RSA Animation Vs. the oppressor

RSA Animation Vs. the oppressor

Alex Etienne                                                                                                                               8-30-11

                After reviewing both the RSA animation video on education and also the article known as “ Toward a pedagogy of the oppressor”, I was left with mixed feelings and various different questions; not only involving how I felt about the issues, but also where we, as a country, take our education system from this point moving forward.  Is it fair to say that everyone deserves an equal education, regardless of where you live or how much money you have?  Even better, is it a normal American civilian’s right to be able to say whatever they feel about a specific subject?  These are all questions that are currently being discussed in our nation and until a solution is found, these problems will continue to occur.

            For starters, in regards to the animation video made by RSA animations, I feel the author did an outstanding job representing where, we as a country currently stand in our education systems.  The video stated, “Education is modeled in the interest of industrialism.”  Obviously, this would first come over as a concern to most people, considering we model our education system as if we are building toys.  But, in the grand scheme of things, this is probably the best method in which we can teach children.  Start them out small, from the beginning.  Then, build upon that, year by year, grade by grade.

            Although you may feel that the previous issue is most important, there is also the issue of ADHD in our children today.  The question remains, how do we treat this?  Should children be medicated or should they simply have to focus naturally, even if they have hyper-active disorders?  According to the animation, children receiving medication for ADHD in today’s society is as easy a process as getting your tonsils taken out. 

            In regards to the article “Toward a pedagogy of the oppressor”, you can take it even farther than the idea of ADHD medication in our schools.  This article discussed issues including discrimination and how impactful it is in society today.  To be completely honest, I thought I was aware of how this was an issue, but I would never have guessed how bad it truly was until I read this piece.  Did you know that, “   To be white, or straight, or male, or middle class is to be simultaneously ubiquitous and invisible? You're everywhere you look, you're the standard against which everyone else is measured. You're like water, like air. People will tell you they went to see a "woman doctor," or they will say they went to see "the doctor." 

            Believe it or not, you can find a simple correlation or relevance between the animation and the article discussed by looking at the idea of a day in the life of a public school system student.  They are constantly surrounded by children medicated for ADHD, they are subject to the “industrialism” idea, and they also probably have seen or even experienced discrimination themselves.  The remaining question is this: How do we adjust our educational system for future students to the point where everyone is happy?  Or, better yet, is this even an eventual possibility? 

Response to Someplace like America (Bruce Springsteen)

A Response to Bruce Springsteen’s Some Place like America

Alex Etienne

           

After reading the introduction to “Some place like America”, I was extremely interested in what it was discussing and quite frankly would have continued to read if it was all provided.  It really takes an in depth look at what America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, is truly about and what it is currently like seen through the eyes of the “workin’ man”.  Also, the story looks at economical aspects as well.  What the economy has and is still currently doing to your typical United States citizen.  As a result of a fluctuating economy here in America, many people are left with hardly any materials at all and talk about what it is like to live in poverty.

            As I read, I could not help but notice the section in which Springsteen wrote, “As Michael and I traveled over the years, we didn’t seek out individuals who offered polemics or who were absorbed in politics.  We simply listened to Americans who were in trouble because of the economy.  In our interviews with workers, some people appeared to be liberal, others conservative, but most were apparently in that amorphous middle.”  This portion of the text in my opinion was crucial to the study performed.  You need to involve people from all walks of life when conducting an “experiment” if you will, just so you can really get a true, beneficial idea of how everyone feels about a specific matter.  When it comes to politics, people everywhere tend to feel different about specific issues considering our country and its policies.  But, the fact of the matter is, we are all living together and honestly, we should all be working toward a common goal: preparing our nation for the road ahead;  and trust me, it will be an extremely bumpy one at best. 

            Discussing what we want our nation to turn into in the future and how we will get there is something that is and should be highlighted on a frequent basis.  Why is this an important issue?  Because the decisions we make now will reflect the decisions we are making ten, twenty, thirty, even one hundred years from now. 

Response to the archive: propoganda and framing

Matt Damon Rewrites Attack On Teachers

                                                                                          Alex Etienne

            This piece discusses, in a nut-shell, our academic achievements as a country and the “reactions of the people” (primarily republicans).  It then goes on to discuss which party, democratic or republican, will help to provide a better learning environment to the students and therefore help them to become more advanced learners.  The teachers took their movement to the white house recently and you may be surprised who greeted them at the door.

            Matt Damon, who is he?  Well, let’s just say he is a multi-millionaire actor that has starred in many lead roles in at least one movie you have on your rack at home or saved to your computer.  The man is a celebrity around the world, but, we all know that is simply because of his acting skills.  What in the world could he possibly be doing right in the midst of our country’s educational scandal?  He was there to discuss a website, a right winged website that apparently has “blind faith, blind to the facts in the “blame the teacher theory”. 

            What exactly does all of this mean though?  The report discusses that there is a sense of “job security” when in the film/acting business, but teachers do not get this same security.  Matt claims, “You are basically saying that a teacher is going to get lazy when they reach their tenure.  That is not true, a teacher wants to teach.”  He then goes on to say, “Why else would you take a shitty salary, and do that job, unless you really love to do it?”  In my opinion, I could not agree more with Matt.  Personally, I am an elementary education major in my second year.  Through the student teaching and observations that I have completed and am currently doing, money and hours are the last thing to even cross my mind.  Being in a classroom with children (Primarily 1^st-3^rd graders), they really feed off of your energy and your ability to keep them entertained.  At that age, you have to enjoy what your doing and present that to them in a positive manner or else you will be in for a rude awakening when no one is succeeding in your classroom.

Follow up: More about myself

My English history: In all seriousness, English has and always will be my best and most favorite area of study.  I really enjoy writing, whatever it may be, and also reading things that interest me or that I know nothing about.

Beliefs:  Honestly, i have always felt that religion is a touchy subject, to everyone.  Personally, not to stear anyone in either direction, i consider myself an agnostic.  This meaning that I have religious doubts, but clearly still believe that there may be a higher being of some sort.  Essentially, i feel that it is hard to believe such a structured story from thousands upon thousands of years ago.  But, at the same time, I continually stop and ask myself:  What exactly is "life"?  What are we? etc.  These are all questions that boggle my mind.

Why am i in college?:  I'm in college because of where i come from.  98% of the students who graduated from my high school class attended college.  Therefore, it was pretty much a given from the beginning that i would be continuing my studies beyond high school.

Cultural: I am a car fanatic.  I currently work valet for a company known as PSI, inc.  To me, there is nothing like zooming through a tight but yet isolated parking garage in a six-speed Porsche 911. 

Just a little rant about myself

My name is Alex Etienne.  I am 19 years of age and came to Lexington for college from the NKY/Cincinnati metropolitan area.  Being from a small suburb of Cincinnati, I grew up in a tight-knit, gossip filled community of about 18,000 residents.  Considering the fact that its a small town, everyone knows everyone.  Therefore, you are always on the radar and their is no room to slip up or everyone will know immediately.  I was a 2 sport athlete in high school (Football and Soccer), and now just simply enjoy being a spectator.  Feel free to ask me anything else, i am always open for conversation!