Valenza,+Paulo

= Assignment 1: =

__ About Me __
I truly see the value of our children having a balanced world perspective. After all, I am the product of international schools. Born in Curitiba, Brazil, I lived most of my childhood in the States. As a middle schooler, my parents decided to move back to Brazil where I lived until Grade 11. This life experience gave me an appreciation for new cultures. I believe I have a special connection with our students as a fellow Third Culture Kid.

I have been at Shanghai Community International School at the Pudong Upper School for five years and am in my first year as campus Tech Coordinator. Prior to this role, I taught Yearbook, produced ‘Dragon News’ with students (our campus’ monthly magazine) as well as taught a Modular Technology class for middle and high school students. My family and I really feel privileged to be at such a great school and to live in such an exiting country.

Prior to our time at SCIS, my wife and I taught at the American School of Kuwait for four years. We have many wonderful memories of living and teaching in Kuwait, including the birth of both our kids, Amira and Tate.

For ten years prior to teaching internationally, I was a music director in Grand Rapids, Michigan. During this time, I gained hands-on experience with technology through performing, recording and producing music.

Beyond teaching tech, other things I love to do with my time are traveling, photography, filmmaking, playing piano, all while being a dad and a husband!



__ Conflict Resolution / Peaceable Schools __
Having an environment that is free from conflict is not practical. I believe conflict arises from within and for a variety of reasons. Not only do we live in conflict with others but we are at conflict with ourselves. Even though this may be true, we need to promote a peaceable environment with co-workers, classmates, families and friends - and yes, within our schools. We may never have peace on earth, within our hearts, or even 100% in our schools, but understanding it more can help us be closer to peace.

Some topics I would like to see included in this course: 1. In general, what causes conflict amongst individuals? 2. What are some strategies to help deal with conflict? 4. What can we learn to develop interpersonal relations and conflict resolution skills? 3. What does a peaceable school look like and is it possible to obtain and maintain this model? 5. How can we help to promote a peaceable environment?

= Assignment 2: =

**Report on American History X** American History X is not an easy movie to watch. Between the violence, rape scene, and harsh reality of some people’s lives, it makes for a very uncomfortable movie. The fact the movie ends with the death of Danny, leaves the viewer with a hopeless feeling at the end. With that being said, I can see why this movie was chosen to discuss conflict resolution and nature vs. nurturing. When discussing this movie with my wife, we realized while there was conflict though out the whole movie, it actually was never handled very well. Even individuals with good intentions would tend to escalate problems by the way they addressed the conflict. An example of this is at the top of the movie when Danny is brought into Principal Sweeny’s office. Sweeny instantly puts Danny on the defense by yelling at Danny to enter his office. I understand that Sweeny maybe wanted to show Danny he couldn’t get away with how he was acting but I think he was adding to the existing tension. He easily could have said the same things to Danny without yelling at him. While Sweeny’s overall idea of wanting Danny to reflect on his brother’s life, in my opinion, his approach was off.

Likewise, on Derek’s first night out on parole, his approach in telling Cameron he would no longer be a part of the skullheads brought the conflict to a whole new level. Derek would have been better off grabbing his family and leaving the city for good. Instead he used violence, fear and anger back at Cameron. This was the very thing the gang stood for and that Derek wanted to escape from. I think he was hoping to change their way of thinking so they as well would stop the violence, but in the end he accomplished nothing. Instead, the rest of the movie he was looking over his shoulder in fear of retaliation.

What caused all of this conflict to begin with was this nature or nurtured? Well, it was definitely both. A key moment in the film was seeing how the father’s subtle prejudices towards blacks affected his sons in a big way. Once the father was killed, what had been nurtured in Derek slowly came out strong in anger. This made Derek a prime candidate for Cameron to influence him in a negative way.

In similar ways, Danny was continually nurtured throughout his life by his big brother’s influence on his life. With his father out of the picture, Danny looked up to Derek as a father figure.

At first I found it poor writing that Danny would leave his deep ingrained beliefs over the course of one night hearing Derek explain his new convictions. However, I believe this shows the power of influence Derek had over his younger brother.

