Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Guys,

Aside from your reflections on the movie, what can you comment on this statement?

" If you were Miss Watson, would you have accepted the offer of the Dean to continue teaching in the college, on a condition that you submit your syllabus to her every time you attend to class and to promise not to discuss topics beyond what is stated in the syllabus? Or, would you rather leave the college, just like what Miss Watson did, and look for an educational institution where your style of teaching fits their culture? "

10 comments:

  1. for me i will do the same thing that miss watson did because for me the role of a teacher is everything but sometimes you need to put some boundaries so that your student will still respect you even if you play important roles in your students life.

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  2. I will continue teaching and follow the demand of the dean. Because I believe that there is really no such thing as having an institute that will perfectly fit my teaching style. So i have to deal with it and I know that having a passion in teaching i can still influence my students by setting examples on them. If i am in the place of Miss Watson, I am going to get married and still continue my career, in that way i can be an example that yes you can be a good wife, mother and a very effective professor. We all have to deal with the boundaries that is set by the institution we work with. Doing this i can be a perfect example to my students. Successful carreer woman and successful wife and mother all at the same time, and maybe i wil still pursue further studies besides having a career and marriage.

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  4. Unfortunately, by submitting yourself to the demands of the dean you feel that your academic freedom is curtailed, will you still continue teaching in the college? Do you think that by following the dean's order will you still enjoy teaching just as when there was no order (from the dean) to comply with?

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  5. I think this situation happens in every profession, after I passed the board exam, my neighbor dentist hired me as his assistant dentist, he watched me as I worked, then give his comments even if the patient is still there. He wanted me to be a carbon copy of who he is. One of his comments that made me leave him after 5 days of working for him is that I should not remove all calcular deposits during oral prophylaxis and the same with performing tooth restoration.

    What made me leave that dentist is that I cannot practice what I know is good for my patients. I cannot give the best treatment that I have learned in a dental school. This dentist did not give me the freedom to think and to practice what is right.

    The same situation with Ms. Watson, if I am in her place, I will still do the same, leave Wellesley and find another institution that would give me the freedom to think, to do, to express myself and to be who I am.
    I think by submitting syllabus every time and only discuss topics in the syllabus, means that the dean doesn’t trust your teaching methods. Doesn’t respect your teaching methods.
    I will find a place that will respect me.

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  6. if i were Ms. Watson i might leave if and only if, i have exerted all my effort for a long time and i still feel that a slightest chance of considering my style is never possible. She left too soon, she was carried away by her emotion and acted negatively on the situation, she never thought of any other possible ways to initiate change.She is a neophyte in the university and new in that town, if I was her i will not suggest, I will just share my points of view, because suggesting is quite offensive and dominating since she is new. Her culture is different from them, she is tryig to change their culture, we CANNOT CHANGE CULTURE EASILY. AS EDUCATOR WE MUST ALSO CONSIDER THE culture of our students and the culture of our workplace.. If she truly believes that her style is right and suitable, she must not leave, she has to wait, stand the pressure and deal with it. Leaving for me is cowardice and it's like DEPRIVING THE STUDENTS THE CHANGE THAT THEY TRULY DESERVE. I WILL NOT GO TO A UNIVERSITY WHERE MY TEACHING STYLE IS PERFECTLY SUITED AND ACCEPTABLE, for i know that these students are already heading the right way, unlike the Wellesley students. Yes for a short period of time she made a good impact on the student and yes there will be students whol will want and will continue her vision, but isnt it more ENCOURAGING if her physical presence is there. She will serve as "head, support and a strong ally" to those students who believes in her and the the professors who silently believes her but is afraid to voice out their opionions. Her presence is like pursuing her advocacy. It may not come that easily but she more sure of guarding what is to fulfill. CHANGE is not an easy thing to do it requires " TIME, PATIENCE, PERSEVERANCE AND DIFFERENT KINDS OF STRATEGY".
    Maybe Ms. Watson was carried away easily, because, she was accepted and was liked by many students and that she expected same thing from her colleagues and school administrator. She must bear in mind that students are entirely different from her colleagues and superiors. They are very much educated and expert in that field. They will not just allow an overnight change, just because someone believes it to be better, timely and perfectly suited.

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  7. If I were Ms. Watson, I will do the same thing as she did. As to the question of Sir Joel, I won't be able to enjoy my teaching anymore since, I will just become a robot of the school and just teach whatever the dean has told me to do which is of course against my principle which is to make a difference in the lives of my students.

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  8. I will do the same thing, I will leave the school. I believe it is important to have academic freedom and if this will curtail it will amount to several conflicts. In all organization units it is important to have good interpersonal relationship. This is also the same concept of a team. I don’t think that organization will not work properly if one of the members opposes their vision and mission of the unit. I also agree to hydia that changing the culture is a not easy task. Although there is possibility that Ms. Watson can change the culture of Wesslley but this will be tricky.

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  9. If I’m after the paychecks, maybe I’d follow the curriculum the university has. I’d stick with the rules and do my daily tasks. But even though I don’t have any experience in teaching yet, I know myself better and I know that I will steadfastly hold with the principles I have. I would rather leave the job offer. It’s just like giving me a plate of food that I hate to eat that I simply reject. I cannot withstand the thought of staying in school for a year having this hard feeling within myself. I’m sure that there’s an institution who believes that teaching is a job where they allow the teachers to literally teach students but at the same time agrees that as the teachers teach, their personal influence make the difference.

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  10. I'll do what Ms. Watson did. I know that's an impractical decision considering how hard it is to have a job nowadays. But i think it'll be much harder for me to work in a place wherein you can't be yourself. It feels like i'll be dragging myself to work which would be really unfair to my students.

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