Comments for Melissa Crews Freeman

Comment on “Divided No More” 10~12~08 by Paul

Paul — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:00:31 +0000

You speak to the heart of being divided. we are divided because our communities are often fragmented by time and space. As a community of teachers we face many of the same problems. How will we unite as teachers to adress our common concerns?

I hope we as cohort work to adress the issue of what our cohort will look like after we break apart. How can we create and sustain a network of teachers that actually works unison for a common cause?

Comment on “Divided No More” 10~12~08 by Allison

Allison — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:00:22 +0000

This is awesome, Melissa! I can identify with the desire to have “ripples” of influence stream through the classroom — inspiring our students to become passionate and recognize problems and solutions that will cause them to be change agents, too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! You add so much to our cohort and I learn so much from you.

Comment on “Divided No More” 10~12~08 by Kay

Kay — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:22:30 +0000

I really enjoyed reading your blog. I always wanted to be a teacher, but I heard so many negatives with teaching and reasons I should not do it. But, since I made the commitment I have been so happy and fulfilled. I know that I am making a difference.

Comment on Group process by Melissa Crews Freeman

Melissa Crews Freeman — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:10:22 +0000

That was what I was saying, I would have done everything the same but at the end I would have just done a vote and gotten it over with once we got it down to 3 names! ; )

Comment on Group process by jgreer

jgreer — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:10:49 +0000

Hey Mel,

I think you wrote a comment on my wall that you meant to write to Jessica O., but it did make me read your blog and the communication between you and Jessie D…I agree with Jessica’s view point for the most part. I mean I was unsatisfied b/c I felt like most people wanted Urbtopia but they went along to get along b/c people were stuck in the sand on Pangea. Because I COULD have kept saying keep for Urbtopia, but b/c it was 3:58 I just let it go! lol…I had already said what I had to say about Urbtopia therefore there was nothing more for me to say but I got looked at as not caring because I was tired and chose to put my head down. Overall I liked the process but I would revamp it and do a vote at the end! LOLOL!

Comment on Group process by Melissa Crews Freeman

Melissa Crews Freeman — Sun, 25 May 2008 16:16:06 +0000

Hi Jessica, I am very sorry if I hurt your feelings. I was really speaking to the process as successful or not, in the sense of comparing it to an outright vote. I did not use the word pout, nor did I mean that at all in my blog. I was trying to get across the point that in the end there were still people unsatisfied and I feel as if the result might have been the same had we just taken a vote. I was really trying to compare the voting process to the census process. I am very sorry if it came across that I was trying to speak for people or put words in their mouth, that was not my intention at all. I changed the last line to hopefully make my point clearer. Also, I must admit that I wrote that blog very quickly so I could get out the door and get to the beach so maybe my point was not as clear as it should have been. Please accept my apology and know that I was just comparing the census process with the voting and asking the question of can we ever really all reach agreement in society and all be happy in the end.

Comment on Group process by jessied

jessied — Sun, 25 May 2008 05:50:18 +0000

Ouch! I feel as though you are making a very big assumption about the feelings of others. I also think that saying “3 people” is a passive way to bring attention to specific people. I think that the idea behind the census is wonderful, but in the end it still boils down to some people get what they want and others get what they can tolerate. Personally I can not and do not feel comfortable speaking with any authorit to the feelings of others. I do, however, feel comfortable saying that stading up for what you believe in and saying that I do not agree is difficult and should not be precieved as pouting. I do not think it had anything to do with “not getting their way” as much as agreeing less with the concept the Pangea represents and more with the concepts that Urbtopis presented. By the end of the census it was obvious the we were discussing more than just names. The titles on the board had taken on lives of their own and were very clearly representive of ideals, values, beliefs,and missions. These concepts are usually viewed on a very individual basis. It is important that as we continue to build a community that we remember that a community is made up of individuals, and that individuals do not always agree. Disagreeing with the census is not necessarily anti-community, and being “called out” because you disagree is not necessarily supportive or respectful of our differences as individuals in a community.

Comment on Censorship by Allison

Allison — Thu, 22 May 2008 00:39:52 +0000

Hi Melissa — I couldn’t agree more! I think that our schools need to have the right to expose our children to what we as educators deem appropriate. It’s not okay for third parties to decide what is best for the children of our classroom. The right to educate belongs to the ones actually doing the work.

Comment on Response to teaching after reading these articles. by Kay

Kay — Wed, 21 May 2008 03:27:09 +0000

An effective teacher also educates the parents of what their rights are. The student will only be in your class for one year so you must equip the parent with what to do next. Also, involve the child in their own learning by having them individually tell you what they are not getting. Creating that rapport with the student allows for feedback and the student will also learn to be self-crtical.

Comment on The right to teach Paganism… by Desiree Walls

Desiree Walls — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:20:17 +0000

That’s really interesting. I would love learning and teaching about the historical side of religions and sharing which celebrations students still practice today. I really think students would like learning about the cultures of their classmates while becoming more educated on the many types of religions that are practiced today! …like the Easter Bunny thing you mentioned. : D