Wk 4 Publishing/Leadership Project - Part 3 of 3 - Publishing Update

I have definitely decided to publish my article, and I am going to submit my article to the five journals that I wrote about earlier this week.

• Tech & Learning
• T.H.E. Journal
• Journal of Technology Education
• Journal of Information Technology Education
• Journal of Technology and Teacher Education

 I figure that the subject of my AR will fit with these five journals more than other journals, so that's why I'm going with those.

I've got some minor tweaking to do to my article before it is completely finished, but the huge majority of the article is written and so glad that it is!!

Wk 4 Response - Emily Overstreet

Original post by Emily Overstreet:

I'm thinking I would like to do a presentation. Well, lets settle this real quick. I really would rather write an article than present because I do not enjoy talking to groups of people, much less people I don't know. However, I am a much better presenter than writer, so I will go with the lesser of two evils and choose the presentation option. I am not a teacher, so I would like to present my idea to the Jefferson County School System. I am not sure if I will be allowed to since I am not involved in the school system at all. Hopefully, if I can present, it will give me an in to the school system. It is a rather large school system, so maybe I will start small and present to the board and then do smaller presentations among different districts. It is not that I don't want to present to the whole group, but I feel it will have a bigger impact if I do more presentations to smaller groups of people. 

 

Another option for a presentation would include presenting at Kentucky Society for Technology in Education training conference in the fall of 2010. With both of these ideas, I need to search for the right contact to email about presenting. This is nerve wracking as I have never done this before at all. Ahhh.

Response by Rebecca Day:

Emily,
 

Just because you are not affiliated with the school system does not mean that you will not be able to present. At my old school, the principal brought in a few speakers who were not affiliated with our system, but he thought that what they had to say might be of some interest to the faculty. If you ask, you might be surprised when they say "yes". If they turn you down, you can at least say you tried.

Becky

wk 4 response - Loretta Burkley

Original post by Loretta Burkley:

OK.  I’ve searched so many journals and conferences I’m now cross-eyed.  Yet, I keep coming back to the list provided as a resource by Dr. Bedard.  I really wanted to publish in Edutopia, but I’m having a real problem finding out how or to whom.  I wonder if they only take articles they solicit?  That doesn’t make sense but it does look that way!

I’ve also checked out almost all of the conferences listed.  I still have a few to check.   Presenting or having your paper discussed at a conference gives me a case of hives.  My topic of Student Apathy and technology isn’t exactly a perfect fit for most of them.   I do have one or two that seem more appropriate then the others.  

Response by Rebecca Day:

Loretta,

I'm in the same boat you are in.  I've searched for all kinds of technology education journals and only found five that I thought my article might fit in. 

What list did Dr. Bedard give you that you referred to?  I would like to see this reference list.  I might also give Edutopia a chance too. 

I don't like the idea of presenting my research at a conference.  My topic of Internet filtering is so controversial that I don't want to cause a riot at a conference.  Publishing an article is a passive-aggressive way of getting my information out there without hearing immediate backlash!

Becky

Wk 4 Publishing/Leadership Project - Part 2 of 3 - Definitely Writing

I have definitely decided that I am going to write an article for my publishing/leadership project.  It is so much easier to write the article and edit the information that I do have because the information has already been written.

The problem that I am having now is figuring out where to publish.  I have a list of the journals that I think might publish my article:

• Tech & Learning
• T.H.E. Journal
• Journal of Technology Education
• Journal of Information Technology Education
• Journal of Technology and Teacher Education

What I'm thinking of doing is submitting the article to all five of the journals on my list and seeing which, if any, will publish me.

If anyone out there has any other suggestions, please let me know!

wk 4 reading - Vision

In Chapter 11 of "The Art of Possibility," Rosamund and Benjamin Zander discuss vision.  I understand one's vision as the reason or purpose for doing something.

Many times during this program, I lost my vision and questioned why I had even enrolled.  I inadvertently began questioning my worth as a teacher.  What is the purpose of this class?  What is the purpose of this degree?  Why am I doing this?  Why am I spending all this money on this degree when no system will even give me a chance to teach in their schools?  What am I going to do with this degree, anyway, when I'm finished, other than make more money every year? 

Making more money was not the reason why I enrolled.  I enrolled because I want to become a better teacher and learn new things to teach to my students; because I want to help my students be more successful.

