it to a point but there is always room for improvement.
2. I had to laugh at the various and different cultures such as NASCAR and especially scrapbooking. I had no idea I was part of another culture. Shall we even begin to examine the KU and KSU cultures? Wow, those people are crazy! ☺
3. What is the difference between a culture and a cult I would say one has dominance over your life (controls, commands, dictates) and the other you weave and make part of your life. I think that a culture can turn to a cult if you lose the ability to reason for yourself and remain independent. For some, they might say the 60’s were a cult and perhaps there were some extremes but I think it was a culture. It was a frame of mind that was woven and incorporated into your life but still able to separate from.
4. I think respecting the beliefs and thoughts of all students would be a way of ensuring E PLURIBUS UNUM is followed. Stepping past that though is teaching students about respecting cultures is yet another step.
1. This activity had a big impact on me. I never really paid attention that the coins didn't say "In God We Trust" like I thought that they did. My mom and I discussed this and she said it was very interesting because there were so many people from other countries that came to the United States and started it back in the beginning of the US. Many people that have lived in this country all of thier lives don't even know what the money they have with them everyday means. 2. I think as educators we may be aware of culture, but not always do we understand everything that a certain culture may entail. Being a teacher is a culture different of that than being a student eventhough there are many teachers that are students. I never really thought about scrapbooking being a culture, but it is. At our house, demolition derby is a culture which truly is different from a drag racing or Nascar culture, eventhough they are all a racing culture when put together. I had a student two years ago that was african american and hispanic. She had a difficult time fitting in with the hispanic girls because she didn't look like them, but still practiced a lot of the hispanic traditions. She struggled to fit in with the african american girls also because she didn't look like them or pratice any of thier traditions, so culture is all around, we just need to look at all aspects and not just what is on the outside of a person of group of people.
3. I think that a cult is something that takes over your life and dictates and controls everything someone does on an extreme level. A culture can also do these things, but not at such an extreme level and people often times have the opportunity to stray from thier culture and constantly change it, but if they are cult memebers then they cannot change unless they are ready to suffer a severe consequence or sometimes even death. As far as the 60s, I think that was a culture of people and things. My parents grew up in the 60s and were not really a part of the "Woodstock" culture. They didn't see a need to particpate in drugs, bra burning, or even listen to rock and roll music. For some people they might say that my parents were boring and other say "they grew up in the 60s how did they not do drugs or listen to rock and roll", but there again, that is a stereotype that many people have about people that were alive in the 60s.
4. I think that if we show respect and begin to have a greater understanding of our students beliefs and thoughts, and teaching our students that it is ok to be different or think differently, then we will be able to celebrate the diversity without offending anyone or anything.
Becky-- I think it is neat that you researched the history on coins and found out why some have holes in them. This was something I had always wondered, but never really thought about.
Karin-- I agree with you on the K-State, KU culture being a little crazy. I will admit, I am a fan, but not a die hard. To me, if they win they win, if they lose, they lose. Most people say how can you be a fan if you don't care what the outcome of the game is. I just tell them, Im not as in to it as I used to be and there are things that are more important to me than who wins a game.
Obviously people don’t think about the message on the coins when they perform any action. There’s a meaning and value in the way these coins were created, but people forget over time. Even when these coins were created, the United States were not one. Maybe this is a goal we are striving for each and every day.
I started looking on the quotes on the front of the coins too and found “liberty” and “in God we trust.” The same question applies to these quotes. Could it be that some people don’t believe in these values, so it doesn’t matter if they treat people unjustly? As a society, we do value money, not everything it stands for.
I’ve always thought the hardest part of teaching is getting my message across to each and every student. I am constantly trying to think of new ways to help students understand material in class. Should I add more visuals, more real life scenarios, more pre-testing, and/or more small group discussions? A part of it is just getting to know the students themselves. The more I know about them, the better prepared I am to instruct. I can start using their experiences, what they know to help explain concepts in a different way.
