John Gatto

I have never thought that a teacher could get bored. To me, being a teacher must have been exciting. With all the different students they have for each class. I wouldn't have thought it got boring to them, though I can see that if a student didn't care to learn it can be boring to teach someone something they love to a student who just wants to pass the class. Parents have a choice wether to send their children to school or not, but it is important for a child to grow and to learn. We have school so that all these kids can learn and grow, and to better themselves. Some people may disagree that schooling is not needed yet education is important. But how else will these students learn if there is no "forced schooling?" who is willing to teach these kids if they were not to go to school. We have teachers for a reason, to teach the kids what they need to know to survive in this world. Schooling helps a child mold into what they need to be when they grow up. John Gatto believes that we have become a nation of children, in some ways I can agree with that. Especially since people are so easily manipulated. Talk about ads on t.v, people watch those day in and day out and they buy them. Even if they are completely useless to them, they still buy them. We believe what we see and what people tell us.

WS 48 & 49

Section 48 talks about classification. Explaining how items in a series are similar and different from other items in the same series. For our next paper this can help us when classifying students and teachers in k-12. We can classify the students by gender, hair color and behavior. The thing being classified should have certain characteristics in common. For the paper we are suppose to add or change the k-12 curriculum to better deal with the students behavior and success. Every student is different so classifying can help narrow down what needs to be changed or fixed. If the students are disruptive and do not pay attention we can argue the school should discipline more. Section 49 talks about comparison and/or contrast, for our next paper we can compare and contrast how the teachers feel about the school and the children. We can compare and contrast the teachers and their views. Some teachers may feel that the school is failing the students, in contrast some teachers say its the students that are failing.

Final draft paper #2

Teacher’s play an important role in a student’s life, they are with them throughout the most important time in their life. They teach us not only what we need to know to pass high school and college and to succeed in life, but to teach us how to behave and respect other people, how to think out situations and how to act. Every teacher has a huge impact on a student because of the teacher’s personality. Students can relate and bond with the them. An old saying says it takes a village to raise a child and part of that village is a teacher. The most important role a teacher can play is that of being a friend to the student. Mrs. Campbell is a great example of this role, as Mr. Powell is not the best example of being a friend to the students.

Mrs. Campbell was a great teacher; she was very understanding. To play the part of a friend you have to be understanding. Mrs. Campbell was very understanding. She knew if something was wrong and was there if you needed to talk to someone. She would just sit there and listen to you without making a sound. She would nod her head and encourage you to continue talking until you felt better. She was a wise women and some times she knew exactly how you felt. It was easy to talk to her when she could relate to your situation. If you came to class one day and talked to her privately about a traumatic incident that happened yesterday and you couldn't finish your homework because of it, she would understand and give you more time to do it. She would not get angry because the homework didn't get finished; she knows that things like this can happen to anyone and cannot always be prevented. Instead she would ask how you are, if she can do anything to help, and give you more time to finish any of the homework that you didn't finish. She was strict at the same time. She may have given the student’s another chance, but they only get so many chances. Then Mrs. Campbell would have to say tough luck and dock points. 

Mr. Powell was not the most understanding teacher. He didn’t understand the student’s and their privacy. Most student’s would be embarrassed when it came to test scores and not doing good. Mr. Powell would read everyones test score out loud to the class, without their permission. He couldn’t relate to us, which can make it hard to grab the classes attention.  He had high expectations that every individual must meet. If a student was to fall behind in homework because they didn't have enough time, something big happened which prevented them from doing the work, or they just didn't do the work. Mr. Powell would simply take away your homework points which lowers your grade. He would not ask what was wrong, why you didn't do your work, or if an arrangement could be worked out to get the points back. Most teachers would try to work something out so that you can gain some points back. Mr. Powell was not that teacher. If someone forgot to do the work, they could not make it up. That can be really stressful on a student if they cannot finish the work. Accidents do happen and when they do, students rely on having a fall back option. Whether it is full points or some points. It all matters to the student. Being a student once, Mr. Powell should have understood what it’s like to miss work and to give the students a second chance. 

Mrs. Campbell was a very sweet teacher. She was very friendly and fun to be around. When a teacher is friendly and fun to be around, it makes the classroom setting relaxing and less intimidating. She rarely got angry, even if the class was acting up. She was calm when handling the situation. She took the time to get to know us on a personal level. That was the start of her becoming our friend. She took a whole class period to let each student talk about themselves and share experiences with the class. This was the bonding time that took the class to a whole new level. We felt like we could be ourselves in her class and not have to worry about other classmates judging us because we were all friends and kind to each other. She would give everyone a nickname and crack jokes with the class. We all had fun while learning and laughed with each other. She was really kind to all her classes and the faculty. At the end of the year the class had to write a thank you letter to one of their teachers. Almost all the class had picked Mrs. Campbell.