Every time I begin to question myself, I remember my focus, my vision of myself as a better teacher.

Wk 4 Publishing/Leadership Project - Part 1 of 3 - Where to Present??

I thought I was freaking out before about my AR...well, I'm definitely freaking out now.  Part of the assignment for our Publishing/Leadership Project in month 12 is to obtain an official acknowledgment to publish or present our article or presentation.  SERIOUSLY??  I've thought about this for a week or so now, and absolutely nothing comes to mind.

I don't have a teaching job lined up for the next school year, so I can't present to my colleagues.  Even if I am offered a position for the next year, I doubt I'll be able to present because my new colleagues won't know me well enough to let me present.

The only thing I can think of right now is to write an article and submit it to one of the following journals:

• English Education
• THE Journal
• Tech & Learning
• English Journal

If anyone could throw some ideas my way, I would greatly appreciate it!

Wk 3 - Free Choice

I read a lot.  Usually I read bestselling novels, but I have a few favorite authors.  Lately, I've been reading books that have been made into movies.  I'm one of those people who has to read the book before I see the movie.  So last week I bought Push by Sapphire.  This was the book that was made into the movie Precious.  I'm only halfway through the book, and I am absolutely saddened by what has happened to the protagonist of the book in just her short sixteen years. 

A short synopsis:
The protagonist, Precious Jones, has been raped repeatedly since the second grade by her own father and mother.  When she was twelve she gave birth to her first child (by her father) in the middle of her kitchen, while her mother kicked her in the head for "stealing her man."  The baby was born with Down's Syndrome.  Now, Precious is sixteen and pregnant with her second child (also by her father).  Precious cannot read or write and has been kicked out of school for being pregnant.  After she gives birth to her second child, she is kicked out of her house because she told a social worker that the first child is being raised by her grandmother, not her mother, thus ending her mother's welfare money.  The only refuge that Precious has is the school that she is attending to bring up her reading and writing skills so that she can eventually get her GED. 

I haven't even got to the part where Precious's mother comes to the halfway house to tell her that her father died of AIDS.

I think I've always known that stuff like this happens in America.  I was told in high school that one of my classmates had HIV, but the teacher obviously couldn't tell us who.  So I've known for a while that the world is cruel. 

So what does this have to do with anything?  I promise this post isn't a book review, nor is it a push to get other people to read the book, although I do think that more people should read it and open their eyes to the injustices that are possible in our society.

I guess my point is that I hope that none of my students is ever this bad off.  No one deserves the stuff that happened to the main character. 

I want my child to grow up knowing that bad things happen in the world.  I just hope none of those bad things happen to her.

wk 3response - Carrie Kleber

Original Post by Carrie Kleber:

I found myself less inspired by the three chapters we read this week than the previous chapters. I’m not sure why, they had good ideas and practices to offer, but they didn’t reach out and grab me. That being said, I did have a few thoughts and reactions to share.

I have often found myself in situations where downward spiral talk abounds. Quite often, I’m the one doing it. It is so easy to get caught up in the negative of a situation, that you fail to see a way out. I like the idea of stating the facts of the way things are...not the opinions, but the facts, and then figure out a way to move on. I think sometimes teachers, myself included, get stuck on the way we see a non-responsive student, and can’t do anything else but complain and be frustrated. I’m sure we could be a lot more productive if we stated the facts, and then went from there. No, it won’t be perfect, but at least we can move on.

As I read through the chapter on passion, I had to admit that I often hold back and don’t let myself fully experience the moment. I’m not sure why, perhaps I’m afraid of looking stupid, but it’s something I would like to work on. I’d like to take a chance, and discover a whole new world.

Finally, there was the idea of lighting the spark. I found the story about Ben bringing the Philharmonic Orchestra to the failing school in London to be very inspiring. It’s amazing how things can work out when we quit manipulating and instead try and let people see our vision, and in turn allowing ourselves to see someone else's vision.

Response by Rebecca Day:

Carrie,

This past semester, I taught three 9th grade Literature classes.  All of the teachers in my department had a common planning period and we would usually gather during that period and complain.  Seriously.  We'd complain about how stupid our students were, about some of the specific instances that made us wonder how shallow the gene pool was in the county, about how disrespectful the students were, about anything and everything that we could.  But we never came up with any ideas to help, and we seldom talked about some of the good things that our students did. 