I find that culture is different from a cult by how they judge other groups other than there own. Sure, I love the KU basketball and during March Madness I am one who will smack talk to my MU friends. However, I do not hate all MU people or treat them differently all due to us being rival teams. I always find it silly when I go to sporting events and people of opposite teams get in a fight. We should still be able to be in the same stadium, cheering our teams on, without name calling or physical hitting. If anything, we should be able to respect each other.
I like how you said when we show respect…we can celebrate diversity without offending anyone or anything. That’s what I think the difference is between culture and cults. Talking about your parents growing in the 60’s made me wonder what other generations will say about our time period. Will I be weird for not being a part of the 90’s grunge and Nirvana music period? I blame it on my mom who got me listening to 80’s music at an early age. =)
1. The phrase “E Pluribus Unum” and coin activity really made me think. Are we hypocrites when we don’t celebrate diversity and become united because that is what these coins mean to me? Another saying on the coins says “In God We Trust”; our country was founded on that belief. Are we hypocrites for using this money if we don’t believe in this? Yes, I am glad that the coins have these phrases. Every human has the right to be valued and I should trust in God above all things. I don’t always follow that, but I try as hard as I can. We should be unified, but yet we all have a right to our beliefs. When it comes to violence, I think my job as a teacher is to be a role model and show kids how to respect each other’s differences. There is always a peaceful solution to a problem, we may need some time away to think through the solutions, but there is always a way. 2. As an educator, I am not truly aware of culture. Culture is so broad. New cultures form within the middle school culture. I liked your scrapbook culture example because I am a part of that. 3. To me, culture has a positive connotation and cult has a negative connotation. “Culture” is something that most people aren’t afraid of and realize that everyone has a culture or many cultures. “Cult” is a more frightening term because it involves more hard core beliefs that can either become consuming or produce internal or external violence. I think love of a sport or a musical group could become a cult for a person if it consumes them and if they get angry or destructive towards themselves or others. I think gothic students are just a culture unless they become consumed and destructive. Woodstock seems like a culture to me, not a cult. However, I don’t feel like I know enough about gothic and Woodstock to be a judge of that. 4. Defining cultures and cults will, more often than not, step on somebody’s boundaries. We classify cultures and cults based on what we know and we can always expand our knowledge base. When it comes to destruction or violence, it is challenging to go by the phrase “E Pluribus Unum”. How can I be one with people who choose those behaviors? Yes, we all make mistakes, but it’s difficult to be on the same level with somebody who continually makes poor or violent choices. We have to look deeper into people to understand their culture and they have to do likewise so that we can move towards the ideal “from diversity one”.
Karen- I like how you used the words "weave" in describing culture versus the cult which "dominuates", that was an awesome explanation and I got it! Leasa- It was interesting reading about your African American Hispanic student. That would be really tough. Pinky- I like what you said about just getting to know the students in order to help your instruction. That's a great point!
Pinky- your comment about people not believing in the oharases on the coins and therefore do not act accordingly really made me stop and think.. you nailed that!
Becky- as one fellow scrapper to another :-) , you are so right in that culture is a broad term. There are often so many subsets within a culture. I have often read how one sect of people in a culture is ostracized for different reasons. It kind of reminds me of the Dr. Seuss book I think called Sneeches where they all look a like but some have "stars on thars".
I hope you all had a very relaxing Labor Day weekend.
ReplyDeleteNow, to finish the coins activity.
Coins are an interesting representation of many cultures. What came first, coins or dollars? After a little research, I’ve come to the conclusion that coins were around first. They are often times made of metal. In some ancient cultures, the coins had a hole through the center so that they could tie them on a string and not lose them. Coins usually have an image or historical figure on them, sometimes a slogan, and sometimes their worth is shown in a numerical value. Coins have been made out of precious metals in the ancient times and slowly have become more cost effective by using mixed metals. Coins are significant in culture because without coins, people couldn’t survive. Coins are earned by working and then people buy things with coins such as land, housing, and food.
ReplyDeleteOne time for Christmas, my grandma gave all of her grandkids a gold coin for a present. Back then it was worth $300 dollars. I decided to sell mine to my dad, in exchange for a plane ticket to California with my best friend and her family. My dad told me that I could buy it back for $300 when I had the money. I never bought it back from him and it is now worth a lot more. I am wondering if I should buy it back or just let him keep it since he is the rightful owner? I don’t think about it that much any more, but it was a really cool gift for a 12 year old girl!