Mr. Powell on the other hand was completely opposite. He was a kind person if you met him outside of school, but inside school he was rude he wasn't rude all the time, just when he thought it was the right moment. He liked to interrupt students instead of waiting for them to finish answering the question. One day some students were talking before class and he happened to hear what they were talking about. They were talking about a project that they were doing for ASL at the elementary school. Mr. Powell came over and told them that ASL was a joke and that it wasn't even a language. He said the teacher shouldn't work so hard because the student’s just take it for an easy grade. It was very rude of him to say that. If you don't have anything good to say, you shouldn't say anything at all. Mr. Powell was a good teacher, most of the students had passed his class. He was good about making sure the students passed quizzes and test. He was smart and knew a lot about his subject and taught it well. He just never took the time to get to know the students on a personal level. He kept everyone at a distance, he believed that we are here to learn not to be friends. Student’s learn better when there is a connection between teacher and student, they feel more interested in what that particular teacher has to say and they feel more secure and ready to learn in the classroom. 

Being a friend is a hard thing to do. You have to be kind and caring, understanding and friendly. Teachers who are friends to students are the best teachers of all. They care about the students and want them to succeed. They became a teacher so they can help student’s grow, they are passionate about their job and are in it for the students. Not the money, not because its just a job and pays the bills, which it does. Great teachers chose to be a teacher because they love their subject and want to pass down that love and passion to the student’s. To inspire the students to become something more and to do what they love to do. A teacher who is a friend affects the students more because they look up to them and view them as more than a teacher, but as a friend and mentor.

WS 47 & 48

Section 47 talks about enumeration and chronology. In other words, what are you saying, what order is it in. It is helpful because we are not writing a process, we are not writing to tell someone how to do something but more in the terms of why this teachers plays this role. Chronological order is important in writing this paper. We start with the teacher and the role they play. Then we would explain why and use examples. If this wasn't in order it might get confusing. Using these in our writing will make it easy for the reader to follow. Section 48 talks about classification. Classification explains how items that are in a series similar or different from the other items. This can help us by classifying what the two teachers are. Teachers can either be strict and disciplinary or loving and caring.

WS 45&46

In the sections 45 & 46 the sections talk about definitions and the writing process. For our paper the definition would be what we think the best role a teacher plays is. Although when writing about that, a simple definition does not suffice. We need to be able to define that role in our own words. This helps us to explain and use details to define that particular role. The writing process is explaining to someone how something works. For our paper that would be explaining why the teacher plays this role and how. Using characteristics such as caring, passionate, strict. Defining and writing a process will help us to write a good paper and using the examples and characteristic in the write way.

Rough Draft

Teachers play an important role in a students life, they are with them throughout the most important time in a students life. They teach us not only what we need to know to pass high school and college and to succeed in life, but to teach us how to behave and respect other people, how to think out situations and how to act. A lot of teachers have a huge impact on students because of the teachers personality and the student can relate and bond with the student. An old saying says it takes a village to raise a child and part of that village is a teacher. The most important role a teacher can play is that of being a friend to the student. Mrs. Campbell is a great example of this role, as Mr. Powell is not the best example of being a friend to the students.

Mrs. Campbell was a great teacher; she was very understanding. She knew if something was wrong and was there if you needed to talk to someone. She would just sit there and listen to you without making a sound. She would nod her head and encourage you to continue talking until you felt better. She was a wise women and some times she knew exactly how you felt. It was easy to talk to her when she could relate to your situation. If you came to class one day and talked to her privately about a traumatic incident that happened yesterday and you couldn't finish your homework because of it, she would understand and give you more time to do it. She would not get angry because the homework didn't get finished; she knows that things like this can happen to anyone and cannot always be prevented. Instead she would ask how you are, if she can do anything to help, and give you more time to finish any of the homework that you didn't finish.

Mr. Powell was not the most understanding teacher. He had high expectations that every individual must meet. If a student was to fall behind in homework because they didn't have enough time, something big happened which prevented them from doing the work, or they just didn't do they work. Mr. Powell would simply take away your homework points which lowers your grade. He would not ask what was wrong, why you didn't do your work, or if an arrangement could be worked out to get the points back. Most teachers would try to work some thing out so that you can gain some points back. Mr. Powell was not that teacher.

Mrs. Campbell was a very sweet teacher. She was very friendly and fun to be around. When a teacher is friendly and fun to be around, it makes the classroom setting relaxing and less intimidating. She took the time to get to know us on a personal level. That was the start of her becoming our friend. She took a whole class period to let each student talk about themselves and share experience with the class. This was the bonding time that took the class to a whole new level. She would give everyone a nickname and crack jokes with the class. We all had fun while learning and laughed with each other. She was really nice to her students and the faculty. At the end of the year the class had to write a thank you letter to one of their teachers. Almost all of the students had picked Mrs. Campbell.

