Education and Its DiscontentsEducation and Its DiscontentsMy intended audience for the blog includes members of the general public who are interested in publicly-funded education as well as teachers, administrators, and parents. Come take a peek behind the curtain that often conceals public education. Articles
Hamlet – Part 2 – From Childhood to Maturity
2007-08-17 13:43:00 In the last post I gave a brief synopsis of the play. Now I would like to begin addressing its importance for us.In many respects, Prince Hamlet is the most human character I have ever encountered in literature. Although of royal lineage, he is in many respects an everyman who is called upon to respond to a world I think he would prefer to ignore; just as we have little choice in our engagement with the world as we mature, neither does Hamlet.Although the play begins less than two months after the death of his father, there is much to suggest Hamlet had a rather idealized, innocent life prior to that traumatic event. We can infer this from the shock and despair permeating his first soliloquy in which the melancholy Dane says, “O that this too too solid flesh would melt/ Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!" “In other words, he wishes he were dead. But his disaffection and disappointment with the world goes deeper: “Or that the Everlasting had not fixed / His canon ‘gains... More About: Childhood , Maturity , Part
Great Books and What They Have To Teach Us – Hamlet – Part 1
2007-08-16 14:41:00 The following post is much briefer than I had originally intended, the reason being that I love the play so much that I want to take extra care in writing about itEvery semester that I taught a senior English class, I made certain to leave one book to the end, Shakespeare’s Hamlet . It wasn’t that I dreaded teaching the play – quite the opposite. But my enthusiasm for the work meant that if I taught it at any other point, I would spend far too long on it. It is that rich a tragedy. Very briefly, the plot of Hamlet revolves around the assertion by a ghost that he is the spirit of the late King Hamlet. He reveals to King Hamlet’s son, Prince Hamlet, that he was murdered by Claudius, the King’s brother, the man who has now claimed the throne and married the late Hamlet’s widow, Gertrude. Additionally, the ghost suggests that Claudius and Gertrude were carrying on a relationship while the king was still alive. His purpose in appearing to Prince Hamlet? He asks the lad... More About: Books , Great , Part , Teac
Great Books and What They Have To Teach Us – Macbeth
2007-08-15 16:56:00 For the next few posts, I’d like to address something that I think is undervalued in our society and our school systems today: literature. I have already touched upon how it can help to cultivate critical thinking, but now, at the risk of sounding somewhat airy, I’d like to talk about how it can also cultivate the spirit and teach us important things about human nature. These aspects perhaps are not taken as seriously today when put against some of the ‘hard skills’ taught through public education, but, I would argue, are essential in order to live fully and meaningfully.I was never one of those teachers who stand in awe of everything written by Shakespeare, (let’s face it, Romeo and Juliet really are just a couple of very immature teenagers who make some very bad decisions), but I never tired of teaching certain of his works, including his darkest, Macbeth. Set around the eleventh century, ‘the Scottish play’ has no end of relevance for our own times. Revolving ar... More About: Books , Great , Teac , Beth
Critical Thinking - Considering Alternate Views
2007-08-14 14:08:00 One of the keys to being a critical thinker is the willingness to consider alternate points of view instead of being wedded to one idelogical position. In order to sharpen my own thinking and expose myself to perspectives other than those advanced in mainstream media, I have always enjoyed the work of Canadian writer Linda McQuaig. What follows is my review of her latest book.Holding the Bully’s Coat – Linda McQuaigWhether holding forth on the global economy, the excesses of capitalism, government deficits or the U.S. invasion of Iraq, author Linda McQuaig never disappoints. Her willingness to challenge conventional wisdom, especially that which is promulgated in the mainstream media, is always guaranteed to provide the reader with new insights and rich material to allow him or her to critically examine previously-held beliefs. Whether or not one agrees with the things she asserts, this is her greatest strength as a writer.Her latest book, Holding the Bully’s Coat, reflects... More About: Views , Critical thinking , Thinking , Crit , Cons
Transforming Education – The Mantle of Leadership- Part 6
2007-08-13 15:15:00 I was discussing earlier the role that literature can play in cultivating critical thinking. One of the most important means by which this goal can ultimately be achieved is through exposure to a variety of viewpoints, an area in which literature truly excels. One of my favorite playwrights to teach was Arthur Miller. A man of integrity, blacklisted for his refusal to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee which had its heyday in the McCarthy Era, Miller wrote, amongst many other works, The Crucible. The play, inspired by the madness of McCarthyism, revolves around the Salem witch hunts of 1692. A powerful piece of literature for any era, it addresses what happens when a society, gripped by hysteria, abandons logic and common sense and turns on its fellow citizens. The worst aspects of human nature emerge as the play progresses: jealousy; lust; greed; self-preservation at any cost. In the midst of the quagmire stands John Proctor, a man who, despite his ... More About: Education , Leadership , Part , Ming , Lead
