Blog Post 6

When doing the post it note activity one specific idea stuck out to me. That was the idea of "Filling" kids. The idea that students in the class room were just containers that needed to be filled to capacity before they could move on to the next stage of their learning experience. Freire often spoke of the fact that teachers feel like it is there job to keep students moving forward as opposed to making a connection to them. Yet one of the ways that education seems to be most effective is when there is that connection. I have had both experiences in my life. The first being a negative experience of being pushed through. My sixth grade history teacher was an example of this negative teaching style. He was only focused on grades and everything had a grade. We were expected to read on our own and there was virtually no lecture in the class. At that age it was very stressful to be expected to know how to learn in that environment. My high school chemistry teacher is a positive example on how to "fill" kids while still having a relationship with them. This teacher used to use unique strategies such as letting us teach a class or create a lecture. We all looked forward to going to class and at the same time I think I learned the most  I ever have in that course. He is the huge reason that I am so interested in becoming a teacher so that I can make those connections with students as they grow.  

Rofes gave many strong opinions concerning homo and heterosexuality as well as the overall treatment of children. He spoke strongly about about equal rights of all people. This, Rofes believes, can be accomplished many ways. But one very significant one can be starting groups or clubs within the school system such as a Gay Straight Alliance. These types of organizations are made with the purpose of protecting kids in mind. A strong chapter of a GSA at a school could make or break a certain persons high school career. Whether it be through helping answer questions about feelings that may be confusing or just having a safe place to go sit and talk with people that you are completely comfortable with. I went to a small Catholic high school and we did not have any of these programs. But at the same time we only had four kids that were openly gay. Were there more? Definitely. But those men and woman may have felt afraid to be honest with themselves or others due to the fact that there was no safety net in case something did go down hill. Rofes also speaks about the rights of children and how in his eyes children are being oppressed. He believes this because of the structured social, educational, and home life that minors seem to be subject to. He believes that these young people have just as much of a right to make decisions for themselves and pursue interests that they genuinely are invested in as opposed to the bland serving of curriculum that many schools feed to children of that age. Rofes believes that just men and women of different sexuality should have equal rights so should all members of society, including children.