We got caught up in the negativity surrounding us and falsely labeled it as "being realistic."  I really hate that I let myself get caught up in all of that, but I know now to find something positive in my next group of students.

Becky

wk3 response - Aimee Holcombe

Original post by Aimee Holcombe:

When I think about Zander’s remarks on the importance of “will” instead of “should,” I think of ownership. A key phrase that I start my class off with and carry through out the course is: “Own It.” I have it posted on the wall and I say it as many times as necessary to get the point across. Own your paper by making sure that your S.A.N.D. information is clearly on it (student name, assignment, name of class, and date). Own your grade by working hard for it at all times and making it what you truly want to have. Own your words and behavior choices by admitting your faults and doing your part to be responsible for yourself and your actions, and make better what you have made a mistake with (by apologizing, cleaning up...etc.).  Own your classroom by not vandalizing property and by treating the room as if it were your own. Just Own It! (One of these days I am going to get a rapper to turn it into a song to the tune of Michael Jackson’s “Beat it!” If interested, have your people talk to my people. I would do it myself, but after my Bill of Rights rap, I have been asked by my students, family, and friends to not recreate the moment... or ever perform karaoke.)

Reflections from Prompts in Particular:

Chapter 7. The Way Things Are: Sometimes settling for the way things are is a lowering of expectations, sometimes it’s finding a starting point so that one can make things better. Where are you in this continuum?

I have finally made it to the starting point stage!!! For several years I have been trying to figure out what is wrong and why it isn’t working out like I have planned. I have sought out teaching books, lectures on EDTV, advice from colleagues, and even surveying my students... but none has proven effective in getting me beyond self recognition until now. Now, instead of trying to figure it all out up front, I am looking at what I do know needs change and simply starting a new practice in that area! For the first time, I am starting my year not with a long unattainable to impove/ modify list, but instead to a short task-oriented to do list! I feel empowered and know that it will make a difference. I may not know the end result or if everything will work, but I am going to start at the small things and just do them instead of worrying about or trying to perfect them first.

Chapter 8. Giving Way to Passion: Control says that the only way to avoid disappointment and frustration is to not care at all. No hits, no runs, but most importantly, no errors. What are you doing in your daily life that expresses your passion or the things you are passionate about?

I am trying to -NO- committing to think less, and do more. I have a tendency to seek only a perfect product, but in the midst I find myself creating more stress on me and the people around me. I am learning more and more that simple is more. As an example: Daily, as in right now on my summer break from teaching, I have committed to doing some form of heart-pumping or muscle toning exercise every single day. I wanted to commit to perfect eating, a strict and balanced exercise schedule, a gym membership with a personal trainer, and a weight loss goal with deadline! Realizing that I always ‘commit’ to that and never achieve any of it, I decided to go easier on myself. In turn I feel better and much more confident! Sure, I still have my smaller-size motivation dress to wear for graduation, but I might just have to be OK with wearing a girdle with it too! Afterall, I am passionate about being healthy and having endurance for the long run of the rest of my life, not simply an event that will pass!

Chapter 9. Lighting a Spark. It’s not about us. It’s about them. What are you doing to pay-forward from your universe of possibility?

I am always reminded of the common phrase my grandmother still quotes to me, “they don’t care how much you know, till they know how much you care!” I would like to say that I am truly paying it forward in my classroom, but currently I have been focusing more on my family... which was (and always is a great need). (I believe that the zealous teachers such as myself often need to focus on family more... often times it is all about the lessons and the tasks ahead, and not about the people in their own home.) Therefore, I have decided to embrace the time that I have with my family and share it with others. In my film class, I interviewed my grandmother. Since that time, and prior, I have come to truly understand that they do not have much time left on this earth and also- just how wonderfully blessed I have been to grow to 30 years and beyond with both sets of my grandparents married over 60 years and living close by. My step mother passed so much wisdom to me before she died of cancer in 2000, but I never captured any of it beyond my memory. With my love for film production and desire to capture my grandparent’s timely treasures, I have been using every opportunity to get them on film and audio. I have already made 2 videos as a part of my courses here, and I will be making several more after graduation. I am creating them to capture a legacy, and to give it to my friends and family to come.

