What is worth learning?
When the question is brought up of "What is worth learning?", my immediate response is almost everything. In the article "Texas School District Strikes More Books From Reading Lists", a point is brought up that Texas is continuing to ban more books which contributes to "minimization of the issues that people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals face". When I first heard that states can ban books I was confused as to why they would do that. I didn't get why an author could go through so much work and then have the government declare that no one could read their work. I think reading is one of the best ways to learn things. So much information can be held in between the two covers of a book. One of the quotes I really liked from this article states "How can we expect young people to learn about diversity, if we do not expose them to diverse perspectives in literature?" I think this quote really showcases the harm of banning books and that so many things can be learned from reading them. Back to the question of "What is worth learning?", I think everything is worth learning and everyone should get the chance to do that. We cannot erase the past so we might as well learn from it.
Hello Maya,
ReplyDeleteYour poem is very consistent and on point with this module and what we have learned. You used words that I did not think to use like discipline frame teaching and remaining silent. I used words like racial trauma, fail, normalize, and nonphysical injury. The quote you mentioned from the null curriculum powerpoint, where it mentions about exposing students to diverse perspectives in learning, is so true. This quote also stuck out to me. It does not make any sense to ban books , resources, and information that students need to learn about. It is as if society or the school wants to bury their wrong doings and the damages they have done to other people to keep this glamorous image up. Since teachers are uncomfortable or fearful of telling the truths about the past, there must be a program or system that is developed to where teachers are comfortable or where students may learn online giving the teachers a break from lecturing. Either way, it should not be something that is avoided or seen unimportant. Just because that particular part of history didn't necessarily affect you, does not mean it has not affected the students lives, culture, perspectives, and identity. As students, we want to learn about our history and the teacher has no right to take those away from the students.
Hi Chelsie! Thank you so much for commenting on my blog! I really liked the words you used on your blackout poem as well, especially nonphysical injury. I think that is such a statement of what kids are going through. I think the government wanting to look glamorous and keep up this facade is a huge part of why they chose to ban books and cover their wrongdoings like they said. However, covering up a problem only makes you look worse when it is revealed and you can't change the past. I liked the comments you made about my blog and thought your ideas were very interesting!
DeleteHi Maya! I want to start off by saying that your blackout poem was incredibly powerful. I think it is so interesting how we read the same material and were given the same instructions but ended up with completely different products. Although I did not choose the same words for my blackout poem, our poems had nearly identical messages. We had similar experiences when reading about the banned books in Texas. I was also extremely confused on what their justification could possibly be for removing diverse books out of reach of minds eager to learn. For some reason, when I thought about the null curriculum, I only thought of the perspectives of minority groups being left out of history lessons. It never even crossed my mind that the null curriculum could play a role in all subjects. Although I wish this was not the case, I am glad that I know now so I can prevent it in my future classroom.
ReplyDeleteHi Kassi! I agree with you on the blackout poems on how everyone is given the same thing but the result are very different. This just proves that not everybody thinks exactly the same and that was a huge message I received from the modules this week. I am so glad that my blog could open up new perspectives on your thoughts on null curriculum and I am glad we are able to have these blogs and share our own ideas with the class. Thank you so much for commenting on my blog!
DeleteHello Maya! I really liked your response and all the ideas you brought up because I feel as if people don’t talk about them as much. Our black out poems were kind of the same with the words and ideas that we chose and I find that so interesting how we can think so much alike. I feel like we both caught the importance of how much violence is present in our curriculum, how we have allowed it, and what we need to do to fix it. Back to the ideas that you brought up, the one that stood out the most to me was how you brought up the banning of certain books that talk about lgbtq or race issues and how you said reading is one of the best ways to learn. I completely agree with you that reading is a top way to gain knowledge and I feel like this is an example of a null curriculum that we see present in our education. I also really liked the quote about how we expect kids to learn and practice diversity when we don’t expose them to it. I really loved your response and thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Zion! The banning of books is something that continues to strike me as interesting. When I first heard they were doing this I was shocked and I am still sad to see that they are continuing to do this and even add more books to the list. I think it is really neat to have one thing given to the whole class like the blackout poem and see which direction they take it in. I feel like the message throughout the poem is super important and I am glad to see more people want to relay the same message. Thank you so much for commenting on my blog!
DeleteHi Maya! I agree with your perspective on this, I think that the ban of certain books is just a way for the education system to shield students from the brutal truth that many people endured over the course of history. The ban of certain books feeds into a lack of representation for LGBTQ+ and people of color. I also think your blackout poem was nicely done, especially the end that says “we have to struggle to learn more” which I think is extremely true nowadays. In order for students to grasp crucial information they have to look harder for it becuase we don’t outright teach these crucial parts of history and especially the injustices that are still taking place in our world today.
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