http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/ Pulse represents the voices of youth of various ages from around the country. Topics range from the everyday experience of a student to how teens experience issues like discrimination. en vivalasierra@yahoo.com Copyright 2011 2011-01-21T18:32:19+00:00 http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/raising_a_generation_that_has_a_4.0_in_problem_solving_an_inspiring_talk/ http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/raising_a_generation_that_has_a_4.0_in_problem_solving_an_inspiring_talk/#When:17:32:19Z
My generation will not need to be good test takers or be able to read 300 words a minute or be able to get stellar scores on the ACTs or SATs or LSATs. My generation will need to be innovators, thinkers, and above all: "Solutionaries." I recently saw a video from a TEDx talk that was uploaded onto youtube. The speaker's name was Zoe Weil, and she talked about just that -- how we need to be raising not just students, but solutionaries for what our world has become. She talked about the "true price" of what clothing costs today, how much of an impact even a t-shirt makes on our planet.

Another amazing insight Weil offered was on debates. She talked about hearing a debate on NPR about whether or not Mexico's drug woes were the fault of America. She wondered how such a wide open question could be reduced to a yes/no issue, which made sense to me. But what really hit home is when she began to talk about having real debates in schools. I, for one have been a part of the public school system for two years and have not had ONE debate that called upon my skills as a critical thinker. Therefore, I was instantly interested.

Zoe said that we should have kids debating in schools, but in a slightly different way. We should be debating and thinking about how to come up with the most cost effective, viable and sustainable solutions for today's issues. Instead of the debate teams of today, we could form "solutionary teams" and compete at the local, state and national level, and in the end, we may actually be able to implement the solutions we come with, and have a say in our world.

Why is this so brilliant? Because I know first hand how apathetic kids can be about our world, and how much they don't know about it. So this would benefit us in more than one way. We could research these issues and discover how they're impacting us right now, and we would also be stimulating our minds about how to solve problems. This is the time for our nation to begin to make some defining decisions: Are you going to hand to us another practice quiz for Trigonometry? Or is my generation finally going to be able to get some real practice on how to fix our world?

Zoe Weil's talk had a real impact on me, not only because it was moving and funny at the same time and kept my attention, but because it covered such a large amount of interesting material in such a short time, and in such a crystal clear way. She really hit her mark. I urge anyone who has any interest in saving our world and helping give my generation the tools to do so, to take just fifteen minutes out of your day to watch it, and maybe another few to share it with your friends. It is vital to my generation and yours that we begin to make some real changes in the way we live, and this gifted speaker doesn't just tell you to do it, she shows you how. We should all follow her example.

]]> DemEd in Real Life, Youth Leadership 2011-01-21T17:32:19+00:00 http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/a_fifteen_year_olds_perspective_on_testing/ http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/a_fifteen_year_olds_perspective_on_testing/#When:04:18:52Z
Here I am, it is 12:20 in the morning on January 13th 2011, and I am doing homework. Today was a snow day, and I, instead of staying home and doing homework all day, made the somewhat irresponsible decision of going out to my friend's house and having a snowball fight and making a snowman and laughing the whole day away. And now I am mad at myself for it. But, before I fall into such a pit of self loathing, I have to ask myself, why? Why is it so dreadfully important that I, a social fifteen-year-old, stay home out of the beautiful snowy weather and study? And at what point did I become so deeply involved in school that I would be so disappointed in myself for something that we should really all do a lot more of?

Ready, teachers? I am going to give you the key to every one of your student's minds: Tests=Stress. Stress=A poisonous learning environment. And no one can actually learn in a poisonous learning environment.

The other day, I was talking to a friend of mine, Dean, who does extremely well in school, especially in science. I was talking to him about taking Biology, which I am very excited for, because my current required science class, Chemistry, doesn't interest me. Dean has already taken Bio and said it was a great class, but it was hard. Now you have to understand a class being described as 'hard' for Dean is something almost unheard of. So, of course I asked him why. And he said this: "Biology is hard, because the teacher is tough. She actually makes you link what you learned to a concept. It's not just spitting out information."

