Thursday, May 13, 2010

The Hobart Shakespearians

He is a visionary because he wanted a better life for his students. He pushed them past their limits and made them work hard. He treated them like mini adults. What is unique about his teaching style is that he teaches things that are on a higher level than fifth grade. Some of the books we read are books that I read in high school and for them to have a clear understanding of thier meaning is just remarkable. There was some things I found inspiring and some I found sort of troubling. I found his tenacity and excitement for teaching after all these years inspiring. A lot of teachers burn out after a few years but Rafe kept up his excitement for learning. What I found troubling was the language that is used in some of the books they read. Some of those books were a little more mature in thier content and themes. I am not sure if I was a parent I would want my children reading some of those books at that age. My favorite quote was "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." One goal that I have for next year is to work hard and stay focused since I am moving to Main Campus and it is a little different than living at home and going to college here in Marion.

2 comments:

  1. I also used that quote! But, one thing I disagree with is that the content of the books is to strong for them. These children come from violent backgrounds, they hear and see the content in the book possibly everyday. I don't agree with Rafe openly swearing outside of the book content. But otherwise, the content of the books seem acceptable for their situations.

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  2. I like that quote a lot. I have to agree with you Lauren, some of the books in my opinion are a little too strong for my 5th grader to be reading or having those images in their head. I thought in high school that some of the books were intense. Think of what a fifth grader thinks.

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