Teaching Philosophy Statement :: School Education Teachers Essays

Teaching Philosophy Statement â€Å"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.† (Dale Carnegie) This quote best fits my views toward education. I feel that a majority of students, today, dread going to school and no longer look at it with a positive mentality. I believe this attitude toward schools is why overall grade performance has decreased and United States students rank lower when compared to students of foreign countries. I want to change all this, at least, in my classroom. I want to restore the positive energy and ambition that some students have lost in education. I want students in my classroom to thirst for new knowledge and have a productive and enjoyable time doing so. I personally believe that students, at all age levels, do their best work, and get more involved, when they are educated in an interesting, creative, and hands-on environment. My aspect towards which philosophies to use in education is eclectic. I predominately agree with the Progessivist theory because it is student centered and perceives students as individuals. I believe that these individual needs should be expressed and accommodated in the classroom. I also feel its important for the educational environment to include a democratic process, where students have a chance to voice their opinions about the material they will learn and the rules that they must follow. I feel that when students help direct their own path, that they gain more respect in the classroom and increase their drive to learn. Another factor I’m akin to about using Progressivism in the classroom is that it is experience-centered and deals with actual problems that students face in life. I agree with John Dewey’s belief that students learn more by doing because it has meaning. An additional belief that Dewey and myself consider vital is that students should learn how to apply previously learned information and skills to solve new issues. This teaches students’ critical thinking skills and problem solving methods. I also favor the Essentialist’s philosophy because it has a strong curriculum based around the traditional subjects of reading, math, and science. I think core curriculum furnishes students with a strong foundation, which they can build upon as they continue to learn.

Animal Farm Analytics

Leaders use many tactics to withhold power and maintain control over the ignorant people. Joseph Stalin, the leader of the USSR from 1922-1952, used many clever and sometimes gory techniques to keep his power over the Soviet people. These strategies are shown in George Orwell's allegory of the Russian revolution, Animal Farm. Napoleon, the self-proclaimed leader of Animal Farm and allegorical representation of Joseph Stalin, has quite a few crafty and cunning ways to retain his authority over the animals. For example, by only educating the piglets and dogs, Napoleon keeps the majority of the animals uneducated and ignorant and therefore easier to manipulate. By blaming mistakes and wrongdoings on Snowball, an exiled pig who is an allegorical representation of the exiled Russian leader Leon Trotsky, Napoleon is able to create a common enemy. This takes the blame off of himself and instills a fear in the animals, making it easier for Napoleon to control the public. Finally, he trains puppies to become attack dogs and uses them as a police force, forcing the animals obey his every word by fear of bodily harm. By keeping the masses ignorant and afraid, Napoleon is able to retain his power over Animal Farm. Since he restricts formal education to the piglets and dogs, Napoleon is able to keep the remaining animals uneducated and docile, using their stupidity to his advantage. For example, after Napoleon murders many of the animals who are supposedly in league with Snowball, the animals are a bit uneasy because they recall a Commandment that states, â€Å"No animal shall kill any another animal† (Orwell 58). Muriel, a literate goat, reads the Commandment after the massacre, and it says, â€Å"No animal shall kill any other animal without cause† (151). She thinks that â€Å"somehow or other the last two words had slipped out of [her] memory. But [she] saw now that the Commandment had not been violated; for clearly there was good reason for killing the traitors† (165-166). Because Napoleon only educates the wealthy, the rest of the animals are oblivious to what is going on and believe everything that they are told. When