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Empathy: Read It. Live It.

Scout Finch was one lucky little girl.  The wisdom bestowed upon her by Atticus surely helped her navigate through some very trying times. But Scout and her brother Jem aren’t the only people to learn from Atticus’ advice and life lessons.  Anyone who reads To Kill a Mockingbird learns the importance of one of life’s most valuable soft skills: empathy, the ability to understand and share the feelings and emotions of others. My job as a high school English teacher entails working with students to become better communicators through reading, writing, speaking, and listening.  But studying and discussing literature can do so much more. It’s vital that young people today develop empathy towards others in order to combat the polarization, discrimination, and intolerance currently at play in society.  The study of literature and the lessons it imparts can help build empathy in our leaders of tomorrow. Recent studies on empathy have shown alarming results.  Fo...
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Blog #4 Polarization

The rise of the “newer formats” was followed by the 2000 presidential election, so the environment was ripe for a more extreme political polarization to infect the country. It does seem like there has been a loss of mutual respect between opposing ideologies along with a reluctance to engage in civil discourse over pressing issues of the day. The word “compromise” has been forgotten by so many political pundits, and that has seemed to rub off on audiences.  When both sides are always in attack mode while simultaneously digging in their heels to promote their own agenda, it would appear unlikely that any real progress may be made.  With that being said, I do believe that this kind of programming has engaged a greater number of people, which can be good for democracy.  The entertainment value of the shows may be what initially increased viewership, but the result is more people watching and therefore learning about current affairs.  Certainly that can be consider...
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Blog Prompt: From Nobody to Somebody

Except for the last chapter, Hill does indeed paint a bleak picture regarding the future for so many of our citizens. I must admit that after reading the book, my first reactions were of disgust and despair. How are the people who suffer from these State-sponsored hurdles supposed to break free of them in order to experience a safe and more rewarding life? The first two areas I’d like to see addressed are education, our police forces, and the prison system. I suggested in one of my op-eds that larger, diverse high schools should organize into a variety of learning academies to better prepare students for college and career, but the benefits of such a setting go beyond career potential.   So many students lack a stable, loving home environment.   In my years teaching I have found that a lack of family support is possibly the biggest cause of student failure. The academy model directly addresses the problem because the students matriculate together and oftentimes have the...
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