How do Teenage Girls feel about Ethics today?
Dear friends before we get a chance to speak on Skype on Monday, November 11th. I wanted to let you know how I feel and what thoughts I have on Ethics.
I plan to interview my Dance Students in Grades 8 - 10. At the moment, these all are girls.
I began working at this collective of Schools in October this year.
As its a new place, new students and I are new for them too, it has helped me prepare my research questions more easily as I am questioning so much every day about the Students and myself as their Teacher. Is this the effect of the MA and all the research that we begin to question the way we approach teaching on a constant basis?
As I said my students are teenagers, who also have a lot of questions to ask :)
I asked myself did I know about Ethics when I was in school or was I being treated responsibly by my Teachers at the time?
When I was a teenager, I wanted to become a vegetarian, but my parents didn't know of any except I think Linda McCartney!! Mainstream saw it as being reckless, an activist, a hippy, and most people considered it impossible to live without eating another life to survive.
Vegan as I am today, was seen as way too extreme and most people believed that we actually did need dairy for calcium and protein, which we know today not to be true and those who follow a plant-based lifestyle are doing not only themselves, the animals who don't have to suffer for our ignorance but also the positive effect on the planet.
To go back to when I wanted to know more and convince my parents, I asked them to take me to Demonstrations, Pressure Groups who were lobbying against not only Vegan & Vegetarianism but about the living conditions of animals in farms, and to put an end to animal testing.
This was when I understood that to eat another living soul was not Ethical. They were not living a happy life on a farm, far from it. To allow animals to have makeup and cosmetics forced on them, to lie in their own body waste, with barely any room to turn round waiting to be slaughtered to feed a food economy, was cruelty that I did not want to be responsible for.
I researched and made presentations to my School in both English and Modern Studies about my findings.
Today we hear all these words being thrown about "organic, vegetal, all-natural, against animal testing, sustainable, fairtrade, company ethos" But companies can get around it for example when they say they are Against Animal Testing they can still get companies in China ( where animal testing is still compulsory) to test them on their behalf. Organic can be used on any type of product if there are some natural ingredients in there. ( if there are ingredients you can't pronounce or wouldn't eat then it isn't organic)
Anita Roddick and Paul Constantine ( also the founder of Lush) wanted to make a company that was not only ethical but also transparent, namely The Body Shop. They were so ahead of their time by allowing customers to come in and refill, add scents, use biodegradable plastic and paper bags, but sadly after her death, the company was sold to Loreal. Luckily this year they are going back to the beginning, back to how started.
Anita and Paul founded communities where Brazil Nuts, Shea Butter, Cocoa was produced and provided jobs with job security for their workers. Always sourcing their ingredients from the same people. Not by chopping down forests and growing what was needed. These projects are fairtrade projects supporting the workers, sustaining the environment where products are grown and continue to do so organically continuing into the future, by not disrupting the natural wildlife who settle in these areas.
I'm sure when we look back at our High School days there will be teachers we remember with fondness and those who upset us, bullied us, belittled us or didn't make us or our friends feel good about themselves.
My students who graduated last year all came to see me with sadness that our journey, for now, was over. I don't believe that it is over as we all learned from one another, me too as their teacher and I hope I have taught them not only about Dance but life skills that they can apply in other subjects and socially. To be the best that they can be and some days it okay to need to be at the back. I always teach with encouragement and remind them where they started. They got so used to giving each other feedback that the Dance Class created great friendships and a support system.
Last week a much smaller dancer decided to sit out and wouldn't be coaxed back, I gave her a little space. It was the first time they had worked in pairs which all enjoyed except one. She said her arm hurt and was afraid that I would be angry. This upset me as she clearly had anxiety about teachers and in the Dance Class. We spoke that if she felt any pain or worry about a task. I said I would only be upset if she didn't feel she could talk to me or that she wasn't able to have a great experience in the Dance Classroom where everyone is always welcome and feel able to express themselves differently than their other classes.
In short, I want to be mindful of my teaching.
Am I treating students fairly?
Are they being represented properly and seen in every work or activity that we do?
Do I see everyone and give everyone equal attention.
Do I allow their creativity to come through and do I equally encourage it?
Do I remember their age level and maturity and is what I am asking for them suitable and can they understand it?
I plan to interview my Dance Students in Grades 8 - 10. At the moment, these all are girls.