Here are those created thus far if you are interested:

http://www.facebook.com/Aimee.Fullsail?v=app_2392950137#!/video/video.php?v=109718335704959 


http://www.facebook.com/Aimee.Fullsail?v=app_2392950137#!/video/video.php?v=137156072961185




Response by Rebecca Day:

Aimee,

I love your idea of "Own It"!  It's an idea that I have had for many years, and for some reason have never employed it in my own classroom.  I'm the kind of person who finds inspirational quotes; copies and pastes them into a banner; prints and laminates the banner; and hangs the banner in my classroom to hopefully inspire my students.  But I have never done this with "Own It".  Thank you for the inspiration!

Becky

Wk 3 reading - Learning from Our Mistakes

Mistakes can be like ice.  If we resist them, we may keep on slipping into a posture of defeat.  If we include mistakes in our definition of performance, we are likely to glide through them and appreciate the beauty of the longer run.

--Rosamund Zander, The Art of Possibility

My husband watches Mythbusters.  A lot.  One night this past week, I left my computer and came into the living room to watch TV with him, and Mythbusters' top 20 best episodes was on.  A recurring theme that all the cast members spoke of was mistakes, how they learned from those mistakes, and how they adjusted their experiments as a result.

Much of my Action Research Project has been a study of mistakes, specifically how many mistakes I made that my data and results turned out so badly.  I don't think that my AR project has turned out that well, especially compared to some of my classmates' projects, and I keep wishing that I could go back and redo some things so my project will be as good as others'.

The questions that go through my mind:
Did I not choose a topic soon enough?  Did I start my cycles too late?  Should I have chosen a different topic?  Should I have tried one more time to get permission to send out that email with the link to my survey?  Should I have tried harder to get those interviews?  Would the interviews have added relevant information to my data? 

Unfortunately, the past year hasn't been an experiment, and I can't go back in time, but if I had it all over to do again, I would fix some of the mistakes I made and hope for a better AR project.  All I can do now is use the data that I do have and create the best possible project.

Wk 2 - AR Status

I am a procrastinator. 

I haven't always been this way.  When I was in the 5th grade, I made the jump from a student who turned in everything on time to a student who didn't.  I really used to be one of those kids who would turn in signed permission slip forms the day after the teacher gave them back.  One day, though, I wondered to myself why I did that, why I turned in my permission slips the very next day.  Even the teacher's daughter didn't turn in her permission slip the very next day.  Thus, I became a procrastinator.

When I was in college, my procrastination was really, really bad because I often wouldn't write my essays until the night before.  My research would be done days ahead of schedule, but the actual paper wouldn't be done until the night before.  One semester, I had five papers due the week of finals, so I had no choice but to procrastinate and it felt wonderful to have an excuse!

So...my Action Research Project...not a good thing to procrastinate on...but I did.  The bulk of my Action Research had been done for months.  I just chose not to do the writing because I'm not a writer, despite the fact that I am an English major.  So the week before the AR Status was due, I freaked out because I didn't think I was going to get finished in time.  The Sunday before the assignment was due, I locked myself inside my office, my husband dropped off our daughter at my parents house, and I essentially was left to my own devices for the next three days. 

I began with my Literature Review.  I rewrote it.  By hand.  And it took me hours...but I got it done. 

I moved to Cycle 1.  I wrote it out by hand as well and I finished it Sunday night.  The only thing I had left to do was Cycle 2 and I saved it for Monday.

On Monday, I finished up Cycle 2 and turned in my AR Status...I FINISHED A DAY EARLY!! 

This from a procrastinator...

Wk 2 Reponse - Timothy Bemiller

Original Post by Timothy Bemiller:

The Chapter 5 reading was very cool in the way it communicated proper leadership. The main theme to me was that leaders are in place to nurture and guide those under their leadership. This concept of leadership does not need to be in your face and dictator oriented. The concept to me is that leaders can lead and inspire from a rather subdued role, hence the name of the chapter. I like the idea that a leader’s main role is to make the people better through well timed insight and wisdom that is not intended to put people down, rather to lift them up.

I am not an intense person. I do however love to lead the group if I feel I am qualified to do so. I lead in the way the book identifies and that makes me feel good about my style of helping those around me. I thrive off of making people better and not just controlling them.

How many times have you had instructors that run their class as a “my way or the highway” mentality? This kind of leadership is embraced by some, but many feel threatened by this format and would rather the inspirational leader who thrives to make the class better no matter what. I believe sometimes pride gets in the way of a leader’s ability to make the people around them better.