That was word for word. Now, what does it say when one of the 'smartest' (and by that I mean he has a 4.0) kids in the school has trouble in a class where you actually need to think?

We kids learn all the time. Really we do, even those kids in school who are pegged as 'druggies' or 'losers' will learn, no matter how hard they try not to. Today, I learned more socially than I could have if I had studied all day. There was a conflict with another one of my friends that came over, and we sorted it out and I learned from it, but that of course will not show on my AP world history test tomorrow. And my dream college that I'll apply to will never know what an innovative thinker I am if they take one look at my SAT scores and then begin to print my rejection letter. This appears to be some sort of huge mistake, how can we possibly believe that this is truly beneficial to learning?

I am not complaining in the least; I am simply trying to think it over. So here is my extremely open-ended question to you: How do you believe tests are beneficial to learning?

This is so interesting to me, because here I am, just halfway through high school and I find myself extremely stressed out. But if the tests really are helping, I guess the stress would be worth it, right?

Please take a look at this great little video I found below, which I find so interesting and give me your thoughts on testing!
Hey, Kid! Listen up! A video on high stakes tests (embedded below)
-Claire


]]> Philosophy of Education, Students 2011-01-13T04:18:52+00:00 http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/my_second_semester/ http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/my_second_semester/#When:04:26:34Z
I was also recently accepted to live on the honors floor, a specialty floor in on of the buildings on my campus. I knew many people here before I joined, many of them also being in the progressive program. I am involved in a club, PANTS (People Are Not Their Sex) that deals with and puts on events about sexuality and gender, for second semester we are publishing a zine. I will contribute artwork and a couple small articles. Lastly I intend to invest time volunteering at the campus farm. I took a look at all of this and surprisingly for now I still have blocks of time to study while taking 5 classes, and participating and two school clubs, while working with my advisor for other academic plans. Things are looking up right now, and I should be proud, but I'm not. I am excited some, but not happy.

I am very unsettled by the need to plan my “future,” and lately I have been questioning the extent to which people in this country are encouraged to do so. I don't have close contact with my mother, but whenever I do see her or talk to her, the first thing she does is harass me about a job. I told her that most likely I will have several small careers, and that I will change careers several times within my extended lifetime. The reason why I sound, according to her, “wishy washy”, is simply because I want to move on to better or simply different things - in the context of where I live and what I do in my community. I might work in a gallery or on a paper. I might work small jobs while I work on writing, autodidactism, or civic engagement. I might want to save money from work and then take time off to travel. She then questioned again why I don't become a teacher, so that I can be sure that I have a job. Even my father complained and argued that I am “refusing” to listen for the sake of rebellion, and essentially years down that line I will look back upon these days and “know” what was right.

This linear thinking confuses me. Just because I have an interest in something that is “secure” (and it's up to question whether teaching is a secure profession these days) doesn't mean I have to jump to have a job in it. My mother also tells me to “let the art stuff go” because it isn't immediately obvious where the money will come from. Social security, paying taxes, have health insurance, and having a place to live are too important, she says. I agree that they are important, but not to the point that I lock myself down because I spend all my time meeting these societal demands. There is more to life than financial (and its resulting psychological) security. She has “been paying into social security since the age of 16,” and after abandoning her goals to be a nurse, has worked 22 years at a state job she hates. There has to be a way that I can live that will afford me a mix of security and freedom that I can deal with or accept. I am a very open and circumstantial person.

There is also the problem of the student body at Green Mountain. I already mentioned the drug culture in my previous post. The issue now is with the academic engagement of the students. My former roommate and I were talking about this, and it appears to us that many students are there because attending college is a social norm first, and an intellectual investment second. It is also perpetuated as a vehicle to ensured economic advancement, and in light of the job crisis, one can see that this is not always the case. So while some students are really concerned about their learning, many are there to save face an make families proud.

