Reflection #10: Chapters 24 and 25

1. What information surprised you or was new to you in this chapter? How does this information connect to info in the main course text?

2. What information do you agree with and why? What info do you disagree with and why?

3. Describe an experience you have had that relates to the information in this reading.

4. How can you use this information in your personal or work/school life?

5. Rate this chapter on a scale of 1 to 5 and explain your rating (1 = low and 5 = high).

Chapter 24

Nothing about this chapter surprised me at all. I have long had an issue with elementary children being assigned too much homework, particularly homework that does not directly benefit them. This also ties in with the main text in that it is clear that many experts consider playtime to be a crucial element of development: "Freud saw play as a means for children to release pent-up emotions and to deal with emotionally distressing situations in a more secure environment. Vygotsky and Piaget saw play as a way of children developing their intellectual abilities" (Paris, Ricardo, & Rymond, 2019, pp. 242-243).  

I absolutely agree with the author that excessive homework is detrimental and that free, creative time is essential to development (Pica, 2015, pp. 112-115). In fact, I think she left some elements of the drawbacks of homework untouched in this chapter. For example, homework usually has a large impact on grades. However, the student has little if any control over his or her home environment, particularly in elementary school. If the environment is not conducive to learning, if the student is not allowed time to do their homework, or if the student does not have a steady home, then they are at an unfair advantage academically. They are being punished by lower grades for something over which they have no control. This sets them up for an even higher likelihood of academic failure and a perpetuated cycle of poverty. 

For example, when I was a child, I was often given homework assignments during times when my father was having a highly abusive episode. He would scream at us and make us do chores or practice tennis drills all weekend. If I mentioned that I had homework to do, he would threaten to send me back to school with towels to fold. "If they can send schoolwork home, I can send chores to school." I had to be creative to find opportunities to work on things as soon as possible so that I would not fall behind when he had such episodes. The pile of homework we were assigned offered me little recourse and did not take into account my home situation. 

As I move forward as a teacher, I will diligently ensure that any homework that I assign is relevant, useful, and that adequate time is given to complete it. I will also keep in mind the different possible home lives my students may have and take that into account when determining how to allow homework completion to impact grades. 

I rate this chapter a 4. I agree with it completely but found it to be somewhat incomplete. 

Chapter 25

This chapter also did not surprise and in fact enraged me because I have been affected by the dismissive attitudes that school districts tend to have toward the arts. Music was a huge part of my childhood and is still an important part of my life today. At several junctures throughout my school days, my mother and I had to go to war, as it were, to keep our local district from cutting back our program. We also fundraised until we collapsed to make sure our program continued. Music and arts are highly important because, as stated in the main text, many students are gifted or have high intelligence in these particular areas (Paris, Ricardo, & Rymond, 2019, pp. 288-289). Denying children the ability to adequately develop their particular strengths seems contrary to the purpose of education. 

I agree wholeheartedly that the arts are a crucial part of education, just as movement and sports are. Movement, creativity, music: these items make learning enjoyable (Pica, 2015, pp. 118-119).  This may be anecdotal, but most of the highly intelligent and successful people I have known have also pursued creative interests, such as art, music, poetry, creative writing, drama, etc. Perhaps the influence has more to do with emotional fulfillment than a direct effect on academic performance. I have long wondered whether the ability to express oneself artistically in fact improves academic performance by enhancing emotional wellbeing and personal fulfillment. 

I know that playing musical instruments, singing, dancing, the arts, reading and writing poetry or creative stories have all brought me large amount of joy throughout my life. While they may not be the primary focus of my work, they have greatly enhanced it in many ways. I feel like a whole, complete person because of my artistic activities. My work and family bring me love and satisfaction; the arts being me joy. 

I already use this information in my daily work life. I incorporate music and creativity everywhere I can in our curriculum. After completing a worksheet, for example, I encourage my students to draw a related picture on the back for a few minutes. This serves both as a brain break and a creative outlet. It breaks up the day a little bit and makes learning more fun and less stressful. I also sing quite often, sometimes about what we are learning, sometimes about how proud I am of my students, and other opportunities. I love creating my own lyrics to a popular song on the spot, and the children usually roar with laughter. It is good for morale, and I believe it encourages better retention and attention. 

I give this chapter a 5. I think this is a very important issue, and the author is spot on about how ridiculous it is that the arts keep getting brushed aside. 

References

Paris, J. Ricardo, A., & Rymond, D. (2019). Understanding the whole child: Prenatal development through adolescence. Open Educational Resource Publication by College of the Canyons. 

Pica, R. (2015). What if everybody understood child development? Corwin.