Do you think that it is the teacher’s
role to overtly work to make the world a better place? What are some things that you could/will try
to do as an educator to work toward social improvement/justice? Be as specific as possible. (Yes, I know
you are busy at the end of the semester, but I think it’s worth taking a few
minutes to think about it!)
Rachel Bennett:
ReplyDeleteI do think teachers should try as best as they can to make the world a better place. Making the world a better place should not be the number one priority of a teacher, but teachers should be using their classrooms as creative and stimulating environments. By doing so, their students will be more likely to enjoy education and possibly want to become involved in education in the future. Teachers need to encourage and motivate their students in order to “make the world a better place.”
One thing I will do as an educator is to try and motivate my students to pursue interests and subjects that interest them. If students find their niche or favorite subject/topic they will hopefully want to pursue a career involving that topic. Teachers need to encourage their students in order to create a world filled with people who are excited about their careers and their lives. Another thing I will do as an educator is to make sure my classroom is a welcoming environment to all of my students. I want my students to be comfortable and feel like they can be themselves in my classroom. I feel if I am able to create an environment that is positive then my students will want to come to school and they will learn to respect others.
I do think it is the role of the teacher to make the world a better place. I feel like it is our job as educators to teach kids the basic skills they need to be successful in both life and their chosen fields. Though it is not the main goal of a teacher, it is an underlying goal that their children will go out and do good things in the world. Our job as educators is to stimulate a creative environment and to highlight our student’s strengths so that they can build on them. This will hopefully instill the motivation to become lifelong learners and continue their education is fields that help society or choose to go on to more activist jobs. I feel like teachers inadvertently teach their students that they are the future of our country and that it is up to them to make it a place that is rewarding to live in.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I would do to instill this in my students is to be as motivating as possible. Focusing on the positive and finding ways to turn the negatives into positives can hopefully create that willingness to pursue further education and their interests. For example, a student may have gotten a D on a test and rather than harping on the fact that they missed so many questions, focusing on the skills they use to do better next time cause hopefully reinforce their confidence in their abilities. I want my students to feel confident in pursuing their interest and providing them with resources for them to gain a deeper understanding of what they will have to do in order to reach their goals.
Jessie Layton
DeleteElise Matsuura:
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that it is the teacher’s role to work to make the world a better place. As teachers, we will be exposed to children who come from many different backgrounds. Because of this exposure, we need to be advocates for social improvement and justice in order to make the world a better place for our children and future generations to come. Something that I am very passionate about and hope to work towards is math education in our prison systems. This is not something that most people advocate for and is often left out of social justice arguments. Prisoners are not only people but many of them are mothers and fathers as well and deserve to have an education while serving time. Mathematics is not something that is often taught in the prisons and our prison population needs to be exposed to math concepts in order to obtain the skills necessary for re-entry into community life. I also believe that math is something that is useful in everyday life and, by giving prisoners continuing education credits, can help them further their education and finding a job after parole. Mathematics is also the portion of the GED test that many people struggle with and, without a GED, a parolee has a less likely chance of obtaining a job after prison. I believe that this skill is what can not only change our society as a whole, but also help one of our most forgotten populations, prisoners and parolees.
Sarah Lisk
ReplyDeleteI don’t believe it’s the teacher’s role to make the world a better place. However, I believe that many people pursue teaching in order to do just that, myself being one of them. I don’t want to shield my students from the real world. I want to facilitate pen pal relationships with other communities, locally, nationally or internationally, in order to help students see other perspectives of their peers in other locations. I also want to make sure that the information I present through the curriculum is balanced with present day realities. For example, when third graders learn about explorers, I want them to also investigate the other side of the story, what the native inhabitants may have experienced with these new Anglo invaders; when studying Mali, they should know that the country is no longer a prosperous economic stronghold in the world, and exactly suffers the exact opposite. I also think it’s important to encourage students to be active in their community, either school or city, helping them gain valuable, real experience with the role of citizenship.