Also, after having been in the school system for 12 years, many students seem to lack the self-direction and internal motivation needed for a college education. There are many grade-school habits -- waiting for instructor permission and command, reluctance to make the "wrong" statements, going for the grade, withholding curiosity that isn't relevant to coursework, seeing subject matter as segregated -- that have yet to be unlearned. The result is a dull classroom atmosphere. Very few students talk to the professor, and more rarely among themselves because there is still the hierarchal goal of meeting the professor's expectations first. Many students do not do the readings if the professor doesn't usually bring them up. People hardly discuss subject matter outside of class -- it is almost seen as uncool to do so unless it is to complain about professors.

And of course there is the problem of self-neglect in favor of more social freedom. This happens when the need to hang out comes above sleep or basic health. After a while staying up late becomes a matter of catching up on coursework, and saving other time for even more socializing. I don't like to cram and rush myself, and thankfully I have the habit of at least getting ahead on papers.

All of these things pose a threat to if my college experience will be positive or otherwise. I want to engage in a lifestyle that isn't caught up in the panic of “being somebody” or maintaining acceptable economic status. Life is not a steel tablet onto which we chart out our lives. Although I wish I didn't have to pay thousands of dollars to do so, I like learning and I care about continuing my education and what that means about my ability to be an engaged citizen. I think despite the overall culture of the students, staying at Green Mountain College will be a good thing if I relax and focus my energy around the people and programs that have a positive effect on me.

Some things I've been reading:
"Journalism: A Very Short Introduction" by Ian Hargreaves
"A Concise Introduction to Logic: Traditional Logic 10th Edition" by Patrick Hurley
(On and off) "House of Death" by Edward Capocy Sr.

I will see how my blogging can fit into things - I tend to put large amounts of thought and time into what I want to post.

Happy Holidays,
Zuleika : ]]]> Students 2010-12-25T04:26:34+00:00 http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/so_long_for_now/ http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/so_long_for_now/#When:15:56:47Z Hello IDEA community,

I think I will be taking an official hiatus from the blogging team. I have been preoccupied with trying to comprehend my college life. Time really isn't an issue as much as a lack of motivation and access to news media is. My de-motivation derived from the constant feeling I have that continuing to receive formal education is neither relevant to nor financially viable for me. Not given the chance to get over burnout from my last stretch of k-12 schooling, I am beginning to feel that this isn't worth it if I am always confused, stressed, and tired. Yet at the same time I LOVE learning and a college (or a library) has ready-made learning opportunities that aren't taken by force (for the most part).
Additionally my school is really small, and it's in a very small town. Being here feels like being trapped in a bubble. When I go out of town with friends, I can feel the difference in atmosphere as soon as we step foot on school grounds again. The only news source is Vermont's branch of NPR, and I don't listen to it. I have stopped checking the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Oregonian. I have no idea what's going on outside of this town apart from sparse dining hall conversations. Televised news is too dramatic.
I feel caught in a daze. The student body is not academically oriented unless they are biology or Environmental Studies majors (Green Mountain is an Environmental Liberal Arts School), and there are a group of friends I have that are really into intellectual topics like sociology, gender, sexuality, and feminism. Another group of friends I have play quidditch, are very fun to be around, and they also like academics. Other than that there is mostly an attitude of apathy. Many people will be transferring, and a few have already dropped out. I've never been around so many people who smoke and drink, and that's saying a lot as a L.A. County native. Why is smoking the culture among college-aged students? Then there are those who drink a lot. The drug use is not terribly visible, but I still feel the culture creeping over my shoulder. And it seems that many colleges suffer these pitfalls, so will leaving make a difference? Few people sleep well or take care of themselves. There is this air of cynicism and self destruction that worsens my burnout to the point of sorrow.
One saving grace I have is Green Mountain's “Progressive Program.” If I get accepted to this program, there are less required classes for me to take. This program is a work intensive self designed program. I would be a traditional art major in the program, but I will be linking many cross disciplinary classes into it. I can shape my own curriculum with the exception of four core Environment-based classes I can't escape from, but don't mind. I want to learn how to reason effectively and express myself with communications classes. This then works in tandem with writing classes I want to take. I can then engage in quantitative analysis courses of study by creating independent studies with my current systems thinking teacher. Hopefully the fruit of that part may result in a field semester at the Ecovillage at Ithaca, where I can get experience with sustainable living, and use systems thinking and modeling to understand the dynamics of communities that practice permaculture. One of my friends also wants to do a semester there, so hopefully we can work that out by second semester of sophomore year. As far as education is concerned I want to take a few education major classes: field experience (working with students in schools), teacher as a decision maker, the history of education and the philosophy of education. I want to tie that up with psychology courses: social research& human development.
Another great opportunity is that I can take community college courses and internships during my summers in Los Angeles, hopefully to get me out of college faster. With all of these goals, I don't think I will study abroad (or get to Portland as I so desire) until after I graduate.
However...
If I am burned out and sleep deprived right now, how will I ever achieve my goals? I've been thinking that I should get back to exercising or do yoga or something to perk me up or relax me as needed, but I don't know. I am crippled by inertia, apprehension, and a lack of purpose. I rebuke my strengths. So I suppose my time in college will deal with me working with my strengths and limitations, and grinding through development of self discipline until I realize what I want and where I want to go.
Will I do my best to use my time at college to learn about my interests; alternative education and activism through written and visual media? I hope so. I want to be a scholar and know enough to genuinely contribute to this movement. If anyone is attending conferences or key events, let me know so that I can see if I can get there " New England areas in fall through spring; southwest and northwest areas during the summer. I don't get any emails to my new address about the blog team check in, but it's irvinz@greenmtn.edu. I would like to keep in touch.

