Hurtado,+Evelyn

ASSIGNMENT #1 Saludos from Nigeria. I am a Latina, wife and mother of three. I hail from New Mexico where I studied both Special Education and Elementary Education with a concentration in teaching students that are English language learners. I currently teach Kindergarten in Abuja, but have also taught in Mexico, on beautiful Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, and in the States. I am interested in culturally responsive teaching, global citizenship and social emotional learning. I have been teaching since 1997 and enjoy the lifelong learning process education provides. Every day I learn as much as I teach! I love reading, traveling and am particularly interested in the anthropology of food. You can catch me trying new recipes and binge watching Netflix on the weekends. If I am not doing those two things, I am outdoors in nature, practicing yoga or spending time with my family.

Out of all the choices that were offered, this class was the one that stood out to me. I have read many books concerning this topic and at a former school I taught at that followed the UN’s World Core Curriculum, Peaceable Revolution through Education by Catherine Ann Cadden was a big part of our PD. My belief is that as educators we can not work day in and day out without providing social emotional learning in our classroom. Part of that is relationships with others and self reflections, both indicators that come to mind when I hear peaceable schools. When I think about what this class should be about, I see it as very layered. First discussion and reflection about our own biases and perspectives and how that affects our ideas about a peaceable community and how we not only resolve but possibly create or cause conflict. Then an opportunity to read research on possible underlying causes of conflict; apathy, rebellion, deception (disconnection) that lead to conflict, and once again a reflection on what connection means to us. I would also enjoy learning about approaches to conflict resolution. I know there are many “programs” available, but having an overview of the different processes would be helpful. As a fourth component I imagine a practical application component. How not only children, but adults (as educators and colleagues) can practice peace in the classroom and workplace. Literally “what does that look like, or how could that look?”. Lastly I would be very interested in your thoughts and other colleagues (if there is a discussion component) about the role of educators nowadays in student’s social and ethical development and how that relates to peaceable schools. I have yet to look over all of our assignments, but I am sure this will be an interesting and meaningful class, especially as it aligns with my own personal values and interests as an educator.

ASSIGNMENT #2 I sat down to watch this movie with my husband and 2 of my 3 teenage boys. Both had heard of the movie before, but had never seen it. My husband and I were revisiting the movie. I prefaced the movie with the statement that this movie is violent, not nowadays glossy, action packed big screen violent, but 80’s violent. (I learned later after a quick google search that it came out in 1998...but it seemed earlier). They laughed it off, but I remembered the scene with the curb and even now when I think of it my stomach turns. After the movie they both commented that the very same scene was gruesome. American History X is a film that has many themes; racism, conflict with self and also nurture vs. nature. The main characters are the Vinyard brothers. Danny is a teenager dealing with the incarceration of his brother and the effects on his family. As an audience you get the feeling that he may not harbor the intensity of racist feelings like his brother. Derek is a neo-nazi who goes to jail after murdering a black man that was trying to rob his car. I was initially going to say the main character Derek is a violent neo-nazi, but purposely chose to leave it out. There is not denying that he demonstrated violent acts, but I don’t know if that was in the core of his being or if that was nurtured or developed. I have heard that every human being has a violent side, but it is how one react to situations and their actions that are different. There were many outside factors that influenced Derek including his family and his environment. During a flashback at dinner Derek is excited to share about what he is learning with his teacher Dr. Sweeney in his black literature course. His father reacts with a negative response, spewing hatred about black culture and people. This influences his thoughts as the next scene is Derek talking to reporters about the death of his father and his attitude toward black people is completely different than it was at the dinner table. His father, a person he respects and admires who is an important relationship in his life influenced his attitude I believe. You see that carry on with Cameron, who seems to have taken on that father figure role after the death of Derek’s dad. Cameron is a racist who encourages violence and brainwashes troubled youth. His racist manifesto offers a place of belonging to Derek and many others. After the death of his father, I can only imagine how having a father figure (that shared the same racist attitude as his father) was of great importance to Derek. Danny was also strongly influenced by his brother who has very much looked up to in their neo-nazi community. A very impactful scene was right after Derek murdered the boys and is being arrested by the police. Derek turns around and smiles to his brother and puts his hands out. Danny saw him react gladly (that it was worth it) to getting arrested. I don’t believe either boy was born inherently prone to violence, or with a violent nature, but many examples in the movie show how their environment and family influenced and nurtured them to become violent.