Alexandra Hall
ReplyDeleteI don’t believe that it is our specific goal to make the world a better place, but to do our small part in the process of making the world better. It is our responsibility to provide students with the tools and basic skills necessary to survive in society. Most of this already takes place in the classroom, such as implementing classroom procedures, giving students rules to follow, modeling respect to all peers. In providing children with an education we are hoping that they will grow to form their own opinions and make valid arguments and decisions. Students can become more informed by being exposed to different cultures and socializing and working with their peers. Becoming more informed of the people, cultures, and traditions that are a part of the community will condition students to be more tolerant and understanding of one another.
Lindsy Wyatt
ReplyDeleteI absolutely believe that it is the teacher’s role to assist in making the world a better place. I do not however think that it is the full responsibility of teachers to make the world a better place. Teachers play a large role in the lives of children and should pursue to be positive role models. Other than family, teachers will be the most active in the lives of students. I believe that it will be my responsibility to create a well-rounded classroom along with well-rounded children. In my classroom I will work to promote diversity. I want my students to be accepting of differences so that they can be open to new ideas outside of the classroom. One of my biggest goals is to help the students who are not being supported at home. Just because education is not a top priority in their home life, it will be in school.
Shane Perry
ReplyDeleteI think that often the role of the teacher (I am paraphrasing Nel Noddings extensively here), as prescribed by the structures, is to uphold status quo; a large part of the basis of our liberal arts perspective is to pass along the moral, practical, and other forms of 'virtue and wisdom' that past individuals and generations have accrued. The school's role (and, by extension, the teacher's), then, is to uphold the current social and cultural structures, while hoping that the skills passed along will (especially in the American school system) drive some sort of economic innovation. This is at odds with the desire for social justice, cultural change, equality of opportunity, the dismantling of damaging power structures, and peace: things, arguably (our research will either prove or disprove this point), that the many teachers and those in the educational system desire to see as outcomes of public schooling. The tension I outline above might be one reason why, if, for example, a teacher integrates social justice themes into math instruction, he or she might draw a criticism like, 'Why don't you just teach them the arithmetic?' The comment here illustrates that school is seen as a place of transmission of expert-created information, where minimal reshaping of culture or society should take place.
I have a firm belief that teachers should overtly act in the interest of changing the world towards a more equitable and healthy place; such is a moral and ethical obligation that supersedes curriculum transmission. Teachers should be advocates of social justice issues; teach in a way that allows students to understand systems of power and oppression; help students reflect on their places in the world, identities, effects of their lifestyles, and their impact on others; and should encourage prosocial, anti-prejudicial, peaceful, and empathetic behavior in students. These behaviors necessitate enactment in teaching practices, having discussions about each, and giving students constant opportunities to practice such behaviors. There needs to be courage on the part of the teacher to subvert the social structures and cultural mores that damage humans, the environment, etc. Teachers need to allow for a true discussion about past and current evils, while also motivating students to care for such issues; this can be helped by valuing and explaining human rights, discussing the unsustainable situation of many of our current social and economic modes, and making clear how evils effect humans, etc.
Leily Geng
ReplyDeletePersonally, I do believe that teachers should work to make the world a better place. Teachers do this through their interactions with their students. First of all, teachers impart academic knowledge and learning skills on their students. The knowledge and skills that they learn in the classroom will help them become successful and productive citizens, which can lead to a better world. Second, students also learn moral and social skills in the classroom that they carry with them through school and into society. In other words, what teachers impart on their students in the classroom is one form of socialization that, ideally, produces citizens that make the world a better place.
One thing I would do is to encourage my students to pursue their own interests. The world needs people who are different whether they think differently, have different interests, etc. We need future inventors, doctors, lawyers, scientists, etc. We don’t need people who all think the same. Along those lines, I would encourage analytical and different thinking. There is no singular way to solve a math problem, for example. People’s brains work differently and therefore, people solve problems differently. That also applies to elementary math problems. I would also encourage and help students participate in community activities and encourage them to make a difference in the community.
