Are we killing imagination? - Classroom 2.02024-03-29T08:00:40Zhttps://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/649749:Topic:23429?groupUrl=storiesthatstick&feed=yes&xn_auth=noYes Kevin, Lisa and I have sh…tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-06-23:649749:Comment:292002007-06-23T22:50:02.775ZGinger Lewmanhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/GingerTPLC
Yes Kevin, Lisa and I have shared our similar experiences. She was a good student and a good person. I was a good student and a bad person, but I suspect that was because of other ugliness that was going on at my home (some day I'll do the self-disclosure there to let others know that the 'perfect family' is sometimes NOT what you expect).<br />
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My Teacher's College classes were just like regular school for me (I was great at 'putting on the good student face') with one difference: when I DID try to…
Yes Kevin, Lisa and I have shared our similar experiences. She was a good student and a good person. I was a good student and a bad person, but I suspect that was because of other ugliness that was going on at my home (some day I'll do the self-disclosure there to let others know that the 'perfect family' is sometimes NOT what you expect).<br />
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My Teacher's College classes were just like regular school for me (I was great at 'putting on the good student face') with one difference: when I DID try to stand out and gave some effort, I was rewarded with a big F because it wasn't like everyone else's work! hmmm...ever wonder why education is how it is?? Cookie-cutter teachers are being produced every day!!<br />
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It wasn't until I fell back into gifted education and realized I saw 50 - 100 students EVERY YEAR who were developing these same habits; it was then my smoldering passion for education reached a flash-point. I see myself in those kids and now have the closest possible chance to go back to HS/MS, knowing what I know now. I'm afforded the ability to speak for my students as someone SHOULD have spoken for us. I'll not apologise to anyone standing in the way of my children's education. It's the only chance any of us have to right the wrongs done to us. It's a second chance at life. I know at least one other per…tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-06-18:649749:Comment:278182007-06-18T00:18:53.083ZKevinhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/kevinh
I know at least one other person who had a similar experience to the one you describe. The fuel that bad experience puts in our tanks is amazing. It creates near zealots who are hard to stand in the way of! I hope you can always make up for those institutional shortcomings and continue to make a difference for kids who need that extra push to reach their full potential!
I know at least one other person who had a similar experience to the one you describe. The fuel that bad experience puts in our tanks is amazing. It creates near zealots who are hard to stand in the way of! I hope you can always make up for those institutional shortcomings and continue to make a difference for kids who need that extra push to reach their full potential! What a powerful story, Kevin.…tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-06-18:649749:Comment:278122007-06-18T00:08:41.652ZLisa Parisihttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/LisaParisi
What a powerful story, Kevin. Want to hear some irony? I was the bright, school designed child. I was tested in Kindergarten (!), found to have a high IQ (what does that mean, anyway) and moved up a grade (no differentiated instruction). What I became was a lazy student...teachers saying I was smart enough not to do work. I aced any test I took, could memorize whole textbooks after one reading, and excelled in all areas (except math, which was a different language to me).<br />
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I found no one who…
What a powerful story, Kevin. Want to hear some irony? I was the bright, school designed child. I was tested in Kindergarten (!), found to have a high IQ (what does that mean, anyway) and moved up a grade (no differentiated instruction). What I became was a lazy student...teachers saying I was smart enough not to do work. I aced any test I took, could memorize whole textbooks after one reading, and excelled in all areas (except math, which was a different language to me).<br />
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I found no one who encouraged me to reach my potential, no one who cared about what I could really do, and no one who pushed me to find out for myself what I could handle. I became frightened of failure and, by high school, stopped trying all together. Afterall, I had never worked to my potential. What if my potential wasn't what everyone always thought it was? What if they really found out I was a fraud? Better to not try and fail than to try really hard and still not be successful. It wasn't until ed classes in college that I started working again, because I cared about the topic.<br />
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I became a teacher in order to prevent this apathy in other children. So, Terry, you're right...our own bad experiences provide for a better education for today's children. Yeah! Who knew. I figure if w…tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-06-13:649749:Comment:268882007-06-13T00:08:56.647ZKevinhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/kevinh
Yeah! Who knew. I figure if we can't do something about the weakness with the motivation brought on by our own memories, then it was wasted time and needless suffering. : )
Yeah! Who knew. I figure if we can't do something about the weakness with the motivation brought on by our own memories, then it was wasted time and needless suffering. : ) Hey, Kevin...
You know I agre…tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-06-13:649749:Comment:268862007-06-13T00:03:33.781ZTerry Eishttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/Eisrnnr5
Hey, Kevin...<br />
You know I agree with you 100% and hope that from your experiences (and some of my own, and those of way too many others) I will be able to make a difference with the Learning by Design charter school.<br />
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Who knew that our own bad experiences with education could provide us with what we need to create a better one for today's kids.
Hey, Kevin...<br />
You know I agree with you 100% and hope that from your experiences (and some of my own, and those of way too many others) I will be able to make a difference with the Learning by Design charter school.<br />
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Who knew that our own bad experiences with education could provide us with what we need to create a better one for today's kids. Skip,
I've been doing that ma…tag:www.classroom20.com,2007-05-31:649749:Comment:235422007-05-31T01:41:14.956ZKevinhttps://www.classroom20.com/profile/kevinh
Skip,<br />
I've been doing that math for a long time and I still can't identify the kevlar that protected me. I do give much credit to the weird teachers who often took me under their wing and let me be weird with them. I also took a lot of refuge in my imagination. I drew pictures and lived in my drawings for hours. I have a very rich imaginary life, like a kid version of the "Secret Life of Walter Mitty". My mother worked hard to protect me from dad but that is another story. I know this, I always…
Skip,<br />
I've been doing that math for a long time and I still can't identify the kevlar that protected me. I do give much credit to the weird teachers who often took me under their wing and let me be weird with them. I also took a lot of refuge in my imagination. I drew pictures and lived in my drawings for hours. I have a very rich imaginary life, like a kid version of the "Secret Life of Walter Mitty". My mother worked hard to protect me from dad but that is another story. I know this, I always thought that if I didn't do something great with my life then all the hell was for nothing and I couldn't let that be true. : )