February 14th

Which multiple intelligence do I most identify with?  I think there are a couple:

• Verbal
• I am literally captivated my speech impediments.  I hang on people's every word when they have a lisp of some sort, and I love trying to figure out how the different sounds are made by their mouths.  My mother noticed this in me when I was younger, and she encouraged me to get into speech pathology.
• I love reading out loud, and just reading in general.  I feel so enriched.  I also love the way that a good book improves my writing abilities.  
• Musical
• I love to sing!  I do it whenever I can (weddings, church and the like), and I have a good ear for music as well.  I love to whistle, and I typically listen to music while I study or do homework.  The song I am currently listening to is Africa, by Toto.  80's music is incredible!  

Sir Ken Robinson is an incredible speaker!  I particularly enjoyed that he didn't step or move his feet through the whole presentation!  That was nuts.  I found his talk to be so inspirational!  I disagree with diagnosing and medicating children as frequently as happens.  I have a cousin that has an intense case of ADHD.  He is in his later 20's now, and he is brilliant!  He is an artistic genius, he has incredible carpentry skills, he is a wonderful writer, and he is a daring explorer.  He hitchhiked across the country 5 or so years ago, and he always has an interesting story to tell.  I can't imagine him being on medication.  All it would succeed in doing is stifle his creative genius.  I think that there's just so much inherent brilliance inside of him that it is continually flowing forth.  This of course causes problems for teachers, and he had a hard time getting through elementary and high school. But I am so excited to see what that man ends up doing in his life.  It's going to be just amazing.  Let's say that a farmer has a horse that is astoundingly energetic.  He could build bigger fences so that the horse doesn't jump them, and he could make the size of it's environment smaller so that it stops running around so darn much, but this would kill the horses spirit.  The farmer needs to alter the environment to best suit the needs of the horse in order for the beast to truly flourish.  I think that students who go against the grain in such incredible ways should be placed in environments that allow them to flourish.  I think we need to nurture those gifted individuals, not medicate them.  (Talk to me a year or two after I've taught in a classroom, and I may have changed my mind on that one, but hopefully not).  If that woman from his story (the dancer) hadn't been placed in a school for dance, there would have been one more unhappy, overmedicated woman in the world.

February 4th

Today in class we learned about Heinz' dilemma, something that I had never before heard about.

"Heinz' wife is dying.  One special drug, discovered by a local druggist, might save her, but the druggist is selling it at an exorbitant price.  So Heinz, after failing to borrow the money he needs, pleads with the druggist to sell the drug cheaper, or let him pay later.  But, the druggist refuses.  Should Heinz steal the drug for his wife?  Why?"

It was an interesting class and I quite enjoyed the discussions.  My initial thought was that the answer depends on the type of wife he has.  I thought this was a good answer, but I didn't realize how true I found it until after class ended.  I have known some people in my life who have been part of truly terrible marriages.  I look at them and I think to myself, "what could have possibly persuaded them to get married in the first place?"  It can be quite terrifying seeing how drastically things can change for some people.  I will focus on only one couple to make my point.  The husband of this couple was an odious man.  He was treated his daughter-in-laws with disdain, only being kind to one in order to hurt the others.  When he died, his wife and children were literally free.  His wife joined clubs and began to travel the world, taking a grandchild with her on each trip.  His family no longer had to endure him.  For a person like that, the family will be less likely to go to such lengths to save them.

Later in the class, we examined Kohlbergs levels and stages of moral development.

I. Preconventional.
Our text defines this as:
   -lowest level of moral development
   -no internalization of moral values
   -moral reasoning is controlled by external rewards and punishments

Young children are found here, and this is why they're taught and trained in the ways that they are.  They can't reason and so they have to be manipulated.

a.  Punishment.
The primary goal of individuals is to avoid punishment, or other unpleasant things.
      When I was growing up, my little brother and I shared a room.  We had the same bed time, and neither of us ever wanted to go.  What we would do is smuggle crayons into our room and color, or listen to tapes until we were ready to sleep.  We were caught a few times, and I still remember the surge of fear hearing my fathers foot steps coming down the hall.  We tried our hardest to avoid punishment.

b.   Hedonism.
In this stage, an individuals intense desire for something out weighs the negative repercussions that will ensue.
      Growing up, my grandfather had a dairy farm.  My cousins and I loved to go there on Sunday afternoons after church to play.  There were tricycles that we could drive around the cow barn, and then there was the hay loft.  The farm was a dirty place, and so my grandfather had a set of children's coveralls that we would sport before heading out.  We tucked our sunday dresses into the coveralls, and booked it for the hay loft.  We discovered something truly amazing that day.  There was an area in one corner of the loft where there was a massive pile of chaff.  There also happened to be a rope hanging from a rafter in just the perfect place.  We had a pretty good idea of what the consequences would be, but it didn't hinder us in the least.  I still remember the sheer delight of swinging from the old, worn rope, landing softly in the chaff, and watching the dust plume.  We walked, quite uncomfortably, away from the barn that day feeling truly fulfilled.

