What is worth learning?
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Works Cited
DrKT [DrKT]. (2016,
February 8). 3 curricula all schools teach [video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYX_vq2_Ms0
Whose are told and whose remain in the margins?
I think the stories that are told are mainly about white, unmarginalized people. When the results were shown in DancingTeacher808’s TikTok, it put into perspective the sad reality of history education. I know that I personally felt affected because it made me think back to my K-12 experience. I remember learning the same thing year after year and most of what we learned was based on white people’s experiences, thoughts, and opinions. We did learn about marginalized people, but never from their perspective. Which brings me to whose stories remain in the margins? The stories of people who were oppressed due to their race, ethnicity, or historical background. In the article “An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People,” Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Jean Mendoza, and Debbie Reese explain how the white man was seen as dominant. They quote Sun Elk’s comment, “They told us that Indian ways were bad. They said we must get civilized… It means “be like the white man”” (Dunbar-O...
Hey Taryn, love getting to read your blog this week. After looking at your blackout poem, it looks like we left out a lot of the similar words or phrases. You left more phrases out which I loved the most about your poem. I agree that those in charge of creating curriculum for schools do not seem to have the same opinion. Which creates a lot of problems and not sharing the ideas with each other seems like nothing will be done. We need to be willing to see everyone's point of view. We can not work in this society if we do not take time and listen to others thoughts and ideas and maybe take in the thought their idea could be right or the better option. I agree that teachers who choose not to inform students of something because they are scared of somebody taking the information wrong because it will hurt the students future. I also understand why they would be scared, as many school districts have fired teachers for teaching outside the curriculum or the outline and it is scary to see if we said something we can't, we would be fired.
ReplyDeleteHi Madison! Thank you so much for commenting on my blog post, I really appreciate the thought you put into it. I agree that when those in charge of teachers and the teachers themselves do not see eye to eye that no problems seem to get resolved. I love the comments you added on about needing to see others points of views. I think that this is something that harms us in all areas of life and not just in school. This also teaches students that it is not important to see the way others view things which is not right. I totally understand being scared of losing your job, and I definitely think that is a big reason why teachers do not speak up. I think with times changing the administration should also be changing along side it. This would allow more teachers to be able to inform and teach students according to what is happening in society.
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ReplyDeleteI really loved your blog!! It is very well written and very interesting!! I wanted to make a comment on your statement about teachers choosing to not inform students of something because they are scared of somebody taking information wrong then it ultimately hurts the students and their future education. This statement really made me think of how much a teacher could actually hurt a students future education or life because of not informing them of events. I can understand that teachers can be scared of saying the wrong thing because they are human too. When it comes to certain topics that may be hard for teachers to tell their students, I think they should be given a certain list to tell their students so they do not say the wrong thing. By doing this I think it creates a very safe environment for both the students and teachers which is very good!
Hi Cami! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to comment on my blog post. I loved your comments and what you had to add on to what I was saying. I think your idea of having a list of things to say to students is a great way to start getting teachers comfortable with talking about uncomfortable topics. I think that it could also maybe list some of the words or phrases that are not acceptable in today’s society, but maybe they once were. I do not think any teacher would ever speak in a way to intentionally hurt a student, but slip ups happen and I understand that sometimes when you are under pressure the words do not come out right. I think it is so important to have plans like this in place because it not only creates a safe space for the students, but for the teachers as well.
DeleteHello Taryn! I enjoyed reading your blog, I really like how honest you are. I also agree the first line in your poem also stuck out to me. It is kinda like a call for help, and we are the future who will get the chance to answer this! I hope that as a future teacher you get the chance to share with your students your honesty and give them a chance at real learning. I was wondering if you had anything you were planning on including in your classroom that might have looked different than when you went to school? Like what are some of the changes you are hoping to make in your classroom?
ReplyDeleteHi Ally! Thank you so much for commenting on my blog, I enjoyed reading what you had to say to my post. I hope that when I am a teacher I can be honest and open with my students and teach them all that they need to know to be socially acceptable. By this I mean, I hope to give my students unbiased knowledge and facts about what is actually happening in society and teach them how to properly respond, react, or not react. In my classroom, I hope to have more diverse curriculums and content. I want to teach my students about people from all over the country, and not just Americans. I think that informing students about real life situations in other countries could be beneficial so that students do not believe that every country is like America. I think this is the first step into making sure students are accepting of others.
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ReplyDeleteHi Taryn! I completely agree with your perspective on the importance of a comprehensive and inclusive curriculum. It is disheartening to know that certain events, people, or ideas are being omitted from the education system, leading to a narrow understanding of the world. Your mention of Null Curriculum highlights this issue, where crucial knowledge is neglected, depriving students of a well-rounded education. Your black out poem effectively captures the essence of the problem, emphasizing the need to reclaim schools as places of real learning. It raises an important question: How can students truly learn if they are only exposed to a single perspective or a limited set of information? Education should empower students to think critically, make informed decisions, and form their own opinions. It makes me wonder how we can ensure that the curriculum reflects a more inclusive and diverse range of cultures and perspectives. Thank you for sharing!
Taryn, you are so right. I actually experienced this as a student in high school. I had a teacher who would get uncomfortable (I know this because he would vocalize it) about specific topics especially the ones that dealt with race. I remember he specifically said once "These images are too sad so I'm gonna skip them." I remember this really impacting me as a young teen because I was so intrigued and I we had other people of color in the room who I am sure wanted the topic to be discussed. I understand that these topics are hard to discuss because people went through some awful things but I is so important to talk about the hard topics because they are so important and if we remove them from the curriculum all together it's almost as if we have done nothing to learn from these awful occasions.
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