Katherine Graff
SCHOOL LABELS REPORT Session
4, Page 04, Activity 02
Course: EDUC 5329
Degree: M.Ed.T, Secondary, Foreign Languages
(Arabic)
Standards: ACTFL, NCPTS (
Content practice test NOT TAKEN
TExES content exam NOT TAKEN
PPR practice test NOT TAKEN
TExES PPR 8-12 NOT TAKEN
My Personal Labels
I acquired several labels
throughout the course of my academic career.
Since there are so many, I decided to do them in mini-paragraphs so they
would be easier to read:
Great Friend
I was the type of person that
many, many, many acquaintances of every kind of clique or label imaginable, but
I had few true friends. I was accepted
by many other “labels and groups” because I fit into many different cliques and
reserved my judgment of others until I got to know them. The friends I had were loyal, smart and we
were closely knit and went everywhere together.
We gals are still best friends-we attend weddings, cry at funerals, and rejoice
at births. We have luaus and parties
just because we love being together and we want our kids to grow up and be as
good of friends as we are, and I hope it never ends. I would do anything for my girls!
Gifted and Talented/Over-Achiever/Upper
Track
I was in all of the
upper-level Academic Honors classes and took college courses during my senior
year in high school. I graduated in the
top ten in my graduating class. I am very
proud of this label and I am still a tight-wad over achiever. Some people view that as a bad thing because
I create more work for myself; I view it as an opportunity to grow as a person
by learning everything I can.
Nerd/Brainiac
This label goes hand in hand
with the latter, but since some of my friends were jocks and either were not as
intelligent as myself or refused to apply their talents in other places outside
the classroom, they felt the need to label me as such. Again, I was proud of what I was doing in
class, so this label did not bother me.
Oh, and I am still a big nerd, in case you were wondering.
Jock
I played softball,
basketball, volleyball; I ran cross country; I swam on the community swim team
in the summer and dove on the diving team.
I also attended sporting events of my friends to show my support. I was never ashamed to be labeled a jock,
but this could be because I also had the “nerd and G/T” labels, so they kind of
cancelled each other out. I still run
and lift weights and keep myself in good shape.
I participate
Teacher’s Kid/Goody-Two Shoes
This is the second worst
label I acquired. Even though I accepted
others for the way they were, people did not want to associate with me because
my mother was a teacher and a coach in my middle school and high school
years. They were afraid I would “pass
information” about them or “tell their secrets to my Mom and she would tell
their parents”. I was not invited to
parties or gatherings or privy to sitting at different lunch tables because
other students did not want to be around me when they discussed various
topics. In addition to that, I did not
drink, smoke or do drugs, so I was not “cool” enough for them to be
around. I was told this by some of the
“popular” girls at the end of my senior year, and it hurt that I was socially
rejected based upon my Mother’s positional status, not anything I had done, and
I imagined all along it was something they did not like about me. Now, looking back on it, I am glad I was not
at those parties, because I do not associate myself with shallow people if I
can help it. I am still a
“Goody-Two-Shoes”, and I am not ashamed of that. When I went back to my ten year high school
reunion, no one had any embarrassing stories to tell about me. Honesty and loyalty is a big part of who I
am, and I expect it from others. This
helped me immensely as a Marine because the three Core Values we are taught in
boot camp are “Honor, Courage, and Commitment”.
Fat/Chunky
This was the most horrible,
painful label I experienced as an adolescent.
I was a healthy, normal weight until my sophomore year because of all of
the athletics I participated in. When I
started taking birth control to regulate my female “system”, I gained about 3
or 4 pant sizes because of the hormones.
No matter how hard I worked out or how I ate, that weight was not coming
off. My aunt told me after I had begun
college that the entire family was afraid I was going to be obese all of my
life if I kept on the same track. My
sister acquired the nickname “Chewy” when our brother was beginning to talk
because he could not pronounce “Rachel”.
