Pape,+Kyle

Hello all, My name is Kyle Pape. I am a beginning music education teacher at the American School Foundation in Mexico City, Mexico. I have been here for one year and am starting my second year here. I am in the second year of the SUNY multidisciplinary masters degree. Before moving to Mexico, I briefly taught in Dublin, Ireland. This is my first full-time position. I am originally from Holy Cross, IA, a small town outside of Dubuque, IA.

I enjoy teaching music as well as playing music. I am in a folk/rock band called Somewhere South of Midwest. We play around Mexico City and are currently working on an EP to be released soon. I am also a basketball coach at ASF. I coach middle school and JV basketball. I enjoy traveling when I am not working or playing music.



=Assignment #1= I think Conflict Resolution/Peaceable Schools should be about common conflicts in schools, what causes these conflicts, and what can be done to effectively resolve them. At all school there is bound to be conflict because wherever there is people, there tends to be conflicts. We should be able to identify these common conflicts that occur at most schools as well as being aware of special situations that might arise. We should also study the source of these conflicts. Schools, especially international schools, are full of students, teachers, and administrators from all walks of life. There will be varying sexes, races, ages, religions, and others that will be at play everyday in a school. Understanding how these forces interact can be crucial for identifying potential problems so we can work to prevent conflict. I would like to know how to best predict these conflicts. Lastly, we should of course be given tools and techniques for resolving these conflicts.

1. What factors to look for before conflict arrises? 2. What does conflict look like in the early stages, before major conflict breaks out? 3. Once in a conflict, how to approach each individual conflict. 4. What does a school that handles conflict well look like? 5. How do we reflect on conflict to prevent future outbreaks? =Assignment #2= American History X-There were many moving parts influencing actions and reactions in this movie. All of the motives were centered around conflict. This includes the environment the conflict was in, past experiences with a similar conflict, and the influence of the people involved with the conflict. The role of the school in this movie was to try and educate the students living in a world of racial conflict about social justice and conflict resolution. This was obvious when Derek was having a conversation with his Father at dinner. Derek had to read and do a report on a book featuring a black man. His mind was open to learning about the issues from a black person’s viewpoint until his dad stepped in. The role of the school had started to influence him, but his family life intervened. This scene struck a chord with me because it showed just how much the family environment can influence students over the teachings of schools. The teacher’s role in this story was to try and move Danny and Derek from a place of hate and violence to a place of peace and love. Dr. Bob Sweeney tried to solve the conflicts in the brothers’ lives through education and mentoring. In this case, Dr. Sweeney was the role of teacher and mentor, as so often happens in the classroom. Dr. Sweeney tried to prevent the Danny from making the same mistakes as his brother, while trying to get Derek to be a role model for Danny. Dr. Sweeney knew the challenges he was facing trying to get through to them. He knew they would not want to listen to the words of a black man, but still kept pushing and being present in their lives to make a difference. I thought his idea to have Danny write an essay on Derek was brilliant. By doing this, he was hoping that Danny would see the flaws in Derek’s life and how much pain his lifestyle had brought to him. He could have very easily given up on Danny and labeled him as hopeless because of Derek. Instead, he attacked the issue and did not give up. He was also there in Derek’s life when he needed him the most. His presence at the jail after Derek had been attacked had to have meant so much to Derek. As a mentor to him, showing up at his time of need struck a chord with Derek. Dr. Sweeney’s actions had final gotten through to Derek, even though it had taken a long period of time. His persistence had finally made the change he was looking for in Derek. Without the mentorship of Dr. Sweeney in both Derek and Danny’s lives, they would have kept going down a path of pain and violence. Even though it took time, eventually he led them to see the flaws in their logic and started them on a path. Not only that, but he led them to think for themselves and choose this path by using his actions to positively influence them.

=Assignment #3= [] []
 * What would a peaceable school or community look like?
 * What elements of communication would be included?
 * What would be tolerated and what would not be tolerated?
 * What would the rules be?
 * Would would the expectations be?
 * What would the responsibilities be?
 * A peaceable school would look like a community that worked together to strived to be the best functioning community possible. This means that there is a conscious effort by all to go for a clearly defined culture that promoted peaceful conflict resolution.
 * Communication would be the cornerstone for peaceful schools. Face-to-face conversation would be frequent when conflict arises. Tone of voice would be respectful and not threatening.
 * Differences of opinions would be tolerated and actually encouraged. What would not be tolerated would be violence, threats, intimidation, harsh tone, and bullying.
 * The rules would focus around respect. Respecting opinions, race, religion, and all elements that make us human. The wording of the rules could be up for debate, but they all must focus on respect for ones self and respect for others.
 * Expectations would be that no conflict should be ignored, but they should be handled before the situation escalates and gets to a point where harmful damage could be done. This expectation would need to be discussed and talked about openly in the classroom.
 * It would be every students’ responsibility to insure that every student is treated with respect and with love. This means it is their responsibility to identify conflict and resolve it quickly or look to a teacher to help resolve it if they cannot.

