Re: open-mindedness
I normally just skim through all of the off-tractor posts on this site because I find the level of mouthing off before thinking or mouthing off without ever thinking to be too much. I sometimes wish Mohammad would just delete any non-tractor related posting, but I don't think that would be desirable nor would it be the best use of his time. However, being a teacher and reading some of the posts to this thread I just can't shake my head and click away as I normally would. I could probably write about this topic for days, but I'm sure most of you will be thankful that I will just jump around a bit and hit a few of the ideas that come right to mind.
Let me start by asking, how many of those who posted to this thread have read even one the lesson plans referenced by the Washington Times? How many have read all of them? (I know Chuck and possibly Ranchman have at least read some.)
Teaching a class of 30+ students, especially young students, requires a great deal of planning, thought and skill. A masterful teacher presents facts and opinions (as many as possible), moderates discussion and facilitates the learning process. He/she does not think of children as empty vessels to be filled with "the correct answers", but rather as sentient beings who can and should teach themselves. He/she believes the job is to give students the tools to learn and facilitate that learning.
Does it strike any one else as ironic that a number of people who post to this site are just as close-minded and convinced of the "rightness" (no play on words intended) of their views to the exclusion of all others as the terrorists, dictators, and zealots are?
One of the lesson plans blasted by the Washington Times and I assume one that has caused some of the posters here to go blind with hatred talks about placing blame for the attacks and being careful when dealing with this topic as a teacher. Before you jump off your comfortable seat and excoriate the authors of this lesson plan think about why a teacher (especially of young children) would want to do this. If you are having trouble seeing past your flag-wrapped head let me help you.
In my class last year I had 32 eleven and twelve year-olds. Three were born in South Korea, one in China, one in Ghana, one in Switzerland, one in Sweden, three in Mexico, one in El Salvador, one in Romania, and two in Iraq. (I know it will make some of you very happy to know that they all either spoke English and/or we're doing their best to learn it! Sorry, I couldn't resist.) One of the two children from Iraq was a girl who came here five years ago with her parents. She is raised in a very traditional Muslem way. She wears a "hijab" ( I may have spelled this wrong, but it is the scrarf which covers her head). After the attacks of 9/11 this girl missed several days of school becaue she and her sisters could not leave their home. They were pelted with rocks and called all the names you could imagine because of how they looked and because they follow (peacefully, I might add) the religion which happened to the same as the hijackers. The boy (he spells his name M-o-h-a-m-e-d) came to my classroom just two days before 9/11 and had been in the US just one week. He spoke no English. His father had been arrested in Iraq, and had been tortured, but managed to escape and for thirty some odd days he and his family travelled by night until they reached Syria. They spent several months in a refugee camp before being allowed to come to the US. The boy was beaten up at the bus stop because he was an Arab and a Muslem. The day this happened I sat with him in the office as the boy who attacked him was asked why he chose to pummel a boy half his size and two years younger than he was. As I listened to his reason (which was that the boy in my class should be sent back "where he came from") I was struck by two things. First, the older boy spoke with an accent (it doesn't matter what kind) and second, he had a large cross around his neck.
Before you criticise public schools and teachers, go visit your local school, sit in for a day or two. I say this not because I'm one of those teachers who bemoans how tough our job is or how little we get paid. In fact, I love my job, I don't even see it as work and I think I get paid too much for the amount of fun I have. I say it because I want you to see that we are not educating "your" child, we are educating a community of children. Each one is unique. Each has a different background, a different set of preconceived ideas. Each is beautiful and deserves nothing but respect. Respect for his/her ability to be given facts and opinions and the right to come to their own conclusions.
The point of many of those lesson plans is to help present a difficult, emotional subject in as unbiased a manner as possible. They are not pro-US or anti-US. To say so is to be completely ignorant of their purpose and the people whose job it is to handle complex, emotional events with a room full of children. Children who are from every possible ethnic background, religous conviction, and socio-economic group. Teaching and preaching are different professions for a reason.
No one religion, ethnic group, or country is any more peaceful or violent than any other. Any one who believes otherwise simply has a selective memory or history book.
The level of hatred for the US among many Arabs, Muslems, and for that matter other groups of people does have a reason and origin. It is NOT the reason Mr. Bush (who, for the record, I am neutral about - I neither love him nor hate him - I just think he is doing the best job he can) gives which is that they hate our freedom. This is pure rubbish! Many (not all) Arabs and Muslems hate the US government's policy of total support for the state of ******. You may agree or disagree with the US support of ******, that is your choice, but make no mistake that the reason the US is targeted and hated by many and the reason those hijackers did what they did is because they see the US as making possible ******'s treatment of fellow Arabs and Muslems. (Notice the word "treatment" is given without an adjective attached. You can fill in the one you think is appropriate.) The vast majority of Arabs and Muslems who disagree with the US policy are peaceful, loving people just like the vast majority of Americans. They take issue with US policies not US citizens.
It continues to amaze me that some people who are born, raised, and blessed to have lived their whole lives in the US are sometimes the least "American". Those that may have been in the US for two hours, two days or two weeks, can be the most "American". In this case I get to define "American" as being peacefully respectful of other's beliefs. Now, I suppose no one can be accused of being less than peaceful if they are just posting to a website, but some of the opinions given above seem to hint at less than peaceful solutions to perceived "problems". Perhaps, and hopefully, I'm wrong.
I'll end by pointing out the words at the top of the posting page: "be polite and respectful". I hope I have done so and I wish everyone a happy, healthy and peaceful future.
Dan