Napoleon changes the Commandments, the animals blame their own faulty memories and proceed to believe whatever is written in the commandment because â€Å"Napoleon is always right†(111). Napoleon exploits the animals' gullibility when he modifies the Commandments to justify his atrocities and garner even more power. Since the animals only believe what they are told by Napoleon and the media, he is able to maintain his control over the farm. By limiting education to only a select few, Napoleon is able to manipulate the masses and get away with changing things to his benefit. Napoleon creates a scapegoat and common enemy for the animals by blaming everything that goes awry on Snowball. This, in turn, brings about a sense of fear that helps Napoleon strengthen his rule. One instance where Napoleon executes this strategy is early in the spring, when the animals receive news from Napoleon that Snowball is secretly frequenting the farm at night and disturbing the animals in their sleep. After hearing this news, â€Å"the animals [are] thoroughly frightened. It seemed to them as though Snowball were some sort of invisible influence, pervading the air about them and menacing them with all kinds of dangers† (147). Blaming Snowball for everything that goes askew is a good way for Napoleon to create a common enemy and inculcate fear in the animals. By putting Snowball under a bad light, Napoleon makes it seem as though he is the good guy and Snowball is the bad one. His actions make his reign seem â€Å"perfect† since everything is blamed on Snowball. This way, he will receive no opposition. Additionally, by depicting Snowball as the reason for all their troubles, the rest of the animals look up to Napoleon to make the right decisions and lead them through this time of crisis. Animals that are afraid are always easy to control. Creating a scapegoat allows Napoleon to deflect the blame from himself and create nationalism within the animals, making it easier for Napoleon to rule. Napoleon uses the dogs as a police force to control the animals through fear of bodily harm. After Jessie and Bluebell have nine puppies, Napoleon takes and trains them in seclusion. They soon grow into nine vicious killer dogs. One day, Napoleon assembles the animals in the yard to confess their crimes. Any animal who opposed or rebelled against Napoleon steps up, confesses his crimes, and is slain on the spot by the attack dogs, right in front of the other animals. The dogs are ruthless and tear the animals' throats out. After witnessing this bloody massacre, none of the animals know why â€Å"they had come to a time when no one dared speak his mind, when fierce, growling dogs roamed everywhere, and when you had to watch your comrades torn to ieces after confessing to shocking crimes. There was no thought of rebellion or disobedience†(161). Napoleon, by publicly executing anyone who happens to displease or disobey him, sets a precedent of what will happen if any of the animals rebel. The attack dogs are able to crush any signs of rebellion. This puts Napoleon in supreme power because every animal will do whatever he tells them to do, in fear of being kil led. By using the dogs as a means to control, Napoleon is able to crush any signs of rebellion and maintain his control on the farm through fear of physical harm. In Animal Farm, the public is uneducated and afraid, which makes them much more easily manipulated by Napoleon and the pigs. By only educating the wealthy, Napoleon makes sure that the general public is uninformed and therefore easier to control. Blaming Snowball for everything that goes astray creates a scapegoat and common enemy, which inflicts a fear in the animals. This also makes Napoleon seem more perfect, so the animals are more likely to listen to him and give him more power. Napoleon also creates a â€Å"police force† from the attack dogs, who help control the general public by fear of physical harm. In Animal Farm, Napoleon goes to extreme lengths to remain in power, much like other dictators around the world. In the 1900's, Stalin did many violent things to keep in control of the Soviet Union, including mass murdering innocent people who spoke up against the government. Leaders go to extremes and use oppressive tactics to remain in control of their land. In future circumstances, the public should be careful not to trust their leader too much or give them too much power, otherwise the leader will become the dictator of a totalitarian regime.

