Thoughts on Teacher Preparation

In class on Thursday we identified many of the obvious obstacles conflict affected societies face when attempting to provide adequate education to youth (and in some cases adults). I am always interested to learn more about the first hand experiences the SSHIELD scholars bring to the conversation. One of the obstacles briefly mentioned was the effect of conflict on teachers' psychosocial well being.  I feel a bit embarrassed I'd never thought of this before, but when we talk about education in conflict affected areas we often focus on the children and the lack of qualified teachers.

In this week's reading Munoz (2010) mentioned several times that educators are often targets of violence. However, we tend to overlook the affect of the conflict on the teachers. What resources are there to help educators who have possibly witnessed acts of brutality or have been threatened for providing education? Teachers often give so much of themselves to take care of their students, even in the US I've witnessed colleagues exhaust themselves, physically, emotionally, and sometimes financially to help their students. I can only imagine what it must be like for teachers who are struggling to work in times of emergencies. I would guess that teachers often place the needs of their students before their own, possibly to their detriment. In thinking about education in emergencies and what is best for students I would also suggest we think beyond pedagogical training for teachers and work to include supports for their emotional and psychological well being as a key component of any program.

I do wonder if this is possible, wanted or something that is even needed? Am I just looking at this concern from my American perspective? Would others agree?

The Conflict of History Curriculum

This week's question is a difficult one to address since there are many positive ways to approach teaching history. In America pretty serious debates have occurred surrounding just this topic! Even the innocent sounding Social Justice approach has many opponents who fear we would be teaching children communism, by teaching them to make the world a more fair and equal place!

I'm drawn to a history curriculum that deals with conflict and controversy and doesn't try to pretend it never happened or that there is only one viewpoint that is correct. When I taught history I would tell my students it wasn't my job to teach them what to think, but how to think. By studying about other's conflicts we can hopefully learn the causes and solutions of our own.  A solid history curriculum that allows students to grapple with difficult content can help to do just that. Students need to understand that often history isn't black and white and that there are multiple sides to each event. It is important for them to realize that world they live in is much the same way. That people do not act in isolation, but in response to the events that surround them. By introducing students to difficult and controversial content I believe that students can grapple with tough ideas in a safe environment and that the problem solving skills developed through inquiry and investigation can be transferred to their current experiences. But then I am and will always be a bit of an optimist!

Decisions

This is my first Post for S512

Dr. Duany’s decision to go to the United States instead of the United Kingdom or somewhere in Europe was surprising to me – not that she chose the US, but her reasons for this decision. She spoke of the South Sudanese populations she witnessed in London and how she didn’t want her children to rely on the state – or become literally fat off the state. It seemed there was not a fear of this in the US since she felt there were more opportunities for her children to receive an education and find work. I know Europe has a solid educational system – sometimes considered better that the US’s and the US also provides many social supports like she mentioned people using in London. So, I’m not sure where the distinction was drawn. Maybe because, Dr. Duany had real experience with Europe and her only real knowledge of the US was from films she had seen, but then Movies are typically an exaggeration of the best and worst a society holds. She was concerned about bringing her family into the permissive society depicted in these films. I think coming here was a huge leap of faith.

I wonder if her family had settled in a different community, in a large city or in the South if there would have been a significantly different outcome for Dr. Duany and her children. Is there something special about the social and cultural makeup of Bloomington that allowed the entire family to excel? What could this be? Could we even begin to identify it? And is it something to consider replicating?