Week 10-What’s my Response to Mr. Harvey Dialogue-Question B
My first thought, Mr. Harvey is a cranky old man. Then I started to think past my first reaction and ask myself, could Mr. Harvey have been treated badly in his youth because he spoke pidgin English and he wanted his students to have a better life? Maybe he did not want them to feel distress and possibly be ridiculed for the way they spoke. He wanted better for his students, he wanted them to succeed and feel good about themselves.
This is the only reason and excuse I could see a teacher such as Mr. Harvey use for being demeaning and harsh towards his class. He refers to the students, “as not being perfect Americans because they spoke pidgin, and will only be hurting themselves” if they continue speaking this way. Some students decide they want to be haoles so they are treated with dignity. Students should be able to turn to their teachers for compassion, understanding and respect. This was not the case with Mr. Harvey. This is not right people deserve to be proud of who they are. If people are made to feel less than equal to someone else, this could have a negative effect on their life? I would look at this as a form of bullying. There has been a lot of talk about bullying in schools and the tragic affect it can have on lives.
Hello Barb,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your thoughts. I thought you made a good point about Mr. Harvey maybe wanted the children to be better than he was. It is a good question and a thoughtful observation. As a teacher I want to always remember to be encouraging and not discouraging. We do our best, but must remembr that harsh words are hurtful words and even more so when viewed by a child.
BetteJo
Hi Barb,
ReplyDeleteI too thought that Mr. Harvey must have been ridiculed as a child, because why else would be so cruel to children. I also think that if Mr. Harvey isn't going to be compassionate towards his students then he may need to find a different profession. Though I understand he may have talked to them this way because he maybe wanted them to have a better chance in life then he did, but I still think as a teacher he could have gone about it a different way. I enjoyed your writing.
Hi Barb,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your insights! I agree that it takes a bit to get past our initial impressions of Mr. Harvey. I hope his intentions are good--to help the students learn and find future success--but it's hard to know intentions. Even when people state their intentions, there are numerous hidden and unconscious intentions at play.
We can definitely see the effect his words have on the students. Lovey, in particular, already feels deep shame for her language and culture. Mr. Harvey's words seem to support Lovey's hate for, and embarrassment about, herself.
Lauren
Hey Barb,
ReplyDeleteI really anjoyed reading your thoughts because they made me really think. I just thought thought Mr. Harvey was this cranky mean teacher for the way he treated the kids but after reading your post it made me reconsider. Great job!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI see what you are saying, that he must of been treated bad as a child, but I dont think that it excusses the way he talks down to the students. Children look to adults for guidance and they need praise, not to ridiculed. I enjoyed reading your insights on the story.
Thank you
Benjamin
When reading this you really can tell the Mr. Harvey wants better for his students. He tries to inspire them but uses the wrong techniques. I don't think that have children this young write their own obituaries is really the way to inspire them but at the same time it really proves his point that if they want a good life they need to speak "standard english" so they can fulfill their dreams.
ReplyDeleteHey Barb-
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your thoughts on the reading. I agree that Mr.Harvey was very cranky and mean to the children. I do think that he was so cranky because he really just wanted more for the kids than he had. Great job!!
Hi Barb,
ReplyDeleteWow i enjoyed reading your response, it seems like we had the same idea going on about Mr. Harvet. i also beleive he maybe had a rough child hood and thats why he is trying to teach the kids proper english. Good job
Myra A.
Hi Barb,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the critiques on my response they were very helpful and I will work on that. I really enjoyed your response, you made me understand more about the core of Mr. Harvey's problems and why he acts the way he does towards these students. I didn't understand some of the punctuation but that's a simple fix and may have been a mistake. After "This is right" I believe it would be easier to read if there were a comma afterwards and I was confused by the question mark after..."negative effect on their life." I didn't think it was a question. Thanks,
Brittany