Is Ms. Erin Gruwell a good teacher?

    After viewing the first half of the film freedom writers, I felt Erin Gruwell was a good teacher. It first became apparent to me after a couple of her students got into a fight in class. Although she was unnerved, she did not give up. Most teachers would have likely high tailed it out the door and never looked back, and I would not blame them, instead she came back the next day only to be greeted with another fight, it was then that she started to observe the actions of these students and I think she realized that no one seemed to care what they were doing, or learning for that matter. You could see the emotion that she was feeling as she came to realize this, anger, sadness, and disappointment. I think it was then that she decided she needed to find a way to get through to the kids because no one else would. She first used the incident with the picture that a student had drawn and passed around the class, making fun of another student. She challenged the students true knowledge of what it meant to be in a gang, and used the opportunity to sneak in a little history lesson. This lesson caught one students attention and he wanted to learn more. Soon her job would consume her life as she started to spend more time focusing on the kids and less time at home. She took on a second job to purchase materials that the school would not supply, which showed her determination to teach these kids. She came up with a way to show the kids their similarities and get them to relate to one another, which showed her dedication. She eventually raised money so she and her dad could take the students on a trip to learn about the holocaust.
     These are just a few examples of what I felt made her a good teacher. It seemed that she would go to great lengths to stand up for these kids and their education, including breaking a few school policies.
       

Freedom writers notes part 1

    Erin Gruwell starts out excited to be a teacher in a new system of integrated students.
She learns quickly that she has no support from the staff as they think the students don't want to learn, and they can just sweep them under the rug because they will all soon give up and stop going.
Students start out with no respect for their teacher. They refer to themselves as being in the dumb class.
Teacher realizes she has no control when students start to fight in the classroom.
It was not what she had expected.  teachers didn't seem to concerned with the (OTHER) students education. She was angry, and says maybe if I teach them.
tries to joke and relate with the kids, still has no control when a fight starts outside. She then observes that their is no ingratiation and nobody cares about the students.
She realizes she has to assert some authority and discusses respect with her students after they are caught passing a hurtful note. She also used this incident to start a discussion about the history of gangs as well as  the Holocaust, which caught the kids attention.
She went to the school hoping to get materials that the kids would be interested in but soon found that she would have no support from the school.

What I feel makes a good teacher

   I have to say that I don't remember my teachers, as my last year in school was in the 6th grade and I don't really have any memories of elementary school. I can however go off of my experience with my children's teachers. My daughter Amanda who is now 19 would likely tell you that her favorite teacher was her fifth grade teacher. What made him a good teacher was his willingness to get to know each student and to build confidence in each of them. He would dance with them at events and joke around with them to make class more enjoyable, but in the long run he also made sure that every student understood what he was teaching, adapting to meet each students need  as" Hassett states in, What makes a good Teacher"   It was very apparent that he loved his job and would go to great lengths for the students in his class and their families if they were struggling. He even moved up with his students from 4th grade to fifth grade so my daughter had him for 2 years in a row. I feel that  teachers can be one of, if not the most influential and important people in a child's life and if they go into their job with that kind of an understanding and build off of it with patience and yet a good structure, we will have good students as well as good teachers.

Audre Lorde's teachers

        I have to say that I really enjoyed Lorde's essay. I found myself wanting to learn more about her life and experience in school although it didn't seem to me that it was very pleasant as "Lorde illustrates her first grade teacher at the catholic school and how stern she was by stating that "she ran the first grade with an iron hand in the shape of a cross". She them moves on to show her teachers feelings of the children stating that "caring for was not always caring about. And it always felt like Sister MPH hated either teaching or little children". Lorde then moves on further to illustrate  what I felt was a lack of confidence that her teacher had in her and an almost demeaning tone which is down right cruel when she placed her sentence paper on the chalk channel. "That was to much coming from a Brownie. Sister Mary of PH frowned. This was to be your own work children," she said. "Who helped you with your sentence, Audre?" she told her she had done it alone, and her teacher then went on to say, "Our guardian angels weep when we don't tell the truth, Audre. I want a note from your mother tomorrow telling me that you are sorry for lying to baby Jesus."
       I could easily go on to describe the many ways I feel that her style of teaching was wrong, but these were different times. I am just thankful that we have so many options these days and our children don't have to be belittled by their teachers.
     

He is stating that schools kill creativity and we need to rethink the principle on which we are educating our children. I highly agree with his findings, however I think there must be a balance between creativity and the structured learning system as well. All children should learn some form of math,english, etc. because it will be used in most life situations at some point.  The arts help to expand more on personality, enjoyment, etc. His style of teaching was interesting. I enjoyed the humor that he used to engage the audience, and help them to relate which he used to his advantage. Once he got their attention, he would make his point. It was effective but a little distractive from the point.   It seems that what he states may be more of an opinion then facts because he doesn't present enough evidence, but he is convincing.

What was main point of ed narrative

The main point of my education narrative was, you can get through anything if you keep an open mind and put in the effort to try to change. At first I was very skeptical about the rehabilitation program They were sending me,  so I didn't think it would do me any good. Once I gave it a shot, It helped me in a big way.