Worod Hamill
ReplyDeleteI do think it is a teacher's role to work to make the world a better place at least for his/her students. It might not be the main goal of a teacher's profession, but I do believe the teacher has a part in working to make the world a better place. As teachers, we are educating the future generations. We are implementing knowledge into these children so when they leave us, they can contribute to society. As a result, these children become citizens who would work to make the world a better place. As teachers, we are doing much more than just teaching students academics. We are also teaching them everything else, morally, socially, physically, mentally and I can go on and on.
Some things I can do as a teacher to work towards social improvement/justice is to motivate, encourage, and support my students interests. I can promote diversity and equality. I can make my classroom a welcoming, safe environment for students. I can work to keep students informed about the world around them. I can encourage students to get involved in theri community. I can advocate for social improvement/justice.
Madison here,
ReplyDeleteI think the job of a teacher is to work to make the world of a child a better place. I think if this is done successfully then the world as a whole becomes a better place. It is overwhelming to think teaching is a world changing profession, but it is less intimidating to focus on the impact that can be had in localized schools and communities and how this develops into a better world to live in. I think of the Ted talk our group used for our The Courage to Teach book presentation and how change and movement starts with one. To me, burn out and disappoint occur when we think we will change the world our first year of teaching. What I am excited about however, is the change and confidence and purpose I can instill in my students, who transfer this to the school, and then the community and so on. I will always work to incorporate current events and national/worldwide conflicts and issues into my classroom and to foster student debate and conversational skills on topics of social improvement and justice. In making the world a better place, I think we have to focus on building the confidence and ability in our students because they are the next generation that will shape the world we live in.
Olivia Horne
ReplyDeleteI absolutely believe that it is the teacher’s role to work towards making the world a better place. One thing that has always drawn me towards teaching is the idea that as teachers we are educating the future generation. The children that we teach in our classrooms will one day grow up to be contributing members of society. This means that even by just doing our every day jobs we are affecting the future. Our students may take on prominent roles within our society that give them the opportunity to generate change and as an educator; my goal is to prepare them to make choices that make our world a better place. Additionally, I think that as teachers we also have the responsibility to work towards changing any injustices that exist in our current world as well. Educating children would be much different if they no longer had to deal with the many injustices that often interfere with teaching and therefore I believe that we should work to eliminate those.
In my future career as an educator I hope to contribute towards social improvement. For me personally, I am very interested in educational reform and intend to work towards that change. I hope to make my voice as a teacher heard by actively advocating for reform. I plan on staying informed and educated on this subject so that I can take part in the discussion of reform. Most importantly I think that my efforts towards bettering our world will begin in the classroom through what and how I teach my future students. I hope to teach my students to avoid being a passive member of society. I also plan on designing a classroom that encourages students to right the wrongs that the witness in our society. As a teacher I will inevitably affect the future to some degree, so consequently I see it as my responsibility to insure that my affect will be a positive one.
Yes, I think it is a teacher’s role to work to make the world a better place but not on their own. I think it is every citizen’s role to work to make the world a better place. Teaching is a service job, and I see myself as a servant leader and active citizen. Even if I wasn't teaching I would still be striving to make things better. This is a very broad statement, and as teachers I think we have to understand that we are not changing the world. We can make things better by being proactive and purposeful in our actions. I think the book I read, The Courage to Teach, was a great example of how teachers can make a difference. It is important for us to know ourselves, our school and the wider community. Once we understand our community we can start to make change or help others. We have to be mindful to take of ourselves and know our own limits in order to prevent teacher burn out. The book also talks about teacher movements. As teachers, if we want to see social change, we need to work together and have open communication about what it is like to teach. A movement or change happens when like minded people bring issues to the public eye.
