Labelling

We were discussing last class how oftne times when people are labelled, it can truly get to them and in many cases affect how they act or perform. I remembered in my education class discussing something that fell right into this category. It has been said that women perform worse on Math exams then men do. Therefore, because women know that they tend to perform worse then men, they will. A study showed that when women tested without men in the room, there was a 70% accuracy rate. When they were outnumbered by men, however, there was only a 58% accuracy rate. What this shows is that when people are stereotyped they begin to believe it which results in them acting as they are believed to.

Student Teaching

I student teach at Blue Creek Elementary School and what is interesting about my class is that there is a visually impaired student in my 5th grade class. Watching him week to week I cannot believe how smart he is. However, he had some difficulty at the beginning of the year with the class because he wasn't able to tell when students hands were raised after the teacher asked a question. Because of that, he would occasionally blurt out random answers or statements. I started working with them in November. So that had two months getting used to. I think that at first they may have viewed him as deviant, but now however, no one even smirks or looks at one another when he does something out of the ordinary because it has been accustomed to their life in the classroom

The Lives Of Others

In my German Literature class we watched a movie called "The Lives of Others". The whole movie really reminded me of 1984, how the government can completely control the lives of the people. This movie takes place in East Berlin in 1984 where an officer of the secret police, the Statsis, monitors a man and his girlfriend. The party is suspicious of the man and thinks he is against the party. The man, George, is a well-known writer and his girl-friend, Christa-Maria, is a very famous actress. While they are out one day, this officer and about 10 members of the party go into the apartment and put microphones behind every light outlet. They also set up cameras outside the building so they can see when they enter and exit their apartment. The party stations themselves in the attic of the apartment and listen to every single thing that is said in the apartment. The writer believes his apartment is safe so he holds all of the meetings with his fellow friends about secrets they know and say names of members who are also against the party. This whole movie fits so well with 1984 and how people literally had no freedom and even those who thought they did certainly did not. The party knew everything about everyone.

Stranger Rodeo

This youtube video I saw his hilarious. It is shows a guy jump on random people and see how long he can stay on them. Some people let him go and some try and attack him. He runs away chanting whoop whoop whoop

http://youtube.com/watch?v=UWjBURwHB00

Brother's Keeper

What I thought was the most interesting thing about Brother's Keeper was that the neighbors who wanted nothing to do with this family because they were so bizarre, strange, dirty, and illiterate, supported them once Delbert was charged with his brother's murder. It wasn't even that they stood by his side because of the fact that they thought he was innocent. I think it was more that they felt he was one of their own. He was a part of their community and that was what made them provide a support system for Delbert and his brothers. They lived a strange lifestyle and their house was a complete mess. They would all sleep together in the winter and speaking to them was like speaking to a 5 yer old. This movie really shows how media can turn stories and manipulate people to benefit themselves. Delbert, who can't read well, wasn't even sure what he was signing which turned out to be a confession. The police seemed to have switched their words and in a way convince him to sign it. This just shows the world we live in today, so eager to convict people. The learning experience examines the role of a person's environment and examines how it affects a person. This movie shows that before Delbert's conviction, the neighbors viewed him as dirty and weird so in the movie he was portrayed as dirty and weird. When they became a supporting environment and viewed him as a passionate man, he seemed to have turned into a passionate man.

Into the Wild

Last night I saw Into the Wild. Although it was long, I thought it was a very interesting movie and admired him for being courageous and strong enough to leave a society he couldn't stand. His parents were very uptight and seemed to care a lot about what they looked like and what people thought of them. They were into politics and following rules, which Chris and his sister hated. At graduation Chris jogs out with his hands up in a really unprofessional way. His parents look embarrassed of their son who is so carefree and don't care what people think of him. While the family is out for breakfast one morning, they yell at their daughter for driving with a permit and tell Chris they are going to buy him a new car which he refuses to accept. He likes his car, feels nothing is wrong with it, and doesn't care what people think of him (which is all his parents care about). One scene shows their father receiving some award at their house and Chris and his sister aren't even applauding him or in the backyard celebrating with the others. It bothers their father who seems them not even paying attention to him and he is angry that they don't have the same ideals as himself and his wife. The father is only proud that Chris could get into Harvard Law School and just responds with: "That is a big deal." He tells his parents he has 24,000 dollars saved up. He burns this money when he leaves them to live without material things which he says is so much more exciting and fun.