Dreams in Langston Hughes Poems - 1401 Words

Langston Hughes’ challenging background, ethnicity, and era of life can all be thought of reasons as to why his style of writing relates among discrimination and unsettling topics. Although his writing can be said to bring hope to the African Americans, his style can be frightening and daunting when taken the time to read his pieces. They may not seem real, but they are his way of interpreting and informing the future of what African Americans, like himself, had to go through and what they had to experience. Although some of his writing pieces tell about horrible and sad times of the African American people, throughout his poems he brings hope and peace for the culture. The pieces he wrote may not be pleasant to read, however, the past†¦show more content†¦Most have seen these things or felt them at a single time. Using phrases like these help the readers to understand all the feelings that went into writing the poem. Langston Hughes was not a cryptic writer. His feel ings and thoughts were left on the page. In this poem his thoughts were said to be more focused on the division between different cultures and wishing for the divider to be broken. â€Å"Let America Be America Again† has a similar theme. It not only reflects the feelings the African American culture had during this period, but it makes the reader feel these feelings too. The beginning statement in the poem, â€Å"Let America Be America Again,† makes the reader question what America was. What was America like? Another line from the poem, â€Å"Let it be the dream it used to be,† directly relates to the theme in the previous poem â€Å"Harlem† because in both poems Langston Hughes wishes and wants to take action to recover the way people used to be treated. The basis of â€Å"Let America Be America Again† is that, in Langston Hughes’ opinion, everyone should be equal and treated fairly. No one should be discriminated because of their backgroun d. Literary critic James Presley says that the poem was written in order to beg for the Dream that never was. His opinion is that Langston Hughes’ view of the so-called â€Å"American Dream† was not really a dream at all. He goes into detail that Langston Hughes’ saw the dream as â€Å"ragged, uneven, splotched, and often unattainable goalShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Poem Dream By Langston Hughes1909 Words   |  8 Pagesof each poem are very similar, but yet are different in their own unique way as well. The two pomes are about dreams, the first poem, Dream is about what could possibly happen if we let go of our dreams and don t purse them. The second poem, Harlem is about the possibilities of what could happen when we postpone our dreams. Both poems do not exactly end with a happy ending, for they show the regret that we will be left with, possibly even death. The poem Dream by Langston Hughes is aboutRead MoreA Brief Look at Langston Hughes1413 Words   |  6 PagesLangston Hughes Langston Hughes’ challenging background, ethnicity, and era of life can all be thought of reasons as to why his style of writing relates among discrimination and unsettling topics. Although his writing can be said to bring hope to the African Americans, his style can be frightening and daunting when taken the time to read his pieces. They may not seem real, but they are his way of interpreting and informing the future of what African Americans, like himself, had to go throughRead MoreA Prize For Poetry, International Ibsen Award You Named. Langston Hughes1058 Words   |  5 Pagesyou named. Langston Hughes is a great poet, his poems are truly inspirational, persuasive. It s almost like he was talking directly to the reader. To begin with, have you ever wondered what impact Langston Hughes poems had on people lives. Well if so then you on the right place. James Mercer Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. His parents were Caroline Mercer Langston and James Nathaniel Hughes. Langston parents divorced when he was a kid, Langston was raisedRead MoreRacism and Langston Hughes658 Words   |  3 PagesLangston Hughes was a great African American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist (â€Å"The Biography of Langston Hughes†). As a child, he grew up in the times of racial inequality. As a result, his poems often shared the recurring theme of hope, breaking free from racial inequality, and to strive for a better future. This theme was very evident in the poems â€Å"Dreams† and â€Å"I Dream a World†, by Langston Hughes. This common theme is a result of the era Hughes grew up in. James LangstonRead MoreEssay on Langston Hughes a Harlem Renaissance Man1463 Words   |  6 Pagesartists such as Langston Hughes. James Mercer Langston Hughes was an African American poet, journalist, playwright, and novelist whose works were incredibly well known. It was during the peak of the Harlem Renaissance in which Langston Hughes produced poetry which was not just musically and artistically sound, but also captured the essence of the blues. Thus giving life to a new version of poetry that illustrated the African American struggle between society and oneself. Langston Hughes was one of theRead MoreLangston Hughes Poetry649 Words   |  3 PagesLangston Hughes, the most memorable figure of the Harlem Renaissance, wrote everything from plays, short stories, novels, and most importantly poetry. Hughes’ writing is based on his personal views on frustration that he had towards the plight of African Americans. Langston has no fear with anything he is involved in and sto od up for his people. Unfortunately, his people responded negatively towards his actions, for they thought he was creating more racial tensions. Nevertheless, this was not Hughes’Read MoreThe Writing Style Of Langston Hughes1001 Words   |  5 Pagescollective, is one of the many legacies of Hughes, who has been called â€Å"the architect† of the black poetic tradition. He is certainly one of the world’s most universally beloved poets, read by children and teachers, scholars and poets, musicians and historians. Langston Hughes became the voice of black America in the 1920s, when his first published poems brought him more than moderate success. Throughout his lifetime, his work encompassed both popular lyrical poems, and more controversial political workRead MoreLangston Hughes Essay1084 Words   |  5 PagesLangston Hughes was a large influence on the African-American population of America. Some of the ways he did this was how his poetry influenced Martin Lut her King Jr. and the Harlem Renaissance. These caused the civil rights movement that resulted in African-Americans getting the rights that they deserved in the United States. Hughes was born in 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. His parents divorced when he was young and his grandmother raised him. She got him into literature and education; she was one ofRead MoreLiterary Analysis of Langston Hughess A Dream Deferred1028 Words   |  4 Pagesanalysis of the poem must take place. It unveils and discusses the themes, figures of speech, word placement, and flow of the piece, and A Dream Deferred, is no exception. In Langston Hughess poem, A Dream Deferred, the theme is that no really knows to dreams if they are not reached, and very realistic figures of speech help convey this idea; the poem can be surprisingly related to Mr. Hughess life through the subtitle and quotes from Langston himself. The meaning of, A Dream Deferred, isRead MoreThe Life Poems of Langston Hughes Essay775 Words   |  4 Pagesliving with many relatives, Langston Hughes experienced poverty. Langston Hughes used poetry to speak to the people. Langston Hughes is a pioneer of African American literature and the Harlem renaissance error. Mr. Hughes dedicated his poems to the struggles, pride, dreams, and racial injustices of African American people. Langston Hughes was born James Langston Hughes, February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. Langston Hughes, named after his grandfather James Mercer Langston, was the first African