In the movie clip the coach said “take a lesson from the dead” referring to the soldiers of the Civil War. He told the team, that the soldiers were all fighting the same fight. It destroyed families and lives of many young men. It was brother against brother and the green field soon turned to red because of the blood of young men that was shed. He also told the team, “even though you don’t like each other, you will respect each other”. Chapter 2 talks about consequences and causes of prejudice. It talks about genocide relating to the Jewish in Germany. Does anyone think that if we don’t take a lesson from the dead that genocide could happen again? Is it happening anywhere now? Why would we as a society today allow this to happen? Do you think because we have an African- American president, that it might cause race riots or things that happened before Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks to happen again? How do we as educators teach our students to learn from the past so that history doesn’t repeat itself?
I feel that in some of the Middle Eastern countries, that with the fighting and killing, if people let it go on long enough, that it could take out an entire race. Do people in the US look at it and say “this is not our problem?” and turn the other cheek to not see that it is happening? I feel horrible for the children that are involved and that they might die just because they are born in a certain country or of a certain heritage. As educators, I think that it is important to teach about the things in history that have helped our country get to where it is today, but it is important to teach about culture and diversity so that when the students become adults and they are in charge, our world doesn’t revert back to the terrible things that happened in the past , that our ancestors fought and died for, and that friends, family, and loved ones are fighting for today in the middle east. People say they want the war to be over, and I do too, but if our mission of educating people is not over, then the war will not be over. In a way, everyday that we as teachers go to work we are fighting our own war. NCLB, state assessments, ELL students, students with special needs, students that achieve at a “normal” level, and more are all battles that we fight. If we give up on our students, we are giving up on our country and the future.
Two quotes I liked from the video: “Maybe we can learn to play this game like men.” “I don’t care if you like each other but you have to respect each other.” Leasa- You asked some excellent, thought provoking questions: “Does anyone think that if we don’t take a lesson from the dead that genocide could happen again? Is it happening anywhere now? Why would we as a society today allow this to happen?” There is genocide happening today in Uganda. Thousands of children are being captured/abducted and have been enlisted to become child soldiers for the past 17 years. They are told that if they don’t kill, they will be killed. If they try to run away, they will get their limbs cut off or be killed. So they raid villages and kill people as a means of survival. This organization, called the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), is led by Joseph Kony and he needs to be stopped. There needs to be rescue for these children so the long civil war in Uganda can end. Not many people in the US know about this problem; I have heard about it only 3 times in the past four years. But people are dying and I need to be the voice for these children because they deserve a chance at life. What about all of the people with HIV/Aids in Africa? Is that considered genocide if they don’t have enough money for treatments and we aren’t helping them? I spend money on internet, which is not a necessity, going out to eat, buying cell phones, ipods, new clothes…? Why do I get to live in a comfortable house, have access to clean water, and enjoy tasty food for every meal, when there are people in deep need? Am I doing my part? I am thankful to be blessed and have everything that I need and so much more. I just want to use these resources wisely so that I can help others in need. Leasa- You asked: “Do you think because we have an African- American president, that it might cause race riots or things that happened before Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks to happen again? How do we as educators teach our students to learn from the past so that history doesn’t repeat itself?” There is still racism in the United States and I hope there won’t be race riots like that again. I know there is still racism because my friend got brutally attacked for having a different skin color than her attacker. It breaks my heart. I think we need to teach history to our students so that we can learn from it. People have tried wars, have tried riots and have tried violence and the end result is always the same: people die. Let’s teach our students non-violence. Let’s teach our students how to communicate effectively. Let’s teach our students peace. Let’s teach our student’s to value diversity. Let’s teach our students to value each other as brothers and sisters of the human race. We don’t want to make the same mistakes again, we should learn from them. Modeling to our students is the best way to do that. If we make a mistake, acknowledge it, apologize, make it right and move on. An interesting quote from chapter 2 I think I touched on in another blog: “Although negative stereotypes are regarded as unacceptable, many people accept positive stereotypes.” Examples of this are “Asians or Asian Americans are good at math” and “African Americans are good at rhythm and dance”. Even though these would be nice traits to have, we can’t make assumptions about an entire group of people. Each person is unique and we have to be so careful of what we say as educators. We have to be careful of our words. We don’t want to put our students in a box of what we think is their specific culture. In a way that limits them to their full potential. We have to be good listeners in order that we can learn about their culture, and so they can bring all they have to the classroom.
Leasa- I liked how you said in a way we fight our own war as educators. At a point when I feel like giving up, I am going to have to remember that this is for the future of our country. Some day the kids are going to be running this place and I want to be a part of building a healthy future.
Becky-- Thank you for helping me to know that there is genocide going on... I now feel that I must do my part to help these people out. When you talk about having clean water, it always makes me think of one of my current students that lived in Mexico as a child and got lead poisoning from drinking dirty water. He shakes really bad and the kids make fun of him. I have tried to do my part to teach my students that this is something out of his control and has to do with the enviornment that he was raised in and we should be thankful that he gets to come to school and participate with the class instead of having even more severe disabilities.
