Throughout 7th grade, I heard rumors about Mr. Blanchard, one of the 8th grade history teachers: He was a tyrant in the classroom; everything had to be his way. Though I welcomed the challenge, a part of me expected my experience with the notorious teacher to be a middle school nightmare. It was the first day of school and a fresh start to a new experience. Grabbing my supplies, I looked at my schedule. Dread dawned on me--I had Mr. Blanchard first period. “Most of you have heard, ‘Mr. Blanchard is scary.’ Is that true?” Mr. Blanchard asked.
Everyone exchanged nervous glances.
“What is truth?” he prompted.
“It’s reality,” a student replied. “What’s ‘real’?” This question stumped everyone. “‘Real’ is based on facts and experiences. Traditions and literature are examples of ‘real’,” Mr. Blanchard asserted. He paused, scanning the room with his eyes. “What are rumors?” I raised my hand.
“They’re lies.” He nodded, “Rumors are stories based on lies. Was there truth in what the 8th graders told you? No!” Eventually, the effects of the rumors started to fade, but my desire to understand the harm caused by preconceived ideas grew. Preconceived ideas in the form of a stereotype also affected another student my age. Ahmed Mohamed, a Muslim, built a clock to impress his teacher but was arrested
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Blanchard challenged me to rethink “real.” I do this by being an active member in class, engaging in discussions about preconceived ideas from our history. I constantly challenge myself to break them down when needed so that I don’t make the mistake of Ahmed’s teacher or the Korean girls. I believe that if we are responsible in our actions, then we can make future history more responsibly and have less stereotypes marking our future history. Meanwhile, for now, the “real” I can control is better understanding who I am and constantly engaging myself to be my best self. In doing so, I hope to help set a better future history. Thank you Mr.
Our class was inspired by Shankar Vedantam’s piece to conduct research on stereotypes at Point Loma High School. We were provided questions by Ms. Roberts and asked one person in class and another outside of class. The ages of those interviewed ranged from freshmen to seniors in highschool. Later, we input our data in a Google form and later converted it into a summary data chart and spreadsheet. The results were sorted by ethnicity and gender. Using our results we were able to find trends/similarities of the impact/aftermath and responses of those who were interviewed
Mrs. McPhee is not meeting any state standards that will prepare her students for the test nor next year’s material. She is simply relating history to what her students would possibly like to learn about, instead of teaching them what they need to learn about. If Dr. Gutierrez was to agree on Mrs. McPhee’s proposal, Dr. Gutierrez would face several issues as well. She would hear that her 8th grade history department was “watered down” in several different areas. This new history curriculum would not touch on the areas of elected officials, foreign affairs, and several other important pieces of history.
“Definitely not. The castle is a den of rumors, as you well know, and I’ve heard… things. Not that I engage in gossip, but it’s unavoidable. People… talk.”
Every day, millions of people judge others based on the stereotypes that apply to them, and some do not even know it. Most times these misjudgments are harmless, however, they can definitely be destructive. False judgments based on the stereotypes one perceives can make a total stranger seem like a menace to society. Although some say they do not act in this manner, the issue of stereotypes is large yet hardly admitted of use. In worse case scenarios the false misjudgement of a person or persons may lead to harmful actions. The most important lesson gained from reading Night, Of Mice and Men, and watching Angel of Bergen-Belsen is that one cannot use stereotypes to judge others because the victim could be the total opposite of the judgments
History is a remarkable subject that offers and eagles eye view into the past. With textbooks such as, Hist3, a great deal of interesting information can be acquired. However, a common misconception runs rampant through students minds; the idealism that history is useless and that the subject is that of a drag. Who can blame them? Our text books can only do so much in terms of providing the means in educating ourselves when we’re not in a class room and when given the opportunity to appear in class we have the luxury of (hopefully) having and interesting professor to enlighten us on all the side conflicts, affairs, and bloodshed that has happened. Even so, when we as students have exhausted the book and our instructors, we have the privilege
Walking into the door of room E204, I attempted to mature myself by five years as I entered my first AP class, AP World History. With what felt like the posture of an erudite scholar and resembled a child with an intense sunburn, I sat down at a desk and retrieved a pen and a folder of paper from my backpack as I continued my façade of experience. This is a college-level course, came the whisper from some part of my 14-year-old brain, and I almost broke character, overcome with wonder at the presence of academia. This sense of awe, however, quickly disappeared with every passing September day, abandoning me in the presence of W.T. Woodson’s resident tyrant: Rebecca Watt.
