FNED 502 Social Issues in Education

June 11^th, 2018

How to Become Batman

Podcast by Lulu Miller and Alix Spiegel

In their Podcast, Invisibilia hosts Alix Spiegel and Rosin examine the invisible stuff that shapes us.  Both authors argue that when people are positive and have high expectations towards life and others, success is possible as positive thoughts influence how people interact with each other. Could your thoughts influence a rat going through a maze? It’s not telepathy. Its expectancy effects, and how we perceive others’ abilities can actually tweak how they behave, whether they be rat or human. The article also highlights how negativity directly stops us from seeing/achieving success in life. When people try to begin/embark/ take on a new adventure and new activity, people are quick to say, no it is dangerous, you should not do it. You will not SUCCEED. I experienced this many times. People do not want you to be successful. Sometimes I understand where they come from, but I believe in letting people explore and experience new things; which may lead them to become successful.

In order to achieve success in life one must: “Surround ourselves with those who believe in us” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0l08ZpU69A. We must encourage and support (even if we may think it will be dangerous) those who attempt do something different in order to succeed. We must allowed people to freely choose to initiate and activity that will enjoy. Accidents will happen at any moment, but we do not need to freeze and be scared of accomplishing our goals just because we think something bad will happen to us. This podcast clearly show that when people are have dreams and are determined to accomplish their dreams/goals in life, anything will be possible. “Dreams do come try” of course researchers have provided plenty of evidence, which states that it comes to achieving success, people’s social economic status, age, religion, race, color do not matter as long as they are determined to become successful in life.      

 The podcast uses the story of a blind man named Daniel Kish to prove how perseveration, determination, braveness and believing in yourself delivers success.  Mr. Daniel Kish learned to see without his eyes: in short, he was a different kind of Batman. Mr. Kish was born with eye bilateral retinoblastoma (retinal cancer) at a young age (he was just a baby). Daniel Kish has been blind since he was 13 months old, but has learned to "see" using a form of echolocation.  Lulu Miller explains Mr. Daniel Kish clicks his tongue and sends out flashes of sound that bounce off surfaces in the environment and return to him. This helps him to construct an understanding of the space that surrounds him.

On the following Ted Talk 13:03 minute video Mr. Kish explains how he uses Sonar to navigate the World https://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_kish_how_i_use_sonar_to_navigate_the_world?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare.

In this presentation he talks about how its impressions about blindness that are more threatening to blind people than blindness itself. The thought of blindness terrifies people. Ignorance and fear being blind is incomprehensible for many people. People believe that blind people’s lives is doomed. Mr. Kish encourages people to see life from a different perspective. Blind people are just as capable of accomplishing life goals as someone who can see perfectly.  Mr. Kish explains how people who are blind have enhanced abilities in their other senses. Mr. Kish can hear everything that happens around him. Daniel trained himself to hear the light echoes and interpret their meaning.

Daniel’s mother did not treat her son as someone who was not capable of completing every day activities. She trusted her son’s abilities to figure out how to become a dependent boy. Mrs. Mr. Kish used his devises to figure out how to make things work for him so he could move around and get things done by himself.

Mr. Kish went on to college and became an expert in human echolocation and the President of World Access for the Blind (WAFTB), a California-registered nonprofit organization founded by Mr. Kish in 2000. This Non-profit organization facilitates "the self-directed achievement of people with all forms of blindness" and increase public awareness about their strengths and capabilities.

Daniel Kish and his organization have taught a form of echolocation to at least 500 blind children around the world.  Despite the fact that Daniel’s eyes had to be removed before he was 13 months, he is the first totally blind person to be a legally Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist (COMS). He was also the first blind person to hold a National Blindness Professional Certification (NOMC). He also holds master's degrees in developmental psychology and special education from University of California Riverside.accomplishments are a proof that blind people can do anything they set in their minds. They are as capable of accomplishing their social and educational goals as a person whose eyesight is good.  Mr. Kish has proven to us all that blind people are not limited, quite the contrary, blind people will perform and will excel.

Regarding students and learning, teachers need to allow students to become independent learners. We have to believe in them. We have to let them try to complete educational goals by themselves. I also know that this is process that would be a bit difficult at the beginning, but once they are trained and feel comfortable, they will perform and succeed.  Children who are actively engaged in their own education process will definitely become successful lifelong learners just like Mr. Daniel Kish. As caring educators, we must continue to believe, to have high expectations in our student’s potential to succeed. Students will learn to become independent learners and will use the knowledge obtained in class and also outside of class as they interact in life. If we do not believe and inspire them to believe in themselves, they will think they are not worthy of the chance to try.

We surely can help our students fulfill their potential and how do we do that? By having high expectations and by believing in them. Unlike what the Assistant Principal in Pedro Noguera’s article (he predicted that the student who was seating in front of his office future was doomed and dark) he did not believe and had high expectations for his students; therefore had false perceptions about the student’s capabilities to be successful.