World Animal Day

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/10/world_animal_day.html

USDOJ Comments - Thank you Mr. Attorney General

Link for the whole story: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/09/22/genital.mutiliation.immigrant/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

ATTN: Please forward to Michael Mukasey

Mr. Mukasey,

On behalf of women everywhere, thank you for intervening on behalf of the woman bound for Mali. In the climate of immigration turmoil, it is important to remember what America stands for and why people want to come here. We are ALL immigrants. This woman faces torture in her native country. I was moved to hear that you are trying to stop one woman and her children from being treated like meat at the hands of butchers. I feel grateful to live in a country where I am free from this fear. Please keep looking out for the rights of people and remembering that America is the only beacon of hope for so many. Any country that would allow genital mutilation EVEN ONCE is capable of enacting untold horrors on all of its women at any time. Evil knows no bounds, and we have to take a stand against these murderers who maim and torture in the name of culture and religion.

Thank you very much,

Chris Lewis

Personal Motivation Factors

Module Six Assignment

Chris Lewis

EDU 523

April 16, 2008

There are many factors behind our motivations. I am intrinsically motivated to watch TV, eat chocolate, and play with my dogs (poodles, tons of them at the moment--puppies). I am also intrinsically motivated to browse the internet, learning all I can about and building computers, learning graphics and photography skills, and watching movies. These are genuine intrinsic motivations because I do not make a living at these things, and I actually take time away from extrinsically motivated activities to do these things. I enjoy learning about history and culture, and l love to travel to new places. I love to eat good food because it tastes good.

I want my floors to be pretty, so I am motivated to lay hardwood. I guess enjoying the hardwood might be an extrinsic factor, but I actually enjoy that kind of thing anyway, otherwise I would not have been sanding the floors at my sister's house. Perhaps motivation in a person's life would best be expressed in a Venn diagram, where there was a section in the middle for the things that have an external reward, but are largely promoted by internal desire.

I believe that if I were to list my activities into two columns, intrinsic and extrinsic, the pursuit of my masters' degree would fall into both columns. I need to make money as a teacher: therefore, extrinsic. I wish to become highly educated, it is my personal duty to develop my intellect as I feel it was a blessing to me, and I shouldn't squander it: therefore, intrinsic. I want to make money and have the summers off. This is a further extrinsic motivation for a master’s in education, and not just the pursuing of knowledge for knowledge's sake. Love and money are the strongest motivators we have (besides survival), and they are tied closely together. I have been a substitute teacher for eight years. I did not want a full time job because I wanted to be able to take my Dad to the doctor and his chemo. If being unemployed for the rest of my life meant my Dad was still with me, there would be no question as to my choice. However, he is not, so my motivations changed.

I believe in order to be truly successful in life, our motivations for what we do must fall into both categories. If we hate our work, then the rewards of money begin to fade over time. When I was in college, I experienced the sophomore slump, which is so easy to recognize after you have been through it (a lot like puberty, or motion sickness). I went to a college known for giving people a social conscience, and the desire to make the world better. I questioned my purpose for being there, for getting an education, was it just to make money? Because that sure sounded like a hollow existence. Had I made the right choice, or was I doomed to destruction, boredom and misery in this chosen field? I tried to talk to my Dad about this, and I don't know how much he understood me, but he did say something that helped keep me going. He said, "You have to make a living at something." My parents grew up in good old-fashioned Appalachian poverty, no electricity and running water, and built their lives from nothing. Money was not necessarily a hollow pursuit to him; it was just a means of survival. It made me feel okay with myself for wanting education for money's sake because I had to make a living at something. It might as well be a decent living, because work is work and you'd might as well get paid. It helped me to understand that becoming educated in order to secure a well-paying job was not an act of greed, but a means to a successful life. I have recently been discussing with my students the meaning of wealth. I explain to them that financial independence is a necessary step to wealth, and that physical appearances of wealth are not the same as true wealth. True wealth is the freedom to do what you want; go where you want when you want to, with whom you want. True wealth answers a lot of wants.