From that, she was “Chewy” and I became “Chunky” thanks to some of the
guys on our swim team (there used to be a candy bar named “Chunky/Chewy at the
time, hence their amusement at their new name for me). I was so crushed I started crying and I could
not continue the rest of my practice. I
am 5 foot tall and have been since seventh grade, so it is easy for me to
appear “chunky” even if my weight is healthy.
It was a hard pill for me to swallow since most of my friends were
thinner and had boyfriends, and I did not have a boyfriend. My self esteem was rock bottom. And then, there was college-I experienced the
“Freshman 15” in reverse. I signed on for a Nutrition class and an
Aerobics class and lost twenty pounds. I
worked out regularly at the gym and gained muscle mass. When I gained more experience and took a few
more classes, I became a trainer and aerobics instructor at a gym and
eventually was promoted to assistant manager.
I had more guys chasing me in one year than any of my friends had in
high school! I still work out and keep
myself healthy. I maintain a weight
appropriate for my body size and I am now labeled a “Health Nut” by my family
(most of whom are unhealthily obese, by the way). I do not want to look like a super model (I
love my muscles!), but I do want to be a good role model for my kids. A happy, healthy body makes a happy, healthy
person.
Ginger
Yes, I was born with
strawberry-blonde hair, pale Irish skin, green eyes and freckles. I was made fun of constantly, especially by
males. I really did not care, and I
still do not care. If people are
offended by light-reflecting white legs in shorts-they should acquire enough
intelligence to always carry sun glasses in their purses, because I do not care
what they think. I am wearing them
anyway! I recently found out from those same males at
my ten year reunion that the “teasing” was actually an attempt to get my
attention and they admitted they loved my red hair and are currently kicking
themselves for not asking me out. But
now that I am still fabulous all around and they are now not, they missed
out. Boo-yah! Can you tell I have repaired my self esteem
issues since my last label? I should
also note that I have acquired the label of “Smart-Alec” as a grown up ; )
Former Schoolmate’s Labels
When I think of extreme
labels, I think of two of my former classmates, Daniel and Chris. These two gentlemen were very introverted,
socialized with no one, and wore black almost every school day. They carried around laptop cases everywhere
they went and consistently talked about programming and the internet. The two were labeled as underachievers in
class, and I always wondered why because it seemed that their level of
intelligence was very distinguished in the field of technology. Daniel was obese and unhealthy, he did not
take care of his hygiene and rumors floated around that he was from a bad home.
(I do not know if this is true to this day.
I met his Mom once and she was a very nice lady.) No one knew of Chris’ home life, but I am
sure that no one cared. Chris was stick-thin,
and he had quite a bit of bad acne, so people did not want to be around
him. The two became good friends and
found some common ground socially and academically. They were usually seen together in the
hallways and at lunch. Until our senior
year, no one would sit with them during lunch until some freshmen joined them
(I think they were computer savvy as well.)
I had math classes with them and they sat behind me. I would talk with them until they began their
computer jargon and then I had to let them know that they existed in a realm of
intelligence that was way over my head, so they toned it down for me : ) They were nice guys and I enjoyed talking
with them and complaining with them when we could not understand the math
problems-they even helped me out a few times.
Chris and Daniel did not care what other people thought about them or
their hobbies. They kept on doing what
they loved for the right reasons, and I admire that. Interestingly, the two are still good
friends, and have started an incredibly successful business together and from
what I heard they are pretty well off. This example is definitely evidence that
labels are not always an accurate reflection of a person(s) and that caution
needs to be taken with exercising judgment.
Labeling’s Reflection of the School
My middle and high schools
were structured similarly to Richard Powell’s (Powell, et al, 2001, pp
55-56). There were vocational tracks,
college bound tracks, and academic honors college bound tracks. I was in the academic honors track, and I was
grateful that I did not have to have classes with persons on the lower tracks
because I knew it meant my classes would move at a faster pace with more independent
work. I would be in class with the most
responsible students that thought like me and acted like me. I could collaborate on critical thinking
projects with the most intelligent minds in the school and have the best
teachers available. I felt special, and
it pushed me to want to excel even further.
