As you recall, I passed out the DVD's for the Chris Martenson "Crash Course" at our initial class meeting.
I know the material in the DVD can be pretty depressing if you really follow it all and there is definitely a LOT of material to digest - particularly if you have not been following worldwide developments in the areas of economics, resource depletion, energy, etc..
So that we can have a summary all in one place, as we gather for class tonight, please compose a short one paragraph reaction to the Crash Course. If you need a suggested place to begin, tell me how you, as a teacher, might prepare your students (and perhaps their parents) for the world that Dr. Martenson thinks is coming. You may also wish to comment on how credible you think Dr. Martenson is.
See you in a few hours!
KK
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The Crash Course was definitely a lot to take in. As a teacher I feel that the economy greatly affects my students. When their parents are out of work and can't afford to keep food on the table their is a lot of stress they deal with. On top of that we expect our students to perform on standardized tests that have no relevance to them. They don't see a purpose in them (neither do I) and we force them to take practice test after practice test, then perform miracles on the actual test. I know that when I have stresses on my mind the last thing I want to think about is a test. How do we expect students to micromanage their lives? As for the future how will the students I'm teaching live? Will they be able to find jobs to support them? When will they be able to retire? I completely agree that the next twenty years will be unlike the past in many ways.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the information presented will significantly affect our jobs (and futures) as teachers. The reason being is that there is a lot of damage control that America needs to do in order to repair the financial situation. In the next 20 years I think it will be necessary for the country to create new fiscal budgets and guidelines so that the economy will bounce back. Until then I think it will be harder for teachers to get a job because of the budget and funding cuts. Once a teaching job is secured I think I will be more optimistic about the future. Hopefully within the next 20 years the economy will be headed towards recovery and Americans will have adjusted to the needed changes so that the situation will be less stressful.
ReplyDeleteI will say that that guy knows how to scare the fool out of people, even me. I think that there is some truth to this whole thing. I think the best way to prepare the students is to educate them. Inform them that there is not unlimited amounts of natural resources and the time will come that they will run out....
ReplyDeleteWell, well, the "crash course" was very interesting and definitely an eye opener. I felt that the movie made me want to go spend money because its value is decreasing along with save more so I will have a good base to live and grow from if there is some sort of collapse or extraordinary weakening of the economy. I felt overwhelmed and under whelmed at points, I learned more than I could have imagined.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to how I think this could affect my career in education I first look to what is going on now. As of right now i feel that students know too much about what is going on at a home and that their lives are far more scheduled than mine was. I fear that as the next twenty years begins to progress students will know more and more about the strains that are reaching their family both socially and financially. I think a larger portion of our students will be faced with issues that are far beyond their years and will need addition school and education on how to manage with this new "drama". Students are going to need practical knowledge about the world they live in. Thus when teaching relating what happened in the past to what is happening presently will be incredibly helpful. Making the content obtainable and reachable will be key to preparing tomorrow's generation for the very unsure future that is ahead of us.
Beyond that I think the school will become an even more grounding and centering place for a larger portion of the students. School will be a stabling force for a child who many only see their parents a few short rushed hours a day. I grew up in a generation where more and more families were two income to keep up with the raising costs of living, and I think as I start to teach that the students I encounter will be the generation where more and more students will be living with in a family where one if not both of their parents will have two jobs.
I feel that Martenson is credible. His agenda is to help people prepare for a possible future that we cannot deny is very plausible and seems almost definite. Much of the information presented should not be such a shocker when taken seperately if you are aware of the current state of affairs throughout the world. However, when the information on the varying topics was presented all together it was very overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, I think we need to be preparing students for their future by teaching them to be responsible citizens in a global community, not just local communities. There needs to be more discussion about the environment and the Earth's natural resources. It is easy for people to take for granted the fact that natural resources are not unlimited. Furthermore, I live in a county that is one of the poorest in NYS. My students come from families whose income is already limited. When their parents are already struggling to compete for an unskilled job now with a limited education, it is going to be that much more difficult competing against college educated professionals for those same unskilled jobs. Like Martenson says, we need to move away from "I" to "we".
the "crash course" was definately an eye opener about what is really going on. I found alot of the information very interesting and think that it was definately worth watching. The information would definately affect our jobs as teachers. I found some of the information rather scarey to what is going to happen in the future. I found the money part of the movie interesting and kind of scarey, since the resent economy. The future after watching this movie is a little more scarey.
ReplyDeleteI think that children know alot more about the economy and the finacial problem going on right now then they did when I was growing up. All they have to do is watch the news and listen to random conversations and they will be informed of what is going on.
How do I prepare my students!? UGH? Honestly, I am not 100% sure if I know how nor would I know what to tell them since we do not really know for sure ourselves. Should we tell them all of this? Some may say they need to hear all of these problems, while others would say they should not know so much and just live day by day. So it depends on what side you think is best or correct. For me, honestly I don't know yet...
ReplyDelete