-Zuleika


*Please excuse grammatical errors.]]> 2010-11-16T15:56:47+00:00 http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/my_future_takes_a_stand/ http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/my_future_takes_a_stand/#When:19:00:13Z
Tonight, I write in remembrance of four young men: Justin Aagerg, Billy Lucas, Asher Brown and Seth Walsh. Justin and Billy were fifteen and Asher and Seth were thirteen. These were boys about my age who took their own lives this past week because they were bullied by their peers -- people they should have been able to trust -- due to their sexual orientation. It's all fun and games until you're standing at their funeral and you never had the chance to say you're sorry.

It's hard to know what to say and how to feel when you read about kids who've had such an awful life due to tormenting by their own classmates that they don't want to live anymore. I'm angry and frustrated and it's easy to think: “At least it's not like that where I live,” but I can't think that. How many times have you heard the words in high school, “That's so gay” as a negative insult. Maybe, if you're lucky, you haven't heard it at all, but for me it's a daily occurrence. Do I need to try to educate myself in a school where people are at suicide risk for being themselves? I remember my Civil Rights Team leader saying happily she was so glad that no one used offensive language toward homosexual people in our school. This leader was a teacher and the fact that many of our teachers don't realize what's going on and protect those being hurt is something worth our effort to change.

How many deaths will it take? How many times do we have to hear that another young person has taken his or her own life due to their sexual orientation? My own school has become a poison environment in this regard and I always think, How many times has a kid made a homophobic remark in a group of friends and they all laugh along because they want to feel included and one of them is dying inside because he or she is afraid to be themselves?”

I am sick and tired of my own school feebly and halfheartedly “preventing” bullying of homosexual people. Wearing purple on one day out of the year will not stop the next suicide. Refusing to be a bystander as this kind of bullying goes on everyday just might help. Kids need to stop using the word “gay” as an insult and the rest of us need to refuse to participate in the bullying by not standing up to those who do it.