There was a reason all the kids in vocation and ROTC classes were
there-they were not as smart as me and did not have the drive to achieve
greatness that I did. Their parents did
not care as much as mine did. They were
not fit for the same career paths as I was.
This type of school structure
is taking a beating from Powell and his associates, but I think we need a
little more information. First, how
accurate was this track-style learning?
Was it appropriate for the majority of students? How beneficial was it for students in every
track? What percentage of students did
not experience success or were unsatisfied with their track? Did the school’s leave options open for those
who wanted to move up to a higher track or move down because of lower
achievement to ensure their overall success?
Did the schools encourage and offer assistance to students to strive to
be in a higher track? Is it perhaps that
this method just needs a little tweaking instead of a major overhaul?
I agree with Mr. Powell, we
cannot just strictly label a student in 6th grade and assume that
student will either be a slow learner or fast learner or any other label forever. Think about how much we all change within a 6
year time span! It is human nature to
put people and things into categories for a sense of order. It is human nature
to put people and things into categories for a sense of order and organization.
Consider this from an article titled I’m
Not a Racist published in The Observer webzine provided by the University
of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s:
“On a very
simplistic level, it's human nature to categorize people. It's one way of
making a complex world simpler. “ http://www.nd.edu/~observer/02232000/Scene/2.html
I think the track system is
certainly designed to make learning more efficient with the intent of total
student success, but much work remains to ensure that students are guided into
an educational experience that fits their changing needs and persona. I
believe a student should be permitted to take math classes in the “honors”
tracks if they qualify and/or science in the “lower” tracks if they are
struggling and not be penalized in their other courses if they are still
performing successfully.
LABELS - Buddy
Response A
|
Message
no. 973 |
|
Author: Wenyung
Chung |
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Date: Tuesday, October 2, 2007 9:24am |
|
I am sorry for some of your
negative labels that had gave you some bad experiences. Your example of your
classmates are perfect example to counteract the effecitveness
of labels. I believe the school
system has become so politically structured that they are exerting what the societies
believe to be necessary and important for the students to have and if the students
can cope with these qualities they are to be considered underarchievers. What is your comment on
this? |
LABELS - *My
Response* to Buddy Response A
|
Message
no. 1008 |
|
Author: Katherine Graff |
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Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2007
9:15am |
|
Hi Wenyung, I agree with you, schools
are definitely becoming more political, especially with the "No Child Left Behind" act. It is not up
to the teachers to assess what is best for their students in that region,
but it is now up to the government all the way in D.C., most of whom are not educators, to determine what our children
need to learn. I do need some more research on
the issue, but I am overall against it.
I think local school boards, parents,
educators and local citizens should be able to determine what is best for their children. If you live in an Agricultural community,
there are certain types of science classes that you
may need more than foreign languages or something else that is on the standardized national
examinations. Maybe your students are "underachievers"
in foreign language but are awesome in math and sciences. Should the label underachiever or
slow learner be applied? I do not
think so. Some people may disagree, but I say give
the schools back to the communities so we can effectively teach our children like in the
Hawaiian talk and Sioux stories in Chapter 2. Thank you for you questions
and comments Wenyung-they were awesome! |
LABELS - Buddy
Response B
|
Message
no. 990 |
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Author: Erica Bensik |
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Date: Tuesday, October 2, 2007 9:01pm |
|
Katherine: I really enjoyed reading
your paper because you chose to look at labels in some ways that I had not even thought of!
I suppose I was thinking only in an academic mindset, but truly labels can refer to
anything, and physical appearance is certainly one of those things. I really appreciated your
genuine reflection about your label as chunky. It is wonderful that you were so honest
about that time period and can relate to those students who feel the same way and may be
embarrassed or shy. What a wonderful role model you are! I also noticed that you put
"great friend" first. I think this really says a lot about your character and what you feel is truly
important. Thank you for sharing! |
LABELS - *My
Response* to Buddy Response B
|
Message
no. 1006 |
|
Author: Katherine Graff |
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Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2007
9:08am |
|
Hi Erica, Thank you so much for the
kind words! That says a lot about you
as well : ) I love my friends as sisters and they mean
the world to me. The
"Chunky" incident was indeed painful because I had never
thought of myself in that way before.