ReplyDeleteChildren are our future, and most children/students stay in school for at least 18 years, in which they spend about 7 hours a day (9 months a year) in a classroom. That is a lot of time for teachers to help students understand the injustices in everyday life, and the world. I believe that it is a teacher’s responsibility to incorporate ideas of social justice into the curriculum, as often as possible, in hopes of making our future world a better place to be. Incorporating social justice doesn’t just have to be about getting students to protest and make their voices be heard (which is beneficial), but it’s also doing the simple things, such as intervening when a student makes a negative racial comment, or asking students whose perspectives are not discussed in an excerpt of a textbook. Making the world a better place shouldn’t only be the teachers’ responsibility, but school can be a great place to start implementing ideas for empowering students.
ReplyDeleteCiara Pinero
ReplyDeleteI do think it is important to work to make the world a better place as a teacher. In fact, I think that's why I got into teaching and is one of my main goals as a teacher. Our jobs are specifically made to mold the future minds of the world. And yes we have to educate them and teach them curriculum, but how and/or why wouldn't we teach them how to be better people than we are. I think I would like to implement things in my classroom that teach children compassion, philanthropy, and just how to get along and care about the people and things around them. (Just saying, this is why I chose the book "The Challenge to Care in Schools" in the first place). School is much more than just teaching students academics. It's about teaching students how to be humans, and hopefully we can teach them how to be loving ones.
Erin Casey
ReplyDeleteI think that trying to make the world a better place is one of the many responsibilities teachers have. No matter the form this takes, teachers will constantly be driven to try to make the world a better place, one student at a time. As a teacher, I am working to motivate, encourage, and inspire my students. The content is important, but the real learning occurs through their interactions. I am trying to teach my students how to work hard for their successes, accept and learn from their failures, and never give up. Also, I am working to make a connection with each of my students, getting to know more about the person they are and what they hope to accomplish and how to reach their goals. Many of my students are considered at risk. I feel that by establishing a connection, I am helping them to feel acceptance, something they are not used to receiving from a teacher. This acceptance gives them a sense of belonging, which builds their willingness to contribute ideas and participate in their learning process. This is what I hope will be the ultimate result when they are done with all their schooling and enter into the world of work, to be involved and contribute to society in some way.
Charissa Friske
ReplyDeleteYes, I think that it is a teacher’s role to help make the world a better place, but I don’t believe it’s the main role of the teacher. I think that teachers should teach to the whole child and create a better place for children because that can help shape their future, which could eventually make the world a better place. I believe that our students are our future and teacher’s play a huge role in that. I believe that teachers are huge role models in a student’s life and that they should create well-rounded students. Teachers need to help students become good citizens, teach them what is right vs. wrong, and to teach them responsibility along with the curriculum that needs to be taught. I read “The Courage to Teach” for my book review project and I think it gives good examples of how teachers can teach students through their community and show things such as philanthropy and teach them more about the world around them. It can also make the students more aware of things such as different cultures and traditions that are celebrated in their community. Teachers certainly help student’s realize their potential and with positive experiences with teachers it could help the world become a better place.
Erika Morck
ReplyDeleteI believe it is the role of every individual member of society to make the world a better place. As citizens, professionals, and individuals we should always be striving to improve the world. I do believe that there is extra pressure on teachers to educate and prepare the younger generations so that they can make a difference in the world and make it a better place. But I feel that this responsibility also lies on parents, policy makers, and communities; much like the quote “it takes a village to raise a child”.
Personally, as an aspiring school counselor, I don’t see my role as changing the world. I see my role as changing my students’ worlds. My hope as a school counselor is that the students I work with will leave their post-secondary education with the academic, social/emotional, and professional skills and abilities that will be required of them to make a difference in the world. I hope to use school-wide programming, individual counseling, group counseling, and classroom guidance as a means to educate students about social improvement and justice in their school, community, and in the world. To provide students with a sense of belonging, I will create meaningful relationships that celebrate each student’s uniqueness and to show o each student that they have value and worth to myself, their school, their community, and their world. I will also ensure that I am advocating for each student to ensure that their needs as learners and citizens of the world are met. Will they need to become world leaders or activists for me to have a sense of validation? No. My hope is that they will live happy and fulfilling lives and that they can share their talents and gifts with society. I hope that they will make a difference in at least one person’s life the way that I will have (hopefully) impacted theirs.
