Response to Seattle Boycott Article

Response to Seattle Boycott Article

     After a few days of the year 2013, the teachers and students at the Garfield High School in Seattle, Washington, boycotted the MAP standardizes tests. Protesting against those standardaized test were relatively common, but this boycott gained a lot of attention. Many people supported this boycott, like the local PTSA, the Seattle Student Senate and the usual suspects like Diane Ravitch and Jonathan Kozol.

A history teacher,Jesse Hagopian, of the Garfield High School talks in an interview about the problems with the standardized testing. He says that the reason why they are boycotting is, that the MAP requires things in math for th gade, which they do not teach until 11th grade which aren't even in the curriculum. He also says that the worse thing is that there's no graduation requirement.

     In my opinion, the Garfield High School students and teachers and also all the other people who support   the boycott of the MAP standardized tests, are right. I totally support the protistation, because I do not see a point where there should be tests, in which are for example math tasks, which some schools dont't teach or which there is not even a graduation requirement. I mean, why shoud I take the test? I could miss every single question and it would not happen anything. It doesn't show up in my college record, it is a waste of time. Some kids want to work hard for those types of tests because they do not want a feeling of 

failure and because of the standardizing test, there is much pressure on them and really for no reason. It is normal to make standardized tests for the IB, SAT or ACT. There is a reason behind it because those tests will show up on your college record and you will need them to get into a good college. For those tests tere can not be any boycott or protest because  I think that it is obvious that you have to take those standardized tests to show your skills and knowledge. But if it is for something that does not even show up in your college record or is required for college, then I agree totally with the Garfield Highschool and  the other people, who are protesting and boycotting.       It is very interesting how people, which don't even know each other work together, when they protest against something. Garfield High School was given so much support from other schools that they won't give up, like other schools did.  The protest is very creative and thoughtful, not like protest in which there is violence or police. They have sentences  on their posters, which leave me with my mouth open. They have a very good message and talk exactly about the problem. Not like protest with posters on which are written "Stop MAP" or "MAP is bad" and I think with this support and the thoughtfull protest and boycott they will reach many things.      SEATTLE, Washington (February 6, 2013) -- National Education Association (NEA) members that teach at  Garfield High School, gathered with community activists, parents and students to hold a Measures of Academic  Progress (MAP) test boycott National Day of Action rally. Teacher refusal to administer the MAP test is motivated  by its lack of proper alignment with their school district's curriculum.

 

Blog Post #2

                   I never heard of that before, that there are college recruiters, who tell you about their colleges. It is very interesting to hear about different colleges and their benefits.I think that I will move back to Germany and I will go there to college but we never know what will happen in the future.

If I would go to a college in the States, I would expect that there are many tutors, who will help the new students to know the basics of this college and where the basic places are, where you have to go.

 My goals would be to begin to organize myself

 I’m much unorganized and need always the help of other students. Another goal would be,-I am pretty sure that is the goal of every college student- to graduate. The biggest goal is to have fun in college and have fun to study because if you don’t have fun in college, it will be the worst time.

A big fear would be, as I mentioned already, to stay unorganized. If I wouldn’t learn to organize myself, I wouldn’t pass the first semester. Another fear would be that, if I have problems with other students that I can’t find a person to talk to. The parents and friends are living in other places and they are far away. So you can’t just visit your friend or family and you can’t expect that they can help you with your problems, like they always did.

I think being an aware Academic Leader will help me a lot to deal with the interviews of the college. You know what to answer to specific questions that the colleges will ask you. Also you know how to act in front of the college recruiters.

"Political language -- and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists -- is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind." --George Orwell

"In our first two weeks, you have read several articles, seen several videos and been engaged in several discussions related to the concept of academic leadership. At this point, and in your own words, what does the concept mean to you? What subjects or interests do you have a sophisticated, intellectual understanding of that you may want to turn into a major academic project in this class? How do people sometimes abuse academic knowledge to manipulate others? How would you feel if someone used your work to manipulate others (as Jared Diamond claims Mitt Romney has)? How can creating academically sophisticated, intellectual leaders help prevent such people from taking advantage of others the way they do? How can this create a stronger democratic society?"

The first two weeks of Academic Leadership were very interesting. First I didn't know  what this subject is about and I was a bit worried, that I couldn't understand it, but after the first two classes I began to understand it because there were explanations in many ways. We watched videos and read articles about it. Academic Leadership means to me, that it is a subject where we can learn to talk to each other in a group, for example discussing problems or discussing other things like our future. 

I am not sure yet, which topic I would like to talk about. There are many topics I would like to choose, but if I have to choose a topic now, I would take Hip - Hop. I'm listening to Hip - Hop since I was 8 years old. My older sister listend to it the whole time, so I began to listen to it, too. When I grew up, I was more and more interested in Hip - Hop. I didn't just listen to it, I began to research facts about it and began to dress me like that. So I know a lot about this topic and I would love to work with it. 

To answer the last questions it has to be an example that I think everybody mentioned. Religion. There are many 
people, who use their Academic knowledge to manipulate other people.  A good example is Scientology. They have a lot  of churches all over the world and the leaders have an academic knowledge, which they use to manipulate other people. They only talk to the people, but they have a strategy to convince them to do everything they want.
 If someone would use my knowledge to do something bad, I would feel very angry because this person is using your knowledge, which you could use for something good, for something that could hurt people.