ASSIGNMENT
Which of the articles from Rethinking Globalization did you choose to read and why?
RESPONSE
In addition to the introduction, I chose to read several articles from Rethinking Globalization about student activism in the “Final Words” section. In my current position at the New York City Department of Education I enjoy determining ways that we can give students more of a voice, so I’m always interested in reading about more ways to do this.
I found Craig Kielburger’s article “Kids Can Be Activists or Bystanders” insightful. He shares many ideas I agree with. Particularly his belief that we must empower young people to believe in themselves and to believe that they can play an role as citizens of this world. He also laments the lack of infrastructures and opportunities that allow young people to participate in society. He calls upon teachers to help teach young people that they can participate and do have a voice.
I also enjoyed Bill Bigelow’s article “Defeating Despair.” In line with David Sobel’s thinking he brings up the point that the more clearly students come to see the interconnected nature of global problems, the greater the danger that they will be overwhelmed by this awareness. He talks about transforming horror to hope and emphasizes the hopeful dimension to the world’s growing interconnectedness. He also points out how we can focus on making a difference by grounding our thinking in a set of interlocking beliefs in humans such as: People can recognize and act on their connections to others around the world; People can develop great courage as they struggle for better lives for themselves and others; People have a tremendous capacity to change and grow; Ordinary people can confront injustice and make change.
I also read a few articles from the “Legacy of Inequality: Colonial Roots” section. I chose to read these articles because I work closely with School Library Services and was interested in the article “Burning Books and Destroying Peoples” and “1562: Conquistadores Destroy Native Libraries.” I was struck with sadness that the Mayan libraries were destroyed. It brought to mind Jamaica Kincaid’s observation about the Antiguan library and how the dominant culture can marginalize a group of people even further by taking away their history when they take away their libraries.
Which of the articles from Rethinking Globalization did you choose to read and why?
RESPONSE
In addition to the introduction, I chose to read several articles from Rethinking Globalization about student activism in the “Final Words” section. In my current position at the New York City Department of Education I enjoy determining ways that we can give students more of a voice, so I’m always interested in reading about more ways to do this.
I found Craig Kielburger’s article “Kids Can Be Activists or Bystanders” insightful. He shares many ideas I agree with. Particularly his belief that we must empower young people to believe in themselves and to believe that they can play an role as citizens of this world. He also laments the lack of infrastructures and opportunities that allow young people to participate in society. He calls upon teachers to help teach young people that they can participate and do have a voice.
I also enjoyed Bill Bigelow’s article “Defeating Despair.” In line with David Sobel’s thinking he brings up the point that the more clearly students come to see the interconnected nature of global problems, the greater the danger that they will be overwhelmed by this awareness. He talks about transforming horror to hope and emphasizes the hopeful dimension to the world’s growing interconnectedness. He also points out how we can focus on making a difference by grounding our thinking in a set of interlocking beliefs in humans such as: People can recognize and act on their connections to others around the world; People can develop great courage as they struggle for better lives for themselves and others; People have a tremendous capacity to change and grow; Ordinary people can confront injustice and make change.
I also read a few articles from the “Legacy of Inequality: Colonial Roots” section. I chose to read these articles because I work closely with School Library Services and was interested in the article “Burning Books and Destroying Peoples” and “1562: Conquistadores Destroy Native Libraries.” I was struck with sadness that the Mayan libraries were destroyed. It brought to mind Jamaica Kincaid’s observation about the Antiguan library and how the dominant culture can marginalize a group of people even further by taking away their history when they take away their libraries.
posted by book1 at 5:46 PM
1 Comments:
The burning of the libraries triggered a thought about how close we are to the world as portrayed in Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451." This is a world where all that matters is the narcissistic self, the visual stimuli that are fed into everyone's home, and the evil of books, evil because if people learn about the rest of the world, they just might rebel against their governors.
Post a Comment
<< Home