Today's 504 class was interesting. Of particular note was the discussion of limiting the size of soda a person is allowed to have when they are at a restaurant. Now I must admit, I do not drink a lot of soda myself, but that is my personal choice. Never would I tell another person to drink less soda than they wished to consume. Unless of course, you are one of my children...and if that is the case, I make all the rules! They have limits that I have chosen to enforce as their parent. We do not keep it in the house for the most part and when I am out with them, they are only allowed a limited supply, so they need to plan when they drink the soda. In addition, on the rare times we go to a fast-food restaurant, we prefer slow food, we DO NOT order the large size meals...you know, the one's that give more fries and larger drinks...But that is MY CHOICE as their parent. Perhaps mandating parents become better parents would be a better law...yes, sarcasm
One of my classmates indicated this was a public health issue and I respectively disagreed...explain no helmets for motorcyclist, or no ban on smoking, or the continued use of alcohol. How about spending time in the sun without 70 sun block, perhaps banning trips to the beach so we keep people from too much exposure to the sun? At what point is a person freedom to choose what they wish to purchase their own choice and not what another person, or a group of others, deems to be acceptable.
For the record, I am not a supported of Mr. Paul, but this is on target!
Yes, we are a society and the society is made up of a bunch of individuals who have been willing to give some of their personal liberties away for the good of all...but seriously you can not have an XL soda but only a large, or in this case as many larges as you want. It would be interesting to see if this will actually lead to more consumption of soda. A smaller cup being refilled a couple of times rather than one large portion. Then add tot he fact, diet sodas, well, you can have any size you want of those...my last thought there is "DIET" is "DIE" with a "T" on the end.
It really scares me how easily people/citizens so easily give up their personal freedoms without question. Their answer that it is for the greater good is shocking to me. At some point, the greater good will go against every individual so how is that good?
So how would I use this subject in the classroom to teach a lesson is in fact our lesson?
I love dialog, and introducing an issue like this to a group would definitely get the dialog moving. Our class was the perfect example. We even needed a break from our lesson to just discuss the issue, which is what I love to do, talk. But I think a good context for this lesson would be how this particular law would affect the personal liberties of individual citizens.
A good place to start would be asking the students to outline what they thought personal liberty meant. In other words, come up with a definition for it and then list characteristics of personal liberty. After doing this individually, a group consensus of the definition and characteristics would be outlined. After consensus, introduce the topic of the soda cupsize law tot he students. For this part of the exercise, I would have the students write down what their personal ideas were. Once we moved to the consensus part of the activity I would use an overhead to collect the ideas of the group. A prepared overhead with the topic question would then be presented.
At this point, I would step back and ask the students to pick a moderator and recorder for the entire class. I would set the expectation the moderator was to not offer opinions but facilitate the conversation, who went next and such. The recorder, which I would have using the front board, would only record the ideas presented.
With about 10 minutes of class left, I would step back in and touch on my arcing question of what does personal liberties mean, using an overhead and listing the answers and comparing them to what the soda cup size law in fact does.
Then for homework...have them drink soda, since soon it will not exist any more because Big Brother has decided so...
Hi, John --
ReplyDeleteInteresting perspective. One challenge, of course, is that public school educators are not permitted to bring their political views into the classroom! So how would that affect your approach to this lesson?
We spent about 25 minutes on this topic, but we covered a lot of other ground during our three hours together (plus, you came about 30 minutes early and had a lot on your mind). What else about class that you can reflect on?
PS - You may find it useful to write your posts in Word and run them through spell-check before you post so that mechanical errors don't get in the way of your message.
I'm still thinking about this and want to clariy: there are some things, when it comes to teacher professional practice, that are non-negotiable. As our role is to promote our students' thinking, it is not OK to expound on our personal political beliefs, display campaign materials in our classroom, etc. (Even we as university faculty, where we are protected by far more rigorous academic freedom firewalls than K-12 folks have, receive unambiguous guidelines on how we can participate in the political process so that it is clear we are acting as individuals and not as university representatives.)
ReplyDeleteInteresting. To me the key piece here is the word "consensus". Personal liberty and the role of government is an issue whose complexity defies a coherent view. My studies of antiquity and the Dark Ages have led me to the overwhelming conclusion that the latter persists. This is borne out by the sophistication and sustained complexity of Greek and Roman historical analysis. The pseudo-Aristotelian taxonomies of Scholasticism divide and conquer, and err proportionately. No issue is truly black-and-white, except to the extent that you wish it so. Poison should perhaps not be readily available at Walmart for impulsive teen suicides. As much as I, too, loathe governmental meddling in my decision-making, there has to be some kind of balance. If me submitting to the individual mandate means more affordable health care, I am willing to be part of the collective effort at a better life for each and all. The idea of government is rooted in the idea of society itself. In the purpose of community, of tribe, of family, and of marriage. We are all in the same boat, we are in this together, like soldiers in a fox hole, and we must collaborate and cooperate in order to survive and thrive. Students must learn in our classrooms that there are many sides to an issue, problems are exactly that: problematic. Our approach to them must accordingly be resourceful and multifaceted, if we are to attain and promote any measure of enlightenment.