ASSIGNMENT #3 If you came to visit me Professor Hank, I hope that you would feel as welcomed and valued as my students and their families feel. Many years ago, I became a different teacher. Many years ago, living and teaching in Guatemala, I was inspired by Oscar Arias Sanchez and Robert Muller and my focus became creating a peaceful and thriving learning environment for my students. If you walked into my classroom today you would notice that everything is communal. There are cubbies (but not labeled), there is materials such as markers and pencils and erasers (but not labeled), there is flexible seating including floor cushions, standing desks, a community rug area, a community table, small group table (but nothing is labeled). Our classroom belongs to us all and we are all responsible for taking care of it. I don’t have posted rules but common agreements that we have talked about. During the course of a day students have multiple talking partners, standing groups, text teams that are grouped flexibly by ability, interest, behavior and choice. Everyone has a voice and they share it daily with group share and connection time. Plus I hope you would notice that my students have the confidence and trust in our classroom that they feel comfortable sharing, asking for help, disagreeing and voicing their opinion. I teach Kindergarten and all Kinder teachers spend copious amounts of time getting their classroom environment ready (it is the third teacher). Maybe you would notice that an art project we do at the beginning of the year is still up based on the book The Colors of Us by Diane Katz which showcases self-portraits colored using crayola multicultural crayon set. Maybe you would notice 36 pictures around the room featuring students from around the world and how they say hello in their home language. Maybe you would notice their hopes and dreams for the year (and their parents) posted. Maybe you would notice my take a break center that students can go to at any time (with the exception of my mini-lesson). There they will see pictures of children’s faces showing various emotions and a graphic organizer that encourages them to reflect on how they feel and what they can do to calm down, center themselves, etc… which includes a card ring with breathing and visualization ideas. Most of all I hope you would feel that we are a warm and thriving classroom community of learners. Daily I can say I make a conscious effort to create a peaceful classroom from my morning messages (Mindful Monday...Thankful Thursday), to our group shares, to facilitating conflict resolution in the classroom, to the literature I read daily (today was Star Boy by Paul Goble) and I am always hoping to learn more ideas to add to my toolbox.
 * What would a peaceable school or community look like?-A peaceable school would be a complete community developing compassionate citizens capable and interested in creating and contributing to the betterment of the greater good. It would be managed by educators that value and respect students and are aware of their feelings and needs and respond to them.
 * What elements of communication would be included?-Attentive listening, responding without judgement and accountable talk.
 * What would be tolerated and what would not be tolerated?-As in every school 0% physical aggression and that should also include verbal aggression. But in reality I think that systems need to be setup to handle these instances and to deal with the root of the problem
 * What would the rules be? Common agreements would include Mutual Respect, Attentive Listening, Kind Words in Interactions and Responsibility of Self
 * Would would the expectations be?-They would align with the common agreement-Mutual Respect for others (peers and adults alike) and the classroom/school environment. Attentive Listening-The listening is more important than the words you want to share, reflect on what the other person is saying and respond showing them you value what they say. Kind Words-Be encouraging and show appreciation in your words, there is no place or reason for mean words and put downs. Responsibility of Self-you are responsible for your learning, yourself, your materials, your class, and your place in our community.
 * What would the responsibilities be?-This would not be specific but encompassing. Students and teachers would be responsible for being present, participatory, involved and engaged in their learning and the greater classroom/school community

