I Assigned A Writing Prompt A Few Weeks Ago That Asked My Students To Reflect On A Time When Someone

I assigned a writing prompt a few weeks ago that asked my students to reflect on a time when someone believed in them or when they believed in someone else. One of my students began to panic.

“I have to ask Google the prompt to get some ideas if I can’t just use AI,” she pleaded and then began typing into the search box on her screen, “A time when someone believed in you.”

“It’s about you,” I told her. “You’ve got your life experiences inside of your own mind.” It hadn’t occurred to her — even with my gentle reminder — to look within her own imagination to generate ideas. One of the reasons why I assigned the prompt is because learning to think for herself now, in high school, will help her build confidence and think through more complicated problems as she gets older — even when she’s no longer in a classroom situation.

She’s only in ninth grade, yet she’s already become accustomed to outsourcing her own mind to digital technologies, and it frightens me.

When I teach students how to write, I’m also teaching them how to think. Through fits and starts (a process that can be both frustrating and rewarding), high school English teachers like me help students get to know themselves better when they use language to figure out what they think and how they feel.

. . .

If you believe, as I do, that writing is thinking — and thinking is everything — things aren’t looking too good for our students or for the educators trying to teach them. In addition to teaching high school, I’m also a college instructor, and I see this behavior in my older students as well.

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This! This is what scares me the most about AI! Physical exertion is difficult if someone isn't used to it, and it gets easier the more often it's done. When it's done often enough, it becomes a habit. Mental exertion is exactly the same. Thinking is a learned skill just like a sport is, and an entire generation is growing up without that most critical skill.

An unthinking populace is a more easily controlled populace.

More Posts from Theumbrellawoman and Others

6 months ago

Please don’t skip 🍉🇵🇸

"I am Khawla from Gaza, 34 years old. I stand before you as a person trying to support her family of 5: Me, my husband, and my three children: Muhammad, who is 5 years old; Sham, who is 3 years old; and Ghazal, who is nearly a year and a half old. In our terrible conditions, My son Muhammad contracted hepatitis from drinking contaminated water, and both he and Sham are deprived of their right to register in kindergarten, daycare, or other educational institutions. Additionally, due to the circumstances and lack of income, necessary benefits like milk are not provided to baby Ghazal.🫂💙🥺

With that, my husband's livelihood ha been completely destroyed since we are no longer entitled to work; and we expect to live under miserable conditions in tents in Mawasi Khan Yunis. It is difficult for me to find the words to describe what we face every day in Gaza; with no food, no medicine, no clean drinking water; with oppression, helplessness, psychological pressures, doubts, and daily traumas caused by everything around us and inability to care for loved ones. the fear of danger, disease and death never leaves us🍉🫶

Now, I find myself in this difficult situation, and humbly ask for your help to save the lives of my family, especially my children, by getting us out of Gaza or helping us have money for medication or other necessities we may have access to. Asking for help is not easy, but we were left with no choice because we want to survive and we strive to rebuild our broken lives. We are very grateful for any help you can provide, no matter how small, as your help will contribute greatly to alleviating our suffering. I hope you will share my story with your family and friends."🍉🍉💙🇵🇸🇵🇸

Donation link⬇️⬇️

https://www.gofundme.com/f/

Donate to Support Khawla's Family in Gaza Crisis, organized by Abi Lass
gofundme.com
My name is Abi from Lincoln, NE, and I'm raising money for Khawla and her family from … Abi Lass needs your support for Support Khawla's Fam
Please Don’t Skip 🍉🇵🇸
Please Don’t Skip 🍉🇵🇸
Please Don’t Skip 🍉🇵🇸
Please Don’t Skip 🍉🇵🇸
Please Don’t Skip 🍉🇵🇸
Please Don’t Skip 🍉🇵🇸
Please Don’t Skip 🍉🇵🇸
Please Don’t Skip 🍉🇵🇸
Please Don’t Skip 🍉🇵🇸
Please Don’t Skip 🍉🇵🇸
3 months ago

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #373 )✅️

✅️Vetted By @gazavetters, My Number Verified On The List Is ( #373 )✅️

I hope you'll let me tell you a little bit about my home🇵🇸, Gaza🍉. It's a place where we're living through some very challenging times💔🥹. We're under attack from bombs, explosives, and warplanes, and we've had to endure many nights of sleeplessness. It's a difficult situation💔, but we're trying to stay positive🖤. This war has really taken a toll on us. It's destroyed our bodies, our lives, and our souls. It has been so sad to see our homes destroyed, our belongings taken from us, and our beautiful places ruined. It has also changed our situation for the worse. We were living a pretty good life, you know? Peaceful, loving, and full of life. But then, we found ourselves in a really tough spot. Hunger, fear, and terror have become our new normal. My kids and I, along with my extended family, are struggling to make ends meet. We don't have the basic necessities of life, and our living situation is pretty rough. We're in these old, falling-apart tents. It's so hard to know what to do when winter comes. We'll be soaked in the rain and wind, and I'll be at a loss as to how to keep my family safe, from the bombing and from the winter.🥹