My parents and grandparents always said I
was just a healthy, growing girl, so it was like being shot with a stun gun. I definitely go out of my way to make sure
everyone in my classes is valued for who they are, and
personal attacks are not accepted in or around my classroom (including
hallways-even though they let it slip anyway, I try to keep it to a
minimum. Can't take the Marine out
of a Marine!). Everyone is built in
their own special way, and that uniqueness is really
cool : ) Thanks for taking the time
to read my labels and I appreciate your insight, Erica. |
LABELS - Buddy
Response C
|
Message
no. 1014 |
|
Author: Stephanie Bohn |
|
Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2007
12:09pm |
|
Name: Stephanie Bohn Courses enrolled in: LIST 5326, EDUC 5329 Program: Initial Teacher Certification Only Seeking Certification:
Secondary English National Standards: NCTE State Competencies: TExES English Language Arts/Reading, Grades
8-12 Content practice test: not yet taken TExES Content exam: not yet
taken PPR Practice test: not yet
taken TExES PPR: not yet taken Katherine, I am glad that you are very
positive about your self-image. I agree
that people look down on over achievers, but you
look at it positively, as do I. I
think it is important for people to educate and challenge
themselves; it will only benefit them in the end. I think it is horrible about the
fact that student secluded you from social activities because your parents were teachers, as
bad as it was then I’m sure, it’s good to see that you know it may have affected you
negatively by going to those parties.
It was also awful to read about your story about you being
labeled “chunky.” I used to manage a
gym and I see all the time the affect that
has on people, all ages and both gender.
I am curious as how the teachers viewed Chris and
Daniel? Did they think they were of
low intelligence? |
LABELS - *My
Response* to Buddy Response C
|
Message
no. 1021 |
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Author: Katherine Graff |
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Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2007
1:04pm |
|
Hi Stephanie, From what I can remember,
Chris and Daniel were treated equally as far as grading, being called upon to answer
questions, etc...but our math teacher never went out of her way to recognize them or to
push them to do better. They were and
I assume still are very nice guys that just
marched to a beat of a different intelligence drum, I guess you could say. They had no use for poetry or gym because
they knew what they were good at and where they were
heading career wise. Yeah, my students made fun
of me today when I told them I was doing well in graduate school. "So what are you an over-achiever or
something?" "What's the big
deal with graduating
pasta-con-broccoli?" "Geez-just do the bare minimum and go out and have a good time-you are so
nerdy!" I said it meant something
to me because I always set high goals for myself that I know I
can achieve even if it means nothing to anyone else. I dont care what anyone else
thinks about it. They thought I would
be embarrassed, but they created another lesson
on personal responsibility for themselves ; ) Did you enjoy working at a
gym? I have mixed feelings about my
experiences. Thanks for the
responses! Pleasure talking with you :
) |
LABELS,
Response 1 to a Classmate’s Work
|
Message
no. 982 |
|
Author: Katherine Graff |
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Date: Tuesday, October 2, 2007 5:50pm |
|
Hi Stephanie, It seems that we had
similar experiences in high school even though we are from different parts of the country ;
) That is so sad about your poet
friend. The worst thing you can do for a shy student
is to isolate them socially. I am interested in this
quote from your paper: There was one part of the book
that I was disturbed by. Powell (2001) provides the idea
that students with high performing abilities are the type of students that teachers want to
teach (p. 52). I do agree that some
teachers spend too much time helping students
that have high academic abilities and because they may be irritated with students that cannot
seem to understand the assignments or pass a test. When ideally, I think the
roles should be reversed. I did some observations of
G/T, AP and Special needs classes for another class here at UTA. I was bored out of my mind in the G/T
classes! The students lacked in
personality and enthusiasm for their
assignments and work and it appeared as if they were being tortured. The room was even bland with only black and
white posters of poets, writers and other influential people
in this English/Literature class. I
remembered studying everything they did, but I
thought to myself "I'd go crazy if I had to teach like this everyday!". It was drier then a stale saltine cracker! Then I observed three
"Special Needs" classrooms the next week. It was wonderful- colorful posters of writers
and thinkers all over the walls, books everywhere from classic to contemporary. Students were enthusiastic and volunteered
answers and had big smiles on their faces. Questions flew left and right illustrating
