Skip to main content

discussion appreciation

Seeing all of the news about hate crimes, and later discussing it in class, led me to delve into motives for hate crimes. I have trouble wrapping my head around disliking a certain group because of their religion, race, political party, etc. that one would go as far to take lives. Reality is, this is all too common, so I think knowing more about what causes these tragedies is definitely the first step in preventing them. Our class discussion that was devoted to the past news cycle made me really appreciate being in a school and a magnet that acknowledges things like this. I think some of the most important lessons that teachers can teach are those that students really will be able to apply and use, regardless of their profession or career beyond school. When we are older, will it really matter if we had a perfect score on that worksheet? Of course knowing various skills and material is important, but work is not the only aspect of life. Leading class talks and probing discussion about what is happening in the world around us is something that all students and teachers should be involved in, because not all parents are willing to do the same. It helps students develop an understanding of what is happening and helps them approach/find the courage to create change in the issues that they recognize within their community. My point is that I found the conversation extremely helpful, and because of that, it made me wish that similar discussion would be held more often-on a widespread basis throughout classrooms globally.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Challenges of a Good Journalist

One of the very first topics we discussed in class was what makes good journalism. More specifically, we talked about the elements and yardsticks, which are guidelines for journalists to follow in order to produce good journalism. One of these guidelines was outlining that for news to be effectively received and understood by an audience, it must be attention holding. Lets face it, not every newsworthy story is interesting. I'll be the first to admit that I would much rather read about a mysterious disappearance than what tax-bill was denied. Thats just part of human nature. My point here is that journalists have a much bigger job than a lot of people realize. It is very common for the most important news to be somewhat boring, and for the not so newsworthy content to be very engaging. This is where good journalism comes in. I am not saying that every story has to keep the reader on the edge of their seat, however, it is a large responsibility of the writer to hold attention long...
Post a Comment
Read more

national identity

As we started to discuss how magazines developed a national identity for our country, Mr Miller also mentioned that prior to this time, the US was mainly recognized as a country with the adaptation of various aspects of other cultures. Our sense of identity is much more developed today than it was in the 1700s, however I do believe that our nation should still pride itself and recognize that we are made up of such a wide variety of cultures. This lesson reminded me of the current views upheld by our president and his followers, and the actions in effort to homogenize the citizen population. Many of his followers agree with motives to drive out those who worship, look, believe, or think differently. What these people don't realize is how much the diversity contributes to our economy, international reputation, and identity as a free country. The variety of ethnic, religious, and all other groups that have been able to maintain individuality as well as be a part of a shared culture is...
Post a Comment
Read more

power of the people (as a unit)

After our joint class discussion today in class regarding the past 72 hours of hate crimes and tragedies throughout the nation, I walked away feeling empowered by the words of my teachers and peers. Realizing that we are only a joined class of 48, it made me think about the influential power of those around us, and the power in the people as a unit. I remembered going to March For Our Lives and hearing the chant, "ain't no power like the power of the people, 'cause the power of the people don't stop..." It really sank in that even though we are encouraged (and very much able) to use our individual voices to speak up and defend our beliefs, we are much more likely and much more enabled to speak up as a whole, knowing that as a group, we can defend each other. I think this sense of place really combats the issue that Mrs. Palmer astutely brought up about the fear of the cynic that will always have negative feedback. Being in a group gives many the voice that they ot...
Post a Comment
Read more