ASSIGNMENT 4 It is hard for me to put my head around the truth that enhanced interrogation or for that matter interrogation techniques are commonly used and a part of our everyday society. I think of that as something that is “not real”, more of what you see on the big screen. My heart says there is no room for it, and it is treating people inhumanely and with a lack of dignity. That nothing makes it OK to interrogate and hurt another. Then my head says that there might be a justified need in a situation. Just recently the Nigerian Police and UK and US military forces and defense attaches foiled a terrorist plan against our two countries embassies located in Nigeria. It was over a year long effort. The US news reported a general overview of what happened, whereas the Nigerian news gave a play by play. Reading I learned about the apprehension of individuals in Boko Haram, discovery of arms storage, orchestrated play by play plans. What surprised me the most was the articles details of how they “turned” the original Boko Haram members by effective and necessary interrogation that led them to the plan. What does that mean? Do my principles take over, and is my response that it was inhumane? What I can say is that I am safe and so is my family. Where do we draw a line? The unfortunate things is that humans are infallible and driven by so many things-power, emotions, principles. There is no way to know how far someone will take their interrogation. How can you even say that this is allowable, but this technique is not? Enhanced interrogation techniques may work, but at what cost (to both the interrogator and person being interrogated)? I have many thoughts and impressions on the materials and resources provided in assignment four. First and foremost, I cannot stop thinking about how the United States is the only industrialized/developed country that continuously demonstrates increases in its homicide rate. I have spent near a decade living in undeveloped countries and I am curious about the effect entitlement and privilege has on attitudes about justifying homicide or violence. I also see another side that we as US citizens are more apt to report all forms of violence as compared to other cultures. There are campaigns that encourage individuals to not be silent. I have seen and heard of terrible violence in the countries that we have lived in. The countries we have lived in all fall in low or very low states of peace and rank in the top 50 most dangerous countries. The culture of many communities do not even allow women to speak out against their husbands (in the case of rape), or hide murders (it is what they deserved). So it is hard for me to take the information and get anything more than-there is too much violence in our country. What can we do to change that? Why is it so prevalent? The information I reviewed made me curious about our prison system and how it perpetuates violence. It also made me really think about the mass murders and how I read somewhere that most are perpetuated by young white males that have feelings or experiences of being marginalized. Why aren’t we doing a better job as a country of taking care and raising and educating healthy young people that become healthy functioning adults?

EXTRA CREDIT The worst case scenario of an active shooter has become all too common. We must train and prepare our students and staff to not only run and hide but also to fight back. If there is an active shooter on school grounds chances are there will be deaths and they will stop at nothing to reach their goals of killing as many people as possible. Students and staff members need to be proactive. They need to be trained to stop the threat as soon as possible. They cannot wait for the SWAT team to get there they are who they are waiting for. The students and staff at the school are truly the first responders at the scene and there is a crucial time between the beginning of the assault to when the authorities arrive. Individuals on campus have to adapt a survival mindset and be prepared and trained to do what is in their power. This includes taking the initiative to decide and plan what steps they can take to fight back. They have the power to surprise, stun and fight back to the active shooter. In dire situations there is a need for dire and sometimes outrageous solutions. If throwing a heavy can will daze a shooter so be it. If 20 cans thrown at a shooter can do damage, better yet. Students and staff need to be trained to use fire extinguishers, heavy items anything that is available to them to ensure their safety. They do not need to be sitting ducks waiting to be rescued.

The worse case scenario of an active shooter has become all too common. We must train and prepare our students and staff to run and hide and wait for the proper authorities to respond and take control of the situation. Numerous schools are training students to not only run and hide, but also to fight back. This includes throwing items such as fire extinguishes and cans of food at them. One school in Alabama has asked students to each bring in a can of food to have on hand in case of an attack. How ridiculous is this? Students and staff are already in a highly threatening situation how could anyone think that it would be better to encorage and empower them to put themselves more in harms way, by directly drawing attention to themselves. Also, students are still so young and impressionable training them to take on this type of responsibility could really lead to exaggerated and unrealistic ideas about playing the vigilante or super hero role and let’s be honest what 15 year old boy doesn’t really want to be Spiderman or Iron Man? For that matter what 15 year old girl doesn’t want to be Wonder Women? Super heros are sensationalized and training students to fight back is encouraging them to take on a role they have no business taking on. Our job and civil servants job is to protect them and we should be doing that, not them. I don’t even think that it should be suggested or encouraged let alone prepared for. Having an active shooter on campus would be a highly charged and emotional situation and a perfect time to have your amgydala hijacked. Let’s not encourage our students to have that type of response.

ASSIGNMENT 5 I could tell you a million times that I witnessed individual’s brains get hijacked by their amygdala. I grew up surrounded by adults that had difficulties with self-regulation and drinking did not help. Not only in my family, but in my community this was a common situation characterized by domestic abuse, suicide, fighting and overall poor choices. My husband jokes now that is why I am so “tranquila” as he puts it. I swung to the other side of the pendulum. One time after my grandfather’s funeral we were all gathering at my cousin’s house. Everyone was enjoying the evening reminiscing with stories of our childhoods and memories of our grandfather. Most of my family lives in the same small town they were raised in. Actually most of my family lives on the same land they were raised on. My grandma remained in the main house until her death and her children and their children put up trailers surrounding her. There are a very few of us that have left and many times it can create a terse situation as our experiences and perspectives have now widened and we don’t view things in the common mentality as our family that still lives in Espanola. Anyway my brother commented about my grandfather and one of my uncles took offense and started telling him he had no right to comment because he isn’t here (the family land) all the time. My brother responded in not so kind words and my uncle got in his face yelling at him and pushed him so hard he fell through a glass door. No warning...no cause, just a comment that was not even super negative but that got a super emotional response. I think that like in this instance the amygdala generally affects initial reactions, but that does not mean that the outcome is always negative. People need to develop skills to respond to the visceral reaction. If they don’t it can most definitely hinder conflict resolution.