I believe there are many reasons why some activities are intrinsically enjoyable. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivators work together. Some things answer to our basic human needs; quality food tastes good, air conditioning feels good, a roof is handy to have in winter... these basic needs help us to translate the extrinsic rewards of monetary wages to meet internal desires like comfort, not just survival. Work itself may not be intrinsically enjoyable, but if we find work that we are more easily intrinsically motivated towards, then we are like to reap inner enjoyment and outer rewards. Sports and hobby activities allow us to have creative expression and community with others. Human beings have forethought and the ability of long-range planning. We are likely to accept temporary discomforts that lead to long-term payoffs. I also believe we develop intrinsically motivated desires based on the things that have brought us pleasure and success in the past. This topic is discussed in the section on self-concept in Anita Woolfolk's Educational Psychology, in which she writes about how students choose elective courses in high school based on the ones they have been successful with in the past. These selections over time shape a person's career choices (2006, p. 86). Her example illustrates the importance of the self-concept on choice, and choice is often a result of motivation.

Reference:

Woolfolk, A. (2006). Educational Psychology (with MyLabSchool) (10th Edition) (MyLabSchool Series). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Philosophy, Ideology, and Theory in Education

Chris Lewis

EDU 570

January 20, 2008

Philosophy is one's own set of basic truths about life, the world, and one's place in it. Philosophy, as it relates to education, is described in terms of metaphysics, epistemology, axiology, and logic. These four areas outline the philosophies and what they mean for education. "Metaphysics, the study of the nature of ultimate reality, involves speculation about the nature of existence" (Gutek, 1997, p. 2). In asking the questions about what is reality, educators develop the base from which their philosophy is derived. A teacher's beliefs about whether there is a spiritual realm to the universe, or whether there is a purpose and order to humanity will shape their overall philosophy. G. Gutek (1997) states that epistemology is the study of knowledge and knowing, and that it is very important to educators (p. 2). Epistemology asks the question, “How do we know what we know?”, and examines where we base our claims to that knowledge. Such claims could be based on physical evidence, experience, or even divine revelation (p. 2). A teacher's beliefs concerning the source of knowledge will impact the way a teacher approaches sharing that knowledge with students. Axiology, the study of values, has two divisions which are closely related--aesthetics, the study of beauty, and ethics, the study of moral values and conduct (p. 3). Axiology leads educators to make judgments about what students should and should not do or be taught to do. Combined, ethics and aesthetics make up the statements a teacher makes about what is beautiful and good. For example, if a person describes someone performing an act of kindness as beautiful, then there is a value statement made which includes both the aesthetic aspect of what is pleasing to the eye and an ethical statement about what is good conduct. Separated, one could describe aesthetic statements as ones that outline good taste in arts and music as they relate to a particular culture, and ethics statements describe what is considered right and wrong behavior in that culture. Axiology brings up larger questions like “Which morals should teachers try to instruct their students about? Is teaching moral behavior an imposition on the students that goes beyond a teacher's duties?” Teachers have to decide on a daily basis which morals and behaviors to emphasize while simply teaching the subject matter. Logic refers to the "rules or patterns of correct and valid thinking" (p. 4). It describes the thought processes that one goes through to arrive at a conclusion about a problem or understanding a concept. Logic is divided into two major categories, deductive and inductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning begins with general statements, and moves to more specific explanations. Inductive reasoning begins with a specific fact and moves toward general statements that can be made based on that fact (Ornstein & Levine, 2008, p. 162).

A teacher combines their philosophy with the ideology of the society in which they live and/or the school system in which they work. Ideology refers to the desires and needs of a group. An ideology, like theories, can be derived from several philosophies. According to G. Gutek, ideology "is used to create a sense of shared ideas, goals and commitments (1997, p.150). He goes to say how ideology is reinforced primarily by two divisions in society, the informal and formal educational agencies. Informal agencies include the media, whereas formal agencies, schools and universities, build a "sense of group identification". Ideology goes beyond philosophy in that it puts philosophical beliefs into action. This shaping of the public mind through schools is further enacted by the use of theories. Gutek contrasts ideologies to philosophies by explaining that ideologies "are distinguished by their contextual and action-oriented nature" (p. 154).

