youtube
baking (whole-grain)
my bike
a personal computer
eating out
autonomy
friends
daily mass
things that belong to me
privacy
rokk shows
edible frozen vegetables
relaxation
going to the movies
knowing people
free time
being a part of your life
Archive for December, 2007
I think my sister or jeremy should try this in class.
sort of like a “wear anything but clothes” party but instead “play anything but instruments.”
so last night I watched a movie called Life and Debt (I got it from the film connection!) about the economy in Jamaica.
it was all about how the IMF and the WTO did more to hurt the economy than help it, how basically the restrictions they placed on loans to Jamaica directly resulted in the bankruptcy of Jamaican farmers and businessmen. as you know I have this big interest in economics of developing countries so I found the movie quite interesting and fun to watch, in an educational sort of way. though of course it was assembled for maximum impact, all the tourists depicted were fat drunken white people, oblivious to the real lives of the citizens of Jamaica, there would be a scene with a Jamaican farmer discoursing in an educated way about the effect of the IMF regulations (like how the IMF forced the country to lower trade barriers, resulting in imported food from the states being cheaper than food grown in Jamaica and the closure of Jamaican farms) followed by a part of an interview with the evil IMF guy saying something like “well of course we have EXPECTATIONS for these countries,” all formulated so that at the end of the movie all us fat white people are so totally guilt-ridden and embarrassed we feel like we can’t show our faces in public ever again.
however it was also totally motivational! for me. I have a sort of “this sucks! let’s change it!” attitude which bugs me since that’s pretty much what my former roommate Lee told me sophomore year once when we were arguing about politics and I hate to admit he was even partially right. I was saying something about how much I hate politics and he said something about if I hate it so much I should get into politics and change the ways things are, an idea which I rejected as stupid and just the sort of thing Lee would say. Now, unfortunately, I find myself interested in such things as economic policy in developing countries which is pretty darn political. crap. don’t tell Lee.
so the movie was good, interesting, informative, entertaining, though be warned it’ll make you want to go protest at the next WTO conference.
so I have actually learned some teachy things in the past few months.
when discussing negative numbers, people can grasp the concept by discussing overdrawing a bank account or borrowing things (if you’re making a pie, and you need six apples but only have five, and I have three apples so you take one from me, you are -1 apple. because you owe me one). looking at a number line doesn’t always help.
people can do percents using the stupid triangle. it doesn’t help teach the actual concept of what a percent is. however, while I may feel like it’s simply a crutch that allows people to plug n chug without actually understanding any of the actual math, using the triangle as a tool can lead to actual learning. once they do enough problems, they’re exposed to the information enough that some of it actually soaks in.
people actually learn math by doing word problems, I think. though they hate to admit it, applying skills is the only way to actually learn things. or at least, it’s the only way they can prove to me that they’ve learned something. somehow, just doing a math problem means nothing to me. have I mentioned lately that I’m a poor teacher?
I hate the whole idea of “teaching to the test” in ESOL and I refuse to do it or consider it as an option. the goal is to enable people to live in the United States, get jobs, become citizens, get health care, buy groceries, or help their kids with their homework. not improve their meaningless test score. unfortunately in GED it’s sort of the whole point. also we have to improve test scores so that the state actually gives us money. though I still hate it.
Mairead might leave.
it apparently took her bosses 3.5 months to realize that she hates it here and is totally depressed and they may want her out before Christmas.
kinda sucks. I’ll keep you posted, dear internet.
Recent Comments