Wonder Woman! I just absolutely loved this TedTalk, because power posing was never on my radar. I of course now that being hunched over and making yourself small presents as being insecure, but actually power posing can change your mind and influence your behavior and actions...brilliant! I showed it to my two teenage sons and a group of their friends. What a reaction. Initially the gentlemen made jokes and proceeded to act out power poses, while the girls did the same. The turning point was the study when individuals spit into vials, assumed power or low power poses and then gambled and had their hormonal levels checked once again. I noticed them all leaning in and paying attention a little more. By the end when she shared her own personal story everyone was enthralled with the Ted Talk. After when they were discussing their thoughts, every single person's attitude had changed about the idea of faking it till you become it. I was more impressed with the females of the group (½ Christian and ½ Muslim, because in the latter group they expressed that showing power or being powerful was not as socially acceptable in their culture, but because of this new information they had some tools to change that thinking before entering into their final year which would be filled with college visits and interviews. Then the conversation took an interesting turn as they talked about principals that they had through the years and classified them as high power, low power, high stress and low stress. This was interesting to me, because it supported the point that Amy Cuddy made about perceptions/how people view you. The majority of the students had similar feelings. Their best or more favored principals were high power and low stress.

ASSIGNMENT 6A

Conflict- A difference or opposition of thoughts, beliefs, ideas or opinion. The act of disagreeing in a struggle of clash. The struggle of defining thoughts and actions.



Conflict Resolution-according to a google search “ Conflict resolution is a way for two or more parties to find a peaceful solution to a disagreement among them. The disagreement may be personal, financial, political, or emotional. When a dispute arises, often the best course of action is negotiation to resolve the disagreement.



Wow! What a transcript. I was thinking at the very moment I was reading that this is how bullying can play itself out in our schools. How do you react to someone that keeps pushing you and pushing you and pushing you (sometimes in front of other people). The court started out reasonable and not saying anything back. Then it changed when the court engaged with its position of power and started threatening with contempt of court. That got out of hand with days..months, a year and I think it really changed when the judge maybe smiled or smirked (line 22) and Mr. Allen called him out about it. His response “I can smile anytime I want to” was an indicator to how the rest of this court hearing was going to go. From that moment on both gentlemen were reacting with their emotions (and maybe ego) to each other. It become personal by Mr. Allen, talking about hurting the judge’s family in unimaginable ways to perverted sexually (I assume to evoke a response). The judge responded in an unprofessional way by engaging and almost challenging or egging the defendant on. I was embarrassed reading the transcript, not because it was vulgar or offensive, but by the fact the judge could not keep it together. When I think of a judge I think beyond reproach the elite and ethical of our best lawyers. Obviously this is a naive attitude to have as the bottom line is we are all human. I think in the end Mr. Allen felt better..he got a rise and reaction and bottom line the better of the judge. I hope the judge would do some reflection on what about this situation brought out the worst in him. Once again this played out (like the interrogation) as a movie scene in my mind. Not something that happens in real life.

ASSIGNMENT 6B

My biggest pushback about cursing is that it can bring your professionalism into question in your work environment and it can bring your level of respect into question with elders. I am not sure if that is because I view both of those situations as traditional to a certain extent; employee and employer, teacher and student, youth and elder. I find for myself that I do not cuss when I initially meet someone of start a new job because for me cussing is casual and informal and I do not know someone well enough or I am not established enough to carry myself that way. On the other hand, that perception might be cultural. My British friends and parents of student in my class swear an awful lot from my experience and it is not vulgar and they do not miss a step in the conversation. I have had parents from all over the world and I have really never experience this like I do with the Brits. Cursing is well and fine in formal conversations, even in parent teacher conferencing when it is f…’in brilliant! I am not sure about it lowering stress levels except that for some it may be a release of emotion which can oftentimes feel good. I do think that cursing can also add stress to situations. A conversation or discussion can take a turn for the worse when someone starts cursing. I don’t see how swearing can lower someone’s stress if the person responds by hitting them or cursing or yelling back. Maybe the big picture is not the actual curse word but the emotion and intent behind it.

