--on abc Thursdays at 9, spin off show of Grey's Anatomy, started in 2007, has been running for 5 seasons
--IMDb--
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Brown v. Board of Education Round II
This morning on the news the words "Brown v. Board of Education" caught my eye. Being that we just learned this historical event took place over fifty years ago, I was not expecting to be hearing about it on today's local news. As it turns out, this story was entirely separate from the famous 1954 decision to outlaw segregated public schools and was a very current case.
Lincoln Brown, a Caucasian teacher from Murray Language Academy in the Hyde Park neighborhood, was recently suspended for five days because he used the "n-word" during one of his classes. Brown had intercepted a note students had been passing that contained lyrics to a song including the n-word. He then took this as an opportunity to talk about the usage of the word with the sixth graders, and to have a class discussion about racism. At this point the principal of the school walks in to observe the class and remains silent, only later to notify Brown of his suspension.
Brown says that he used the full word but "didn't address it to the students. [He] was very careful about that." However, the principal charged him with using "verbally abusive language to or in front of students" along with "cruel, immoral, negligent, or criminal conduct or communication to a student, that causes psychological or physical harm." This incident occurred last October, and Brown is now suing his school district, alleging that they violated his civil rights.
This unfortunate case is a clear example how racial tension is still very prominent in American today. The fact that the n-word can not be used during a classroom lesson without it turning into a huge deal shows how far we have not come. This lack of progress in reducing racial tension is due largely to the message that is given out in a situation like this. That message being that we must leave issues regarding racism alone, rather than address them. Matters like these that go unaddressed will not change. So when choosing not to address these situations, we are only encouraging racial tension.
{An article and video can be viewed about this case here}
Lincoln Brown, a Caucasian teacher from Murray Language Academy in the Hyde Park neighborhood, was recently suspended for five days because he used the "n-word" during one of his classes. Brown had intercepted a note students had been passing that contained lyrics to a song including the n-word. He then took this as an opportunity to talk about the usage of the word with the sixth graders, and to have a class discussion about racism. At this point the principal of the school walks in to observe the class and remains silent, only later to notify Brown of his suspension.Brown says that he used the full word but "didn't address it to the students. [He] was very careful about that." However, the principal charged him with using "verbally abusive language to or in front of students" along with "cruel, immoral, negligent, or criminal conduct or communication to a student, that causes psychological or physical harm." This incident occurred last October, and Brown is now suing his school district, alleging that they violated his civil rights.
This unfortunate case is a clear example how racial tension is still very prominent in American today. The fact that the n-word can not be used during a classroom lesson without it turning into a huge deal shows how far we have not come. This lack of progress in reducing racial tension is due largely to the message that is given out in a situation like this. That message being that we must leave issues regarding racism alone, rather than address them. Matters like these that go unaddressed will not change. So when choosing not to address these situations, we are only encouraging racial tension.
{An article and video can be viewed about this case here}
Monday, February 6, 2012
Screen Time
Throughout the course of my junior year, I've noticed that I am spending significantly more time on my computer than I have during past school years. I have surprisingly come to the conclusion that the reason for this is not because I am spending more time browsing sites or checking my facebook, but because my classes have required me to do so.
All four of my main classes this year require me to use my computer on a weekly, if not daily basis. Whether I am blogging, accessing an online textbook, checking solutions on blackboard, or completing an online homework assignment through "Webassign," I am spending a good chunk of my after-school-academic-time staring at a computer screen.
I do think that incorporating the web into the school curriculum can be beneficial to students' learning. It gives kids easier access to school materials and helps connect students outside of class (as this very blog is doing). Not to mention that working on the computer will probably be more appealing to teenage students than working with pencil and paper, increasing students' interests in their studies- which can only be a good thing.
So yes, I do see the benefits of having students do online schoolwork. However, call me old-fashioned, but I can't help but wonder how healthy all this screen time is for us. Screen time meaning time spent using a device such as a computer, television, phone, ipod, gaming system...etc. Disregarding school related usage, I probably use four of those five devices multiple times throughout each day, which I don't think is uncommon for any American teenager. This means that on top of all that, we will spend even more time staring at screens to complete our schoolwork.
This is why I am conflicted. I know that students can benefit from doing schoolwork online, but I also know that it can't be healthy to have such a large amount of screen time. What possible solutions are there to this issue? Is it the school's responsibility to help discourage screen time?
All four of my main classes this year require me to use my computer on a weekly, if not daily basis. Whether I am blogging, accessing an online textbook, checking solutions on blackboard, or completing an online homework assignment through "Webassign," I am spending a good chunk of my after-school-academic-time staring at a computer screen.
I do think that incorporating the web into the school curriculum can be beneficial to students' learning. It gives kids easier access to school materials and helps connect students outside of class (as this very blog is doing). Not to mention that working on the computer will probably be more appealing to teenage students than working with pencil and paper, increasing students' interests in their studies- which can only be a good thing. So yes, I do see the benefits of having students do online schoolwork. However, call me old-fashioned, but I can't help but wonder how healthy all this screen time is for us. Screen time meaning time spent using a device such as a computer, television, phone, ipod, gaming system...etc. Disregarding school related usage, I probably use four of those five devices multiple times throughout each day, which I don't think is uncommon for any American teenager. This means that on top of all that, we will spend even more time staring at screens to complete our schoolwork.
This is why I am conflicted. I know that students can benefit from doing schoolwork online, but I also know that it can't be healthy to have such a large amount of screen time. What possible solutions are there to this issue? Is it the school's responsibility to help discourage screen time?
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