“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
One might say children’s books are not philosophical in nature; however, I beg to differ. I found that the story line of Oh, The Places You’ll Go! provides readers with a philosophical background. The author, Dr. Seuss, composed rhymes that provide readers with an insight of their future success. Although Seuss did not know the future every reader, he did know the philosophical background of life and success in general. Seuss’ philosophical knowledge can be observed all throughout his books; however, Oh, The Places You’ll Go! provides the greatest philosophical descriptions. While reading Oh, The Places You’ll Go! the reader is constantly asking themselves what does it mean to be successful. Oh, The Places You’ll Go! constantly reminds its readers that the possibility of being successful is possible. However, being successful is determined by the path that one might choose. In turn, reaching thus goal is not always easy. I chose Oh, The Places You’ll Go! because its text is so powerful. All throughout the book the reader is not only presented with thoughts and questions of success, but also with the powerful journey of life.
A successful teacher could use this book to promote philosophical thinking within her classroom. After reading aloud Oh, The Places You’ll Go! a discussion might form in hopes to formulate philosophical thinking. I have provided a list of philosophical questions that the teacher could use to facilitate discussions within her classroom.
What does success mean?
What does it take to be s...
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... His way with words and rhymes provides readers with the comfort and encouragement they need to pursue success. Oh, The Places You’ll Go! is a very useful tool for the classroom, because it facilitates philosophical thinking and encouragement. This is a very useful book with numerous connecting activities that I recommend to my fellow teaching peers. It is my passion produce successful students in my classroom; as a result I chose this book due to its successful nature.
“So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.) KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS! So... be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea, you're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So...get on your way!”
In Chapter 2 of Children’s Books in Children’s Hands: A Brief Introduction to their Literature, the authors talk about the 12 main elements of a literary work: genre, plot, setting, characterization, theme, point of view, intersexuality, tone, mood, style, voice, and the stance of the implied reader (Temple, Martinez, and Yokota 24). All of these literary elements capture the reader’s imagination and creates a successful piece of literature. However, the authors stress the importance of genre in Chapter 2, so I will briefly go over the different types of genres there are in literature and how it affects the readers greatly.
“I have lived every day of my life asking myself ‘is what I’m doing reflective of who I am? Or who I want to be?’ If not...”
According to J.K Rowling, “It is our choices that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities.” This conclusion postulates that it does not matter whether a person is fragile or robust, brilliant or dull, gifted or challenged, it is the choices that they make in life that crystallize who they are as people. Yet, can these words be ripped from their simple format and be plastered to the pillars of life themselves? For example, does the child protégé always have the will power to use their knowledge and select the right path? Or does the godlike athlete always think twice before taking a third steroid pill that week? In other words, this statement truly holds the glittering gold of truth and is often exhibited throughout society, and frequently through history as well. Two pieces of literature that clearly demonstrate this idea of a person’s personal building blocks being their decisions are the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck and the Epic Poem, The Odyssey, by Homer. These texts both support this observation by requiring the protagonist to formulate great decisions that define them as people and what will be in store for them later in life.
An individual’s ‘Sense of Place’ is predominantly their place of belonging and acceptance in the world, may it be through a strong physical, emotional or spiritual connection. In Tim Winton’s novel ‘The Riders”, the concept of Sense of Place is explored through the desperate journey of its protagonist, Fred Scully. Scully’s elaborate search for identity throughout the novel is guided and influenced by the compulsive love he feels for his wife Jennifer and their family morals, the intensity of hope and the destruction it can cause and the nostalgic nature of Winton’s writing. Two quotes which reflect the ideals of a person’s Sense of Place are “Experience is not what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him.’(Aldous Huxley) and “It is not down in any map. True places never are.” (Herman Melville). Huxley and Melville’s statements closely resemble Fred Scully’s journey and rectify some of his motivations throughout the text.
