Reflection 16

Genocide is defined as the deliberate destruction and slaughter of part of or an entire racial, religious or ethnic group. The best example of genocide has got to be the killing of the Jewish people during the holocaust. The holocaust is taught to not be easily forgotten. It is embedded in us as children, that this crime against humanity should never be repeated. The holocaust only happened roughly 68 years ago. This isn’t a long time ago. History books are haunted with the pictures of hungry, sick and mistreated Jews in concentration camps and Ghettos. For me, The Holocaust is the greatest example of a modern genocide. Of course, there are other places that are going through or have gone through atrocities such as the Holocaust. The Ethnic cleansing in Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur are problems our society has recently been faced with. Ethnic Cleansing is when a group is either eliminated from its society by genocide or migration. This involves mass killings and military force for the removal of the unwanted group. In Bosnia, women were raped and pillaged, while their sons and husbands were being forced to watch. Beatings and killings occurred daily on the streets, right outside of homes and schools. Millions more were sent to concentration camps, like the jaws, called Omarska. Many people were refugees with no place to go, no food to eat and no hope to be saved. Darfur has got to be one of the other well known acts of genocide and Ethnic Cleansing. The government abused the people of western Sudan. Mosques and Islamic relics were destroyed daily. Killings, Looting and rapes were common scenes seen in western Sudan. Citizens were not allowed to move freely. There every move was watched and followed. They were told what to do and when to do it. If anyone should disagree, death was the only answer for those who stepped out of line. Reading these passages, I can’t help but think of how ashamed I am to be counted as one race. How can people be so blind and full of hate? How can they sit back and think that what they are doing is right? Living lives full of detestation and anger will only bring about pain and suffering for those who cross your path. I am a firm believer that one day, maybe one day the different people of the world will finally see that we are all part of one big chain. We are all connected by our humanness. Those who refuse to see the connection are just pretending to be blind. I have hope that one day they too shall see the light.

Assignement 1 : Observation

Doing my observations in my field experience school, I have seen many amazing things that the teachers has done in her classroom. Her classroom is very diverse. She has a variety of different races and religious beliefs. Right off the bat, you can tell this group will have very different opinions about things they are learning. One day while in the classroom, I noticed a pattern in her daily assignment routines. When it is reading time, the children all must follow along and read out loud in unison. They follow along with a tape of the story being read to them correctly. I think this is a brilliant idea because not only does the child associate the word with the correct pronunciation but it gives them an equal chance to read aloud. No matter what type of story was being read whether it was fantasy, fiction, nonfiction or poems, the children were encouraged to express what they personally thought of the story. The teacher uses her knowledge and education to treat each of the children with love and respect. She treats them with equality yet acknowledges that they are different. She does this by making examples of how they can integrate their ideas. When it comes to gender, you can see no discrimination. Each child, no matter boy or girl, is given the attention they deserve. When the classroom begins to get unruly, the teacher does not exempt a child based on race, religion or gender. If the class is behaving in a bad manner, those who started it will get reprimanded. I also noticed that everyone does the same amount of work. No student is given special treatment because of race, gender or religion. She also uses a wide variety of materials. She finds a way to blend in all the types of learning so every child’s needs are met. For those who are visual learners, she shows pictures, gives textbooks, charts and visual aids. For those who are kinesthetic, she uses puzzles, arts and crafts and hands on activities. For those who are more auditory, she reads or has tapes of readings already made. Each child’s need is met in her classroom. If she only used one style, there would many students who would fall back because they need different direction. I like the way how she uses each of these learning styles to increases the education for everyone in her classroom. I can tell her students enjoy being there because she gives them all the attention they need. I have never once seen any of the students upset or fell neglected by her. The children are always excited to do the next subject because they know it’s always going to be something different. I feel honored to be able to observe this teacher. I hope that I can take what I have seen and in the future, bring it to my own classroom.