Response by Rebecca Day:

A year or so ago, my classroom was situated across the hallway of a teacher who had been teaching for at least twenty years.  She taught only honors and AP classes.  I was talking with her one afternoon about classroom management and she told me that she runs her class like a dictatorship.  She tells her students at the beginning of the year that her classroom is not a democracy, the students have no freedom of choice or speech, and she is in absolute control.  What really got me was that her students LOVED her.  I would have hated not being able to have some wiggle room.  I guess the idea of "my way or the highway" worked for her.

Wk 2 Reponse - Diane Frymire

Original Post by Diane Frymire:

"The contributions game has remarkable powers for transforming conflicts into rewarding experiences."
Art of Possibility, by R. Zander, p. 59

Presence of mind rather than overwhelm with emotion allows more positive interaction. This presence is more transforming when both are seen as contributors to good in the world instead of arbiters of evil. A very destructive viewpoint is a double-edged sword. On one side, a person can throw out negativity that can cut another's psyche, while on the other side, the receiver's interpretation increases the damage on the return slice. The contributions game that Zander endorses dulls that return blade.

Many people, including, or especially including, students, are prone to receive information in different ways based on previous experience. Zander's way of opening his students' eyes to how they positively contribute to the world and people around them creates an inner sense of worth in them. This can be likened to filling up one's cup with delicious things so that when someone tries to pour something bitter into the mix, the sweetness already there can actually transform that tartness into something tasty.
"...his true power derives from his ability to make other people powerful."
Art of Possibility, by R. Zander, p. 68

What better goal should there be for a teacher!?! Pride wants to put-down others, while true humility is powerful and has the ability to empower others. Zander has hit on the true meaning of leadership. A leader is one who sees greatness in others, learns from it, nurtures it, and never feels that her/his knowledge is so untouchable that s/he cannot grow from even the smallest person's contribution.
As a teacher, this should mean that student opinions, thoughts and ideas should be treated with value and respect. Collaboration in its deepest sense is mutual contributions where wisdom guides but does not overpower.
"Who am I being that they are not shining?"
Art of Possibility, by R. Zander, p. 74

Without unnecessary self-deprecation, this should be a question teachers continually ask when students are not responding positively. A sober, positive assessment of pedagogical practices, as well as personal foibles, may reveal new ways to reach students that otherwise may have been considered difficult. Although this may take some extra energy to pursue, the benefits are often more long-term when others know that educators are paying attention to students' real needs.

That's Rule 6 isn't it?




Reponse by Rebecca Day:

Diane,

I absolutely agree! When students are made to feel that they are worthy and that they are successful, they will have the motivation to face any challenges head-on. Putting our students down and making them feel stupid NEVER works, and unfortunately, many teachers still use this tactic. We have to empower our students to be successful.

Becky 

Wk 2 Reading - Optimism

Benjamin Zander's optimism is absolutely astounding.  He believes, unwaveringly, that everyone is an A; that everyone can be a contribution; that everyone can be a leader.  How inspiring!  The cynic in me is questioning Zander's line of thinking, though.  I do believe that everyone can contribute something to a class or project, but can everyone be a leader?  Does everyone truly deserve an A? 

During my undergraduate studies, I observed two seventh grade Reading and Language Arts classes.  The Language Arts class was filled with the average to below-average students.  The Reading class was filled with those students who would eventually take honors and college preparatory classes in high school.  I observed the two classes over the course of a semester, and once I had established myself there, the teacher told me one day that there was a stark difference between the two classes.  The students in the reading class would most definitely go on to college and lead successful lives.  The students in the language arts class, however, wouldn't be so lucky.  They were the problem children who always stayed in trouble for varied reasons.  Some students had family issues that would probably keep them from going past the tenth grade.  Some of them would loose motivation.  Some of them would have at least one kid before graduation.  She spouted off the stereotypical "bad" class. 

One student in particular that she pointed out was a young man who you could tell wasn't the brightest child, but he was very respectable and never got into any trouble.  The teacher told me that this particular student would probably never succeed in college but would be good to sweep the floors at a nursing home because he would be good with the patients.