What sets people apart in life are the decisions we make and the paths we follow, but sometimes our judgement is clouded and it is difficult to make the right choices. In which case, we seek guidance on what to do. However, for Henry David Thoreau, Chris McCandless, and Timothy Treadwell, a sense of independence or even sheer stubbornness may cause someone to ignore the advice of others. It is important to follow one’s own heart, but one must also acknowledge the consequences of his actions.
ABSTRACT: This essay explores my own situation of teaching philosophy in a more or less traditional undergraduate setting but in a way that is especially relevant to the theme of this Congress, namely, the theme of "philosophy educating humanity." In my case, I teach philosophy but from a perspective that is non-traditional and which undercuts the standard questions originating from and orienting around a "philosophia perennia." Specifically, I teach philosophy of religion from the perspective of Jewish philosophy, and even more specifically, from the perspective of the French Jewish philosophy of Emmanuelle Levinas. Moreover, I teach philosophy in an educational environment that is representative of the greater global community because I teach at the University of Texas at El Paso, situated on the border that separates the United States and Latin America. Finally, my teaching situation is one that is further marginalized because of the precarious nature of my academic position, namely, trained outside the traditional borders of philosophical faculty and working at first as a part-timer and only recently as a full-time, non-tenure track teacher of philosophy and humanities. Hence, I offer my experience of doing work of successfully teaching philosophy "on the borders" in the hope that others gathered here will be challenged to think differently about their own way of educating others.
In this children’s book, Seuss presents a character, a small boy dressed in yellow, who represents “you” goes out of their known town into a large and unknown place. Here they discover everything is different and your knowledge and confidence isn’t always enough to make it. Seuss states “Out there things can happen, and frequently do, to people as brainy, and footsy as you,” which shows that everyday knowledge isn’t always enough, sometimes you need extra skills, like a liberal arts curriculum provides, to help you succeed in the real world. Seuss also states “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go,” which shows that more knowledge can only help bring you further in
that there a choices in life that we as individuals will ultimately have to make. Sometimes
In order to establish a PHILOSOPHY ON TEACHING, a sequence of events happen in history to open a doorway to “Society about Education and Schooling”, as the description of Public Education Goals for Our Educational System came from the ideas of two famous men, Horace Mann and Thomas Jefferson.
“If I could be anything but what I am, I would be tomorrow. If I could be what my father wants me to be, then maybe I could stay for that, too. If I could be what you want me to be, I’d want to stay. But I am what I am, and all I want is freedom.”
“You will find the world in your own eyes, if they learn how to see; in your own heart if it learns how to feel; and in your own fingers if they learn how to touch.” (Dunham 188).
According to literary critic Clifton Fadiman, “Theodor Geisel Seuss provided ingenious and uniquely witty solutions to the standing problem of illiteracy among children (qtd. in Kaplan).” Due to various influential figures and profound experiences during his lifetime, as well as expert use of creative literary techniques, Theodor Seuss Geisel’s children’s books continue to compel readers of all ages – allowing them to escape into different worlds filled with nonsense.
In this moment in time, there is no assurance as to where writing will take me as I follow this pathless “woods.” However, I hope that at the end of my journey, this decision will make all the difference as well.
Watch your thoughts, they become your words; Watch your words; they become your actions; Watch your actions; they become your habits; Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
Before taking my philosophy self-assessment, I was sure my highest score would fall somewhere in humanistic or social change. I was surprised when I saw that all of my scores fell within six points of each other in all five of the philosophies. After thinking about this, I have determined that I have come to see the benefits of each of the philosophies of education and have drawn pieces from each one in order to shape my own philosophy of education and teaching. Behavioral, progressive and humanistic are the three philosophies that I scored highest in and I will attempt to show how my philosophy relates to ethical teaching of each in today’s classroom. In Nodding’s Philosophy of Education he says, “Thoughtful people continue to examine the old responses, to generate new ones induced by changing conditions and to reflect on current responses in the interest of making education as good as it can be.”