Today’s class conversation was terrific. We spoke about voter apathy, read an excerpt form a Harvard professor and listened attentively to the words of Martin Luther King Jr.
The class discussion seemed to focus on the lack of clear lines between what it means to be a Democrat or a Republican. I think when commenting today we should try to define clearly the differences between Dems and Reps.
Where does each party stand on global trade, civil rights, the war in
How can we effectively get information about candidates running for political office? How much do TV commercials influence our opinions? Why is voter turnout in the
I apologize for the delay in posting this:
We read in class about the gap in math scores on state tests. In more affluent communities the scores are higher and in high-need communities the scores are lower. We also began to explore the controversial issue of “language”. As a class we acknowledged the social vs. “test” of academic language.
What are we supposed to do with this information? If there is discrimination in the system, how can we as 18 yr olds do something about this? What responsibility do state legislators have to close this gap? What seems to be the real issue here?
“The government either has to change the parents, change the tests, or retrain the teachers.”
Are there any other options?
For those of you that want more insight check out Jonathan Kozol's book Savage Inequalities (excerpted here)
Today in class we were honored to have to members of the Veterans for Peace organization join us about their experience in the military. Ms Groebner contacted the non-partisan speakers to share their experiences and choices they made during the 1960’s while the country was recruiting soldiers during our armed conflict in
Their message was simple. They cautioned our graduating seniors against the dangers of racism that had been instilled in them during basic training and spoke about the danger of not having an action plan after graduation from high school.
Impressed by the positive culture that exudes from each student and faculty member as you walk through the halls of the building, Dayl Wise (Speaker) said, “I arrived here early and I was totally impressed, not only with the school’s physical environment, but with the attitude of the student body... you can tell that there is something special going on here.” Dayl has spoke at
numerous high schools throughout the country and clearly has a solid basis for comparison.
Ms. Grantz, Mr. Shatz, Mr. Eddelson, Mr. Brown, and Ms, Groebner would like to extend a warm thanks to Dayl Wise and Jim Murphy for coming to our school and sharing their experiences with a (Montessori and Friere) Participation in Government class. I persoanlly would like to thank Ruth for once agian providing such a rich educational environment in my classroom.
Check out pics from class in thsi brief video : http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4264646037143288688
Guiding Questions for comments:
What measures should local, state, and federal officials take to ensure the safety of all children in school? What freedoms are you willing to give up in order to be safe? This recent incident is extremely similar to one that occurred just last week; does the media have a responsibility to not glamorize criminals?