ReplyDeleteI think you raised some very interesting points in your post. I liked the lesson plan that you came up with, but I know for myself (and possibly for you as well) it would be hard to keep my opinions/beliefs to myself. What would you say when students asked for your opinion? That would be hard...because you want to show your students that you are engaged in the discussion but you don't want to overstep any boundaries. Similarly, you would have to make sure your classroom was a very safe place where students felt comfortable expression their opinions--otherwise one very opinionated person would start talking and it is possible that some students wouldn't want to disagree. I think it's really difficult to bring personal opinion into the classroom--but it can be done!
ReplyDeleteApparently, I missed the purpose of the blog in the first place, so here are my side of the conversation with Kristin, which I was emailing...
ReplyDeleteFunny you would bring that up about running it through word first. I actually did and then somehow uploaded the older copy, lol
What me have a lot on my mind, and like to share, you know me already, lol
I love discussing subjects and always appreciate open and frank discussion. I always listen to other opinions and like to be open to new ideas, there is always an opportunity to learn.
Politics in the classroom is a way of life. I actually agree with you there is no place to openly "share" your political beliefs, but that is in fact not what happens. I have been in many a classroom where there is no doubt who or what candidates the teacher supports. One of my favorite teacher to work with, he has since retired, had Obama plastered all over his room. He and I were on different political ends of the spectrum, but we had wonderful discussion and often laughed at our differences. I am actually still in touch with him and would have loved to of had him as a mentor. I have been in classes here Bush was considered the devil and a horrible President and was shocked when my daughter came home with a description of the south as being bad because of slavery. I am a southern boy and had a discussion with the teacher about the amazing culture and history, other than slavery, that made it a wonderful place to grow.
I take a different path when it comes to politics in the classroom. I like it when there are different opinions, but make it known there is no right or wrong and statements made have to have support or foundation. Simply stating something or someone is bad is not allowed, why are they or it bad? What do you think caused that to happen, what are some opportunities for a different understanding. We live in a political world and politics is a very big part of who every person is in this country. I think it is very important that we learn to understand what, and why, others think the way they do. My father is very conservative and my mother is left of liberal left. I am a Republican, raised that way, but married to a Democrat, school social worker. I make sure my children know there is more than one side. Look, read, listen and learn, then make up your own mind is my belief. If we actually thought as a society, not just followed, many of our social ills would find it hard to survive. I am more concerned with us helping ourselves first and then helping those who can not help themselves. In other words, rely on yourself and make sure you contribute what you can to society. Don't try to figure out what the government can do for you take care of yourself. Self reliance seems to have gone by the wayside.
So I will share a tidbit about myself, I will actually be on the ballot in November. I was asked by the vice chair of the Michigan Republican committee to run for the 53rd district as a state representative, against Jeff Irwin. Winning in Ann Arbor, haha, still laughing, but what a wonderful experience it has been. I have always taken at least one of my children to vote with me so they can understand their civic duty.
ReplyDeleteThose that actually take the time to look past me being a Republican are always amazed at what my beliefs are. First, I am not a strict party line and second, in reality there is very little that differentiates what we all believe...
So in my classroom, I would not shut down a discussion about issues, but I would not interject in a matter of fact or I am right sort of way. Tell me what you believe and why you believe it, followed by what other facts should be included. I am more concerned with the process rather than the actual content, if that makes sense. I actually do not want to change a person's mind. I want the other person to accept that I believe what I believe and they do the same. If we have a discussion, perhaps we will one find common ground and two, move closer to a common understanding. No two people are the same and expecting us to all be the same is a recipe for disaster.
Hmm, long winded, hopefully somewhere in there I answered the question and did not spend too much time on my soapbox.
I will do better in the future on my blog, thank you for the feedback. I was not really sure exactly what to do so I picked one part of the class that I really enjoyed and then applied the topic to teaching.
Have a great 4th holiday!
I so agree, what was I thinking, saying yes, lol
ReplyDeleteI am pretty low key, I actually enjoy talking with people more about it than everything that goes with it. I really enjoy debating with other and hopefully learning in the process myself. I agree 100% politics should be kept out of the classroom. Sometimes a bit more difficult than other since education in this country is very political. But my goal is to teach the process of learning about a subject because it interests you, or has some effect on you, and make up your own mind.
