In all my past posts, I've told you how about some of the issues I have with our classroom. But I'm not the only voice in our class. It's your turn.
Today, we started our 100th day report to tell what we think of school. It's your choice, Purples. Will you do another one of those thank-you letters where you tell polite lies? I hope not! Be honest! Really, do! Don't be afraid to say what you think about our class. Say what you think is good -- but don't be afraid to say what you have a problem with, whatever it is. If our teachers never know what's wrong around here, we have no one but ourselves to blame.
For example, I'm going to write about what I wrote about in my first post: pigmented paper and the problems it perpetuates, until our teachers can just give anyone a punishment for anything. And we will have no freedom.
I sincerely hope that you will take my advice and speak your mind. But a word of caution: Our teachers won't listen to us if what we say just sounds like a bunch of insults thrown at them. So let's phrase our words in a way that they'll understand. That is to say -- be honest, but not rude!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
10:00 PM, my house, Saturday night.
So many people say that learning can only occur in silence and order; otherwise, these people say, how would you remain focused?
Not always true. Not necessarily.
Not always true. Not necessarily.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
POSTING YOUR OWN THOUGHTS
If you want to post any thoughts you might have had about the purples, please E-mail me. To learn my E-mail without me posting it on a website anyone can get to, please ask Tieren at school.
Thank you? Really?
Recently, we were given a homework assignment to write a thank you letter to the dancers and drummers from PVPA that came in to dance for us. Clearly, our teachers expect something along the lines of:
February 4, 2009
Dear Isobel and Company,
Thank you very much for your wonderful performance today. I find it amazing
that you can memorize all those moves and rhythms and coordinate them so perfectly.
How long have you been practicing? I suppose a while…
I really enjoyed the part where you all started playing with drumsticks and dancing at the same time. That was amazing! It must have been hard to play all the rhythms on the drum so fast and still keep the same exact pace as your group.
It was fun to dance and play along with you all. Plus, it was an interesting change to hear Fanga played differently. With a little practice, I might even be able to play it all.
Again, thank you, and thank you for taking the time to read my letter.
Sincerely, *************
However, let's face it, sometimes our school makes us lie about things to people.
So here's my real letter:
February 4, 2009
Dear Isabel and Company,
Your performance today was entertaining. While I'm not extremely interested in African dancing or drumming, it was amazing that you could move your hands that fast while playing drums.
It was nice of you to spend some time at our school while you could've been doing something different. I thank you for this.
I found it hard to follow what I was supposed to be doing during the drums part because the drummer showing us just played the part and expected us to learn it. Understandable, of course, since he's a drummer and could probably learn just by looking at someone playing drums.
Personally, the dancing was not to my taste. Frankly, I thought we all looked ridiculous, and was reminded of this by Fiona McNeal, who laughed at our performance, and "the look on [my] face while [I] danced."
Anyway, thanks.
Sincerely,
*******************
February 4, 2009
Dear Isobel and Company,
Thank you very much for your wonderful performance today. I find it amazing
that you can memorize all those moves and rhythms and coordinate them so perfectly.
How long have you been practicing? I suppose a while…
I really enjoyed the part where you all started playing with drumsticks and dancing at the same time. That was amazing! It must have been hard to play all the rhythms on the drum so fast and still keep the same exact pace as your group.
It was fun to dance and play along with you all. Plus, it was an interesting change to hear Fanga played differently. With a little practice, I might even be able to play it all.
Again, thank you, and thank you for taking the time to read my letter.
Sincerely, *************
However, let's face it, sometimes our school makes us lie about things to people.
So here's my real letter:
February 4, 2009
Dear Isabel and Company,
Your performance today was entertaining. While I'm not extremely interested in African dancing or drumming, it was amazing that you could move your hands that fast while playing drums.
It was nice of you to spend some time at our school while you could've been doing something different. I thank you for this.
I found it hard to follow what I was supposed to be doing during the drums part because the drummer showing us just played the part and expected us to learn it. Understandable, of course, since he's a drummer and could probably learn just by looking at someone playing drums.
Personally, the dancing was not to my taste. Frankly, I thought we all looked ridiculous, and was reminded of this by Fiona McNeal, who laughed at our performance, and "the look on [my] face while [I] danced."