Critical Thinking – The Mantle of Leadership – Part 5
2007-08-09 16:14:00 Just a brief posting for the time being. Pursuant to the theme of my last several posts, I am providing a link to a Newsweek article that traces and exposes the tactics of global warming deniers. The article is a timely reminder of how important it is to think critically about issues. More About: Leadership , Part , Critical thinking , Thinking , Crit
The Power of Literature - The Mantle of Leadership - Part4
2007-08-08 16:43:00 Continuing with the theme of transforming education to produce more informed, critically aware democratic participants who will ultimately be able to demand the kind of political leadership they deserve, today I would like to talk about the role that literature, taught through high school English classes, can play in achieving this goal.For me, literature only succeeds when it engages both our hearts and our minds. Arid tracts that advance philosophical positions devoid of flesh, blood and passion are of no use to anyone, in my view. Fortunately, there is a wealth of good literature that can engage us totally.Now, before proceeding, I should address something that may have occurred to you. Am I suggesting here that the classroom should be used as some sort of ideological platform? The answer is an unequivocal no. What I am suggesting is that it should be used to teach people that there are a number of sides to an issue, that there is no absolute truth, and that it is incumbent ... More About: Literature , Power , Leadership , Tera , Lead
Activism for Change- The Mantle of Leadership – Part 3
2007-08-07 14:29:00 Transforming Education - The Mantle of Leadership – Part 3In my last post, I talked about the importance of education in ultimately changing the political culture that besets us today. Specifically, I examined the role that a knowledge of history can play in providing much needed context for interpreting events.Although this knowledge may not necessarily provide easy answers to the many problems we face, it does give us the tools to ask the right questions and evaluate the answers. And it is precisely for this reason I am not hopeful that governments will mandate more history in their curricula. With a more informed citizenry, governments might be challenged on the facile rhetoric that allows countries to accept the abrogation of civil rights, violations of constitutions and charters, interception of personal communication, imprisonment, without charge or due process, all in the name of “the war on terrorism.” People might demand answers as to why their country can’t af... More About: Activism , Change , Part 3
A Timely Column
2007-08-07 00:37:00 I just read an article by Linda McQuaig which amply demonstrates what happens when the government assumes that its citizens are disengaged from the political process. Especially interesting is the fact that extraordinary efforts are being made to keep ordinary citizens far away from the meeting site. More About: Column
Waking People Up! - The Mantle of Leadership – Part 2
2007-08-06 15:58:00 In an earlier posting I discussed how the mantle of leadership is a heavy responsibility, much of it discharged in an irresponsible and self-aggrandizing manner. I suggested that when power is abused, the people can suffer in many ways: physically, economically, and, perhaps most significantly, spiritually. I also suggested that the world is hungry for direction from those who are selfless and morally centered. Today I’d like begin discussing how to achieve such leadership.The beginnings of change, I believe, lie in cultivating a more aware citizenry through improvements in education. Such a citizenry would then have the means to resist a phenomenon all too apparent in recent years, the drift toward simplistic thinking, the kind of thinking that allows politicians to go unchallenged in their abuse of rhetoric and logic. Consider such statements as “You are either with us, or you are with the terrorists,” (George Bush); “We aren’t the government; we’re the people who... More About: People , Leadership , Part , Ship , Lead
People Responding Selflessly
2007-08-04 17:02:00 As reported in the local paper today, people in Ontario have been responding to the Premier’s call to conserve energy. Despite the extremely hot and humid conditions of the past several days, we have managed to keep our energy usage below record levels. According to the item, Ontario's all-time record for electricity demand was set last year on Aug. 1, when users powered through 27,005 megawatts. That record hasn't been cracked so far. Even in this week's heat wave, usage peaked at 25,584 megawatts. This is directly attributed to both individuals and businesses reducing their power usage.I post this information only to demonstrate how people will respond positively to aid the common good, reinforcing the need I have been discussing for strong, morally-centreed leadership, a theme I will be returning to next week. More About: People
Manipulation of Marks