Education narrative final draft. How I learned to live with a painful disability.

                             
Heather Mews
English 101
Professor: Begert                    
                           How I learned to live with a Painful Disability 

Most people who don’t know me on a personal level are unaware of the debilitating pain I am faced with daily. I was midway through my work day - when I had to run an extension cord underneath a sleeper sofa - this was part of my usual routine so I didn't think twice when I  lifted the sofa, and twisted to reach for the cord - it was then that I realized something didn't feel right. I reported the incident, but continued to work with my injury for several more weeks - due to fear of losing the income that I needed to support my 3 children. Little did I know - these actions would soon lead to what is now a very permanent, and painful disability.

After several years of spinal injections, physical therapy, chiropractic care, laser therapy, and massage therapy - basically every form of treatment that did not involve taking drugs - I came to the decision along with several orthopedic surgeons - that surgery would be my best option. Upon making this decision - I was informed that L&I would require me to attend a very extensive pain rehabilitation program before they would allow me to move forward with the surgery. In my opinion - this seemed to be yet another way for them to avoid taking the necessary steps for my recovery. If they had just done this in the beginning - I would have been well on the road to my recovery, and saved them a lot of money on ineffective treatments. I feel  the government wastes enough money as it is. I had spent an ample amount of time preparing myself for the surgery - so I was not happy about this little adventure they were about to send me on.

It was the beginning of December when I got the call "your rehabilitation program will start on December 11^th, and you will need to stay here for the duration". Not only did I hate the big city, but I felt they had no regard to the fact that they were making me leave my family over the holidays - my dog whom I felt played a huge role in helping me manage my depression, and the comfort of my own home. When I first arrived in Seattle I was angry, and had already formed an attitude that the program they were requiring me to attend - was going to be no more effective than the other treatments I had received prior. The apartment I was to stay in was cold and drab, impersonal, and there were people camped out on the side of the road with their sleeping bags - leaving me with little comfort - as I was by myself. I missed my family immediately, and I just wanted to give up and go home. Little did I know - that attitude was about to change.

The next morning - I was to meet with the doctors, therapists, etc. First I met with the doctor - she performed several tests - after doing so she gave me the opportunity to ask questions about the program, and my injury - you better believe I had questions, and I can assure you there were many. I had every intent on breaking down this little program of theirs, and exposing it for the scam that it was. I also asked her to explain my  injury, and the procedure - this is where the education began. She presented me with an over whelming amount of evidence pertaining to the outcomes of my procedure, and the results were very alarming. I decided it would be a good idea to do some further research on my own. What I found out - supported what she had told me. On average there was only about a 20% chance that a spinal fusion "a metal plate on each side of my spine to secure it" would fix the damage to my spine, and there was a higher risk that it could make me worse in the long run. It would be likely that I would need to have a new fusion to support the next section of my spine, and so on - then by around age of 50 it was possible that I wouldn't be able to walk. It was then that I began to realize "Hmm L&I might actually be looking out for my well being, and not just their pocket books". After learning all of this information - I was still reserved, and not yet willing to make any decisions, but I did have a more open mind.

The next step after meeting with the doctor - was to meet my occupational therapist. They had me perform a series of  tasks as I normally would at home - while videotaping my postures. We then went over the film, and she customized a routine that would help me to better compensate for my injury. This routine would be performed twice daily - as it takes 30 days to build a habit, and would hopefully enable me to perform everyday tasks much easier. My occupational therapist then introduced me to Linda, "my physical therapist" she ran me through a bunch of tests to see what my physical abilities were - so she could customize a plan with realistic goals in mind. I realized early on that she was a lot like me - to the point - no bull, but with a good since of humor. I told her not to put up with my stubborn butt, and to push me as hard as she felt appropriate. She did exactly that, but we laughed our way through the whole process. I noticed the impact that the positive energy had on the other patients - so I began to encourage others, and joke around to lighten the atmosphere. Even the staff was having fun. We also dedicated 30 minutes a day to learning different forms of meditation - which helps to relax the muscles, and take the strain off of my spine. I found that I enjoyed Tai-Chi the most. After meeting with my physical therapist it was time to move on to psychology.

I met with a psychiatrist several times, and attended classes daily - that I found to be very informative. I learned that the effect Pain has on your mental well being, and vice versa was quite significant, and when I started to find alternative ways to do the things I love - I began to live again. On my last day - I met with each of my program leads - so they could assess my progress, and report back to L&I. What a difference from their first assessments of me." Dr. Forseit my psychiatrist" Heather seems to be depressed.  She feels she has let everyone down, and has an unhealthy amount of guilt. The last Day "Dr. Forseit" Heather has played a key role in helping, and encouraging others in their recovery. She has been a model patient. She will be missed.

I continue to stay in touch with the staff at RIW to this day, and can say that my new career choice was influenced by this program. I am studying to be a chemical dependency counselor to help pain patients - as most at some point will become addicted to pain medication. I try to keep up with my home therapy as much as possible, but I would be lying if I said my pain is gone. What I can say - is although I chose not to have the surgery for now - I feel I can live with my disability, and be a functioning, and contributing person in our society - which is enough for me.