Reflection 15

The Holocaust was a terrible crime done upon the human race. Jews were treated like vermin and disregarded as a race itself. They were considered sub-human in the eyes if Nazi Germany. Sub-humans are weak, thieves, money hungry, corrupt and above all else, impure. Nazi Germans saw themselves as the only ones who can rid the world of these leeches. Whenever I read something in relation to the Holocaust, I can’t help but feel ashamed and hurt. How can human beings do such a thing? How can human beings watch the torture they ensued upon the Jews? They were throw into gas chambers the resembled a bath house. Jewish women and children were deceived into believing they were finally going to take a shower. The Germans would watch as the women and children suffocated to death. Claw marks are still seen in the concrete walls for the gas chambers today. They were thrown into small barracks filled with sickness and lice. They hurt and dying were sent to the “doctor” in the concentration camps. The doctor would then do false amputations and give them medicines The Jews were used as lab rats to test effects of chemicals and other medical things. They would burn them with acids and leave them to die. This doctor did nothing to try and save them. He would then make his diagnosis and either send him back to his barrack or send him to the crematorium. Inside here, Jews were burned alive, skinned to make soap or paper. This grotesque action would make anyone squirm in their seats. I get a horrible feeling at the pit of my stomach when I read about all these monstrous actions. What kills me the most is the fact that people think this did not happen. That the Holocaust was just set on a Hollywood stage to bring support to the war. To these people, all I have to say is that they need help. How can you deny so much evidence and documents that fully support the truth? Just because of the intensity, doesn’t mean that human beings are capable of such genocide. They should be encouraged to take a history class and be engulfed in the truth. The most amazing thing about the holocaust is that the Jews just didn’t give up. Still today, they are not keen to let anyone forget the past. They know they didn’t deserve this destruction and ill treatment among their people. They knew “Jew” was not a race, but a religious belief. They ultimately belonged to the one TRUE race, the human race.

Reflection 14

Before reading the passages I already knew a lot about prejudice. To me, Prejudice is a big issue in the world today. Many people just ignore the fact that it is one of the main issues. They have no knowledge to what prejudice truly is and how it is created. We are not born with the concept of being prejudice; we learn it as children. We learn them as true, validated facts. But they are never truly researched or tested for its’ validity. As we grow up, we are just left with that one understanding about the race. Later, when a situation arises, we then act based on the prejudice learned. Our minds conflict with the prejudice decision and the moral decision. This causes doubt and internal discomfort. As a human, we are known for avoiding situations that are uncomfortable to us. We use forms of denial to better convince ourselves that we are correct. We can go through so many discomforts because of learned prejudice. When we are young, some state that the prejudice actions we take are unintentional because we really do not comprehend what we are doing. But later in life most adults do the prejudice intentionally. Acts of intentionally prejudice are always pre planned. It is part of the individual’s identity. They cannot stand change or difference because they do not fit into a “framework”. I think we need to try and educate those in power. Educators, leaders, business men should be taught how to correctly influence people. They are in great positions of influence. If they influence a group to a certain prejudice, it could seemingly spread to more and more of the population. For years, people have tried to create programs that can help people further understand the damage prejudice can do to us. We cannot achieve success in these programs without looking at ourselves more closely. A good way would be to examine the prejudices we commit. We can questions are minds and ask: is this right, do they deserve this, is it fair, why am I doing this and how can I stop thinking negatively. It is hard process to get rid of learned prejudices. You are going against what was taught and changing a perspective entirely. I personally think that anyone can change their behavior towards someone. Without the proper teaching, these prejudices will continue throughout generations and generations. We must educate and teach people that this will destroy us one day.