Mr. Powell on the other hand was completely opposite. He was a nice person if you met him outside of school, but inside school he was rude. He liked to interrupt students instead of waiting for them to finish answering the question. One day some students were talking before class and he happened to hear what they were talking about. They were talking about a project that they were doing for ASL at the elementary school. Mr. Powell came over and told them that ASL was a joke and that it wasn't even a language. He said the teacher shouldn't work so hard because the students just take it for an easy a. It was very rude of him to say that. If you don't have anything nice to say, you shouldn't say anything at all.

Illustrating

Teachers who get frustrated or insult students, do not make great teachers. Mr. Escalante was a good/bad teacher compared to what I think makes a good teacher. He does insult his students, which makes him mean and not a very good teacher. He insults a girl infront of the class which makes her leave the class. He insults a bunch of guys, which makes one of them realize what he is doing with his life and how he can make it better. Even though he insulted the students, he was always there for them if they needed him.
Teachers should also teach you life lesson that you can use in your future that can be related to the subject you are learning. He taught them what they needed to know about math but he always taught them real life lessons and combined it with what they were learning in class. Using real life as a tool can make a very good teacher. Teachers should be able to bond with the students, Mr. Escalante really bonded with his students, during summer and after spending two years with his students, he really knew them. He took time to get to know them and there family too. He would have some of his students over to his house to study. There was one student in particular, who went to his house with his mom for dinner. His students started out misguided and didnt like him one bit, now they adore him and they are on the right track.

Dan Brown suggest that a great teacher is not born, but molded into a great teacher. He learned that it takes a village to build an accomplished teacher. Shadowing great teachers to gain experience and knowledge can make a great teacher. Mr. Escalante has never taught before, he didnt have the option to shadow a teacher or have a mentor to help him prepare to teach a class. He had a job with computers, and he quit that job to go and teach, he was suppose to teach computer science, and instead was given a math class. Having a supportive principal can make a great teacher, and other supportive teachers can help to create a great teacher. In the film, Mr.Escalante goes to a meeting where he says he wants to teach calculus and to give the students the AP exam to earn college credit. The teachers do not agree, they do not support him in this idea and they dont believe the students are capable of learning calculus.Being able to share and grow from each teachers can make you or break you. Great teachers have strong relationships with the students families and engage with the larger community. District policies can either make or destroy would-be great teachers, great teachers need to be dedicated to the job. Mr. Escalante was very dedicated to his job, he wanted his kids to learn. In the film when he asks one of the kids to do a problem on the board, the student tries to but fails and quits. Mr. Escalante does not want him to quit he continues to tell him to do the problem, that the student can do it. He asks him if he wants him to do the problem and the student says yes, and Mr. Escalante says "no, your suppose to say no." He does not let his students say they cant do something. He is so dedicated that even though he was in the hospital and wasnt allowed to teach, he went to his class to teach the students anyways.

Jerry Large

Jerry Large advocates that in the younger years of a childs life, the parents should be warm and comforting as to help them grow into successful and brilliant people. He says that character is a big part of future success, having the qualities of self control, zest, social intelligence, etc is better than test scores or someones IQ. He supports that kids should know failure, not too little and not too much, which will help build a childs character. He says that if parents should hug and kiss their child in the eary years more, the child will grow up to be more successful and happy. He notes that kids from the KIPP school would excell but also the kids at Riverdale Counry werent developing proper qualities. He says that the students at KIPP were taught how to deal with stress and and students at Riverdale were shielded from the possiblities of failure.

Paper #2 draft teachers and roles

the two teachers that I would choose for this paper would be my 12th grade english teacher and my 12th grade CWI teacher. My english teacher played the role of good guy and best friend. She would get to know me and each individual in our class. She taught us like a teacher but she talked to us like a friend. She was a positive role model, she wasnt the type of teacher that would get frustrated or angry if someone acted out, she was calm and solved the problem in a nice manner. She helped me to relax and to not get so stressed out if something wasnt working for me. Unlike my CWI teacher, he had a negative feeling towards the class and me. His expectations were high, which I dont mind but it sometimes seemed extreme, he didnt take the time to get to know us as a student and a person, which helps me learn personally when someone takes the time to get to know you. He had little patience with the class and would often raise his voice if he was displeased. Which can be very frustrating for a student, he was a hard headed teacher, but in the way he was he had made me a stronger student. I goofed off less and tried more in class, I had become a better student because of these two teachers and each helped me in a different way.