2007-08-03 15:54:00 After reading the New York Times about mark manipulation referred to in the previous posting, I started feeling a little guilty about thus far not discussing my own acquaintance with such practices. Let me preface what is about to follow by saying that while administrators have the legal authority to overrule a teacher’s judgment, the circumstances under which they do so are more often motivated by political expedience than they are by any stretch of pedagogical justification. In these instances, the effect of this poor leadership is to breed cynicism amongst the staff, underscoring the “unseen but highly contagious disease” metaphor of Hamlet discussed earlier.One instance from the past I can personally attest to arose when the Grade 10 science class went on a fieldtrip as their culminating activity. The tasks were fairly involved, but because all did rather poorly on it, retroactively the criteria for the activity were changed to, as I recall, ‘data collection’, so th... More About: Marks , Manipulation , Pula
A Very Interesting Story from Dennis Fermoyle's Blog
2007-08-03 13:49:00 There is a very interestng posting by Dennis Fermoyle, based on a New York Times article discussing the sad state of academic standards in a New York school, aided and abetted by administrative interference. Check it out through this link:From the Trenches of Public Ed.: There are no heroes in this one! More About: Interesting , Story , Blog , Tory
The Mantle of Leadership
2007-08-02 17:34:00 As Peter Parker, aka Spiderman, learned long ago, with great power comes great responsibility. For the past two posts I have been discussing what happens when that power is abused. Today, I’d like to begin looking at the powerful effect strong and morally-centered leadership can have on all of us.Perhaps the best immediate demonstration of this effect can be seen in the recent announcement of the formation of a group called “The Elders.” Consisting of such moral luminaries as Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, and Kofi Annan, their envisaged role is to try to solve problems in the world through a combination of diplomacy and moral suasion. I submit to you that the world is hungry for such selfless leadership. As cynical as I am, I couldn’t help but feel a thrill upon hearing of the involvement of my personal hero, Mandela, a man who shows all of us the best that is possible in humanity. Enduring many years of imprisonment to maintain his integrity, when freedom was ... More About: Leadership , Ship , Lead , Leader , The Man
What’s Shakespeare Got To Do With Anything? – Part 2
2007-07-31 22:08:00 I was thinking a little bit more about the infectious nature of bad leadership, and, while I may be stating the obvious here, probably the best validation of the concept can be found in an organization I know rather intimately – public education.Having already written extensively about my own experiences with poor administration, I’ll try not to repeat myself here, but if we consider institutions as microcosms of society, there can be little doubt about the ripple effect when “there is something rotten in the state of Denmark.” Whether at the board level or within the individual school, when teachers perceive inequity, corruption, or malfeasance (and believe me, those unsavory elements can be pervasive) but feel powerless to remedy the problems, the pernicious effect on morale is difficult to ignore. Some teachers will simply shrug their shoulders, close the door to their classroom and try to carry on doing the best job they can. Others will try to bring the wrongdoing to... More About: Shakespeare , Part , Anything , To Do
What’s Shakespeare Got To Do With Anything?
2007-07-31 02:21:00 Mentioning Shakespeare to a classroom of students is somewhat akin to telling them they are about to receive a massive dose of cod liver oil – something to be avoided at all costs. Maybe it’s true, as someone once said, that education is wasted on the young, because the older I get, the more I understand what the Bard has to offer to our fractured and troubled world. Today I would like to discuss only one small element of his relevance.Being something of a ‘political junkie’ may be one of the many reasons that I took such pleasure in teaching two of Shakespeare’s greatest works: Macbeth and Hamlet. But literary merits aside, the plays’ compelling qualities are in part informed by the Elizabethan view of the universe, one that we have long since abandoned, but which, at its core, perhaps helps to explain much of the political and moral malaise of our times. Known as “The Great Chain of Being,” this view, very concisely, stipulated that there was a natural order i... More About: Anything , To Do
School Dropouts
2007-07-29 17:12:00 Recently I posted an article about Pathways to Education, a program that has remarkable success in decreasing the dropout rate and increasing the percentage of those graduating from high school and going on to post-secondary education. Much of its success, no doubt, comes from the high degree of support offered to those enrolled in the program, but there is little doubt that the other factor has to be the motivation of those who are receiving the help. Without that, the most earnest efforts rarely come to fruition.Which brings me to the purpose of this posting. Long before I retired, I held the belief, as I still do, that dropping out of school is not necessarily the worst thing that can befall a young person. While administrators might feign shock at such an attitude, and society may ring its collective hands over dropout statistics, I suspect a significant number of teachers would agree with me for many reasons. First, we have all had the experience of students whose attendance co... More About: School , Drop
Do You Hate Your Boss?