II.  Conventional.
Our text defines this as:
   -Internalization of moral values is intermediate (locus of control begins to move inward)
   -Standards are still imposed by others

a.   "Nice girl/boy!"
The main motivator of individuals found in this category is the opinions of those around them.  I definitely know this feeling!
   One evening, I was spending time with my oldest brother, Josh, and his new wife.  Josh had made burgers, and they were no small burgers either.  They were massive, and wonderfully delicious.  Josh had eaten two burgers, I was stuffed full with one, and there were two left over.  They had been cooked, and so they would've been thrown out.  For starters, I don't really like to see food wasted, especially such delicious food.  Secondly, I saw an opportunity to impress my older brother.  It took me a long time, but I managed to eat another two burgers.  Needless to say, my brother was impressed.  I was not acting out of hunger, but out of a desire to please my brother.

b.   Law and Order
Individuals found in this level make decisions based on the law, and only the law.
   I'm not going to lie to you.  I don't often find myself in this category.  There is a part of me that gets a rush from breaking the rules sometimes.  I try to keep this unruly part of me under control, but sometimes I just don't want to.  I worked at a summer camp where there was a strict curfew of 11 pm.  I would wait in the pool building until I thought no one was there, and then I would try and sneak up the stairs without setting off the motion sensing lights.  I also have been known to hop golf course fences and go for a dip in a beautiful little pond.  I stopped doing this when I learned what they put into the water to make it that lovely blue.  I didn't do this because I enjoyed swimming in tiny, chemically maintained ponds, but because I enjoy breaking rules.

III. Post Conventional
Our text defines this as:
   -Highest level of moral development
   -Complete internalization of moral values
   -Moral values are not based on external standards
Individuals that are truly in this group are terribly rare.

a.   Social Contract

b.   Universal Ethical
Jesus, Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr.

February 2nd

What is my main priority in life?

In July, I married a truly amazing man.  He listens to me when I talk to him, he provides for me, and he is my best friend.  Just last week, he came home and told me that he had a surprise for me.  I have, however, learned to approach surprises from my husband with caution.  Once, he had what he called a surprise for me, when it was really something for him.   I was left feeling quite disappointed.  But this time, he took me to the mall to go dress shopping!  I've heard of amazing husbands, but I think mine beats them all.  He is so considerate and kind.  He is my main priority in life.  School is important, but it's definitely not my main priority.  In fact, I hate being in school sometimes.  All I want to do is cook, clean and crochet.  I have to keep reminding myself that this is the only way that I can get to where I want to go.  I am so excited to be a teacher!

We learned about Erik Erikson and his eight stages of human development.  I don't like that he has eight stages because I know I have to memorize them.  But I do think his levels are very accurate.

I.  Trust vs. Mistrust - 0 to 1 years
   In this stage, individuals are completely and entirely dependent on those around them.  If the individuals are well taken care of, then they will continue to trust in those people.  Children in this level need to feel love and warmth.

II.  Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt - 1 to 2 years
   In this stage, individuals extend themselves out into the world.  There is a bit of independence gained from the parents or parent figures.  They can do a few things on their own, and new elements of their personality and character are being revealed.

III.  Initiative vs. Guilt - 3 to 5 years
   In this stage, children are often overcome with initiative.  There is an endless number of things that need to be done, and they can do it all on their own.  Parental assistance?  Completely unnecessary.  I have a nephew who is about 1.5 years old, but he exhibits behavior that would place him in this category.  The boy loves to swim, but he won't take anyones hand when he is walking around the shallow waters.  My sister is continually watching him, and often stooping to grab his hand before he goes under or falls into something.  He is continually wanting to do things on his own, such as walking up and down the stairs, and my sister has become his shadow to try and keep him from hurting himself too terribly.

IV.  Industry vs. Inferiority - 6 to puberty
   Individuals in this stage are mastered by their curiosity.  I remember being in this stage.  My home growing up backed onto a good sized forest, and I always stared at it imagining what I would find in there.  One afternoon, my cousin, little brother and I went for a walk in the back woods, and we discovered a pond!  There was a little hill on one side, and I remember being so overwhelmed with excitement that we had discovered this amazing thing.  It became ours, in a way.  We would pack picnics and fish algae out of the pond with sticks.  It was so great.  Then my cousin, who has always been quite paranoid, thought she saw a man in a black top hat with a gun walking around the pond.  We never went back.

V.  Identity vs. Identity Confusion - adolescence
   This stage is the one that plagues most teenagers.  At this point in life, individuals are trying to find out who they are, where they fit in, and what they will be like in the future.  This can be a very turbulent time, as most teens suffer from what Piaget calls 'adolescent ego-centrism".  Literally everything that happens to a teen at this stage, is an earth-shattering, huge deal.  They feel as if everyone is as concerned with their issues and concerns as they themselves are, and they are continually under scrutiny.  Every day is a performance.  I have a terribly hard time with people in this category.  I lack sympathy, and they make me want to vomit.  I don't think I'm cut out to teach in middle schools or high schools.

VI.  Intimacy vs. Isolation - early adulthood
   This stage is a particularly exciting one.  At this point, individuals are moving away from their families of origin, and looking for a spouse.  I am very thankful that I found my spouse fairly early in life.  I had actually met him once when we were both 14, which he doesn't even remember.  I still like to bring this up sometimes in good fun.

VII.  Generativity vs. Self Absorption - middle adulthood
   At this point in life, individuals are wanting to contribute in some way to the younger generations.  My parents are in this stage, and they have recently been blessed with a few grandchildren.  I have never seen my father do the things he does with his grandkids.  He loves to spend time with them, and he is so excited about the two new arrivals in March.  Both of my parents just love their grandkids, and they invest into them all the love they can manage.  Those children are so loved.

VIII.  Integrity vs. Despair - late adulthood
   Individuals in this stage