I know that there is still racism and I am sorry about your friend! As you said, we must educate our students, so that history does not repeat itself.
I struggled when trying to come up with questions for this topic, so if they seemed a little odd or like I should know the answer, I was looking for other people's thoughts.
The “Remember the Titans” video clip reminds me of how people can forget to respect others. Chapter 2 talks about how people try to justify their reason for not respecting people. They use excuses since these people are different from them, have different experiences from them, and/or don’t understand them. They fear what’s uncommon. This was especially true during this film. The Titans football team was experiencing something new and instead of embracing it, they resist and retreat to their usual ways, hoping it will go back to the way it was before.
I went to my high school reunion this past weekend with friends I’ve known since elementary. I got to catch up with people I haven’t seen forever, but I thought it was funny how some people wouldn’t talk to other people because they hated them back in high school. I don’t even think they remember why they didn’t like them back then. Why hold on to the grudge from 10 years ago? I felt like the same cliques in high school were still here today. I guess it is hard to break old ways.
Leasa, did you see the news article about the Face Book poll on whether President Obama should be assassinated or not? (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33060855/ns/technology_and_science-security/) The choices were: Yes, No, Yes if he takes my healthcare away. This seems like the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in awhile. I’ve seen leaders in the Senate that are racist and have been caught on camera saying President Obama shouldn’t be president because he’s African American. I’m starting to ask myself what can I do to help celebrate diversity instead of tearing it down.
I found the comments made under the video clip interesting. Looking at random comments gives a clue as to where we are as a culture. The speech itself I felt was inspiring. I think the purpose was to motivate his players into changing attitudes and ideas. If old prejudices and stereotypes are continued to be acceptable then we will repeat our mistakes as a nation. For the football team to work as one, it was a good idea to remind them of the past.
Becky- you brought up some excellent examples of situations b brought about from not learning from out past.
Leasa- WOW girl! Way to start us off on this post. I have been there when you talk about the "war" we as educators fight with NCLB, the value of education and the list goes on.
Pinky- when you talked about your high school reunion and grudges that are still in tact.. its almost like programming isn't it. Like the Hatfield and the McCoys- nobody knew what started the feud, they just know they didn't like each other. How many situations nationally and globally continue because we do not take time to reflect on the past.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie clip the coach said “take a lesson from the dead” referring to the soldiers of the Civil War. He told the team, that the soldiers were all fighting the same fight. It destroyed families and lives of many young men. It was brother against brother and the green field soon turned to red because of the blood of young men that was shed. He also told the team, “even though you don’t like each other, you will respect each other”. Chapter 2 talks about consequences and causes of prejudice. It talks about genocide relating to the Jewish in Germany.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone think that if we don’t take a lesson from the dead that genocide could happen again? Is it happening anywhere now? Why would we as a society today allow this to happen? Do you think because we have an African- American president, that it might cause race riots or things that happened before Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks to happen again? How do we as educators teach our students to learn from the past so that history doesn’t repeat itself?
I feel that in some of the Middle Eastern countries, that with the fighting and killing, if people let it go on long enough, that it could take out an entire race. Do people in the US look at it and say “this is not our problem?” and turn the other cheek to not see that it is happening? I feel horrible for the children that are involved and that they might die just because they are born in a certain country or of a certain heritage.
ReplyDeleteAs educators, I think that it is important to teach about the things in history that have helped our country get to where it is today, but it is important to teach about culture and diversity so that when the students become adults and they are in charge, our world doesn’t revert back to the terrible things that happened in the past , that our ancestors fought and died for, and that friends, family, and loved ones are fighting for today in the middle east. People say they want the war to be over, and I do too, but if our mission of educating people is not over, then the war will not be over. In a way, everyday that we as teachers go to work we are fighting our own war. NCLB, state assessments, ELL students, students with special needs, students that achieve at a “normal” level, and more are all battles that we fight. If we give up on our students, we are giving up on our country and the future.
Two quotes I liked from the video: “Maybe we can learn to play this game like men.” “I don’t care if you like each other but you have to respect each other.”
ReplyDeleteLeasa- You asked some excellent, thought provoking questions: “Does anyone think that if we don’t take a lesson from the dead that genocide could happen again? Is it happening anywhere now? Why would we as a society today allow this to happen?”
There is genocide happening today in Uganda. Thousands of children are being captured/abducted and have been enlisted to become child soldiers for the past 17 years. They are told that if they don’t kill, they will be killed. If they try to run away, they will get their limbs cut off or be killed. So they raid villages and kill people as a means of survival. This organization, called the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), is led by Joseph Kony and he needs to be stopped. There needs to be rescue for these children so the long civil war in Uganda can end. Not many people in the US know about this problem; I have heard about it only 3 times in the past four years. But people are dying and I need to be the voice for these children because they deserve a chance at life.