2007-07-28 01:32:00 An interesting story appeared in the careers section of today’s Globe and Mail. Entitled “Sorry, boss, but everyone hates you,” it discusses an analysis of a decade of surveys representing the opinions of 50,000 employees in Canada and the United States. It is probably no surprise that the majority expressed varying degrees of antipathy toward their bosses. Particularly instructional, however, and I would think pertinent to school administrators, are the reasons for their ill-feelings:- 66% said that management doesn’t listen to their concerns, and 67% said management doesn’t act on their suggestions.- 56% felt that management doesn’t accord them respect.- 40% felt they don’t have sufficient authority to discharge their duties properly.- 52% felt that if they make known their opinions, they will face retribution.While I realize this in no way describes every work environment, in my teaching experience the survey elements were present in sufficient degree to frequen... More About: Hate , Boss
School Dropouts and Pathways to Education
2007-07-25 16:21:00 Teachers will be well-familiar with the following scenario: you have a class that is made up of a range of abilities, from the very bright to the struggling, but their common trait is that almost all of them want to succeed in the course. But then there is the proverbial Johnny, bored by every strategy you try, both jealous and resentful of his classmates, who does everything in his power to disrupt learning, ranging from verbal outbursts to loud flatulence to inappropriate jokes to mockery of both you and the other students. He is part of an in-school student retention program whose instructors often are much more tolerant of aberrant behaviour than you will ever be. Then one day you get the magical note in your mailbox: Johnny has withdrawn from school!As a teacher, I was always deeply ambivalent about student dropouts. On the one hand it was sad to see the loss (at least temporarily) of potential in those going out the door, but on the other hand, it was often a relief, inasmuch ... More About: Education , School , Ducati , Duca , Drop
Inquiring Minds Want To Know
2007-07-24 15:37:00 One of my grievances against journalists today is that many of them seem to have forgotten the vital role the press is supposed to play in keeping its citizenry informed. The obvious example, of course, is its failure to ask any relevant questions before the U.S. invasion of Iraq. A more local but no less important one to Canadians arises over the tragic shooting death of an 11 year old boy in Toronto this past weekend. Our Minister of Public Safety, Stockwell Day, in response to growing calls for a handgun ban, is quoted in today’s Globe and Mail: “We’ve looked at other jurisdictions that have put in bans on handguns and it has not reduced crime with firearms, crime with handguns.”What the minister said may be true, but to my knowledge, he was not asked when or how this study was conducted, the statistical basis for his conclusions, etc. When journalists fail to force politicians to justify their comments, they are, in fact, giving them carte blanche in making misrepresenta... More About: Minds
How Politically Aware are Teachers?
2007-07-23 18:12:00 As I was writing my last post on fallacies of reasoning, a thought occurred to me. Exactly how political and politically aware are teachers today? At one time in Ontario, teachers, led by an energetic OSSTF (Ontario Secondary Teac hers ’ Federation), were quite radical and activist. Today, sad to say, that has given way to a real quietism, even corporatism which, I have often suspected, is a reflection of the staid leadership of the Federation. Those thoughts will be discussed more fully in a future post.My point, however, is that educators cannot afford to think, as many seem to, that they are beyond politics, as if somehow the political realities of society have no place in the classroom. At the last school I taught in, I was fortunate to work closely with a number of people who were both aware and politically active. However, the vast majority of the staff at the school, I felt, preferred to ignore much of the outside world, even going so far as to think that the Federatio... More About: Poli , Ally , Politic
Fallacies of Reasoning - Absolutisms
2007-07-22 18:49:00 This is a strange time , Mister. No man may longer doubt the powers of the dark are gathered in monstrous attack upon this village. - The Crucible, by Arthur Miller.As mentioned in my last post, after my disillusioning experience with class group think, I resolved to sharpen the focus of the language unit. This meant going beyond one of the core essays, Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language” and including the "Knowing How to Think” Royal Bank newsletter. The latter opened the door to explore, in detail, fallacies of reasoning. Three of the fallacies I think my students most benefited from were “absolutisms,” “ad hominems” and “appealing to popular passions.” Coincidentally, these seem to be the three most commonly practiced by governments when communicating with their citizens, so there was no dearth of examples to be found for classroom illustration.Absolutism s: This fallacy is perhaps the easiest to spot. It suggests that there is only one right and wrong... More About: Fall , Alla
My Awakening About Student Complacence