Theory has several definitions. Visual Thesaurus defines theory as “a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of excepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena" (2005). As it relates to education, G. Gutek describes very as related clusters of educational ideas, and puts them into three categories, those "(1) that are derived or deduced from some other bodies of knowledge or thoughts such as philosophies or ideologies, (2) those that emerge as reactions against other bodies of thought, and (3) those that arise from practice (1997, p 259). Some theories are in more than one category.

Philosophy, ideology, and theory combine to play an important role in the classroom. Once teachers have adopted an ideology, they develop a theory which carries out the goals that have been outlined by that ideology. As teachers gain more experience, their personal theories change. Teachers revise their methods to accommodate changes in the students, and improve their teaching ability.

References

Gutek, G. (1997). Philosophical and Ideological Perspectives in Education (2^nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Ornstein, A. C. & Levine, D. U. (2008). Foundations of Education (10^th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin

Visual Thesaurus (version 3.0.2 Desktop Edition) [Computer Software]. (2005) New

York: Thinkmap, Inc.

What Is A Teacher? Defining The Teacher Through Interviews

Chris Lewis

EDU 570

January 14, 2008

What Is A Teacher? Defining The Teacher Through Interviews

Subjects were asked the following questions: What is a teacher’s greatest skill or talent? What should be a teacher’s most important goal? What role does a teacher play in a shaping a young person’s life? Describe what you liked about your favorite teachers. Describe what you didn’t like about your less admired teacher(s).

(J. Collier, personal interview, January 10, 2008)

J. Collier is an eighth grade science teacher with 14 years of experience teaching middle and high school science. Her response to the question about a teacher’s greatest skill is being able to determine the learning styles of individual students using minimal amounts of data available on each child. This is important to present lessons in a way that benefits the students most. It is important to vary the way each lesson is presented. A teacher’s most important goal should be that each child has developed a work ethic and developed study skills for life-long learning. A teacher’s role in shaping the lives of her students lies in his/her interactions with that student on a daily basis. Sometimes the teacher is the only adult a student has true interaction with. The teacher’s attitude and mood does affect the child. Often her students have told her that she is the only one of their teachers that actually talks to them. When speaking about her favorite teachers, she describes them as knowledgeable, organized, prepared for class daily, and most importantly, kind. Teachers that she did not admire did not know their topic, were not willing to do labs or other activities with their students, were lazy and did not like teaching. She asserts that liking kids is an important part of being a good teacher.

(H. Byers, personal interview, January 10, 2008)

H. Byers is a college sophomore majoring in Child and Family Studies. When asked about a teacher’s greatest talent, she felt it was being able to engage higher thinking in their students. A teacher's most important goal should be to teach the subject thoroughly, what the students need to know, and not just teach the test. A teacher's role in a student's life is to push him/her to learn, to be a role model and make students believe in themselves. Personality was an important factor when choosing her favorite teachers. They wanted her personal best and pushed her to learn and think. She described one teacher in particular as “knowing what her students were capable of and in expecting no less than that, with passionate about what she taught, and didn't care about the test.” The teachers she didn't like were the ones that “didn't care and hated the kids.”

(K. Collier, personal interview, January 10, 2008)

K. Collier is a former science teacher, and also taught Emergency Medical Technician classes and trained firefighters. He explained that a teacher's greatest skill should be imparting the information in an understandable and learnable manner. Some teachers know their subject area very well but are unable to explain it in a way so that students understand. The teacher's most important goal should be advancing students understanding and knowledge of the subject matter. The teacher's role in a young person's life is making sure the student is proficient and problem solving and being able to think about how the variable consequences and outcomes of their choices. When asked about his favorite teachers he remarked that he liked their personality, helpfulness, clarity and that they understood their subject well. Teachers that he did not admire

showed an inability to communicate or to teach well. Also, he didn't like teachers that “taught their radical views instead of the subject matter".

(R. Dean, personal interview, January 10, 2008).