their thirst for knowledge! The teacher was happy and
seemed to enjoy herself and the students. I think if I had to pick between the two, I would
choose a "special needs" or "resource" class anyday! The happy special needs
teacher also told me that about half of her class did not need to be in "special
needs"; they were there because they were highly energetic and had what their former teacher's deemed
"behavioral issues". Intelligence-wise,
there was nothing wrong with them, the other
teachers just did not want to deal with the student. That being said, I agree with
you about the unequal amounts of attention being paid to students with above average
achievement. We need to make sure that
students are getting more appropriate decisions
made about their level of education received. Do you think it best to
take privileges away from honors students and make everyone equal? I agree with you about the short skirts and
some of the other things above average students were privy
to, but I always saw rewards as motivation for more students to go above and
beyond what was required (preferred parking passes, earned lunches off campus, etc...) Thanks
for sharing your experiences-it was a delight reading your paper. |
LABELS,
*Classmate’s Follow-Up* Response
1 to a Classmate’s Work
|
Message
no. 1016 |
|
Author: Stephanie Bohn |
|
Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2007
12:29pm |
|
Name: Stephanie Bohn Courses enrolled in: LIST 5326, EDUC 5329 Program: Initial Teacher Certification Only Seeking Certification:
Secondary English National Standards: NCTE State Competencies: TExES English Language Arts/Reading, Grades
8-12 Content practice test: not yet taken TExES Content exam: not yet
taken PPR Practice test: not yet
taken TExES PPR: not yet taken Katherine, Thank you for
your response. No, I do not agree that
we should take privileges from honors
students, but we need to offer privileges for students who do not possess high academic abilities. My reason for this is because there should
be no reason to punish (as I put it)
students who are not as smart as others.
They might really be smart, but feel as if they
shouldn’t try because they are getting treated poorly in the first place. So yes, students should all be treated
equal. |
LABELS,
Response 2 to a Classmate’s Work
|
Message
no. 1002 |
|
Author: Katherine Graff |
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Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2007
8:44am |
|
Hi Wenyung! Very interesting about the
art and sciences tracks-it is almost like college. As far as smart goes, there are different
ways to be smart. You were smarter
than they were figuring out strategies for
effective learning which led to successful achievement, so you are smarter than you think
: ) You found a way to learn and
retain knowledge that works for you-and I think that
is great! Good for you! I was sorry to hear about
your friend that was given the label "slow learner". Do you think that your schools
strong emphasis on competition create a huge gap between the "slow learners"
and the "fast learners"? Did
you find it common in many students to just give up because they
could not keep up with the "fast learners" or was that something you only saw in your
friend? I am always intrigued by
your experiences-thanks again for sharing!
|
|
|
|
Message
no. 1003 |
|
Author: Katherine Graff |
|
Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2007
8:47am |
|
Katherine Graff SCHOOL LABELS REPORT Session 4, Page 04, Activity
02 Course: EDUC
5329 Degree: M.Ed.T, Secondary, Foreign Languages (Arabic) Standards: ACTFL,
NCPTS ( Content practice test NOT
TAKEN TExES content exam NOT
TAKEN PPR practice test NOT TAKEN TExES PPR 8-12 NOT TAKEN Sorry, forgot my heading AGAIN! The coffee has not kicked in yet ; ) |
LABELS, *Classmates
Follow-Up* to My Response 2
|
Message
no. 1004 |
|
Author: Wenyung
Chung |
|
Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2007
9:00am |
|
Thanks for your comment. If
you consider studying skill to be a quality of smart then i
will accept your view. I don't think the
competitive environment of the school is the main cause for the huge gap. The most important thing
is the attitude of the student. Although my friend was a slow learner but he never
gave up, he worked extra hard and was able to keep up with the lessons. In most private
school there is minimal dropouts from school, there are more in the public school
and i think the huge different maker is the
involvement of the parents. |
LABELS,
Response 3 to a Classmate’s Work
|
Message
no. 1005 |
|
Author: Katherine Graff |
|
Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2007
9:01am |
|
Katherine Graff SCHOOL LABELS REPORT Session 4, Page 04, Activity 02 EDUC 5329 M.Ed.T, Secondary, Foreign
Languages (Arabic) ACTFL, NCPTS ( Content practice test NOT
TAKEN TExES content exam NOT
TAKEN PPR practice test NOT TAKEN TExES PPR 8-12 NOT TAKEN Hi Erica, I agree with you about the
privileges of honors students and athletes, as I was also in this category. I have said before that I do not believe
that certain privileges should be taken away from successful
students-accomplishment should be rewarded.