The only element of ‘nature’ in this movie was the fact that people are made different from each other. In Derek’s search for explaining conflict and injustice in the world, he was being deceived into believing a generalization that ones ethnicity or color could explain the reason for corruption in society. As he experienced throughout his time in prison, people that believed the way he did were also corrupt and selfish while other individuals such as Lamont demonstrated greater discernment and justice.

= Assignment 3: =

A) Describe what the elements of a peaceable community or peaceable school might be:


 * What would a peaceable school or community look like?
 * I believe a peaceable environment would foster respect for one another as well as provided safety for individuals who shared different opinions. Safeguards would need to be in place to assure that individuals don't abuse freedoms.
 * What elements of communication would be included?
 * As in the movie, Sweeny did give Danny the right to be fully honest when writing his paper. Honesty is an important element in a peaceable environment. Respect for others feelings and beleifs as well are important.
 * What would be tolerated and what would not be tolerated?
 * Judging others should not be tolerated. Interrupting and talking over others should not be tolerated. Even the smallest voice needs to be heard.
 * What would the rules be?
 * No "elephants in the room". When there are issues among individuals, instead of pushing it under the rug, the differences need to be talked about.
 * If individuals are too upset, it's better to table the discussion for a later time.
 * Compromise should be on both sides.

Hank, if you where to walk through my school and into my classroom at SCIS in China, you would be greeted by many friendly individuals. We are very blessed to have a peaceful environment with many friendly people. While there is great diversity of nationalities, our students exchange cultures as well as friendships with other’s different than themselves. We have very few social issues, very little bullying, and very little clicks. Students tend to mingle with other students from different grades and not just their own.

If you entered my classroom, I hope you would immediately feel comfortable due to my non-florescent lighting, soft music always playing (in a coffee house environment), and students sitting in different style seating throughout the room. Weather tall tables on stools, normal size tables with comfortable chairs, beanbags, or sitting in a cough, my students have many options to feel comfortable in my room. As I teach a computer course, all students are working quietly on their laptops and posting all of their work to an online classroom blog site. Students’ work is proudly displayed on this site and demonstrates each of their creativity and design efforts for their classmates as well as their parents to see and comment on. The main thing I promote on our website is that comments are to encourage one another – more so than critic each other’s work.

Most of the work that my students perform is done independently on their laptops. Students can ask classmates quietly for assistance or they can come see me at my desk for additional help. I actually have a chat box available for students that would prefer to quick message me rather than get up out of their seats. This allows the room to have a very reflective and quite atmosphere.

To assist with the whole peaceable atmosphere, I promote transparency. To accomplish this I boldly display all monitors on my classroom projector. This encourages all students to see what other students are working on and to be aware that everyone is on task. Not only can all students be observed this way, but I am able to jump on students desktops by taking over their screens to assist them when they require assistance. When I see a student doing an incredible job, I can make their screen take up the whole projector monitor and give a shout out to the whole class. This has had such a positive influence; the school administrators have encouraged other teachers to take advantage of this method of teaching.

= Assignment 4: =

Hank this was a very interesting exercise. Based on the results of this quick quiz, I would imagine that more individuals taking this quiz lean towards society declining instead of improving. However the data is very strong in demonstrating that serious crimes are declining in America. Out of the four people I had take this quiz, all five scored the exact same as I did. Completely wrong!

I think the main reason for our wrong perceptions on crime is the media. Everywhere we look we see and hear about crimes. We are a nation that lives in fear and loves to dwell in it. The news has picked up on this fact and won’t let us escape from fear. Fear is what drives our way of living in the US. We are investing more and more into home security systems, video surveillance, and an increase desire to own a weapon for protection.

But media doesn’t only take form by the news and what they chose to report, media also feeds society what we want. TV series and movies are all about crime detectives and murders. If serious crimes are not in the storyline then it’s not an interesting story.