If someone were to enter my classroom, I would hope they would see the elements of a peaceful classroom. I would hope that they would see that everyone’s voice is important and that their opinions can be shared freely. That my students would not fear being wrong and in being wrong, attacked by others. I hope my classroom is a safe place to be oneself and to learn as a community. They would see things like everyone listening to when someone is speaking, so they know that their thoughts are important and matter. They would see cooperation and togetherness as a goal for all, with all students buying into it. If conflict should arise and there are issues, they would see students working together to fix it. This means using words instead of physical altercations. They would see peace talks instead of wars. They would also see me, their teacher, leading them toward this goal. With my words and my actions, I am the leader of the peaceful classroom. If I do not demonstrate care for each student, and calmness when conflict arises, then they would not expect to either. I will promote peace through valuing everybody, and I would expect the same from them. These expectations would have to be clear and constantly reinforced. This means purposefully showing them how to peacefully resolve our issues, and also making them aware of how not to do it. We would have open discussions about issues in the classroom, community, and world. Only through these actions will a peaceful classroom exist.

=Assignment #4= 1. False-4 True-1 2. False-2 True-3 3. False-5 True-0 4. False-4 True-1 5. False-3 True-2

1980- 3.8 1985-3.7 1990-3.6 1995-3.3 2000-3.4 2005-3.4 2010-3.2  1980 - 4.01985 - 4.5 1990 - 5 1995 - 5.5 2000 - 6 2005 - 6.5 2010 - 7

1985 - 4.51990 - 41995 - 3.82000 - 3.72005 - 3.62010 - 3.52015 - 3.5 1980 - 41985 - 41990 - 51995 - 5.52000 - 62005 - 6.52010 - 7

1980 - 4 1985 - 4.3 1990 - 5 1995 - 5.2 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">2000 - 5.5 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">2005 - 5.8 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">2010 - 6 Waterboarding-I do consider waterboarding to be torture. To me, torture is anything that physically or mentally torments a person for the gain of something for the person doing the tormenting. I think using these techniques for gains should be used at an absolute minimum. The only possibly justification for it would be in situations that could save the lives of many people. Now, it may be tough to know exactly when those moments are, I understand that. It is hard for me to decide where I stand on this issue, because it is so harmful to others, but in rare instances may save others. I find myself leaning toward never using torture for any reason, but there always seems to be doubt in my mind if it does actually save others. I don’t know how we would actually know for sure if there is any benefit, but I would lean toward not using torture at all at the moment.

Journal- Why do you think the rate of homicide violence has gone down in the last 800 years? I think the rate of homicide violence has gone down because of education and economy. I think that the more educated people are, they less likely they are to commit violent crimes. They understand the value of others and do not need to revert to violence. I think that education helps give people voices to communicate with others. Without communication, violence quickly follows. Education gives people options and helps them solve problems. Instead of forcing their way, they can develop their own way around an issue. Economic factors also play an important role. With manufacturing and the higher rate of employment, people have means to get money. Before, they would have no way to purchase things they needed so they would have to find a different route, often leading to theft and violence. When people are employed, they can provide for their families and they have the power to purchase items instead of theft or violence.

Did you over or underestimate violence in the United States? I overestimated. To me, the media has a big part to play in my perception of violence. The news is full of violence and homicides. If you watch every day, you are sure to see some sort of homicide. This can vastly twist the perception on what the real rate is. I think the truth is that there is less homicide, so the homicides that do happen are put in the spotlight and this gives a negative perception on what the real rate is.

What did your 4 subject colleagues think about violence in general? Why? I had mixed results from my colleagues. Two thought that the rate was increasing along with the population and two thought that the rate was decreasing. I think that this holds true for the general population. Some people think that the rate of violence is worsening, while others realize that violent crimes are actually going down. It goes to show how our society can be split on this issue, maybe because of the media or where they happen to have grown up. Someone raised in Chicago will hear more about violence than someone in Minnesota, perhaps. What did you think about this lesson? I thought this was eye opening. I did not realize the rate of violence was decreasing by so much. I personally think this is a testament to the education that people are receiving, and the more people get a good education, the less violence there will be overall. It would be interesting to compare the results from the USA to results of third world countries, to see if this holds up.

