I grew up with a strong Asian culture and it has made me
really have a hard time adjusting my idea at first when I have to try to
understand other people ideas from different perspective. For the part 19
years, I would always be told to accept elderly ideas and follow their paths
with respect. I would never speak up and ask question to others even though in
my mind I would always come up with better ideas but I afraid to express them
out. Day by day, I lived and learned by following other’s footsteps without
thinking of creating my own way.
But once I moved to U.S.A it was
such an eye opener for me. I have learned that there are still many different
ways of thinking and solving problems. I learned how to speak up sometime and
learned how to accept different ideas, but I still have hard time expressing my
ideas to others. I would always wonder that if there are no right or wrong
answers to each question how could we find a best solution for the question?
This is why I have to try so hard to overcome this dilemma especially I already
choose to work with young children.
As Jeanne Iorio inspired by the
word of Maxine Greene, she also inspired me to believe in my ability to support
young children. As educators, we should inspire children to stand up and speak
up for themselves by presenting them with questions and let them answer using
their inner voice. We should instill in them the value of expression and
justice. Just like the analogy in the Socratic method, if our children choose
to be fleas of justice biting strategically, even the biggest dog will have to
succumb to their effort for reform.
Are there certain times when stating our own opinion and always going against the grain, can be disrespectful?!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading what Yhardsom had to say, I do believe it is sometimes difficult to know when to speak up and when to be silent. I believe that children should be free to think and speak what they want, but I also believe that when you reach a certain point people of all ages can act in a very disrespectful way towards their superiors. Where do we draw the line between sharing your opinion, and coming across as disrespectful?
One of the reasons I like working in early childhood is because most of them really are so innocent in the area of behavior and attitude. Young children can be naughty of course, but its a different kind of naughty, they are just young and curious and don't always know what is expected of them in certain situations. They like to test the limits and see what is except-able and what is not. Young children can definitely be mischievous, but they are typically not disrespectful on purpose. So when do kids develop that attitude? When do they decide that they make the rules and that thats ok? Where did they learn that? Are kids given to much freedom in some cases? We are after all the adults! So where do we draw the line in the classroom with freedom and rules. Opinions and facts. How do we teach children to ask questions and to be curious about everything and yet show respect where respect is due?!