2007-07-21 17:51:00 My epiphany about students’ complacence, their tendency to unquestioning acceptance of the status quo, came about a decade ago. To be sure, I have always had individuals who are most reluctant to rouse themselves from a self-induced torpor to engage with ideas, just as I have always been fortunate to have those who think independently, challenge assumptions, and make teaching a pure joy. However, I never quite shook my disillusionment over my Grade 12’s response to a labour situation I told them about.At one time there was a strike of projectionists in the Cineplex-Odeon chain over wages and guaranteed minimum hours of work. This labour disruption went on for some time, but ultimately most returned to their jobs except for a small group who held out for a better deal. When they eventually gave up the fight, instead of being welcomed back into the fold, they were punished by management: they would be receiving one dollar an hour less and fewer hours per week than those who had pr... More About: Student , Lace , Awake , Awakening
INCULCATING THE SKILL OF REASONING
2007-07-20 23:47:00 I have a friend, Dave from Winnipeg, with whom I used to teach. An avid reader and acute student of politics and economics, he has frequently facetiously said to me, “Lorne, sometimes I wish that I had been born stupid, so I could live my life in blissful ignorance.” My response, other than to laugh, has been to think that the kind of ignorance or complacence Dave sometimes craves would probably sit well with a number of movers and shakers in our society. After all, what could be better than a compliant, unquestioning workforce and electorate? As Charlton Heston said in the original “Planet of the Apes” after spotting the mute humans, “If this is the best they’ve got, we’ll be ruling this planet in a week!” That is why I have always felt that educators have a special responsibility to produce citizens, not only with the marketable le skills demanded by society, but also with the critical thinking skills demanded by a healthy democracy.In a recent post I mentioned two... More About: Skill , Kill
A Book Review
2007-07-20 15:51:00 I've written a review of Al Gore's The Assault on Reason, but didn't think this was the appropriate place to post it. If you are interested, you can find it at my other blog, Wick's Picks: http://lorne-wickspicks.blogspot.com/ More About: Book Review , Review , Book
What Skills Should Schools Be Teaching?
2007-07-19 14:59:00 When we think of the skills that schools teach or should be teaching, what comes to mind?- literacy- numeracy- computer programmingEach of the above, I think everyone would agree, are necessary for students to make their way in the world, both today and tomorrow. But what role does public education play in inculcating the skill of critical thinking? Do we assume, with the existing curriculum, that the ability to think and reason is an inevitable byproduct? Or are there some additional specific measures educators should be taking to achieve this goal? Indeed, some cynics might ask, is independent thinking really encouraged in North American society today?Having just completed Al Gore’s excellent book, The Assault on Reason, these questions have taken on a new urgency in my mind. If the author’s thesis is to be accepted, democracy is under assault today, not from some shadowy terrorist organization of Mid-East origin, but rather from a threat much cl... More About: Schools , Teaching , Skills , Kill , Teac
Teacher Man – Frank McCourt
2007-07-18 16:43:00 Although I read it shortly after it was published and so forget many of the details, Frank McCourt ’s third installment of his memoirs, Teac her Man, left a lasting impression on me.Having taught for 30 years in public education in New York City, McCourt speaks with an authority that demands attention. His uncompromising portrait of what happens in the classroom, and the regular interference perpetrated by administrators, are experiences that any teacher will readily identify with.In one sequence, he relates how his English department head berated him for having no ambition. His sin? He was content with teaching, while at least four other members of the department were studying for their supervisory papers in anticipation of moving into administrative positions. And McCourt’s character was deemed lacking?In another part of the book, he says something to the effect that administrators and other bureaucrats had escaped the classroom, only to come back to bother the teachers and the ...
Education Notes Online: A New Teacher Story - updated
2007-07-18 03:28:00 Now here is a story to warm the hearts of anyone who has ever been abused by an administrator!Education Notes Online : A New Teacher Story - updated
Nothing New for Today
2007-07-18 01:17:00 Sorry there is nothing new posted today. I am ensconsced on the deck reading Al Gore's Assault on Reason. I'll have more to say about its implications for education as as soon as I complete it More About: Today , Thing
Education, Language, and Politics
More articles from this author:2007-07-16 17:38:00 As an English teacher, central to my philosophy was the belief that the classroom is the ideal forum within which to explore ideas and engage with the world. While this might seem a truism, in many ways it ran counter to the very conservative nature of public education, which stresses the importance of teacher neutrality in the classroom. It was an expectation I regularly violated.In teaching Orwell’s “Poli tics and the English Language ”, a seminal essay that is still frequently referred to today, some sixty years after its publication, it was impossible not to engage the students in the issues of the day. Central to Orwell’s thesis was that language and thought are intertwined, and if we are sloppy in our thinking, that fact will be reflected in our language, and visa versa.However, his most trenchant comments are reserved for the political uses of language, which he describes as largely “the defense of the indefensible.” Whether in speech or in writing, he attempts to w... More About: Education , Ducati 1, 2, 3, 4 |
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