Anyway, thanks.
Sincerely,
*******************
Monday, February 2, 2009
Greetings Purple People
Let's get straight to business.
What's up with all the pigmented paper in the Purples? I mean, Yellow Sheets, Purple Tickets -- next they'll be handing out Blue Cards for looking bored during snippets. The consequence? To be determined. But be afraid. Be very afraid.
Now, our teachers call these sheets a "consequence." However, I'd say they're a punishment. The difference? A consequence is something necessarily produced by a cause -- or at least that's what my friends at Merriam-Webster tell me. For example, if I were to drink lots of coke, the consequence would be me bouncing off the walls. Coke makes me hyper. That's the way it works. Now, if I drank a lot of coke and my parents wouldn't let me chat with all my friends for a week (I'm talking to you. Yes, you.) -- well, that's a punishment. Coke may make you burp, may make you hyper, it may even rot your teeth, but it does not stop you from chatting. Not unless someone's punishing you.
The consequence of not doing your homework is getting a lower grade. The consequence of forgetting your planner in your backpack is not having your planner. Consequences, as we've already established, are a necessary outcome. Having to stay after school isn't a necessary outcome. It's something our teachers decided. Yesterday, forgetting something in your backpack didn't mean you got a purple ticket. But I guess the laws of nature are different today. Today, purple tickets magically appear in your hand if your planner is in your backpack. It's just a consequence. Note: I am using sarcasm.
Now trust me, it's not like I don't understand the way that our teachers are looking at this. They are getting tired of constantly reminding some certain kids (I'm looking at you again!) to unpack their bags in the morning. But couldn't they just tell us, "OK, kids, there's now a punishment attached to not unpacking your bag in the morning." Or they should at least admit it's a consequence they're creating to give a negative association with forgetting our planner. I mean, the whole thing makes me feel like my teachers are putting me down. It makes me feel like they think to get us to do something they have to threaten us all with something negative. It feels like they're zookeepers, whipping us when we don't do a trick right. And everyone knows whipping animals is not the way to get them to do a trick.
I think there's another way -- it's proven that positive reinforcement is more effective. But that's a thought for another day.
Thank you for your time and good night.
What's up with all the pigmented paper in the Purples? I mean, Yellow Sheets, Purple Tickets -- next they'll be handing out Blue Cards for looking bored during snippets. The consequence? To be determined. But be afraid. Be very afraid.
Now, our teachers call these sheets a "consequence." However, I'd say they're a punishment. The difference? A consequence is something necessarily produced by a cause -- or at least that's what my friends at Merriam-Webster tell me. For example, if I were to drink lots of coke, the consequence would be me bouncing off the walls. Coke makes me hyper. That's the way it works. Now, if I drank a lot of coke and my parents wouldn't let me chat with all my friends for a week (I'm talking to you. Yes, you.) -- well, that's a punishment. Coke may make you burp, may make you hyper, it may even rot your teeth, but it does not stop you from chatting. Not unless someone's punishing you.
The consequence of not doing your homework is getting a lower grade. The consequence of forgetting your planner in your backpack is not having your planner. Consequences, as we've already established, are a necessary outcome. Having to stay after school isn't a necessary outcome. It's something our teachers decided. Yesterday, forgetting something in your backpack didn't mean you got a purple ticket. But I guess the laws of nature are different today. Today, purple tickets magically appear in your hand if your planner is in your backpack. It's just a consequence. Note: I am using sarcasm.
Now trust me, it's not like I don't understand the way that our teachers are looking at this. They are getting tired of constantly reminding some certain kids (I'm looking at you again!) to unpack their bags in the morning. But couldn't they just tell us, "OK, kids, there's now a punishment attached to not unpacking your bag in the morning." Or they should at least admit it's a consequence they're creating to give a negative association with forgetting our planner. I mean, the whole thing makes me feel like my teachers are putting me down. It makes me feel like they think to get us to do something they have to threaten us all with something negative. It feels like they're zookeepers, whipping us when we don't do a trick right. And everyone knows whipping animals is not the way to get them to do a trick.
I think there's another way -- it's proven that positive reinforcement is more effective. But that's a thought for another day.
Thank you for your time and good night.
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