Even though I had some difficulty following some of her poems/plays (i.e. The Witch in Snow White, Graffiti This!, I.D. Papers), I was able to get a sense of the pain and suffering that Dr. Mary Weems has endured over the course of her lifetime. She has made a noble and courageous attempt (having tasted some success) to introduce and implement her imagination-intellect theory to teachers in a myriad of K-12 school classrooms, as well as her own. While reading her text, I was impressed with her depth of research that evidently support the critical relationship of a child's imagination AND intellect. Not having read lots of poetry recently, I felt that I was caught up in the language and subtle references to people, places or events that were unfamiliar to me. Her childhood--as well as her adult life--seems to have been rich and littered with a lot of obstacles that Weems has clearly overcome. I have enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about the life of Dr. Weems in addition to the finer points of her theory.
essential quotations:
"...the imagination and the intellect are separate entities. And scholars utilize their intellects, but artists use their imaginations. Rather than what I perceive as the same imaginative-intellectual process with different end products, there are several places in her canon where she [Maxine Greene] alludes to the inseparable link I envision. My theory disconnects from conventional beliefs about, and ambivalence toward, intellect as something separate from feeling and imagining" (Weems, 98).
[I have more questions than comments about this theory, so check them out below; however, I do believe that they are separate entities that can work together, if they are conditioned to do so. It is just like learning a new language. If you do not stimulate a child's mind by exposing him or her to letters, sounds and words (including syntax & order), then that child will have a very difficult time developing those hard-wired skills. It is an interesting concept and one that I think both sides have a strong argument for.]
Ambiguity
"18 years of 85 words per minute
unorthodox finger positions
long nails to scratch
out
typing without thought
mistake
creating without thought
miracle" (60).
[I started "smiling" while reading this poem. At Saint Martin de Porres HS last year, I taught a keyboard typing class to three sections of freshmen and had a miserable time doing so. The way the keyboarding curriculum was set up my students would come into class every day with the same instructions and the same awful typing program to practice on and the same lousy attitudes about the class. Most days, I could not blame them for their contempt for my class; other days, I tried my best to come up with creative and innovative activities for my students to use to make their keyboarding experience more fruitful and productive. Unfortunately, I had trouble managing the student's misbehaviors and lost the trust and respect of several of my students very early on in the year. I wish I had read Cushman's text and had a little bit more practice in education!]
Fact:
"A car hits a female
she dies at the scene.
A light blue '92 Beemer,
low rider with 8-spoke hubs, driven by a young white
guy wearing black shades ran over this real little white girl wearing a red dress.
A dark blue car whizzed by me like it was going to a fire. I knew she was dead when I walked up closer and saw that the white dress she had on was red, soaking her up like a sponge.
I turned my head for a split second to answer my cell phone...next thing I knew..." (64).
[This poem especially caught my attention, as I was reading a string of poems in a row. I have always been fascinated by crime scenes and eyewitness accounts. I also think it is interesting that more often than not, individuals fabricate, exaggerate and tamper with the details to change the meaning or focus of a particular story or situation. In this case, it does seem like all of these accounts are true, yet each person's interpretation will be different and possibly biased.]
"It's like his sexual harassment was invisible and I was simply worthless. I regret 'til this day that I did absolutely nothing about it. I didn't protest, I didn't go to my supervisor, I just...took it until I was transferred out of Customer Service" [from John the Bastard] (20).
"No longer the scared young, Black woman, but still unwilling to be confrontational in an almost all-white setting, avoided, avoided, and avoided, until while I was standing in a circle of my co-workers, drink-in-hand doing the standing socializing thing I've always hated and felt something at my feet...I looked down and there on all fours attempting to get his head at angle to look up my dress was Art. Without a sound I quickly stepped over his head moved through the room to pick up my coat and left. Nothing was ever said to me" [from Art Doin' the Dog (1980s)] (20-21).
"Something in me said f*** it and I followed him [supervisor] to his office, closed his door and told him not to EVER touch me again, that I didn't like strangers touching me for any reason! I returned to my desk shaking, but so GD pleased with me, with the fact that finally I'd spoken up, I was ready for anything" [from The White Man who broke the camel's back (1986, my last year at Chevy)] (21).
[The lines from these three poems resonate with me because I continue to struggle with standing up for injustices and what I allegedly BELIEVE IN. do you have any suggestions for my inability to speak up?]
"I don't believe it is possible to introduce one of the great art masters to inner city kids when they have not had the opportunity to learn ways to interpret the work, they have no idea who the artist is or why his work is important. I ask you to remember that many of my students are from the suburbs and have no experience in the inner city. Many of them have had little contact with African American students. 'I mean after all GRAFITTI is NOT recognized in society as great art' "(40).
[I recognize that this quote is meant to be satirical, but doesn't it expose the narrow-mindedness of some professional educators? The only way you learn or teach something is by asking or explaining it to somebody else. The only way you truly find out if something works is to try it for yourself and see for yourself. Yeah, the risk may be high, but the reward may be even greater. This is all about ignorance and should not be tolerated. Tim Wise would have a field day with these comments.]
"See you have to know and love yourself, you have to know who you are, what you want to do, how you're going to make it in this white mans' world before you can be married, AND you have to eat a little dirt before you can know all that--and at 28 you hadn't had anything but dust in your mouth" (33).
[I selected this quote for the reason that I am currently in a serious relationship and already contemplating a future with my girlfriend. It is so easy to move too fast and rush things. I could not agree more that sometimes one has to bite the dirt before he or she can know for certain who they are and what they are ultimately capable of. I hope these words will keep me humble and be a constant reminder to be clear and honest in all affairs.]
critical questions:
question #1: How does a teacher (especially newly-hired) or even a team of teachers implement a curriculum grounded in the imagination-intellect theory, if they do not have the support from administration? Would it be better for a teacher to incorporate these principles of this theory into his/her lesson plans and go behind their supervisors' backs? Is this theory realistic and practical? If so, why? If not, why not?
question #2: How can two individuals with completely different lifestyles and backgrounds relate in depth with one another? How can the imagination-intellect theory help in that regard?
question #3: How could employing an imagination-intellect teaching approach leave out critical standards and benchmarks that most educators are in agreement that students need to know and understand by the time they graduate from high school? If the answer is it will not leave out any primary educative goals, then are you saying that it has no shortcomings? If it does indeed have shortcomings, what are they?
question #4: If you had to list 4-5 reasons why the imagination-intellect approach to teaching is effective, what would those be? Would they change based on grade-level or can they be generalized across all levels? Can this theory be utilized during the summer months, when most students are not receiving any formal education? How so?
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