1. The coin activity had such a big impact on me personally. I had never stopped to think of what was on the coin and how with that written on the coin, how ignorant our culture is about this. Rosa had a coin I am sure and so did that bus driver. Am I capable of making my classroom E PLURIBUS UNUM? Absolutely. I like I think I do it to a point but there is always room for improvement.
ReplyDelete2. I had to laugh at the various and different cultures such as NASCAR and especially scrapbooking. I had no idea I was part of another culture. Shall we even begin to examine the KU and KSU cultures? Wow, those people are crazy! ☺
3. What is the difference between a culture and a cult I would say one has dominance over your life (controls, commands, dictates) and the other you weave and make part of your life. I think that a culture can turn to a cult if you lose the ability to reason for yourself and remain independent. For some, they might say the 60’s were a cult and perhaps there were some extremes but I think it was a culture. It was a frame of mind that was woven and incorporated into your life but still able to separate from.
4. I think respecting the beliefs and thoughts of all students would be a way of ensuring E PLURIBUS UNUM is followed. Stepping past that though is teaching students about respecting cultures is yet another step.
Becky- you could buy it back now, or he can "keep it safe" for now :-)
ReplyDelete1. This activity had a big impact on me. I never really paid attention that the coins didn't say "In God We Trust" like I thought that they did. My mom and I discussed this and she said it was very interesting because there were so many people from other countries that came to the United States and started it back in the beginning of the US. Many people that have lived in this country all of thier lives don't even know what the money they have with them everyday means.
ReplyDelete2. I think as educators we may be aware of culture, but not always do we understand everything that a certain culture may entail. Being a teacher is a culture different of that than being a student eventhough there are many teachers that are students. I never really thought about scrapbooking being a culture, but it is. At our house, demolition derby is a culture which truly is different from a drag racing or Nascar culture, eventhough they are all a racing culture when put together. I had a student two years ago that was african american and hispanic. She had a difficult time fitting in with the hispanic girls because she didn't look like them, but still practiced a lot of the hispanic traditions. She struggled to fit in with the african american girls also because she didn't look like them or pratice any of thier traditions, so culture is all around, we just need to look at all aspects and not just what is on the outside of a person of group of people.
3. I think that a cult is something that takes over your life and dictates and controls everything someone does on an extreme level. A culture can also do these things, but not at such an extreme level and people often times have the opportunity to stray from thier culture and constantly change it, but if they are cult memebers then they cannot change unless they are ready to suffer a severe consequence or sometimes even death. As far as the 60s, I think that was a culture of people and things. My parents grew up in the 60s and were not really a part of the "Woodstock" culture. They didn't see a need to particpate in drugs, bra burning, or even listen to rock and roll music. For some people they might say that my parents were boring and other say "they grew up in the 60s how did they not do drugs or listen to rock and roll", but there again, that is a stereotype that many people have about people that were alive in the 60s.
4. I think that if we show respect and begin to have a greater understanding of our students beliefs and thoughts, and teaching our students that it is ok to be different or think differently, then we will be able to celebrate the diversity without offending anyone or anything.
Becky-- I think it is neat that you researched the history on coins and found out why some have holes in them. This was something I had always wondered, but never really thought about.
ReplyDeleteKarin-- I agree with you on the K-State, KU culture being a little crazy. I will admit, I am a fan, but not a die hard. To me, if they win they win, if they lose, they lose. Most people say how can you be a fan if you don't care what the outcome of the game is. I just tell them, Im not as in to it as I used to be and there are things that are more important to me than who wins a game.
Leasa- I noticed that some of the new coins DO say "In God we trust" but it hard to find because they are written on the outside around the coin.
ReplyDeleteObviously people don’t think about the message on the coins when they perform any action. There’s a meaning and value in the way these coins were created, but people forget over time. Even when these coins were created, the United States were not one. Maybe this is a goal we are striving for each and every day.