I told them I was going to be VERY busy and have turned down all the time committments they have asked for from me. But it has been fun :)
Children are our future, hopefully I can be a part of a much better future for all.
Preston, I think you and I would agree on a great many topics and hopefully, we will have the opportunity to explore them.
ReplyDeleteWhat if a person was to ingest some unintended item that could kill them, a first step is to give them ipecac syrup, a kind of poison. We use venom from snakes to help with being bitten by a poisonous snake. Having a "poison" available can be a good thing. What is to say which one is better or worse than another? If a person wants to kill themselves, just taking a handful of sleeping pills can do the job, or drinking a very large amount of alcohol. How about standing in front of a train or jumping off a bridge? Should we outlaw those as well? Isn’t it your right to do to yourself whatever you want to? The basis of liberty is being responsible for yourself, not having someone else dictating what it is you must do, under the guise of what is good for all. What if we required eating nuts was mandatory because they are healthy. Nuts are poison to some people. Should they now be outlawed? We are here to teach reasoning and deeper thought. Our goal is to create people who can think for themselves. Would it not be better to teach why drinking so much soda is bad for you rather than just saying you can because it is not good for you? Drinking a large soda is not ok, but drinking many small ones is ok…that logic makes no sense. Personally, having one 16 oz drink instead of two 12 oz drinks makes more sense to me. I know I am stepping to an extreme, but the slippery slope is started with innocuous first steps. Of course not drinking a lot of soda is good for you, but so is smoking and drinking. For that matter, so is spending too much time in the sun and how many people die every year while swimming or walking or other types of exercise.
The AHA is a great idea; however, asking some to take care of the rest invites class bias. Eventually, those who are supporting those who are supported will dictate what they believe is the “right” thing to do. We are just doing it because it is good for you will become the mantra. It is the law in this country that no person who seeks treatment at the emergency room, or a hospital can be turned away for no insurance. The question is who pays for it. In this case, increased insurance premiums cover the lost payments. We have free clinic everywhere in this country; we have used them personally when our insurance did not cover immunizations for our children. The immunizations were received at no cost to us. All children who are under a certain age and living in families that are living under a certain income receive no cost healthcare already in the state of Michigan. Again, we have friends who receive this help. So now the Federal government wants to do it. Make it one size fits all and then dictate to the states they have to pay for it while meeting the Federal standards. Social Security was never meant to be a welfare program and welfare programs were never meant to be a way of life, yet the Federal government has turn them both into something other than what they were originally intended. Ant time those who are making me do something that they do not understand, Pelosi, paraphrasing here, we have to pass it and then figure out what it actually means, scares me, a whole lot! How about letting this be hashed out in a place where something will actually be done about this issue, the States themselves. California is different from Michigan as is Michigan from Mississippi, yet the Federal government is treating them all the same. Yeah, that is going to work. The problem is not being addressed, only pandering and politics. Now you get insurance no matter what and up to a point, but you can still do things that can kill you. Remember Logan’s Run or a Brave New World? What happened there, once you reached a certain age, you became a burden on society or a drug was given to control you.
In my lifetime I have seen health care go from a family thing, if you went to the doctor, you paid for it, it was only the big issues for which you had insurance to every one must now have insurance. When exactly is most insurance used? When you are either really sick, and I do not mean the normal stuff, I mean surgeries and cancer and issues like that, and when you get older. The rest of the time you pay into the system so you can get the benefits of the system when you really need them. Not where we are today! Does personal responsibility exist anymore?
ReplyDeleteOk, I am done
Have a fantastic day!!
Well, Alyssa, my personal opinion on this subject...sorry could not resist.
ReplyDeleteI think one opinion on a subject is not what is important. Of course, in case no one could tell, I have opinions. However, what is more important to me is the discourse. I think getting the "I feel" and "fair" out of the discussion makes the issue easier to understand and much easier to talk about. If you spend your time telling someone what to think rather than helping them think something through for themselves, have they actually learned.
I am a Republican, and have been my entire life, people change all the time because they want to get elected or things like that, it is political. I am actually more conservative on some issue and moderate on others…there is even a slightly liberal side of me. However, that does not define what I believe. Having an actual discussion with me will help us both understand an issue we disagree on in a better way and even find a lot of common ground.
I personally do not believe in abortion, not having my children would be devastating to me. However, I also do not believe I can tell a woman what to do with her body. But, I do not believe any fund that is created that collects money from all sides of the issue should be used to underwrite abortions. In other words the government in no way should pay for abortions. If that many people believe in it, then create a nonprofit and raise money privately. Planned Parenthood was started to control the minorities in urban settings by a very racist woman, Margaret Sanger. I was not involved when the baby was made and I should in no way be involved when the baby is aborted. But I would never tell a woman she could not do with her body as she would choose. If the subject were to come up and you looked at me as only a Republican I am sure your first thought would be is I am anti abortion, or pro life, which would be both correct and incorrect at the same time. I would rather explore why a person would fall into one of the two main camps and then bring it back into the class perspective, at which point then opinions could be talked about, but even then does it really matter what I personally believe?