Two thoughts I challenge is first that I do believe there are many countries that still have a very high crime rate such as Mexico and Brazil. So even though this data could be true for the US, I am not sure it could be true for all of humanity. The second thought is I believe gun control in the US is a true issue. The number of people murdered and injured because of gun shootings massacres his a serious problem.

= Assignment 5: =

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Amygdala hijacking was a new term for me but the concept is one that I am well aware of in others and as well as in myself. As I studied it through the reading, examples of brain hijacking came more and more to me. One would hope that as adults we would be able to control ourselves more and not allow this hijacking to take place but we have all seen other adults fall victim to this. If adults, including myself, find this difficult, it’s easy to imagine how much harder it must be for younger minds to control themselves. The natural feeling after acting this way is to feel embarrassed, depressed to justify ones actions, and then regret for being embarrassed by ones actions. ======

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Brain hijacking is when if confronted or caught off guard or when put in an uncomfortable situation a person will most likely react in an impulsive way. This reaction is driven by spontaneous feelings that overtake the individual good sense. Strategies to over come this hijacking can help prevent this sort of reaction. Amygdala Hijacking leaves a person saying or do something that they will regret later. As Goldman states, having Emotional Intelligence gives one the ability to take control of these impulsive actions. Control can be achieved by understanding and practicing what Goldman calls “domains” in his book. These domains are knowing emotions, managing emotions, motivation, recognizing and understanding other people emotions, and managing the emotions of other. Instead of letting get the best of us, we can learn to resolve our conflicts peacefully with respect and no regrets. ======

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We have all seen it before, the classic example of this in a classroom setting. You give a paper back to a student and their reaction is of surprise for the low marks. “How did I get such a low grade? This is unfair, I answered everything correctly!” Now, obviously the student missed the boat on the concept taught or did a poor job reflecting on the assignment, but he or she doesn’t see it that way. Instead of the student coming to discuss this disagreement they act impulsively and blurt out their disagreement for everyone to hear. By doing so, they create a hostile environment which is threading and does not encourage learning. ======

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As educators and peace embraceors, we must remind ourselves that this is a natural reaction of the brain. It is our job to help each other learn the necessary skills and strategies of effective conflict resolution in order to help stop Amygdala hijacking of the brain from happening. ======

I enjoyed the TedTalk with Amy’s lecture on nonverbal communication and what it really says about each other. It is amazing how much non-verbal communication has an impact on others while communicating. It is unreal how much we are affected by this and how we create an opinion of others simply by their non-verbal communication.

Your body language speaks louder than your words. Amy had many great points. The non-verbal communication of animals compared to humans was interesting. Animals show outward powerful, or anxious. They give messages without needing to speak. Poster is a very strong way of communicating. When we are confident we stand with our chests out and shoulders back. When we are insecure we collapse into ourselves in our body – almost returning to a fetal position.

In my position at school no I have assistance that work under me. I find I like to wear a tie every few days a week just as a non-verbal communication that I mean business. I really feel this is effective. That I care even about the small details.

= Assignment 6: =

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__Conflict:__ I define this as the continuing struggle to achieve the same objectives. Conflict is to work against each other instead of with each one another. ======

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I have a very embracing but true example of Amygdala hijacking that happened to me about eight years ago while living and teaching in Kuwait. I am not proud of it but here is how it went down. ======

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I parked my car near a store where I needed to quickly run in and buy some parts. A very nice Indian man who was egger to make some money washing my car rushed over with a bucket and some water and rags. I very carefully told him not to wash my car as I would only be a few minutes. ======

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As I peaked out of the store I saw he was starting to wet my car down. I stepped out and asked him to stop and then when back in. When I peaked out a few minutes later, I realized he continued to wash my car. Now completely soaked in soap. I was furious. I went up to him and kicked his bucket splatting his water everywhere. And then I proceeded to scream at him. ======

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While it could seem I had reason to be so upset, in reality it was just water… and it was just a poor Indian wanting to work for money. While I think the Amygdala can assist for good reactions, this definitely wasn’t one of them. ======