I, for one, refuse to remain silent anymore. Enough is enough. So, here's my declaration: The next time I hear an offensive remark. I WILL say something. And I will be one less who is at risk of unintentionally killing a young child because someone didn't stand up and say NO to homophobic remarks. We need to do something. Not just say we will, or quietly wear a pin or a shirt. Actually act. The future is in our hands, because we are the future. Justin, Billy, Asher and Seth are no longer a part of my generation's future. And I personally will be one more person, responsible for making sure they, and so many countless others did not die in vain. I am dedicated to growing up in a society where kids my age can be themselves. And it starts by saying something, no matter the risk of what your peers might say or think, because chances are, they are just too scared to say something themselves. You have to speak up for what you believe in. And so I have.]]> 2010-11-01T19:00:13+00:00 http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/wikis_are_transforming_teaching/ http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/wikis_are_transforming_teaching/#When:22:32:09Z Anthony Armstrong throw down his approach to using wikis to open up the learning process with his middle school students. It was a powerful display of what can happen when creativity, technology, and a spirit of collaboration infuses the learning process. My favorite thing he said: "The singular goal of our assessment process is to not ask any questions our students can Google and find the answer."

Here is a great resource on how to use wikis in education that he and the folks at EduTopia offered up.]]> 2010-08-31T22:32:09+00:00 http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/lucas_a_puppy_with_a_purpose/ http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/lucas_a_puppy_with_a_purpose/#When:02:50:37Z Lucas is one of countless young dogs across the US in training to become a seeing-eye dog for the blind and visually impaired. I have been raising Lucas since April and we have grown together in his training and socializing. Lucas and I go to see movies together, he goes food shopping with us and he even makes the late night 'Wally World' run for juice.
Animals have always been my passion and I was ecstatic when my parents agreed that I could raise a puppy for Guiding Eyes. Ever since I have left my alternative private school, I have constantly been contrasting my K-8 experience to that of my peers in the public high school where I am now a sophomore. One thing I have really realized as a black and white comparison is that of passion. My passion for animals was always nurtured at my Waldorf-inspired middle school. I even did a large educational project about animal rights that even got me some media attention.
When I think of my old classmates back in my middle school, I can name at least one thing for each and every student that I know they're passionate about. I can't do the same for my new public school friends. This, to me is one of the most important things a school can give you: a passion for something--anything, really. Apathy is such a big issue in my generation. We can't afford NOT to care and yet somehow it seems a lack of caring permeates my high school. Education to me is not just teaching and learning, but it's also being taught how to learn so that you can go out into the world and learn new information and gain new skills everyday, and have a thirst for knowledge. After completing a whole year of a brand new school I am proud of myself, and I'm doing what I love. Lucas is sleeping at the bottom of my bed as I write this. We call him a "puppy with a purpose.” His time with me is limited to 18 months and then he moves on to the next phase of his training. As his teacher and partner, I am trying to give him what I received from my own early education: curiosity, a love of learning, an interest in service, an open heart, and a passion for life that will carry him through the long years ahead when someone's safety will lie in his capable paws.

For more information or to learn how you can help visit Guiding Eyes.


Lucas at 16 weeks]]> 2010-08-07T02:50:37+00:00 http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/the_culture_of_fear_and_oppression_in_schools1/ http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/the_culture_of_fear_and_oppression_in_schools1/#When:19:15:34Z Imagine you live in a world in which you are not trusted, just for existing and making decisions. You always have to be on guard or you risk being screamed at for your actions, or glared at with a contempt so disheartening it makes your stomach drop. People will get in your face and talk you down so that you can “get in line.” You will be interrogated over small things, like where you go or what you say.
It happens everywhere.
Say you're at a buffet restaurant and you drop a dish. Out comes the manager at a slow pace, grimacing, and then he or she just yells, “What is WRONG with you, huh!” A fellow customer then walks up to you and slaps your hand, “Get your food and GET back to your table, you understand?” When you return to your seat your family just glares at you in silence. After the solemn meal is over and you get home, your spouse interrogates you. “Well, why did you do it? Why are you so clumsy? Don't you have respect for that manager? Who do you think you are? Didn't you care?” If you try to explain, “Well it was an accident. Obviously I wouldn't break it on PURPOSE,” your spouse throws hands up. “That isn't what I asked you. Maybe you DID do it on purpose. How about you try being a manager to see what it's like to deal with people like YOU.” And after all of that is over, you go to a neighborhood conference, where people discuss the punishments that you and others like you “deserve.” You are banned from participating in your favorite activities or worse, because you didn't meet people's expectations. Maybe your spouse or neighbors can easily express how eager they are to “lay hands on you,” or hurt you, if not for the law. That, they are sure, will make you compliant. “IF ONLY I could do what I really wanted, you'd be laying in the ground, unable to move!” It is like this, walking on thin ice, day after day after day.

