Skip to main content

ELL students discuss Question 2 (Mass.) - November 2012


Greetings.

Today, I wanted to share some thoughts on the adolescent mind, and its ability to handle and discuss deep and serious topics among peers.  Today, in class, students asked some specific questions in regards to the current ballot questions, for this current election, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (November 2012, USA).  It’s amazing how even when English is not your first language, students’ oral language production skills come out and impress you.  We discussed Question 2 in depth.  For this current election (November 2012), Question 2 pertains to “doctor-assisted suicide,” and the “right to end one’s own life.”

Tomorrow (Nov. 6th, 2012), residents in Massachusetts will go to the polls and be asked whether you support or don’t support Question 2.  In short, it’s like this:  “Should an elderly (old) person who has lived a long life be allowed to take pills to take his/her own life (suicide); while being mindful that the individual may find himself/herself to be in great pain/ discomfort?”  My high school ELL students really impressed me today, and I had to acknowledge their honesty and thoughtful responses.  They engaged in a heated and passionate discussion, with some voices supporting Question 2, and others opposed.

Many thanks to my students for a great class today.
Signing off:  Mista Chocka

Comments

  1. dissertation topicsNovember 6, 2012 at 1:51 AM

    its ability to handle and discuss deep and serious topics among peers.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

सुम्मेर अपडेट, फ्रॉम मर. छिओक्क

I'm happy to say that this year was my best yet. Combined with having more time to plan and prep for great units and lessons (now being post-Master's time), and with all the new knowledge and skills I learned from my M.A.T., it was a great year! You know... having those 4 years of teaching experience before doing my M.A.T., also, I think, really helped me to grow as an educator. We did some really exciting units this year. For example, building on some lessons I found in some Adult-ESL texts, I created a 3-week unit titled "Helping Your Family to Buy a Home!" Yes - so, we made "dream homes" out of cardboard boxes and materials. Students learned "Mr. Chiocca's 11 Steps to Buying a Home," and they made YouTube videos and Audio Recordings for the Final Project. The kids learned about mortgages, down payments, PITI - Principal, Interest, Taxes and Insurance; and how to work with real estate agents and brokers. In addition, students learned ...
3 comments
Read more

Doesn't a blog only make sense when others will read it?

Hi, Is anyone reading this...? Really...? (crickets...) You see... I don't mean to sound so lame, but I'm torn. I feel like I'm supposed to contribute to the educational blogosphere, and yet I have three followers. Please... cue giggle (Yes, I want you to smile and giggle). I had these ideal thoughts about what it may be like to blog and learn from others online, and yet - I feel quite unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Yes, there must be 2 billion blogs out there, and everyone is pretty busy with life, so should I continue to blog? Please - somebody leave a comment...! And say, Yes, Mr. Chiocca, please contribute. Education and the future of public education depends on people like you, who care and want our kids to learn as much as they can in each grade level. Thanks for reading! Mr. Chiocca
8 comments
Read more

Updates from Adam's Unconventional Book Tour

Updates from Adam's Unconventional Book Tour!  First, though, let me share that in this picture, my wife, Muna is with Aaron, our younger son, when he was about three, I guess.  What a great pic, right?  Ok, so over the last month, January '21, I started a new, robust networking plan to try and reach out to new people, every day, over social media, because I need to tell the world about my new book.  I also started dm'-ing some celebrities, but didn't have any luck with that, so I realized that I can still make progress in building a bigger network by reaching out to amazing people who have at least 500 followers on ig.  Yes, I realized that if I could go "instagram live" with a new friend each day, through the Spring + Summer of '21, then I could tap into other people's networks.  Now... if you've been paying attention, I wrote that today, Feb. 1st was going to be the day I intended to "go public" with the big plans and grand mission in ...
Post a Comment
Read more