Reflection 13

When reading the Article about Understanding the Self, many important concepts pop out of the page. Evolution of the “self” continues throughout our lives even without our consent or knowledge. Like many things, it comes at a different speed and rate for everyone. At first, we grow with the help of the four primary learned input channels; Such as, Auditory Cues, physical sensations, Body images and personal memories. Auditory Cues are things like hearing your own name being spoken, Descriptive language and the use of language itself. Physical Sensations are things like stretching, crawling, rolling, rough touches, gentle touches and loneliness. Body Image is our basic senses and the information being taken in. Finally, Personal memories are the storage of initial experiences that can be both positive and negative. These channels help children become aware of the world around them. They help them to make sense of things on their own accord. Until this occurs a child is not seen to have a self concept. Soon, they begin to try and define themselves. They may use gender, hair color, eye color, age, size and anything they can find to be categorized. They begin to know who they are and be known be their name. As experiences begin to enter the child’s life, their minds are broadened .They begin to understand the world and place themselves as part of that world. When reading about Transformation, I really got interested when I read about how we reinvent ourselves. People take their experiences, all the good and the bad, and try to see ways to make them into a truth about them. No one in the world likes to feel weak, rejected, unwanted and plain Jane. So, we take the blandness and transform it into a precious gem. We do this to triumph over any obstacle that stands in the way of our future and success. We try to reinvent our identities. Some reinvent themselves all together, while others can merely do some small alterations. By doing this, self esteem and self concept can change as well. After your “new self” is presented to the world, it may be accepted and appealing to a lot more people. This acceptance will make you feel 100% better than what you did before. Therefore, it will increase your confidence. You will now walk with your head held high, be positive and cheerful. Change can be a good thing at some point in life. All we need to do is embrace the world around us for what it is.

Refelction 12

Sigmund Freud is probably one of the most known men in the field of psychology. His very intensive and descriptive work are still widely used and accepted today. Despite his popularity, many people don’t deem his work to be such genius. Freud’s theories on personality are by far one of the most studied theories’ today as well. In his theory he explains that humans are driven by emotions and behaviors. Sex and aggression are the major factors of this study. They are the base of the motivation that all human beings experience and use. Sex isn’t the sex definition that it is today. Sex is meant in the means of procreation and giving life. Sex is needed in order to continue lineage. Like in animals, sex is the primary source of survival. Aggression on the other hand is said to be our “protective” instinct. It is the drive for us to procreate and to ensure survival and safety. At birth, according to Freud, We are all born with ID. This ID, allows us to get food and be known. Example, when a newborn is hungry, he will cry out to be fed. The child will also do this when it is cold, tired, thirsty, emotional, etc. after a few years the child will develop what Freud calls EGO. EGO is different from ID because it focuses on the reality. They tie hand in hand because now reality comes into play. The needs of the ID are still met, but now there is reality in the equation. Example, a child might cry for food at 2 am, but they parents are asleep and therefore reality sets in. Around the ages of 5 years old, the child will develop SUPEREGO. This is developed as a moral part tied with our parents, guardians or caregivers. The superego helps the human decide what is right and what is wrong. The human Psyche is modeled like an iceberg. The Unconscious on the bottom of the berg, is the ID. The Non conscious, ties in with the Ego as a free floating among all the levels. The Preconscious state is related with the Superego. And finally, at the tip of the ice berg is the Conscious state of the Human Psyche. Personally, I really find Freud a little hard to swallow. He was very sexist when it came to understanding and portraying the role of women. He was very male dominate in his studies. This makes it hard for me to be keen on because as a woman, I want to find something that is not excluded or expelled from the theory because of gender difference. I also find that the personality theory is a bit primitive and animalistic. But with personal feelings aside, I can compare it to real life. Looking at people all around, you can see a hint of primitive behavior even in the most civilized of places.

Reflection 11

To me, being a teacher, the most important thing would probably be to create a safe learning environment for my students. I think that creating a space were children feel safe will help them branch out further. If they are introduced to the world having great confidence and opinion skills, they will be untouchable. As a teacher, I would help provide a space where they can be “free” to express what they feel about absolutely anything on topic. I remember my 7th grade teacher was an eccentric woman. She didn’t believe in confining her students to a desk all day long. We were allowed to sit on the floor, sit on a rug or even sit on the desk will dong our work. She would let our creative juices flow and wouldn’t want anyone to hold back what they were feeling. I remember when we were learning about the Holocaust, she made the classroom into a gas chamber. She blind folded us and asked us to reflect and go through the emotions the Jews might have felt in that same situation. People cried, screamed, or stood silently and took in the atmosphere. I will never forget that experience. I learned so much because I was in control of what I was learning. I was never told that was I was feeling or creating was wrong. She taught us that every human being has a wide set of emotions, but how they are expressed is what makes everyone beautiful and different. Everyone was accepted for who they were. Everyone in that classroom was united. We were like a family. We went through so many emotions and challenges that even if we were all different races, religions and genders, we all had a common ground in her classroom. As a teacher, we should be able to show the students that differences don’t matter. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to flourish and grow. Teaching children at a young age that they matter will increase their chances for survival in the real world. They should never be put down or shoved to the side because they are “wrong”. We should instill the knowledge they need in order to discover they truth for themselves. I know this job will not be an easy one, but overcoming the challenges will make me a better teacher. One day I hope to make an impact on my students like she has made on me. I want to be one of those teachers that you never forget.

