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Sunday, March 18, 2012

What is power?


This year, all of our inquiries in ELA and social studies are centered around our essential question. In our class discussions, we have already begun to debate and explore the idea of power. Our theme as the class of 2012 is "Wave of Change." Your first blog assignment is an exercise in relating our theme to our essential question.


Do you have power? Explain.  

3 comments:

  1. As a student, I feel that my power is limited and it is all in the future. As a group, I feel that students do have power, but we are not often coordinated. I think the only way to obtain power as a middle school student is some form of education.

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  2. Power is a tricky concept. We determine how much power we give to others or give ourselves. As a middle school student, I am forced to adhere to the rules and routines of my teachers and parents, which is how I give power to others. But I can express my own power through music, art, and fashion. These areas do not require me to live up to anyone else's expectations. It is through these that I hold the power.

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  3. Whether or not I have power depends on scale. On a small scale, I believe I can exercise a fair amount of power. For example, as a teacher, I can tell a student to do something. As long as the request does not sound completely unreasonable, a student will likely fulfill it. On a large scale, I believe I cannot exercise power, or at least not much. For example, I believe that our educational system could benefit from certain sweeping reforms. However, I alone possess very little power to change the system. If I joined a large group of people all committed to bringing about the same reform, maybe then we could accomplish something.

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