= Assignment 7: =

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//“I am really struggling with how you guys are so relaxed with finishing this yearbook in such a sloppy way! I thought you guys cared more and wanted a book that you were proud of. But instead I feel you’ve ignored everything I’ve taught you. Either that or you just don’t care about all the time I’ve put into this project. That’s it… I’m not going to care anymore.. you can make the yearbook the way you want!” //======

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Sure one might think this speech would motivate the students to kick it in gear but all it does is tears down the team unity. Instead of letting it get to this point, the teacher should be giving constant feedback and monitoring the students work instead of letting it build up. These “I messages” are ones that create negative guilt and animosity towards the teacher. ======

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//“I want to take a moment and show you all Sarah’s design work. She did exactly what I asked her to do that that really makes me exited. I love it when I feel you guys are listening to me and really apply what I’ve taught. It makes me proud to be your teacher. Here let’s look at what she did and you as a class can tell me what you like about her work… “ //======

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This is a great way to encourage your class by exposing that you are human and you take pride in what you do. You, as a teacher, want to make a difference and you feel honored when the students take it to heart. ======

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//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“I really want to tell you how proud I am of how good you’ve done on your juice diet. You’re perseverance and dedication has encouraged me. I really owe my success to you. Thanks for doing this with me. I am glad we can make this journey together.” //======

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This message is one that communicates how the two individuals are in this together - and it’s making a difference. It reflects on the past and gives fuel for continuing and not giving up early. ======

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These three are all true scenario that actually happened. I juiced with my wife and we both lost half our weight through encouragement! I did get upset with my yearbook class, and while I was able to finish it with them, the times I stepped up and was a better teacher - we had a much better experience overall. Also, I love encouraging students in front of the class. I like to make a direct connection with how it makes me feel to see them do such a great job. You can see the glow in the students face as they realize what they achieved! ======

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gigi I really value our friendship and love it when you come and visit. I want you to feel comfortable in my home. I have certain things that my husband and I would prefer you did not go into. We’ve placed locks on them so you don’t need to be concerned with what you can or cannot go into. Bottom line, I know you know boundaries so please make yourself at home. ======

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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I wanted to tell you how much fun it was hanging with you and having you stay at our house. You are always welcomed. I really appreciate that while we left you at our house you respected our personal items. Thanks for valuing our friendship. ======


 * Assignment 8:**

Below you will find a contract that I have created to help a students who struggles with playing games constantly during class. The minute a teacher is not looking, he is instantly playing games or reading comics. It is a pure addiction. In order to help his addiction, I have created this contract hoping it will motivate him to do better. He demonstrates a love for soccer and a love for Minecraft. By implementing this contract, we hope he will realize the benefits of using the computer for learning. We feel that at this point in his addiction, it is very appropriate to include the parents and have them sign this contract as well. Extrinsic motivation is not a long term solution and even despite really trying, it is not guaranteed to work. As Erwin states, “If a student has the mind-set not to comply, nothing you do will make him”. I hope this contact will make a difference. It's worth the try. I feel he could use the extra push!

= Assignment 9: =

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I took the Personality Prototype Profiler with a really good friend of mine. Surprisingly, the results were pretty accurate for the two of us. Now I already now that I am a People Person, so this was my top score. Practical Manager was my second.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I definably try to naturally encourage harmony with the people I am around. This is a characteristic for a People Person. My friends and family are always telling me how I’m the glue that holds us together. I am like to promoting harmony. I tend to care about people that I am involved with and tend to care more than worry about policy. I really want people to be happy and please them and for a guy I am pretty sensitive at times.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I know as a Practical Manager I have organization skills. In our tech office I really like to have my assistance keep the room orderly. Bins for the different cables, labels on everything, and every shelf has a purpose. Before I was a teacher I was a music director. This job combined both of my prototypes into one. I had to be extremely organized planning out music, musicians as well as being almost pastoral with care.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is actually not the first time I have taken this test and every time it proves to be very accurate to who I am. I am really glad I had an opportunity to take it again.

= Assignment 10: =

For my last assignment I have created a Weebly site called I CAN RESOLVE. You can gain access by clicking this link: http://icanresolve.weebly.com