ReplyDeleteI started looking on the quotes on the front of the coins too and found “liberty” and “in God we trust.” The same question applies to these quotes. Could it be that some people don’t believe in these values, so it doesn’t matter if they treat people unjustly? As a society, we do value money, not everything it stands for.
I’ve always thought the hardest part of teaching is getting my message across to each and every student. I am constantly trying to think of new ways to help students understand material in class. Should I add more visuals, more real life scenarios, more pre-testing, and/or more small group discussions? A part of it is just getting to know the students themselves. The more I know about them, the better prepared I am to instruct. I can start using their experiences, what they know to help explain concepts in a different way.
I find that culture is different from a cult by how they judge other groups other than there own. Sure, I love the KU basketball and during March Madness I am one who will smack talk to my MU friends. However, I do not hate all MU people or treat them differently all due to us being rival teams. I always find it silly when I go to sporting events and people of opposite teams get in a fight. We should still be able to be in the same stadium, cheering our teams on, without name calling or physical hitting. If anything, we should be able to respect each other.
Hey Leasa,
ReplyDeleteI like how you said when we show respect…we can celebrate diversity without offending anyone or anything. That’s what I think the difference is between culture and cults. Talking about your parents growing in the 60’s made me wonder what other generations will say about our time period. Will I be weird for not being a part of the 90’s grunge and Nirvana music period? I blame it on my mom who got me listening to 80’s music at an early age. =)
1. The phrase “E Pluribus Unum” and coin activity really made me think. Are we hypocrites when we don’t celebrate diversity and become united because that is what these coins mean to me? Another saying on the coins says “In God We Trust”; our country was founded on that belief. Are we hypocrites for using this money if we don’t believe in this? Yes, I am glad that the coins have these phrases. Every human has the right to be valued and I should trust in God above all things. I don’t always follow that, but I try as hard as I can. We should be unified, but yet we all have a right to our beliefs. When it comes to violence, I think my job as a teacher is to be a role model and show kids how to respect each other’s differences. There is always a peaceful solution to a problem, we may need some time away to think through the solutions, but there is always a way.
ReplyDelete2. As an educator, I am not truly aware of culture. Culture is so broad. New cultures form within the middle school culture. I liked your scrapbook culture example because I am a part of that.
3. To me, culture has a positive connotation and cult has a negative connotation. “Culture” is something that most people aren’t afraid of and realize that everyone has a culture or many cultures. “Cult” is a more frightening term because it involves more hard core beliefs that can either become consuming or produce internal or external violence. I think love of a sport or a musical group could become a cult for a person if it consumes them and if they get angry or destructive towards themselves or others. I think gothic students are just a culture unless they become consumed and destructive. Woodstock seems like a culture to me, not a cult. However, I don’t feel like I know enough about gothic and Woodstock to be a judge of that.
4. Defining cultures and cults will, more often than not, step on somebody’s boundaries. We classify cultures and cults based on what we know and we can always expand our knowledge base. When it comes to destruction or violence, it is challenging to go by the phrase “E Pluribus Unum”. How can I be one with people who choose those behaviors? Yes, we all make mistakes, but it’s difficult to be on the same level with somebody who continually makes poor or violent choices. We have to look deeper into people to understand their culture and they have to do likewise so that we can move towards the ideal “from diversity one”.
Karen- I like how you used the words "weave" in describing culture versus the cult which "dominuates", that was an awesome explanation and I got it!
ReplyDeleteLeasa- It was interesting reading about your African American Hispanic student. That would be really tough.
Pinky- I like what you said about just getting to know the students in order to help your instruction. That's a great point!
Pinky- your comment about people not believing in the oharases on the coins and therefore do not act accordingly really made me stop and think.. you nailed that!
ReplyDeleteBecky- as one fellow scrapper to another :-) , you are so right in that culture is a broad term. There are often so many subsets within a culture. I have often read how one sect of people in a culture is ostracized for different reasons. It kind of reminds me of the Dr. Seuss book I think called Sneeches where they all look a like but some have "stars on thars".