Each author's idea for change

Ideas for change and support of -  11-26-13

"Gift of grit, curiosity help kids succeed"  by Jerry Large
Jerry Large's first sentence states, "Hug your kids and kiss their boo-boos, at least until you have to step back so they can develop grit."  He sites the book written by Paul Tough, a reporter,  "How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character". Tough states that he and his wife had a "shelf full of child-rearing books".  His newest book states, "if you want success, build character and the rest will follow". Many of the stories that Tough tells about  revolved around 2 schools: KIPP Academy, and Riverdale Country School, where each of the principals were looking for something that was missing and each would up in the same office pursuing the same research.

KIPP was praised for raising the academic achievement of its students, at first they excelled but "slid backwards in high school". Riverdale, students didn't develop the qualities that "comes from facing and overcoming adversity."  He says that building character is overcoming failure. "Grit is one of the characteristics of successful people.  Here's a list of the others: self-control, zest, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism, and curiosity."

At the end Tough tells a story about rats.  Where the moms "lick and groom them when they are young, and when stressed, do much better in life that those who weren't comforted in that way." He states that "if more parents hug and kiss and coo in those first years, we'd have a lot more happy and successful children."

"A Real Education" by Barry Boyce
Barry talks about the Director of the Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development at Penn State University, Mark Greenberg who said, "Kindness, caring, empathy, being able to de-center from your own point of view and listen deeply to others-these are values that should be cultivated in our classrooms".  The field of prevention, Greenberg says, "not only aims to aver school failure, depression, and extreme aggression, but to promote positive qualities like empathy, citizenship, and strong friendships. Prevention focuses on "building resilience and promoting well-being in children, by working both with the children themselves and with their environments".
"Children, Arts, and Du Bois" by Keith Gilyard
Keith Gilyard visited an after-school creative arts program and interacted with the elementary school students where they were"inquisitive about his career and more than willing to demonstrate their endeavors to make meaning through poetry, lyrics, oral interpretation, song, drawing, story writing, and dance." He learned later that the program would be discontinued due to "lack of funding". "No music, no poetry, no lyricism, no singing, no visual arts, no drama. A point of immersion in the humanities would be eliminated". He predicts doom for the students and says, "Children can learn and grow in other arrangements", but "afternoons they spend in the program are better than afternoons without it".  He sites Du Bois as saying that the effect of all true education is, "not only a gaining of some practical means of helping present life, but the making of present life mean more than it meant before". Gilyard's last paragraph states that, "One of the best ends to have in view is that of the humanities as a widely recognized and amply funded force for the common good.  Creative arts programs are integral to this vision. Du Bois knew that. So do a number of wise eight-year-olds."

"Arizona Bans" by Deb Aronson
Deb Aronson states that "the Mexican American Studies (MAS) program in the Tucson School District was a success story as 97 percent of students participating in the program graduated from high school and 70 percent entered college. But the program was shut down with no real explanation. But realized that it was a political agenda as the legislature passed a bill making it illegal for courses or programs "to promote the overthrow of the government, to promote resentment toward a race or class of people...." where in fact the program that was cut was "never about what we were doing, it was about who we were, who are students were".  Students and teachers across the district have continued to protest the closing of the MAS program.  Many teachers continue to advocate for their students, filing a lawsuit in 2010 saying, "the law is unconstitutional and deprives students of their first amendment rights". and, "It boils down to legislative control over classroom content and curriculum and teacher voice, the state took over our space and that can happen to anyone".

"Critical Thinking" by bell hooks
"Thinking is an action" and "the heartbeat of critical thinking is the longing to know-to understand how life works. Children are organically predisposed to be critical thinkers." She goes on to say, "children come into the world of wonder and language consumed with a desire for knowledge" and "become relentless interrogators-demanding to know who, what, when, where, and why of life." "Sadly", "they encounter a world that seeks to educate them for conformity and obedience only".  bell hooks goes on talking about how critical thinking develops and what it is, she states "critical thinking is an interactive process, one that demands participation on the part of the teacher and students alike".  She ends with, "The most exciting aspect of critical thinking in the classroom is that it calls for initiative from everyone", "teacher and students, recognizes that they are responsible for creating a learning community together".