This is what it is like for many youth in society, especially within their families and within their schools. We all know about the injustice kids have had to face in their families. That is why corporal punishment was recently outlawed (I say recently, because growing up in the 90's, “whoopings” were precious and encouraged). But what about school? Although corporal punishment has been eliminated from this system*, there is a large element of disrespect and intolerance for youth. I've witnessed it during my whole 12 years in various private and public schools.

When I was tutoring second graders during my senior year, I managed to make my own rules as best as possible. Instead of grading work, I would read books with kids, talk to them, give them their voice back for 30 minutes. Most of all I'd play my beta of a game my friend and I created. They loved it. Little 7-9 year olds understand negative numbers and debt, let me tell you! But that's for another day. Once, I was playing this game with David. He was happy, because he'd always have to go to the computer lab when I was around. He even wished the computer lab closed down, and he got his wish for a day. As we shuffled cards and played, I noticed the principal walking with a boy. He stopped, and then I witnessed it.

The principal got in the boys face about how he should “be better” than whatever situation he was in trouble for. The man was a centimeter away from the boy's face, and a teacher looked on as she gathered her little ones in for a student art exhibit. The boy began crying, but the pressure was still on. The principal barred his teeth and gruffed his middle aged voice down to a primal and RAW tone. “What did he do?” I asked David. He perked up, “Oh, well this boy, he got pushed by this other boy near the basketball courts. And the other boy hit first and this boy was just hitting back because the other kid wouldn't stop. But they only caught this boy. He didn't do anything, and I saw it.”
“Oh really? Do you think that the principal is being fair?”
“Well,” David started blushing with hesitation,” I don't think so, but he got caught and they didn't see the other boy and, no, it's not fair.”
“If you were a witness, wouldn't you want to say something?” David smiled hard and shook his head. We went back to the cards as the principal took the tearful boy away.

Another situation. A giddy boy named Jacob is minding his own business, saying “Hi,” to me over and over again, when the self proclaimed bully, Tyler comes along and harasses Jacob. Tyler does this whenever Jacob is happy and gleeful (I know why, but that's also for another time). Jacob makes an elevated fuss about it and the teacher comes over. Guess who she goes for? As Tyler sneaks off, the woman glares little Jacob down for 20 seconds. Even I felt a little uneasy. Why did she do that? Because Jacob's noise is what irked her, and because Jacob is a child and she can make him feel however she wants. At least that's the rationale when it comes to venting frustration. Release it on the weakest party available. In this school, students are also still being told to stand in corners.

In my American Government class this past year I've had to deal with the teacher yelling at us, cursing about how much of a [insert swear here] he can be when we make him mad. His rationale: we're kids (even people like myself who'd already turned 18 at some point) and we need to do as he wants us to do. Also he's from East LA, which according to him, gives him the right or credentials to be a [swear] if we made him mad. And YET, when a student had his typical outbursts of cynical rage, this man is the first one to want him to calm down and not resort to such behavior. We were not allowed to sit where we pleased, even after the first month of school as he said we could.

Our principal? She was allowed to yell at us about anything and to criticize us. And then you know what? They'd call home and the parents would stride along with it, and insult and criticize.It was like this all through schooling, and the teacher or principal would mock us. Oh haha, “I don't want to be YOU when YOU get home. I know your folks!” And then people wonder why teenagers and youth are so on edge and radical and rebellious. WE'RE OPPRESSED. Don't see how? Think about your day labor job, if you have one. For 8 hours you do busywork, sometimes hard, and your boss has total reign. Imagine that, minus the unions and worker's rights, on repeat for the first 18 years of your life across the board. Don't you remember at all?