=Assignment #5= Hijacking of the Brain-In sports, all the time, the brain gets hijacked. I coach basketball and when things start going wrong for some players, they let their emotions overrule them. I clear example was when one of my players who was struggling, took the ball and kicked it. Clearly, if he was thinking with a “clear” mind, he would never do that and I’m sure if he saw himself he would be very embarrassed of his actions, but his emotions got the best of him. Along with this experience, there are always little decisions made on the basketball court where emotions rule over logic. When games are close in the fourth quarter for example, players start to get tight and scared. The game is still the exact same, it is still basketball, but their emotions of the tight game start to effect the decisions they make. We try to teach them to play loose at all times of the game, but it takes time and experience to train yourself to not let emotions negatively effect how you play. This is the same for all sports and is a big reason why many professional teams have sports psychologists to work with players on controlling their emotions so they can play at a the highest level possible.

TED Talk Amy Cuddy-As a musician, this talk really resonated with me. In college, we talked a lot about performance anxiety and how to overcome the difficulties associated with performing in front of a group of people. The anxiety is unlike anything I have experienced before. One of the techniques used to overcome this was to physically become bigger and “fake” confidence. This would lead to real confidence. Before going out on stage, with your instrument you would stretch wide, make superman poses, and do anything else that physically made you bigger. At first you would feel silly, but after a while you felt more comfortable and confident. Hearing Amy talk about this technique for everyday use made a lot of sense. I could see the use of it for any situation that you need to feel more confident. Myself, I noticed my posture get better just listening to this speech. When I showed it to others, I also noticed how they improved their posture and became bigger. I think being more aware of body language will help me notice when my nonverbal language is weak. After noticing, I can make those adjustments to my posture to look and feel more confident. =Assignment #6A= What is conflict? A conflict is a quarrel, a struggle, or a controversy. A conflict is something that takes place over a long period of time. It may be building for an extended time period and then suddenly released. Conflicts can be started over culture, religion, possession, age, race, and more. Wherever there are different viewpoints, conflict has a chance at arising. Personally, I see conflict where there is a difference of opinions or a difference in point of view on the truth. Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/conflict

What is conflict resolution? My definition of conflict resolution is when two parties with differing viewpoints come together to resolve a conflict peacefully. This can be done peacefully through negotiation or discussion. It takes two sides to agree in order to have a peaceful conflict resolution. Normally, both sides will have to equally participate and give equal effort for a true resolution to occur. According to: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships/conflict-resolution-skills.htm conflict resolution skills are as follows:

Conflict resolution usually take a long amount of time and effort from both parties. Once a conflict is resolved, it may arise again unless given conscious effort to avoid conflict again through discussions and negotiations preventing the problem.
 * <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">** Manage stress quickly while remaining alert and calm. ** By staying calm, you can accurately read and interpret verbal and nonverbal communication.
 * <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">** Control your emotions and behavior. ** When you’re in control of your emotions, you can communicate your needs without threatening, frightening, or punishing others.
 * <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">** Pay attention to the feelings being expressed ** as well as the spoken words of others.
 * <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">** Be aware of and respectful of differences. ** By avoiding disrespectful words and actions, you can almost always resolve a problem faster.

One recent conflict I witnessed was actually at my grandma's wake. This is obviously an emotional time where decisions and thoughts will be corrupted. The funeral home had put make up on my grandma that made her look different than what she normally had. My aunts where very upset by this. The conflict participants were my aunts and the members of the funeral home. Now, I can see why they were upset because she looked different than normal and she should look the same when she is buried. But, they acted out differently than they would have in any other conflict. My aunts are quiet people who do not like direct confrontation. Of course, they were being hijacked by their amygdala and did not handle the situation the same as they would have in an unemotional situation. My uncles eventually calmed them down, but I don't think the conflict was ever really resolved in anyone's mind. In a different situation, I think they would have been emotionally able to resolve conflict but in this emotional situation, they couldn't think or act normally because of the hijacked amygdala.

Do the involvement of emotions and the Amygdala always hinder conflict resolution?
I don't know if this is true. I think that in some extreme situation, it may actually help. I'm thinking of myself here. In some instances, I may be passive or uninterested in sharing emotion. In a situation where my amygdala is hijacked, I may act in a way that would help conflict be resolved faster. In most cases though, I think that the amygdala being hijacked hinders conflict resolution. From personal experience in the classroom, with music, and in sports, I've seen the hijacked amygdala be a hinderance to conflict resolution. =Assignment #6B= It is interesting to think that the region you live in will determine which swear words you are most likely to use. I though that with the media being available evenly throughout the States, that cursing would be more country by country instead of county by county. It was interesting seeing the South of the States have such a discrepancy from the Western States. It makes me wonder if this is because it is more socially acceptable to curse in the South and not in the West/Midwest. Or maybe because of the history of the South, it may have an effect. Could education be a factor as well? Religion? I would think that because of the higher amounts of churches in the South, it wouldn't be acceptable to curse. The factors pushing these results would be an interesting study.

