This guy is our hero

[xcriteria]

This is a great point of discussion. Lots of people are talking about it. One copy on YouTube has a million views.

Here's another, longer interview with the guy:


Watch on YouTube

Related posts:

Could a student's civil disobedience spark a learning revolution?
http://www.the-big-shift.net/2013/05/upd...ution.html

Positive Spaces for Engaging Young People’s Voice
http://coopcatalyst.wordpress.com/2013/0...les-voice/

(05-09-2013 09:03 PM)TheCancer Wrote:  Without knowing the whole story I don't have any opinion about his speech.

Knowing the whole story can help. Unfortunately it's rare that people's backstory is made part of a classroom encounter, and it's rare that even a single meaningful (good or bad) scene from a classroom makes it out into the world for discussion. Cell phone cameras make that easier and more likely, but I think more steps are needed is to facilitate these conversations on a more regular basis.

Traditionally, students have no right to say anything about their education, or give feedback to parents or teachers in a way that's taken seriously. Teachers are the "experts" and students are expected to either obey, or misbehave -- not join a conversation about learning and the nature of education. There's no space in most schools for that to happen, and few people are familiar with stepping out of the limited roles that the factory model imposes on people.

This needs to change. More people are discussing student voice, and more students are speaking out, but it's still a minority, and the idea of student voice is still foreign to most school environments. What can be done to change this?

[Desu]

Quote:What can be done to change this?

More acts of civil disobedience like this. Does anyone know of a major social revolution where the "lower" class sat down and had a roundtable discussion with the "upper" class and they came to an agreement and the upper class willingly gave up some of their authority to the lower class? That almost never happens.

I find it ridiculous that some people think kids should open up dialogue with their authority figures and that will change anything. Kids are completely disenfranchised from discourse on their own education. Parents are generally too busy worrying about their own life/ their own jobs to either understand or care what's going on in our schools. Therefore they will tend to side with their fellow adults in the education system and trust they know what they're doing with the children. School has 100% become an expensive day care.

The reason why this Jeff Bliss incident blew up so huge is because it highlighted something that most people agree on: rote memorization/passive teaching is worthless. The video encapsulated perfectly the disagreements that inquisitive children (most children) have with the school system--we want an effective education, we don't want to take tests, we don't want to sit in a room for an hour and fill out a packet like a slave. Kids do care about their future, but most of them are bored into a fucking coma and stressed out by it all that they just want to escape and not go to school. This causes behavioral issues and uncaring kids.

We need more acts of opportunistic civil disobedience. If a teacher is particularly terrible, they should be called out. If your school is taking enormous amounts of time out of their day to make you memorize answers to test, refuse.

When I was in middle school/high school, we literally spent at least 25% of our classroom time reviewing for the fucking TAAS/TAKS test which many teachers hate. Seriously, just refuse to spend time on that bullshit. Demand to have real class time focusing on critical thinking instead of studying for a worthless test.

[EntityCubed]

All of school survival should interview him.

[brainiac3397]

(05-11-2013 05:49 AM)Eintity Wrote:  All of school survival should interview him.

A QA sticky containing appropriate questions asked by site members with answers obtained by somebody who decides to be the spokesperson on behalf of everyone here?

And honorary membership?

[HawkbitAlpha]

(05-11-2013 07:41 AM)brainiac3397 Wrote:  

(05-11-2013 05:49 AM)Eintity Wrote:  All of school survival should interview him.

A QA sticky containing appropriate questions asked by site members with answers obtained by somebody who decides to be the spokesperson on behalf of everyone here?

And honorary membership?

It should be put on the main site. Just like with Soul and the interview with Doc Johnson

[Sunbourn]

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFcvdDzYnedb5jsN3MJtc5Q

This is his Youtube channel. How do I know it's legitimate? He said in the interview that he likes the rapper K-Rino. Tracks from K-Rino liked over a month ago. It's the real McCoy! I extended an invitation to our fine forum his way.

[Desu]

(05-11-2013 11:52 AM)|55555| Wrote:  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFcvdDzYnedb5jsN3MJtc5Q

This is his Youtube channel. How do I know it's legitimate? He said in the interview that he likes the rapper K-Rino. Tracks from K-Rino liked over a month ago. It's the real McCoy! I extended an invitation to our fine forum his way.

That would be the best thing ever if he joined SS.