I think about the expansiveness of this quote. In our readings, this refers to the seventh-grade children being observed and their eagerness to be selected to do various classroom jobs. In our discussions, I expand this to each of us, eager to find our own accomplishments while also wanting to be noticed (somehow) in the process, whether by our parents, our teachers, our coworkers, or our peers. We want to speak out, but we don't want to get stoned for doing so. We want to express our opinions, but we don't want to offend anyone. We know we have a "physical" voice, but we are rarely encouraged to use it -- in fact, some of us were even discouraged by being told to shut up or by being ignored.
And what about those who finally find their courage to speak up, especially in class? How do we respond to that person? Do we try to encourage further participation by acknowledging the courage it took for them to say what they think (even if some disagree with what was said) and responding with a comment of our own, or do we discourage them by staring at them blankly and in silence or by rolling our eyes? Perhaps we should all just sit in silence... class time will really fly by then. How awkward is it for presenters to ask questions and only get silence in return? I admire those who speak their opinions -- at least I know they're capable of thinking for themselves, at least enough to voice them as their opinions even though they may have been formed externally. Thank you to those who contribute; you truly make the class more enjoyable for me.
I sometimes feel bad for not having time to comment on everyone's blogs. Cheryl's comment in class about no one responding to her blog last week made me think about that even more -- people are taking the time to reach out to us with their entries... to finally share with us how they think. I try to check as many as I can, but I am limited with my time because of my classes and my work -- which is why you get a lot of late-night ramblings in my blogs; it's really the only time I have to dedicate to my school work. Not only do I appreciate the blogs from those with whom I agree, but also I value those who present another perception -- it provides me an opportunity to think of things in a different way or to see things from another perspective that maybe I haven't considered.
As has been a recurring comment in class... don't stifle yourself and don't feel like you have to apologize for telling us your background -- either in class or in your blogs. Maybe you feel a bit like people don't really care, and some may not, but there are those of us who look forward to hearing and reading what you have to say -- even if we don't always have time to comment.
-------
Back to our readings, I was interested in learning more about the World of Opportunity (WOO) School located in Birmingham, Alabama so I wanted to find some more information about it and thought I'd share a few links with you guys about it also. "The WOO is a social justice and civil rights experiment which works at teaching the whole person. This means addressing hunger, homelessness, and domestic violence as well as academic needs." (England, p.85) The first link is from susanohanian.org and provides an overview of the school but also has other interesting information relating to politics and education such as a "$71.40 plan to Stop NCLB." The second link is the World of Opportunity organization website which gives more detailed information about the school organization including news about students and projects. As I (and a few other classmates) have said in class, a good way to address issues in education is to address issues in the home and in the society; this organization attempts to address some of those issues. Do you think this organization provides a stepping stone in leveling the playing field for "pushed out students" and non-traditional students who have already been affected by the inequality and unfairness in the educational system?
So I was going to try to keep this entry shorter, but it doesn't seem like I did a good job with that. Guess I tried to address too many of my thoughts/issues again. Next week I'll try harder to choose just one...
