I interviewed a parent from my home town who is openly bisexual, and currently living with a same-sex partner. Although her child is now graduated and in college, I asked about what is was like going through the school system.
Has your child received any different treatment at school because of your sexuality?
"No, not that I can recall. I don't think anyone ever took it out on her. If her teachers even knew, it didn't affect how they treated her. There were a few who maybe talked to me differently, but not her."
[Did] other parents permit their children to socialize with your child in events or activities outside of school?
"We had a different situation, as you know.** So, yeah, a lot of parents were a little uncomfortable with letting their kids come over. But we had so many [music department] events, most parents would let their children come to those. Sometimes not one on one, though. That did freak some of them out."
**Until recently, she had lived at a large communal house with a variety of people living there. The house functioned as a contained arts community, and some of the partners in the house were fluid.
[Did] teachers treat you or your child differently?
"Not [my child]. But me, yeah, every once in a while I would get one who was uncomfortable with me. Never rude, just uncomfortable. Avoiding eye contact, quick meetings, stuff like that. Although [my child] was always great in school, so that probably helped make people comfortable. And it stopped when she got to high school, since the other teachers knew me already.** If they were going to treat me differently then, it was because I annoyed them at work."
**She worked part time at the high school that her child attended as a choir director.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Achievement
The three dimensions of achievement are, to my mind as a teacher:
1. Understanding
2. Fulfillment of personal goals
3. Creating new goals
Understanding is first and foremost in my conception of achievement because I do not believe that anything can really be accomplished without understanding. Whether it is as simple as completing a task or as complex as creating a new program for your school, if you do not have a sound understanding of what is being asked of you and the concepts you are working with, you will never truly succeed. I think it is important to foster comprehension before a finished product can be put together - I don't want students turning in work if they don't have a full grasp on what is being asked of them, both mechanically and conceptually.
The fulfillment of personal goals is important when considering achievement, namely because that is often what gives one the greatest sense of satisfaction IN achievement. To really feel as though you have been successful at something, it is crucial to have clear in your mind what you consider success to be. As we talked about in class, having students set their own goals is an integral part of the learning process; it is also advisable, however, to conference with students about what those goals are and how they can be made realistic and yet still challenging.
The third dimension of achievement has to do with making sure you don't stagnate. Both in an academic setting and out of it, setting goals is important - but once those goals are achieved (or not), you have to always set new ones. To take a popular, "stereotypical" goal - becoming a millionaire: well, once you become a millionaire, what then? You will have accomplished your goal, good for you - but hopefully you will still have a fair amount of life left to live, and it seems silly to have worked so hard for so long at achieving one thing, and then never striving for anything again. I think this example, though blown out of proportion, translates directly to real-world goals and accomplishments: it is necessary to always be creating new goals, new places to set your sights, or you will stagnate and achievement will cease.
1. Understanding
2. Fulfillment of personal goals
3. Creating new goals
Understanding is first and foremost in my conception of achievement because I do not believe that anything can really be accomplished without understanding. Whether it is as simple as completing a task or as complex as creating a new program for your school, if you do not have a sound understanding of what is being asked of you and the concepts you are working with, you will never truly succeed. I think it is important to foster comprehension before a finished product can be put together - I don't want students turning in work if they don't have a full grasp on what is being asked of them, both mechanically and conceptually.
The fulfillment of personal goals is important when considering achievement, namely because that is often what gives one the greatest sense of satisfaction IN achievement. To really feel as though you have been successful at something, it is crucial to have clear in your mind what you consider success to be. As we talked about in class, having students set their own goals is an integral part of the learning process; it is also advisable, however, to conference with students about what those goals are and how they can be made realistic and yet still challenging.
The third dimension of achievement has to do with making sure you don't stagnate. Both in an academic setting and out of it, setting goals is important - but once those goals are achieved (or not), you have to always set new ones. To take a popular, "stereotypical" goal - becoming a millionaire: well, once you become a millionaire, what then? You will have accomplished your goal, good for you - but hopefully you will still have a fair amount of life left to live, and it seems silly to have worked so hard for so long at achieving one thing, and then never striving for anything again. I think this example, though blown out of proportion, translates directly to real-world goals and accomplishments: it is necessary to always be creating new goals, new places to set your sights, or you will stagnate and achievement will cease.
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