ASSIGNMENT #7

3 example of I messages-


 * To my 15 year old son who has his first girlfriend and has hit being social full force this year-When went to dinner and the movies with me on Saturday, I had so much fun, I felt important! (Thanks mama, it’s because I love you!)
 * To my student who struggles with perseverance-When you completed that difficult assignment, I noticed you were working hard and not giving up and I was impressed. (student smiled)
 * To my 19 year old in college who has still not filled out his FAFSA-When you put off filling out important paperwork, you put yourself in jeopardy of not getting aid next year and that worries me. (I don’t know it was on Sunday and still no confirmation of a completed FAFSA, but his response was OK, OK)

American History X

 “I'm thinking the only reason I'm getting outta here in one piece is you”-Derrick to Lamont. What a change in his attitude. He not only respects Lamont as a human being, but he can show and feel appreciation and gratitude toward him. When before blacks were less than whites in Derrick’s world, there he is acknowledging that without Lamont’s help he could not have made it. This was a huge scene, but I didn’t really think about it that much when I first saw it but now I see how layers and complex it actually is.

Dear Abby suggested responses


 * When you come into my house and borrow things without asking me first, it causes tension between us and I feel hurt.
 * When you ask to borrow things beforehand, it gives me time to plan and prepare and I feel like I do a good job with my boundaries.