Rather than trying what they can to understand the behavior and mediate to a resolution, many adults in schools result to the first authoritative actions on hand - because they are easier and appear to get the job done. The student will cower down into silence or non-resistance, and the class can resume. These are all things I witnessed at schools, private and public. When I was very young, at one private school, paddling was allowed. You were yelled at for not standing a block apart in the bathroom line. At another, intentional taunting, laughing and questioning the intelligence of other students if they didn't follow the procedures was also allowed and encouraged. In 8th grade, my English teacher locked a student out of the room on quite a few occasions because he was a few minutes late. Students laughed and the teacher felt it was deserved. For what reason, I don't know. He'd be knocking and banging and he'd just wait outside. He wasn't a trouble maker, just an awkward guy who deeply aspired to be a police officer, and was picked on all the time in school anyway, resulting in lashing out tantrums when he had enough. It was probably the tantrums that irked the man, but even still, why agitate it with such a punishment?

Is this just my experience, or are we that hypocritical as a society that we accept this as normal, and scorn the youth that dare to have an opinion or not comply with something once. Then it is expected for youth to ALL go to college to get a crash course in how to think for themselves and then get ready for the workforce, and bills, and taxes, and all the other information withheld from us until it's nearly too late.
Is this a fluke, or a reality of the youth experience? Ageism if you will.

*Correction. Please see comment below for the reality of corporal punishment.
**All names have been changed to protect the identities of the individuals mentioned. And because I think it's really cool to say that.]]> 2010-07-28T19:15:34+00:00 http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/living_in_archaic_times/ http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/living_in_archaic_times/#When:14:25:33Z
What do you think?]]> 2010-07-27T14:25:33+00:00 http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/a_glimpse_of_compassion_in_room_114/ http://democraticeducation.org/index.php/blog/article/a_glimpse_of_compassion_in_room_114/#When:00:27:43Z
I never intended to take a band class, but I had heard the teacher was awesome and well loved. So I decided to do it. I play percussion, so I don't always have much to do, but it's great fun just to sit and watch the teacher interacting with the kids, making them laugh and smile, all the time creating great music. It's pretty fantastic. Therefore I had never expected him to deliver the news one rainy Monday morning that he would be leaving the school.

He told everyone that he had some announcements. He went on to tell us about jazz band, a concert in May, and some other events. Then he stopped, his jolly smile sliding off his face. Almost instantly, his eyes began to fill with tears. No one moved. No one talked. You could have heard a pin drop.

"I'm okay," he said. "Give me a moment here, just talk amongst yourselves." He tried to smile and didn't succeed. No one breathed a word. We just watched. It was an awkward minute as our teacher regained composure and began to speak again. Quietly now.

"I have to tell you all, that this is a decision was not taken on easily. It is one that I have lost sleep over for the last two weeks." He stopped again, wiping his eyes. The whole room seemed to lean in ever closer hanging on his every word.

"But I have to tell you that I have been offered a job in Pennsylvania, and I have decided to take it."

No one moved. No one it seemed, was even breathing. Shocked, the students just sat in their chairs and stared. The student teacher in the room said, "Congratulations!” and began to clap. No one joined her.

He was crying now. It was a sad sight. Then from the silence a young man from the back stood up and began to make his way down the risers with the words, "Group hug!" It didn't take more than thirty seconds for all thirty of the kids to gather at the front of the large room and embrace each other. They joined in crying.

I, who had only known the teacher for a few short weeks, felt slightly awkward joining in, so instead I just enjoyed the scene, feeling sad for the loss of such a loved teacher.

The only tears I have seen at my high school so far have been shed over drama, by kids having a hard time with life, or family or friends. Usually when kids in my school express themselves, they say things that they think their peers will agree with, like how much they hate school and how much they hate the teachers, and how they hate each other. I was so happy to see this little glimpse of love for a teacher in band class on that rainy Monday morning. Through happiness, through inspiration, this man had touched the lives of all these kids, and they were open about how much he meant to them. This gave me new faith in my new school. This experience truly touched me.
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