Define the roles

Sister MPH was all about discipline, she is the disciplinarian. She had ruled with an iron fist, and would split her class up into two groups, the good and bad kids. And when the kids were bad she would spank them. Mr. MacFarland was a mentor and friend, he wanted the best for his kids and Mike Rose hooked onto Jack. He bonded with him and he looked up to him. But Jack was tough, he wasn't afraid to get tough with some of the kids. It was soon known that it was foolish to act up in his class, Jack would attack with his English weapons. Mr. Escalante was a friend, he was there for his students. His was also a bit of a disciplinarian as well, if his students acted up against him he would make them sit in the chair in front of the class. He was also not afraid to insult his students in front of everyone else. Ms. Watson was certainly a friend and mentor, her students would come to her if they needed to talk. Some of her students really liked her and looked up to her. Such as Joan, which Ms. Watson really looked out for, she got her an application to the university that Joan thought about going to. I don't believe if she ever had to apply discipline to her class.

Mr. Escalante and Mr. MacFarland

Mr. Escalante and Mr. MacFarland were very similar and had a few differences. They both wanted the same thing, for their students to be the best that they can be. Mr. Escalante came into the high school, wanting to teach and help his students, he taught math. He taught low math to a small group of kids, who were not very interested in learning. But he slowly got their attention and made sure they learned. He was hard headed and strict, he did not take no for an answer and he was not afraid to get tough to the students. Mr MacFarland was an English teacher, at Mercy high school, he taught a group of kids like the ones Mr. Escalante taught. Some of the students were not willing to learn, but Mr. MacFarland, like Mr. Escalante, was hard headed and not afraid to be tougher with the kids who got tough. Mr. MacFarland wanted his kids to go to college, especially Mike Rose and a few others. He got him accepted into the college that he went too and even got him a loan. He would take these kids to his apartment so they can read and write and learn. He gave these kids a new outlook on the world, he was so passionate about what he taught, that the kids who never liked to read or write actually started to pay attention and do what they were told. Mr. Escalante, who wanted his kids to go to college, decided to teach them calculus so they can take the AP test and get college credit, in doing this he made his kids take quizzes every morning, like Mr. MacFarland did. He made his students go to summer school and go to classes early and stay late so they have enough time to learn the other math course to be prepared for calculus. When they were finally ready for the exam they all felt confident and prepared because Mr. Escalante had taught and taught and would not give up.

Thoughts about Mona Lisa Smile

Wow, this movie is very good and inspiring. I'm really enjoying Mona Lisa Smile so far. It is very different than the other movie we watch, Stand and Deliver. Instead of teaching at a typical high school, like Mr. Escalante. Ms. Watson teaches at a very proper college for girls. The girls at this college are very smart and have a very good upbringing, unlike the students at the high school who did not have as well of an up bringing. Yet the movies were based in different times and different places. This movie is inspiring to me because she wants to make a different in the lives of these girls, and at the school. She was teaching art to her class but they already knew so much that she decided to teach them in a different way. To have a new outlook on the pieces and their lives as well. Which I thought was clever, she was able to help out her girls and to slowly push them to realize that getting married isn't the only thing they can do when they finish schooling. All the girls are looking forward to getting married and think that's what they have to do, but Ms. Watson talks to one of the ladies, Joan I believe is her name, and asks what she wants to do about her pre-law. Of course she replies with the I do not plan on continuing my schooling but to be married. Ms. Watson quickly tells her that she can do both. I think that was so true, I personally believe that one can do both, and should do both.

Mona Lisa Smile Notes

Ms. Watson teaches art history
she came to teach at this school to make a difference
this school is an all girls school, very proper
there are students in here class to know a lot already about her art slides, because they have probably taken the class before
she is feeling overwhelmed with this class
everyone has already read the text for the class
the school didnt want her as a teacher, they had someone else in mind, but that someone took another job
so far she does not have much control of her class, they students just left because they knew she didnt have anything to teach them
She is having a tough time with the school, she doesnt fit in.
She couldnt live in the dorms so she lives off campus with a couple of other teachers
She brought in new photos, to make the girls think about art
she created a new outline for the class using all new photos,she is trying to open the students minds getting them to think what is art? good or bad, and what makes art
the school cannot mess up the public image that it has set for itself
ms watson to me seems to be liberal and not so proper as the other teachers seem
one of the teachers got fired because she was messing up the image of the school.
Ms watson talks to joan, one of the students and realizes that after graduating, everyone thinks that getting married is the end, and joan didnt plan on going to law school at all.
ms watson got joan and application to the yale
joan talks a lot about ms watson, she is very impressed by her
they have created a connection
her teaching has been called unorthadox for the school, to much modern art and if she wants to continue to stay here she must change her teachings.
ms watson is now engage, she is not to happy about that, confused
all the girls life is changing
betty got married and is living an unhappy life
joan got accepted to law school and only betty knows, she doesnt know what to do yet
ms watson may be more dedicated to her work then she is to her life,