After my forty hours of observations were over, I thought to myself that this teacher was absolutely right.  Not everyone can be successful; not everyone can go to college; not everyone needs to go to college.  We need people to sweep the floors at hospitals and nursing homes. 

That's been over five years ago, and I realize now that the teacher was a bit pessimistic.  I feel that if the teacher treated all her students like they were As, like they were making contributions, like they were leaders, then maybe she wouldn't have had as many discipline problems.  If that teacher had treated her students like they were true contributors to a successful society, maybe those students would have been successful in high school.  Maybe they would have gone on to college.  Maybe they would have waited until after graduation to have children. 

I think that our perception of our students and how we treat them definitely makes a difference in how they turn out.  if we treat our students like they are stupid, then they will act like it.  They won't do their homework.  They won't perform well in class.  They won't do their projects.  If we treat them like they are already successful, then they will rise to that standard and be successful. 

wk1 Free Choice

Last night, my husband and I drove two and a half hours north to Eatonton, GA, to see my students graduate. 

For those of you who don't know, I was non-renewed at the end of the 2008-09 school year, after teaching at the high school for two years and having test scored better than many veteran teachers.  For a long time I blamed the administrators for not being able to find another position and for staying unemployed throughout last fall.  It wasn't until I began teaching again in a school district close to my home in Tifton that I finally began to let go of some of that anger. 

Last night, the class of 2010, the last class that I taught at the high school, graduated.  I taught at least half of them!  I finally have closure and have absolutely no desire to be there anymore.  I don't know the students anymore.  I don't care to associate myself with the teachers; I did find it funny that even though I worked with these  50+ people for two years, only three of them spoke to me last night.  I got more hugs and tears from my students than I did the faculty.  And that tells me something.

wk 1 Response - Charles Mills

Original Post by Charles Mills:


I don’t read much at all.  Though I enjoy reading, my life is so busy I find it difficult to find the time.  Over the years I have read very few books with the exception of the bible.  Many of my friends can’t understand this because their perception of the bible is that it is a book of rules, of do’s and don’ts, of penalties and judgment (hell, fire and brimstone), and weeping and gnashing of teeth (as one professor recently alluded to in a Wimba session).  These things are not what stand out to me. I see hope, redemption, forgiveness, compassion, love, and the fact that though I could never “measure up”, I am an “A”. 

Life on the other hand can cause me to lose faith when I lose sight of the right perspective.  I refer to not only spiritual faith, but faith in others…like faith in my students! When I consider my teaching career, with all its ups and downs, I can clearly see how I have allowed myself to be boxed in and consequently, have drawn boxes for my students to operate within.  It reminds me of an auto commercial that came out several years ago of a young driver being instructed to “stay between the lines”.  When the “lines” ran into a roadblock (traffic), the driver turned and went off road…and did just fine!  I rationalize drawing boxes for the purpose of “safety”, careful to protect my students and me.  Most of it is because of a few minor mistakes made when some “liberties” were taken with video projects.  Reflecting on the reading and considering my classes, I see that I have become judgmental and am limiting possibilities for my students.  Time to step outside some of the lines I have drawn and open my eyes to a world of possibilities for my students.




Response by Rebecca Day:

Chuck,

I, too, have allowed myself to be "boxed in" within my career.  I, too, have drawn boxes for my students.  And I think the reason I do this is because if I don't have my students and myself "boxed in", we are all considered "out of line" and thus in trouble with the administrators who created the box.

Unfortunately, the No Child Left Behind Act and subsequent education guidelines that have been completely rewritten by the individual states have all but erased creativity from our curriculum.  There's just not much room for it anymore.  Therefore, our students don't know how to think outside the box.

wk1 Reponse - Tia Foster

Original Post by Tia Foster:

The first thing that I began to think of when I started this book is a question that no one has been able to successfully answer for me yet. How do I know that my “green” is the same is your “green”? (Green can be replaced by pretty much anything that is perceived.) I know that we perceive the same object as being “green”. However, the way that I learned “green” as a child is because someone pointed to something and called it “green”. Since we all learn in much the same way, how do I know that what you see inside your head is the same thing that I see in my head when someone says “green”. Are our perceptions the same? Now that I am able to get that off my chest, I will continue reading the first chapter.