I began working at this collective of Schools in October this year.
As its a new place, new students and I are new for them too, it has helped me prepare my research questions more easily as I am questioning so much every day about the Students and myself as their Teacher. Is this the effect of the MA and all the research that we begin to question the way we approach teaching on a constant basis?
As I said my students are teenagers, who also have a lot of questions to ask :)
I asked myself did I know about Ethics when I was in school or was I being treated responsibly by my Teachers at the time?
When I was a teenager, I wanted to become a vegetarian, but my parents didn't know of any except I think Linda McCartney!! Mainstream saw it as being reckless, an activist, a hippy, and most people considered it impossible to live without eating another life to survive.
Vegan as I am today, was seen as way too extreme and most people believed that we actually did need dairy for calcium and protein, which we know today not to be true and those who follow a plant-based lifestyle are doing not only themselves, the animals who don't have to suffer for our ignorance but also the positive effect on the planet.
To go back to when I wanted to know more and convince my parents, I asked them to take me to Demonstrations, Pressure Groups who were lobbying against not only Vegan & Vegetarianism but about the living conditions of animals in farms, and to put an end to animal testing.
This was when I understood that to eat another living soul was not Ethical. They were not living a happy life on a farm, far from it. To allow animals to have makeup and cosmetics forced on them, to lie in their own body waste, with barely any room to turn round waiting to be slaughtered to feed a food economy, was cruelty that I did not want to be responsible for.
I researched and made presentations to my School in both English and Modern Studies about my findings.
Today we hear all these words being thrown about "organic, vegetal, all-natural, against animal testing, sustainable, fairtrade, company ethos" But companies can get around it for example when they say they are Against Animal Testing they can still get companies in China ( where animal testing is still compulsory) to test them on their behalf. Organic can be used on any type of product if there are some natural ingredients in there. ( if there are ingredients you can't pronounce or wouldn't eat then it isn't organic)
Anita Roddick and Paul Constantine ( also the founder of Lush) wanted to make a company that was not only ethical but also transparent, namely The Body Shop. They were so ahead of their time by allowing customers to come in and refill, add scents, use biodegradable plastic and paper bags, but sadly after her death, the company was sold to Loreal. Luckily this year they are going back to the beginning, back to how started.
Anita and Paul founded communities where Brazil Nuts, Shea Butter, Cocoa was produced and provided jobs with job security for their workers. Always sourcing their ingredients from the same people. Not by chopping down forests and growing what was needed. These projects are fairtrade projects supporting the workers, sustaining the environment where products are grown and continue to do so organically continuing into the future, by not disrupting the natural wildlife who settle in these areas.
I'm sure when we look back at our High School days there will be teachers we remember with fondness and those who upset us, bullied us, belittled us or didn't make us or our friends feel good about themselves.
My students who graduated last year all came to see me with sadness that our journey, for now, was over. I don't believe that it is over as we all learned from one another, me too as their teacher and I hope I have taught them not only about Dance but life skills that they can apply in other subjects and socially. To be the best that they can be and some days it okay to need to be at the back. I always teach with encouragement and remind them where they started. They got so used to giving each other feedback that the Dance Class created great friendships and a support system.
Last week a much smaller dancer decided to sit out and wouldn't be coaxed back, I gave her a little space. It was the first time they had worked in pairs which all enjoyed except one. She said her arm hurt and was afraid that I would be angry. This upset me as she clearly had anxiety about teachers and in the Dance Class. We spoke that if she felt any pain or worry about a task. I said I would only be upset if she didn't feel she could talk to me or that she wasn't able to have a great experience in the Dance Classroom where everyone is always welcome and feel able to express themselves differently than their other classes.
In short, I want to be mindful of my teaching.
Am I treating students fairly?
Are they being represented properly and seen in every work or activity that we do?
Do I see everyone and give everyone equal attention.
Do I allow their creativity to come through and do I equally encourage it?
Do I remember their age level and maturity and is what I am asking for them suitable and can they understand it?
A lovely post Linda, lots of food for thought here thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAh thank you. I am at present trying to put myself into my participants young Dance shoes :) To be as transparent as possible is important to me. For them to know the how and the why and like we are all feeling in this course, that we are not looking for any one 'correct' answer, but find ways within ourselves and working with each other to find more options, more routes to follow, paths to take and of course more questions ( trust me I am :)
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