I personally tend to think that cursing is unacceptable. Of course, my background and culture directly link to this. Growing up in a household that didn't curse and was mostly religious, it is clear to me that I don't curse because of my family. The only time I find myself wanting to curse still to this day, is when I am coaching or playing basketball. I think this is because my coach in high school would curse as a way of motivation. He wouldn't curse to insult, but would use it to push people. He knew when to curse and when not to depending on the player. Sports are highly emotional, and tend to lead to more cursing. When playing basketball, if I am struggling to do well, I find myself cursing under my breath or in my head. This is strange to me, because I never curse in my head during normal day to day activities. I personally don't know if cursing is healthy, but I tend to avoid it. I even get uncomfortable in situations where there is a lot of cursing around me. Again, I think my background growing up has the most effect on this.

I read the following article: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2012/may-june-12/the-science-of-swearing.html The part that stood out to me was the section on if swearing is more frequent now than in the past. The article was inconclusive about whether swearing has gotten worse in recent years. One would think that with media and social media, it would be. Of course, it is hard to study how much cursing took place in the past. I think we live in a culture that, overall, rejects promoting cursing as a positive action. Cursing on tv is bleeped out and can often get tv reporters or figures in trouble. In the classroom, of course cursing is seen as a negative and discouraged. I don't think we will see a change in this no matter if research says its ok because we have it engrained in ourselves that cursing is derogatory and not used in education language.

=Assignment #7= American History X iMessage-When Lamont helped Derrick get out safely, it helped Derrick change his feeling toward black people, and Derrick felt the need the change his entire life.

Negative- When you hit me I hurt And now I don't trust you

Positive- When you thanked me I heard your praise And I felt appreciated.

When you bought me lunch I was not hungry And I felt loved

When you yelled at me I cried and now I feel afraid of you

When you didn't wait for me I was alone and I felt abandoned.

Gigi- When you take my things without permission It runs my trust in you And I feel like our friendship is struggling.

Gigi- When you ask permission to borrow my things We can share things as friends, And I feel like I can trust you again. =Assignment #8= This is a behavior contract used in my band class to try and fix some bad behavior from a few different students. Students use this in class to self-monitor their own behavior. If they are struggling with any of these issues, it will help them to stay on schedule for having a good day. The behavior we were looking to change was usually setting up on time, or not staying on task during class. If they are not on schedule, they will be able to see where they are struggling. We will keep one of these every day and track the progress of the student. If the behavior improves and is shown to be steadily at an acceptable level, the student can stop the behavior checklist. I saw positive results when using this in my classroom. Giving the students a list of behaviors to fix, helped them to be more aware of the behavior expected of them. After a few days, they would usually have a higher number of points than the first few days. I chose to not have a specific reward because I wanted to have an intrinsic motivation. I didn't want to bribe them into having good behavior, rather to see that good behavior helped their learning and the learning of others. Overall, it was a positive experience for the student as well as for me. I will be using behavior checklists, or contracts in order to improve intrinsic motivation in the future.
 * || Task ||
 * || Was everything set up right away when you walked in to the room? (Chair, Stand, Binder, Instrument) ||
 * || Did you practice at the things that you are supposed to once you finished setting up? ||
 * || Once class began, were you quiet and attentive right away? ||
 * || During class, were you quiet and attentive, following instructions, and always trying your best? ||
 * || When you put your things away, did everything get back to where it was supposed to go in an organized way? ||
 * || How many points did you get today? Each check mark above is a point - __/5 ||

I personally think that parents should be left out of behavior contracts, at least at the beginning. I want students to put the burden on themselves to intrinsically become motivated rather than be pressured by parents. When the parents are involved, you see kids become more defeated than motivated, and they might go along with it just for fear of punishment at home. Now, this does not help the students become lifelong learners, rather it helps them to be short term participants in the classroom. As soon as pressure is lifted off of them, they will most likely revert back to their old ways of misbehavior. I truly believe parents should be a last resort. = = =Assignment #9= Overall, I tend to agree with personality tests, and this one is no different. The results for me were in line with what I think my personality is and how I tend to act in classes. Now, I do have a little bit of a problem with personality tests because it seems like it can put students in boxes. For example, I am each one of these personalities depending on the situation, the activity at hand, the time of day, or the mood I am in. I think it can be a little bit dangerous to say you are only this personality. I think that it is important for students to know if they tend to be more creative, or if they are a learned expert so they know why they are struggling or succeeding at a task. This can also help them to become stronger in areas where they are falling behind in. For example, if a student struggles with creativity and gets frustrated easily when given little structure, they can start to develop a plan with the teacher to become more creative. They could have a structured creativity path instead of being given too much freedom.

I personally got the results that I tend to be a learned expert along with a practical manager. This goes along with what I believed before taking this test. I also have a creative side to me though, depending on the situation. I am a musician, after all. Overall, I think personality tests can be helpful for students and teachers, but they should always be taken with a grain of salt. =Assignment #10= http://kylepapeconflictresolution.weebly.com/conflict.html