I'm really hoping you can help me and my family to live through this awful war.💔

🥹❤️‍🩹https://gofund.me/ed6e9cb6🥹❤️‍🩹

✅️Vetted By @gazavetters, My Number Verified On The List Is ( #373 )✅️

@fancysmudges @brokenbackmountain @just-browsing1222-deactivated20 @mothblossoms @aleciosun @fluoresensitive @khizuo @lesbiandardevil @transmutationisms @schoolhater @timogsilangan @appsa @buttercuparry @sayruq @malcriada @palestinegenocide @sar-soor @akajustmerry @annoyingloudmicrowavecultist @feluka @tortiefrancis @flower-tea-fairies @tsaricides @riding-with-the-wild-hunt @visenyasdragon @belleandsaintsebastian @ear-motif @kordeliiius @brutaliakhoa @raelyn-dreams @troythecatfish @theropoda @tamarrud @4ft10tvlandfangirl @queerstudiesnatural @northgazaupdates2 @skatezophrenic @awetistic-things @camgirlpanopticon @baby-girl-aaron-dessner @nabulsi @sygol @junglejim4322 @heritageposts @chososhairbuns @palistani @dlxxv-vetted-donations @illuminated-runas @imjustheretotrytohelp

2 years ago
Thank You To Everyone Who Got Me To 500 Likes!

Thank you to everyone who got me to 500 likes!

NOOOOO ITS ALL BECAUSE OF THAT EMO BAND MEME 😭


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2 years ago

If Anya’s role-swap name is Agent Starlight while Loid’s is Agent Twilight can Yor’s spy name be Agent Midnight or Eclipse


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11 months ago

emergency commissions!

Emergency Commissions!

I have to open a comms, cause atm I have no money at all so I can’t even afford a ride to university and soon need to go to another city qwq

W/o bg:

Headshot — 10$

Halfbody — 20$

Fulbody — 30$*

*you can ask for sketched bg!

With background, fullbody, all rendered— 60$

For additional character — +50%

Payment via paypal, no strict deadline unless asked. Usually it takes me around 2 months to finish fully rendered picrure but atm I think I might stretch deadline to 3-4 months cause of exams and trip :(

Dm me or comment under this post if interested!

4 weeks ago

Hello 👋

I am Haifa from Gaza 🇵🇸

Palestine, mother of three children. We faced many physical and psychological problems due to the war that completely destroyed our home and source of income. My children's health was destroyed due to polluted water and contaminated food. We live in very difficult conditions. We live in a nylon tent and my children shiver from the cold 🥶

Hello 👋
Hello 👋
Hello 👋
Hello 👋

My son Yousef, 8 years old, aspired to become an engineer, but the occupation destroyed his talent. Jourie and Joan, the cheerful twins full of humor and fun in our house, are 6 years old and are deprived of education. My children have no future here in Gaza. Help me get out safely.

Hello 👋
Hello 👋
Hello 👋
Hello 👋

Otherwise, the price of food has become very expensive, my children make me cry bitterly because I can't provide for their needs because I don't have money. Please your donation and help will mean a lot we have tragedies that need you don't ignore me

https://gofund.me/f4012f59

Donate to Help Haifa and Her Children Rebuild Their Lives, organized by hifa homid
gofundme.com
I am Haifa, a mother of 3 children, Youssef, hifaaa823 Jourie and Joan, fro… hifa homid needs your support for Help Haifa and Her Children R

A donation of $10 or $20 would mean a lot to the kids.

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters, my number verified on the list is (#356)✅️

1 year ago

I know I don't shut up about this but frankly not enough people are angry about the 5-day/40 hour workweek (and I am AWARE a lot of people work even more than that). I feel like a lot more people should be absolutely furious that we only really have two days a week and some occasional hours in the evening to socialise, run errands, do chores, or relax.

It's no wonder so many people are profoundly lonely and disconnected from their communities when maintaining a social life in what little free time we have is incredibly difficult. If you have kids, a second job, a very long commute, or other responsibilities, it's nearly impossible.

We literally aren't meant to live like this and I'll never stop being shocked how many people just take it as the natural state of things and don't want to throw a brick through a billionaire's window every time they think of it.

4 weeks ago

please consider helping ghada's family (@ghadah-almadhoun). ghada has been trying to raise funds for her and her family for many months now but their campaign has been progressing very slowly. they are receiving roughly one donation every couple of days- this isn't nearly enough for them to be able to sustain themselves on. ghada has already lost her husband because of the violence and suffering that israel has inflicted upon palestine, and she and her children need our help to continue to survive. the currency for this campaign is in AUD, so please keep in mind that if you're in the U.S your money will go particularly far. $10 USD= $16 AUD.

ghada's campaign has been vetted and shared here (no. 330) gofundme link here

let's help this wonderful family as much as we can!

9 months ago

🇵🇸don’t forget to do your daily clicks!🇵🇸

9 months ago

While everyone is going crazy over booping one another- Here is your reminder to spend some time booping these buttons to help the people of Palestine.

Click to Help
arab.org
Want to transform the World into a better place? With a simple click you can now contribute to causes you care about most, free.

It takes little to no time and makes a very real difference to people who are currently going through a literal gen0cide. I even make a game out of it to see how fast I can get all of them (to help with my ADHD brain).

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theumbrellawoman - ✧ pretty ✧
✧ pretty ✧

“𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴.”

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