Ok, I didn’t get very far into the first chapter, but I have to comment again. These experiments in neuroscience are exactly what I was describing. Our senses bring us information, the brain constructs its own simulation, and then we have a conscious experience. Do our constructs match? Does it matter if they don’t match? Slightly further on, on p. 11, the authors state that our perceptions have to do with our survival, including the “ability to distinguish friends and foes.” I have noticed this phenomena somewhat in my school and daily life. I currently teach in a school where about 98% of the student body is African-American. However, my family is from a town that is about 85% white. I have always been very observant of people and didn’t have a lot of trouble learning to recognize each child in my class and the differences in each of their appearances. None of the children in my class (or the other white KK teacher’s class) in future years have gotten me confused with other white teachers at the school. However, many of the African-American teachers have gotten me confused with the other white teachers as well as the kids who were not in either of our classes. Granted, two of us both have dark brown hair, and two of us wear glasses, but those are the only similarities between the three of us. I have never had another white person from our social group to get either of us confused. On the other side, when I talk about all of my students in my pictures, my family from back home can never keep any of the kids straight. They say that they all look alike, which to me they look drastically different. It all depends upon how familiar you are with the different ethnicities and the idiosyncrasies of features. The people with whom we are most familiar would be classified as friends and foes only need to be recognized almost in the abstract. Details are not really all that important if you just need to know whether to stay or flee (in an evolutionary sense). In reference to my paragraph above, people who work with color see a much more nuanced “green” than people who do not. The details are much more important if it has more bearing in your everyday life.


One thing that stands out to me as I read “The Practice” is the assumption that I made when I first started teaching at my school that everyone speaks English. That assumption was true because everyone was speaking English; however, everyone was not speaking the exact same dialect that I was (which I also assumed). One of the questions that we had to ask the children was if they knew their address. I thought I could just ask it like someone would ask me, and I would get a valid answer. “Where do you live?” Mostly, though, all I got was blank stares. I did get a couple of Memphis, but no one would narrow it down. Then I thought, I’ll just ask for their address. More blank stares and a couple of very entertaining stories about dresses that they wore to church. Finally after observing the other teachers, I realized that the question that had to be asked was, “Where do you stay?” That question led to a child giving me their street address (if they knew it). This experience led me to realize that even though we share a common language, we do not necessarily use it in the same ways--even more so than I had ever understood. 

Which leads me back to my original questions--are our perceptions the same and does it matter. More importantly, does my perception of something change the way that I am able to express myself to others, such as on an assessment. If my perception of something is different (but still valid) from the person who wrote the assessment, will that skew the results of the assessment? Is my perception less valid because it cannot be shared in a traditional manner?




Response by Rebecca Day:


Tia,

When I read through your first paragraph, I was absolutely thrilled because there is someone else out there who thinks like me!

I am an only child, and thus spent a lot of my childhood playing alone and thinking to myself, sometimes out loud.  One of the things I thought once (and many times since then) is whether or not what I literally see is the same thing that someone else literally sees.  For example, how do I know that the sky is really blue?  Because someone pointed up and said, "The sky is blue."  But what if my interpretation of blue is someone else's green or purple or red? 

Another example, I see a cat as having pointed ears, four legs, a tail, and fur and it purrs when content.  But what if this animal that I call a cat is perceived by someone else as having pointed ears, four legs, a tail, and fur, and neighs, the animal I call a horse?

So what you see in your head as green may be orange in my head...

wk1 reading – What do humans perceive?

In their book, The Art of Possibility, Rosamund and Benjamin Zander say that humans "perceive only the sensations that we are programmed to receive."  That statement makes me wonder if different individuals perceive different things.  Its been proven that cats, dogs, and other animals see differently than humans, and according to the Zanders, its because they see what they need to see to survive.  But what about humans?  Does one human see things differently than another human?

After reading just the first few paragraphs of the first chapter and thinking about the statement above, I was reminded of the movie Mallrats.  There's a particular scene where Willem (played by Ethan Suplee) has been staring at a MagicEye 3-D poster for hours trying to see a sailboat, while everyone around him glances at the same poster for a few seconds and sees the boat with no problems.  Willem gets aggravated with everyone because they can see the sailboat and he can't.

So why couldn't Willem see the sailboat?  Was he not programmed to see it or was he just not "relaxing his eyes" like the other characters advised him to do?

**I apologize for the quality of the video posted.  The video I wanted to post does not allow embeds, so I couldn't embed it into this post.  It can be viewed here, however.