Choosing an American government and history teacher was an easy choice because it was a my favorite subject, and we call can benefit from the teachings of the past. “We thought nothing could be worse than world war one, then guess what? World war two cam along.”said Mr. Bo Tillman, a passionate history and government teacher at Lafayette High School, during mid-interview, this was his response to a question about why history and government became his focus. “If you don't learn from it you know, everything rolls back” Bo Tillman helped me understand this country, the American government, the life lessons we can learn from everything in our history, and its direct translation to our daily lives.
Throughout secondary school, instead of accepting the facts stated in my textbooks, I continued to ask questions. Disillusioned by how complex historical events were taught like equations with a simple cause and effect, senior year of high school I determined that I would become a teacher. As a teacher, I aspire to not be hindered by standardized requirements and teach history in a way that resonates with students and evokes passion.
Everyone has, at one point in time, been taught how to do something. Whether it is how to tie one’s shoes or how to do long division, teachers have been around to help people learn forever. Teachers are an integral part of today’s society, and they will continue to be an outstanding asset in the lives of all the students across our country for centuries to come. Because of teaching’s impact on today’s world and children, I chose to interview my former North Allegheny GOAL teacher, Mr. Dan Williams for my Honors American History GREEF project.
In life, there is a common ground on which most every person can relate. At one time or another, we have all been promoters of or victims of the unremitting nature of stereotypes. According to the Webster’s dictionary, a stereotype is defined as “a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group.” Most stereotypes take on a negative form and are based on characteristics such as age, gender, race, status, and personal beliefs. Generally speaking, the greatest problem that arises with stereotypes is that they judge group of people by the characteristics and actions of their ancestors, rather than on an individual basis. More often than not, these assumptions will
I walked into room 160 and saw a group of anxious 14 year olds, waiting for the lady we had all heard so much about to walk in. Rumors about her ranged from “she will make you cry daily” to “she’s basically the human form of a fire breathing dragon”. When the bell rang, we all prepared for the worst. The small lady that walked in, with short brown hair and glasses too big for her face did not look nearly as intimidating as all the stories suggested, which was comforting on that first day of class. This was Mrs. Carballo, my AP US History teacher. She started our first day off by talking about the summer reading and our objectives for the year. By the time the second week rolled around, I felt pretty comfortable with the course...that is, until we all received books that were almost bigger than we were!
The study of history and the teaching of history has come under intense public debate in the United States in the last few decades. The “culture-wars” began with the call to add more works by non-Caucasians and women and has bled into the study of history. Not only in the study of history or literature, this debate has spread into American culture like wildfire.
No student should have to suffer unfair consequences due to a teacher’s political view or the harassment of other students based on their background. This research paper will discuss the mistreatment of American Muslims before high school up until college, that includes elements such as subconscious harassment at a young age, instructors’ political views, direct attacks, and fear for their safety. It will also explain the differences between non-Muslim bullying versus Muslim bullying.
American history is a very important subject in our education, therefore, this vital topic shouldn’t be thought of as scary. By learning our country’s history, we understand the society we live in, the changes that occurred, and inspire us to do better. For better understanding of the subject some teachers believe that students will benefit from thinking American history as a “story”, while others look down on that idea. There are several pros and cons for the idea for thinking history as a “story”.
I conducted my interview with Taylor Moyer. Mr. Moyer is my placement teacher at TSA (Toledo School for The Arts). Mr. Moyer said “In the classroom teaching this is my third year at TSA” (T. Moyer, personal communication, March 7, 2017). So Mr. Moyer has some solid background and teaching experience to offer. And as far as history goes Mr. Moyer said “I teacher 2 periods of 10th grade U.S. History and four periods of senior humanities covering all of the seniors in the school” (T. Moyer, personal communication, March 7, 2017). Mr. Moyer uses this experience to show me the good, the bad, and the fun of teaching history.