Marci Bennett
ReplyDeleteI think that teachers are influencing the lives of people that are going to be out in the world as our workers, leaders, parents, etc, so YES I think teacher should be working to make the world a better place. I believe that we have an obligation to create a sense of community in our classrooms and schools. I want to teach my students to be kind to each other and have an interest in understanding where each other come from.
For me, obtaining my masters and taking part in some really neat classes has really helped me to see ways that I can work toward social improvement. For example, each of my classes incorporated multiculturalism in some way. Studying and talking about the inequalities in our society is important. Having hard conversations that are sometimes awkward but lead to a better understanding is a start.
Emily Garcia
ReplyDeleteIt seems like the easy answer to this question would be “yes,” but do we really think that the role of a teacher is to make the world a better place? I don’t think that a job description would involve such a serious, colossal task. I do think, though, that many people go into teaching because they want to make a difference in the world, and want to make the world a better place by educating our youth. I also think that the work that teachers do has an effect on society, and without teachers our world would be a different place, so yes I think that a teacher’s role helps to make the world a better place. I also think my role as a school counselor involves the same aspects; and I do see my role to overtly and covertly make the world a better place.
One thing I will do as a counselor is to advocate, always, for the well-being and rights of my students. This advocating can be done in the classroom, in the school, and even in the community. Advocating for a student with a teacher can be as easy as speaking to the teacher if the student has a personal issue going on and letting the teacher know (minimal details), but enough so that the teacher understands that the student may need extra support or an extension on a deadline. Advocating for students within the school can be the counselor bringing in career fairs or job preparation events to help students be best prepared for when they graduate high school. Advocating at the community and political level could involve going to the courthouse or talking to a legislator involving rights for the LGBTQ community and students within the school. As a counselor, say in Richmond, I could advocate for the well-being of my students through requesting more funding and trying to get my students the best help that they need and that they deserve. Overall, though, I will advocate for my students by being present, building relationships with them, and making sure that they have at least one person who they can talk to while they navigate through the [sometimes complicated] world of high school.
Lindsay Meredith
ReplyDeleteFirst off I do not think it is a teacher’s role to make the world a better place, I believe it is everyone’s role. We need to model good citizen behavior for the children of today. Educators just have a unique role in children’s lives to influence social action and help children see how their actions are effecting the future role they play in the world. Their role is unique because they are with students every day and educate them on history, sciences, etc. that directly relates to our world.
As an educator I plan to encourage children critically explore the world around them and question things that don’t make sense. If something happens in their world we should talk about it and not hide it under the rug. If they want to do something about it then I will support them in any way possible. Children have just as much right to voice their opinions as anyone does. And I think children often have the purest intentions of all. If we were to discourage them there would be a possibility that they would never act again.
Do you think that it is the teacher’s role to overtly work to make the world a better place? What are some things that you could/will try to do as an educator to work toward social improvement/justice? Be as specific as possible. (Yes, I know you are busy at the end of the semester, but I think it’s worth taking a few minutes to think about it!)
ReplyDeleteLeeAnna Fisher
I believe it is our role as educators to make the world a better place. What we do in the classroom affects the lives of our students. We a stepping stone toward making them who they are. We help instill passion and perseverance. We help them learn about justice and how they can make a difference. We can choose to stifle them and ignore the concepts of justice and injustice or we can help them toward critically thinking about what's wrong in society and how we they can change it. We have a responsibility to empower them. Now, do I mean I am the only one who can do that? No. I mean collectively as teachers. We need to each do our part in molding the student a facilitating their personal growth. It can't happen alone because we have limited time with them.