I had a discussion with a high school student one time and I she kept saying was I was wrong, my only question to her was why and I wrong? She could never answer that question. My lesson with the students is not that someone is right or wrong but why a person believes what they do…how they know they are right or wrong…
Have a great day!
You have opinions! And I respect that, of course. My intentions are not to dwell on our differences. To do that in a comments section on a blog is not my cup of tea! I am curious, though, how you might handle a situation in which a student directly challenges your beliefs or worldview. From my experience in high school, this is a likely occurrence and seeing that you are such a fiery individual (not to say that you are stubborn or close-minded, just that you are well aware of your stance on certain issues pertaining to liberty and individual freedom), have you considered how you might react to a student who directly opposes your beliefs in the classroom and/or how you would defend your stance? Would you want to? Could it pose as an opportunity to model logic, reasoning, skepticism or active citizenship? I see that you are more of a proponent of students being able to support their ideas and claims so how would you model this without discussion of your personal ethics? Or would you choose, as you did in your lesson plan, to be a passive observer of discourse rather than a participant? In your opinion, how might you best serve your role as teacher in these situations?
ReplyDeleteEveryone has opinions! And I think the fact we have differences, and have a discussion about those differences, in a civil tone, are truly what makes this country great! I think it is very important all people understand two things. First I have “what I believe” and “they have what they believe”, and second if we are going to have a discussion we need to be civil and respect each other's opinions. No one is here to change anyone's mind but to discuss, in earnest, what they believe and why they believe it, not that the other needs to change their beliefs. If we can do that, we will have a wonderful conversation...First, in the classroom, I am, for lack of a better word, the "final" say, someone has to be and the degree says it’s me...oh, and fiery, really...lol...how about talented in the ways of selling...yeah, I like that better...
ReplyDeleteI think it is safe to assume we can speak of liberty, what that is and entails, in schools. After all, it is the basic foundation of our country, as are rights and something most people do not really think about anymore, responsibilities. But on to your question... If I am challenged by a student who wants to know what I believe, I would simply answer that I have the right to exercise my liberty in a way that does not overtly hurt another. Now, I would probably get asked what I meant by that and I would answer, I have the right to be happy, work hard and enjoy the fruits of my labor. I would have the responsibility to participate as a citizen in the public discourse and make sure my voice was added to all the other citizens. We need an understanding that we are all equal, but we need laws that assure we can continue to live together. I would then add, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but that is the way to goes. If more people believe differently than me/you on a subject and a law is enacted I do not like, as a citizen of that society, I am bound to live under the jurisdiction of that particular law. I would again make sure the student knew their opinions were important to me as a fellow member of the society and mine should be important to them. That does not mean we need to agree, but that we must respect that we share a commonality. We are both living in an amazing country, and not agreeing on everything is ok. I would challenge the student to be skeptical of what they do not know or what others tell them is the truth, or what is fair. In my house "fair" is a four letter word. If you ask my children what fair is, they will tell you whatever I say it is. We speak of justness which is based on truth and reason.
I hold a national youth soccer coaching license and one of the most amazing parts of gaining that license, and it was not easy btw, was a lot of child psychology; more specific the idea of guided discovery. It is a process of going from a big picture to a small picture using questions intended to lead the student to an outcome you desire. In my case, I do not want them to think like me, I want them to think like themselves. Challenge the status quo, don't believe everything you hear and always listen to all sides. Then make up your own mind, which is what I want to teach. I can give you information, but there is more out there and a lot of it can be different than what I may have told you...maybe there is something out there I do not know. I would love it if it was brought to my attention...oh, and shh, I do not know everything, big secret, lol. I never take the position that I am 100% right, If I did, I would probably be wrong 100% of the time...I have to hold out that I may once be 100% right…I question all the time! Today in Enid class, I actually enjoyed where the conversation went and I welcomed the discussion...I was actually very interested in what my fellow students had to say and listened intently, joining in the conversation as well, geez, imagine that, lol At the break I even had a discussion with Enid which made me look at one of the articles differently than I had. Honestly, I learned, not because someone told me to or tried to make me, but because I am open to it...I hope I can take that into my classes as well...I hope that answers your quesiotn, but I am always open to speaking about it more…
ReplyDeleteGreat question!!!
Besides, wouldn't the world be a really boring place if we just all agreed with each other...just saying
ReplyDelete