I do however believe that reward systems
for other students should be in place for other students that- maybe they aren't the brightest
academically-but have achieved success in other areas. Example: Student A in ROTC who is on the
"regular" track consistently scores highest marks in local and regional
events and led his team to a place finish in a county competition. Reward:
Preferential parking pass beginning of next semester and earns two off campus lunches. What do you think? Is there a better way to motivate students who maybe do not excel
academically? I am so sorry about your
friend Alida; it seems that her situation could
have been prevented by someone
intervening. Thanks for sharing-I
enjoyed reading your paper. |
|
|
LABELS,
*Classmate’s Follow-Up* Response
3 to a Classmate’s Work
|
Message
no. 1061 |
|
Author: Erica Bensik |
|
Date: Thursday, October 4, 2007 8:55am |
|
Katherine: I agree with you
completely, but I must admit that when thinking about they way I will handle similar situations, I
really struggle. I think it must be very difficult to find a balance between honoring
students who excel in academics and honoring students who may not excel in academics, in
other areas. I thought you example was a good one, and very acceptable. I think
perhaps it is just most important to set some sort of standards. I am just unsure of the best
way to go about that! As a future English teacher, I think that whatever sort of
"rewards" program I establish will be based on improvement rather
than great work. It seems to me (and
this might be a big generalization here), that a student who is an excellent write, is
typically going to produce great writing assignments. There is always room, however, for a
not so great writer to do a revision or spend a little extra time thinking about his or
her work, etc. so I will try to exphasize
recognition for those students who really make that extra
effort. What do you think? Do you think this is practical? Thank you so much for
your thoughtful comments. |
LABELS,
*My Follow-Up* Response 3 to a
Classmate’s Work
|
Message
no. 1086 |
|
Author: Katherine Graff |
|
Date: Thursday, October 4, 2007 7:51pm |
|
I totally agree with
you-there is something to be said for a student who takes time to make a little extra effort to
produce quality work. I think you are
right on about that : ) Great idea! |
LABELS RUBRIC
Explored
personal labels in a fully developed paragraph.
I described seven
labels, positive or negative, that I acquired in my academic and social school
life. I described each label, how I
gained it, and what it meant to me and others. 10
Explored peer labels in
a fully developed paragraph.
I portrayed the lives
of Daniel and Chris and how they were isolated socially because of their
extreme knowledge of technology and computers and “non-mainstream” appearances. Academically they were about average, but
they did not care what others thought about them. Today they are successful business partners
and are doing well for themselves. 10
Explored
relationships between labeling and school structure in a fully developed
paragraph.
I paralleled my school
structure with those of Powell’s but I still have some unanswered questions as
to whether or not this is a bad method of academic organization. I noted that
it is human nature to categorize ourselves for order. I did discuss that some serious refinement
needs to occur with assessing students needs over the progression of studies to
see if a student has improved to meet standards for a higher track or if a
students needs a lower track to ensure success. 10
Responded to three
members of your learning team and replied to all responses to your original
post.
I had discussions with Stephanie Bohn, Wenyung
Chung, and Erica Benson and received responses to my
original work from all three. 10
Total Possible
40 points My total points 40 My percentage score 100%