Reflection 10

Teaching for inclusion got me very hooked. From the first paragraph, you can already get a sense of what kind of information will be present in this article. It tells you the importance of teaching the individual regardless of gender, race, religion, environment, class status and any other ridiculous factor that may make a child different from any other. You must take the chance to get to know your students on an individual level. Like trying to get to know their dreams, likes, beliefs and values. Support them in exploring new things yet not disheartening them in the things they already enjoy. No matter how perfect you think your classroom is, there is always going to be problems to deal with. As a teacher, we should never stereotype our students. If we wrongly stereotype someone, they could feel like they aren’t good enough or smart enough. These problems aren’t always seen. For example, religion and sexual preference is not always known off the bat. One must be sensitive to the fact that it is unknown at the moment. Be aware and look for warning signs. The reading suggests that giving a questionnaire will help you realize who is struggling with such issues. As a teacher, you want your classroom to be a healthy environment. It should be a safe zone for your students. It can be place where they can express who they are and be open to discussion. Your classroom rules should include something about not allowing hurtful name calling or slurs. If stated at the beginning, it can avoid problems in this nature. When making the rules, you should be conscious about what could happen if the rule is not in place. You could state that name calling, making fun of, or teasing will not be tolerated on any means. Another important factor is that as a teacher you should never single out a student. For example, if you are talking about Mexican migrant field workers, it would be a wise decision not to call on the Mexican child if you know they will feel on the spot. Take that opportunity to call on someone whose opinions have not really been heard in the classroom. It offers a lot of in depth explanations to questions most teacher might have when dealing with diverse populations. I learned a lot of ideas from reading this passage. I myself work in an environment where all the children are 100 % different from the next. I can harbor in some of these ideas to make their time and space much more welcoming. I think every teacher, no matter how diverse their class might be, should take the time to read this.

Refelction 9

While reading Transformation: Awareness and Consciousness, you get the sense of trying to understand personal and cultural knowledge. It’s tough to understand if one does not have an open mind to the complexity of the reading. I had a hard time trying to understand it myself. To simplify it, I broke it down to simple definitions and explanations of my own .Awareness are complicated to explain. For example, you can’t really explain what life is or what electricity itself looks like or is. So what is it to be aware? I think awareness is like wakefulness. You are on your guard and your senses are high. You know and feel what is around you and that is what makes you “aware” of your surroundings. Bing Aware is a fundamental part of being a superior observer. Doctors, like a man named Chopra, Say that awareness is like a force field or energy field that is unseen but it is felt when present. Then things get complicated. The reading starts to intertwine Quantum mechanics and physics into the definition of awareness. This immensely complicated science was studied by great men like Albert Einstein and Neils Bohr. To them, both energy and matter are particle and wave based. This means that anything subatomic can be seen with an advanced microscope. But awareness cannot be seen? Or can it. Consciousness is not the same as having awareness. Consciousness is sort of like a level of awareness. One can be conscious and unconscious. But at some point between you enter awareness. Conscious is mental and awareness is not mental. It does not require you to use your mind to feel surroundings. Creature consciousness, transitive consciousness and state consciousness are some subdivisions to a greater explanation of consciousness. From here on out the reading gets a little more complex. To a man named Wilson, we have 8 different levels of consciousness. I found two of them rather interesting. For example, on level 0, our bodies become paralyzed and we drift into the dreaming state of mind. On level 6, called transcendent level, we begin to connect higher in the awareness scale. The experience is mind blowing and makes you feel as you have reached a euphoric state of mind. At this point you feel successful and as though nothing can stop you. I liked reading this because it got me to see a point of view of something I have never really been interested in. It is amazing to see the different types of opinions and the same exact subject.