What about all of the people with HIV/Aids in Africa? Is that considered genocide if they don’t have enough money for treatments and we aren’t helping them? I spend money on internet, which is not a necessity, going out to eat, buying cell phones, ipods, new clothes…? Why do I get to live in a comfortable house, have access to clean water, and enjoy tasty food for every meal, when there are people in deep need? Am I doing my part? I am thankful to be blessed and have everything that I need and so much more. I just want to use these resources wisely so that I can help others in need.
Leasa- You asked: “Do you think because we have an African- American president, that it might cause race riots or things that happened before Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks to happen again? How do we as educators teach our students to learn from the past so that history doesn’t repeat itself?”
There is still racism in the United States and I hope there won’t be race riots like that again. I know there is still racism because my friend got brutally attacked for having a different skin color than her attacker. It breaks my heart. I think we need to teach history to our students so that we can learn from it. People have tried wars, have tried riots and have tried violence and the end result is always the same: people die. Let’s teach our students non-violence. Let’s teach our students how to communicate effectively. Let’s teach our students peace. Let’s teach our student’s to value diversity. Let’s teach our students to value each other as brothers and sisters of the human race.
We don’t want to make the same mistakes again, we should learn from them. Modeling to our students is the best way to do that. If we make a mistake, acknowledge it, apologize, make it right and move on.
An interesting quote from chapter 2 I think I touched on in another blog: “Although negative stereotypes are regarded as unacceptable, many people accept positive stereotypes.” Examples of this are “Asians or Asian Americans are good at math” and “African Americans are good at rhythm and dance”. Even though these would be nice traits to have, we can’t make assumptions about an entire group of people. Each person is unique and we have to be so careful of what we say as educators. We have to be careful of our words. We don’t want to put our students in a box of what we think is their specific culture. In a way that limits them to their full potential. We have to be good listeners in order that we can learn about their culture, and so they can bring all they have to the classroom.
Leasa- I liked how you said in a way we fight our own war as educators. At a point when I feel like giving up, I am going to have to remember that this is for the future of our country. Some day the kids are going to be running this place and I want to be a part of building a healthy future.
ReplyDeleteBecky-- Thank you for helping me to know that there is genocide going on... I now feel that I must do my part to help these people out.
ReplyDeleteWhen you talk about having clean water, it always makes me think of one of my current students that lived in Mexico as a child and got lead poisoning from drinking dirty water. He shakes really bad and the kids make fun of him. I have tried to do my part to teach my students that this is something out of his control and has to do with the enviornment that he was raised in and we should be thankful that he gets to come to school and participate with the class instead of having even more severe disabilities.
I know that there is still racism and I am sorry about your friend! As you said, we must educate our students, so that history does not repeat itself.
I struggled when trying to come up with questions for this topic, so if they seemed a little odd or like I should know the answer, I was looking for other people's thoughts.
The “Remember the Titans” video clip reminds me of how people can forget to respect others. Chapter 2 talks about how people try to justify their reason for not respecting people. They use excuses since these people are different from them, have different experiences from them, and/or don’t understand them. They fear what’s uncommon. This was especially true during this film. The Titans football team was experiencing something new and instead of embracing it, they resist and retreat to their usual ways, hoping it will go back to the way it was before.
ReplyDeleteI went to my high school reunion this past weekend with friends I’ve known since elementary. I got to catch up with people I haven’t seen forever, but I thought it was funny how some people wouldn’t talk to other people because they hated them back in high school. I don’t even think they remember why they didn’t like them back then. Why hold on to the grudge from 10 years ago? I felt like the same cliques in high school were still here today. I guess it is hard to break old ways.
Leasa, did you see the news article about the Face Book poll on whether President Obama should be assassinated or not? (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33060855/ns/technology_and_science-security/) The choices were: Yes, No, Yes if he takes my healthcare away. This seems like the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in awhile. I’ve seen leaders in the Senate that are racist and have been caught on camera saying President Obama shouldn’t be president because he’s African American. I’m starting to ask myself what can I do to help celebrate diversity instead of tearing it down.
ReplyDeleteI found the comments made under the video clip interesting. Looking at random comments gives a clue as to where we are as a culture. The speech itself I felt was inspiring. I think the purpose was to motivate his players into changing attitudes and ideas. If old prejudices and stereotypes are continued to be acceptable then we will repeat our mistakes as a nation. For the football team to work as one, it was a good idea to remind them of the past.
ReplyDeleteBecky- you brought up some excellent examples of situations b
brought about from not learning from out past.
Leasa- WOW girl! Way to start us off on this post. I have been there when you talk about the "war" we as educators fight with NCLB, the value of education and the list goes on.
Pinky- when you talked about your high school reunion and grudges that are still in tact.. its almost like programming isn't it. Like the Hatfield and the McCoys- nobody knew what started the feud, they just know they didn't like each other. How many situations nationally and globally continue because we do not take time to reflect on the past.