ASSIGNMENT 8

I had numerous takeaways from the articles and infographics. The biggest aha moment for me was the long term effects that bullying have with mental health. That information was powerful. I think it was also important to add the article about bullying by coaches and teachers. I think this is more common than people might expect. As a parent I had to file a formal complaint against one of my son’s teachers who was ridiculing him daily in front of other students. He came back after a two day suspension and continued the behavior with my son. After efforts like going to the board, and filing a complaint with the Public Education Department, we moved our son to a different school. This really happens! There were some great ideas in “How to Cultivate a Bully-Free Community” the article on Edutopia’s website. Our school does not have a dedicated social emotional learning program, but we do have dedicated time in both elementary and secondary (mid and high) for morning meeting and advisory. This time could be used for explicit sharing and developing of skills such as compassionate communication or restorative justice. I can think of a handful of teachers at our school (including myself) who would be thrilled to receive training and would be more than happy to come back to school and take on a leadership role. Also it is important to note that our school follows a balanced literacy model from K-8th. There are consistent teaching points that deal with active listening, accountable talk, disagreeing, and the list goes on. Since we already teach these skills in mini-lessons we should have a professional discussion on how that correlates to social emotional learning and communicate that with our students so they can have opportunities to practice and transfer those same skills to practical day to day situations. With more practice in communication and understanding in non threatening situations they may have the skills needed to handle conflict positively.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">ASSIGNMENT #9 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">I would definitely agree with personality profile. I scored 27 in both practical manager and learned expert, a 24 in creative problem solver and a 20 in people pleaser. Some attributes I connected right away with were attention to detail, finely tuned senses (I constantly hear from my husband “how do you even notice these things!”, and able to synthesize ideas and create theories and models. I also love order and predictability, and am sarcastic, but I also am a highly empathetic person. What was interesting to me is the downfall or possible challenges were very aligned with the things I am constantly working on or have spent a lot of time working on such as perfectionism and rigidity. I think both of those areas in my life have improved over the years. I am constantly aware of that critical eye when I am in a group, so I always try to keep the creative, empathetic problem solver on the surface and go back to the practical manager when the group gets too far off task. It also helps me be more understanding of people in group efforts that may not work with the same attention to task attitude. It helps me enjoy the process and keeps me from becoming too rigid about the income. I loved the intro on the prototypes article because it reminded me to open up my perspective about one of my own children who is a strong creative problem solver type.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">ASSIGNMENT #10 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">In the films American History X and October Sky it is obvious that the role of nurture in the families of the two main characters (Derrick and Homer) had a great impact on them. In American History X Derrick’s family nurtured an intensely racist attitude with him, especially his father. The overall sentiment in the Vinyard household was that ethnic groups were reaping the benefits and basically taking away from them what they deserved and worked for as Americans (such as with the Korean store owner). In October Sky there was not any racism nurtured but the overall feeling that the main character had a place or lot in life. In American History X, Derrick does not start off with racist ideals. A scene at dinner when he is talking about what he is learning in his black literature class goes awry when his father stops him and spews hatred about blacks in general. Derrick takes his father’s racist ideals and makes them his own. The next scene he is talking to a reporter about how his father died in a black neighborhood helping people that don’t deserve to be helped. In October Sky, Homer’s father embodies that hard working small town mentality that there is nothing more past what he knows and lives and if that life is good enough for him, it is good enough for his sons. Both fathers had strong impact and influence on the development of their sons. Interestingly enough Derrick embraced his father’s ideals, while Homer rejected his father’s ideals about small town life, but embraced his father’s perseverance and work ethic. This was evident after rocket, after rocket blew up, but Homer continued to work and work and persevere. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">This could have been impacted by the roles of others in their lives including their mothers. In American History X you see Derrick’s mother as unavailable, with a lack of strength. Not only does she not defend or protect her children, she becomes a burden to them where they in turn take on a parenting role with her. The family as a whole all dealt with grief after the loss of their father, but their mother was not able to recover. She was not an example of strength. Whereas, in October Sky Homer’s mother was quiet and not outwardly forceful, but she silently encouraged her son daily and when he needed her to come through she did, even taking a stand against the father insisting he works with the Union to get the workers back to the coal mine. It was a joy to watch the mom in her role. How she quiety went back up the stairs after walking to the basement to do laundry only to find the four scientist hard at work, or her great reaction after Homer blows up her white picket fence. The smile on her face was priceless. The fact that Homer’s mom was so supportive played a huge role in his life. He had someone that he was able to count on in his tight nuclear family. He did not have to go looking elsewhere. In contrast, Derrick had no one to count on and as he was the eldest, he was the one everyone counted on. He was an unsupported child that went looking for that role in his life. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Derrick found that role with Cameron the adult leader of the neo-nazi racist group in California. Cameron took on the father figure role for Derrick. Not only did he offer him a sense of belonging but he offered him a community. A community that the well spoken and intelligent Derrick thrived in. He was precisely an example of the old saying ‘tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are’. His time within his racist community only solidified and celebrated his burgeoning sense of racism and unjustness toward minority groups. On the other hand Homer was a part of a supportive community with ethical values. There were critical people that believed in him and were impressed by his gumption and drive. The European mine worker who took a chance (that affected his job) to help Homer, Mr Bolden who steered them in the right direction with details about the tube and it’s materials, to the entire community that showed up time after time to see his rocket’s launch, the community of Homer’s was a strong and positive support. One of the most exciting and emotional scenes in October Sky was when both the mom and community took a stand and came together to help Homer get the special piece he needed and was stolen at the science fair, and cheered him on over the phone. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">In both movies educators and administrators played a crucial role in the development of the main characters. In American History X Murray played a secondary role being a teacher that could not fully understand Derrick’s anti-semitic and racist thinking. He did try and reason with him at the dinner table, but Murray had no impact on Derrick with the exception of him representing everything Derrick was against. Who had a greater, and positive impact on Derrick was Dr. Sweeny. First as his teacher when he was in high school, as a mentor during his prison stay and as the principal of his younger brother. Dr. Sweeny influenced Derrick through literature, discussion and debate. Derrick is intelligent and well spoken and a critical thinker. Sweeney spoke to that with the way he presented a different perspective. He also ingratiated himself to Derrick when he took an active role in caring about the well being of his little brother Danny. Miss Reilly played a completely different type of educator role to Homer in October Sky. She became the person that ignited Homer’s thinking that he could create a way to get out of his small town. It was evident that Homer wanted to leave with all his comments about coal miners and small town mentality but it wasn’t until Miss Reilly gave him a vehicle to do it that he started working toward his dream. It was not an academic effect she has but a social emotional one. As a matter of fact I cringed in one scene where she tells him she doesn’t know if he can be a rocket scientist because that has a lot of math and that has never been his good subject. She does without a doubt believe in him and encourage him and do what she can in her own way (like ordering the book and standing up to the principal) to show him she believes in him and supports his endeavors. The principal is very much like his father, close minded in his thinking but good at heart. When Homer needed it, they both came through. I will say though, they were the last on board. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline;">I think what struck me was how both families embodied an “All-American” attitude. It goes to show that America means so many different things to so many different individuals and so many different groups. We are not homogenous with common cultural ties and attitudes. The deep south is different from the barrio in LA. The Cuban and Dominican culture is different from the Tejano culture in Texas. Our commonality, and what should bind us, is our humanity. Both films spoke to the humanity of coming of age complexities and the effects of family and community on growth and development.