R. Dean is a newspaper reporter and photographer. She was educated in studio art. She thought that a teacher's greatest skill or talent should be presenting information to students that actually stays with them. Students are exposed to so much new information, its difficult to make things "stick" with them. A teacher's most important goal should be to recognize the strengths in all students and encourage them. She felt that quiet students are often overlooked. The role a teacher play in a young person's life is to be someone who educates to the best of their ability in a way that will compel students to do well in the world. The teacher gets them to "play an active role in their own life". Her favorite teacher was in high school English and taught students to be themselves. She described her teacher as "someone who was on my level, and didn't pretend to be something she wasn't." . She was open about experiences, made you feel like you could do things in life and still be yourself." When asked about her less admired teachers, another high school English teacher came to mind, and she described her as " snooty and above the students, always looking down on the students." This teacher discouraged anyone who was different, and wanted her students to be "closed up and conformed"

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In the inspirational piece, What Is A Teacher? by Gerald Grow (1977), he describes the many roles a teacher plays in the lives of different kinds of learners. In his conclusion, he says, "To all, the teacher is a mirror that shows not only the self but the path and its choices, the task and its demands--the difficulties, the joys. To all and from all, the teacher is a learner, a person--and a prism through which the ordinary continuously reveals itself to be miraculous." I find the last statement to be profound and very descriptive of an excellent teacher. A teacher is someone who makes the subjects (ordinary) come to life (reveals them to be miraculous) and provides a way for the student to retain and use the information (miraculous, indeed).

In my interviews, I asked about a teacher's greatest skill or talent, what his/her goal should be, and their roles in student's lives. These three things are intertwined in the definition of a teacher. In my opinion, a teacher's greatest skill is to be able to reach all of the students in one way or another. It is difficult to make a lasting positive impression on 150 individual students, but that is the challenge and middle and secondary teachers face. I agree with Ms. Collier that developing a work ethic in students is essential to success in all parts of an education; helping a student learn to manage their work and assignments helps them to be successful in many areas of life. In a perfect world, teachers could get all of the class content presented to every student, and each of them would retain it all. In reality, there are limitations to this. A teacher has to be able to get the content to the students in the many ways they need to be able to learn it. When a teacher cannot help a student with the course content, perhaps they can help them in some other way. This is where kindness and good example are so important. A teacher should motivate the whole person when working with their students, not just the part of them studying the subject at the moment. A teacher's greatest goal should be to see that every student is better off having been in his/her classroom. This is not to say that a teacher shouldn't worry if he/she is delivering the content, but there is much more to the classroom experience than the curriculum. A teacher's role in the lives of their students is often unmeasured. We try to measure this impact through assessment, and we can get a certain amount of feedback this way, but the ultimate effect can only be found years later when students are finished with school and living their lives. It is because of this task before us to shape young lives that we are seeking to define the term teacher and describe our personal philosophies.

References

Grow, G. O. (1977). What is a teacher? Retrieved January 14, 2008 from Gerald Grow's Home Page Web site: http://www.longleaf.net/ggrow/teacher.html

Predicting Legacy

I have been thinking about how to answer the questions about my retirement party, and I realized that I am not sure where I might be when retirement comes. If I am in the United States, I am sure I look forward to the same kinds of praises that any good American teacher would receive. I would like to hear from my students that I was good to them, and inspired them to continue their education, and be learners for life. I would want to know that I helped every student in some way. Their parents would say that I made their kids work, but I was fair and I taught them good lessons and promoted the good works of their families. My colleagues would describe me as a fun and loyal person to work with, someone who worked as a team, and went beyond the call of duty for the students and teachers.

I would like to travel abroad to teach again one day. I spent some time in Taiwan teaching English, and it was a wonderful experience. This time I want to go to Africa. I am not sure what my role as a teacher would include. Most likely, I will work in the United States for years before the opportunity to go is possible. If I am in Africa or Asia, and I stop teaching/retire, I would want to hear from my students and their parents that I made them comfortable speaking and writing English, and I encouraged them to go for their dreams and make their world a better place. I might hear that I have taught them how to pursue education and job opportunities in the first world, not just the third world. I may have helped them build their school, or helped prevent them from getting AIDS--- you never know, there is so much that can be done. I would hope my colleagues were glad that that I was there, and be inspired to do good work from my example

Chris Lewis