sUSAN DILEMA

Interpreting the Situation

Susan finishes a miserable day at a temporary job as a janitor and rushes home to get online. Her job search shows plenty of openings for people with bachelor’s degrees, but little for her. She shifts to considering applying for college and researches schools she could attend when her mom arrives. It’s time to pick up Joe.

“He says I was a criminal,” Joe says. “I couldn’t let him get away with calling me names.”

“Violence isn’t the answer,” Susan says. “You’re grounded.”

“He needs to stand up for himself,” Susan’s mom says. “That’s what men do.”

“If he keeps standing up for himself like this, he’ll spend the rest of his life in jail,” Susan says. “Teen aggression can have many causes, from trauma to media influences. But whatever the cause, the effects are the same.”

“If we figure out the cause, then we’ll know the answers,” Susan’s mom says. “And blaming the video games is just silly. The cause is your parenting. If you did a better job of supporting him, we wouldn’t have this problem.”

“I don’t have a problem,” Joe says. “I’m just defending my rights. It’s these idiots who think I’m a pushover who have the problem.” Susan realizes she has to trust herself. She knows what she needs to do.

Looking Ahead

This week, we look at the elements of critical thinking. As you complete your work, think of Susan’s experience. What elements of thought do you see being used by Susan and her friends? Do you see any they need to apply to the situation?

RESPONSES TO OTHER 2 LEARNERS

NO MORE THAT 3 SENTENSES

How are this learner’s thoughts the same as yours?

How are this learner’s thoughts different from yours?

LEARNER 2———-In this corner weighing in with her unnecessary insults on parenting and constant overstepping of boundaries, the former heavy weight champion Susan’s mother! And in this corner weighing in with a new mindset on her life’s direction armed with critical thinking skills the new heavy weight champion Susan!

Last week, Susan stood up to her mother really for the first time. This week she did it again, but in a much more authoritarian way. A way I have been waiting for Susan use since week 3.

Not only has Susan stood up to her mother this week, but she has also made a decision on next steps for her life and career. Susan is showing she is capable of dealing with multiple tasks, stressful tasks, and thinking and working through them using her critical thinking skills. While dealing with all of this with Joe, her mother and losing her job, we have not one time seen Susan lose it. She has managed to remain calm. She had one week of feeling sorry for herself but has not lashed out at anyone. These are all great qualities employers are going to look for in employees.