We can do this in the classroom by letting students explore, debate, teach, experience etc. Don't assume that they can't understand injustice and let them identify it. Let them get mad or excited and feel passionate about something. Every year and with every student this will look different yet we know the recipe for bring it up at all. To be too specific would take from the fact that different conditions mean different approaches
Amy Callaway:
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I think this task of "making the world a better place" falls upon all of us that belong to the human race. For so long I think as a society we have shirked our responsibilities and our role in taking care of what we've been entrusted to as members of a communal society. And now we are seeing the repercussions of it, whether it be the decline of our physical planet and natural resources or the decaying of what was once a moral society, for our own individual gains and the chance to better ourselves as individuals, to get ahead and not have to bother about anyone else. But as educators we do have a responsibility to set the precedent for the next generation, to be an example of how everyone needs to work towards a better, world, a better future.
This is exactly what I hope to do as a teacher, to encourage my students to connect with their world, their community, their peers, to realize that they have a responsibility to play a part in society, and to not isolate themselves for only their betterment. I think this will happen as many people have talked about, through informing my students on what’s happening in the world, and how they can be a part of it. I think from an early age students should not only be involved in hearing about and discussing world and social issues, but also getting actively involved in them. This could develop in the form of relationships built between other classes and schools maybe to do projects to help the environment, like building a community garden. This could involve reaching out to those who are often ostracized in our community, like the homeless and the elderly.
Something I feel very strongly about is teaching student’s to look beyond their community and culture to understand and appreciate the differences of other cultures and how different people view one another and why. A practical way to impart this on my students could be to get connected with missions or organizations overseas to create awareness of injustices going on and negative aspects of their lives as well as creating awareness of the beauty and positive aspects of their culture. Making a connection with a class of the same grade level in another country, writing letters, sending pictures, skyping, and just becoming informed and involved in their community are some ways to do this. It takes all of these things and more to build responsible, informed and caring individuals that are willing to not just live as individuals but be a part of a collective society.
Ian Wheeler
ReplyDeleteYes! I’m really optimistic and I feel like there is good in the world and that the world is a good place when I’m in the classroom and helping students so I’m fine with having “make the world a better place” on my list of other teacher duties as assigned. I think that because school can often be such a wonderful place for kids and teachers alike, they should work to bring that joy to other parts of the world and even if one teachers in a school that is a not an ideal environment, they should work to make their school a better place but it simultaneously makes the world a better place.
That first paragraph made it seem like I didn’t understand the question but I do. Yes, teachers should work to make the world a better place. As an educator, I will work toward social improvement and justice by:
1. Making my classroom an environment where children and families of all backgrounds can feel included – I plan to try and represent as many cultures as possible as I can in my classroom and if I can’t find pictures or items to represent the cultures and experiences of my students, I will ask them to bring them in or we will create them. Visibility is a simple but impactful and important concept that shows that I am accepting of all people.
2. Educating my students about the struggles that people have faced to receive justice – There are opportunities to do this in the curriculum so I should take advantage of this.
3. Attending school board meetings – Even though I may not always speak up or go to all of them, I plan to go to be aware and to learn about the structures that may be preventing change on a larger scale
4. Having honest discussions with my students about the problems they face and how they think they can work to solve them. – I can also model what that looks like and share stories of how I advocate and work to better the world.
5. Encourage respect and civility among all my students and all people
a. Acknowledge all student’s gifts and potential
b. Acknowledge and celebrating what makes them different
6. Making sure that they are aware of the importance of an education and the power that being education holds
a. Sharing stories with students of kids their own age who helped to make a difference (Ruby Bridges, Anne Frank, Malala Yousafzai)
7. Support students in receiving services and resources they need to be successful and guiding them to those resources – counseling, clothing, food, shelter – I used to intern with an agency that help provide students basic needs to ensure their classroom success and we helped students get access to things they need to survive. It’s hard to worry about subtracting fractions when you haven’t eaten since yesterday, you know? Showing students that someone cares about them outside of their academic lives will hopefully help them to do the same in the future.