Saturday, December 4, 2010

"Citizenship in Schools" - Reflection

Late Reflection:

Ever since we discussed this article in class, the topic on integration in schools has been coming up a lot lately. In fact, just yesterday, a family friend told me she was going to let me borrow this film called "Including Samuel." She said it is a documentary of a parent who is trying to raise his son, who has severe disabilities, and trying to get him the education he deserves by bringing him into a regular classroom. I'm really interested in it from what she said about it and I can't wait until she brings it over for me to watch it.
It's really hard to believe, though, that there are in fact some schools out there that are fully integrated. Sure, having a classroom filled with children of all different levels with all different abilities (and disabilities) is what we all think of as the right thing to do, but it also seems scary to me. A classroom like that is just completely out of the ordinary from what we, or at least I, know. All of my life I have learned with peers that are just like me. I never had the opportunity to learn in a classroom with a physically or mentally disabled student. I never had the chance to watch how other teachers go about teaching a classroom like that and learn how to handle different problems that would arise in certain situations. Of course, I agree that integration is a good and positive thing for both the teachers and the students. It's just definitely an idea I have to get used to through observation and a lot of practice before being sent by myself.
Integrated classrooms are not only good for the students with disabilities, but also the "well-abeled" students as well. Without the opportunity to be in a classroom with someone with special needs, children would just see them as different and want to stay away from them. But being with these students with disabilities all the time throughout the entire school day changes that perspective and lets the students know that they are all equal.
This is a trailer I found for the documentary "Including Samuel".

Friday, December 3, 2010

Totally Random, but quite FNED worthy...

Okay, so basically my entire day was centered around our FNED class. These are all very random incidents but I felt the need to blog about them.

First was work: During free play this morning, a mother came in to drop off her son and she was sporting a pin that stated "Stop with the Happy Holidays, already. Wish me a Merry Christmas." Now, I found this interesting not only because she feels comfortable wearing that in public, where anyone with any religious belief can read it, but also because this particular woman had had a big problem with our curriculum last winter as well. She had been extremely angry that we were displaying different symbols from different religions around our center. She complained about the Menorahs that were hung up next to the Christmas trees and presents and she had been appalled about the fact that her son was talking to her about Hanukah at home. Now, are my co-teachers and I wrong for incorporating different Holidays and religions in our center? This mother is an extremely kind woman and I have the utmost respect for her, but I just thought that pin was a bit too much. It's okay to show that you do indeed celebrate Christmas, but there are right ways to do it and I don't think that was one of them.
Then, about a half hour later, my boss walked in the door with two humungous Toys 'R Us bags that were filled with new "diversified" toys - she had Tiana from "The Princess and the Frog", black and Asian baby dolls, and multiple books centered around differences. I had mentioned it to her about a month ago that that was a big thing we lacked at our center was toys that showed diversity, so I was ecstatic when she brought those in.

After work, I took a ride to Wal-Mart. We all know of those employees who stand outside and ring the bell and just wait for someone to actually pay attention and drop some loose change in their bucket, right? Well, I did a double take when I realized that this particular employee was a black woman. Honestly, before taking this class, I would not have thought twice about it because, to me, it would have just seemed like an employee was chosen at random. But now that I have learned so much, it makes me wonder if it really was random, or if it was chosen purposely.
When I came home, low and behold, my siblings were watching Shrek the Third. After all of the times I have watched any of the three Shrek movies, never have I thought about this either. Okay, so it shows a princess who isn't perfect and beautiful, good right? Not really...she's an olger. This came to mind too: what is this movie really telling people? If you're unattractive and different, the only person who's ever going to love you is someone else who is unattractive and different? Either that, or a donkey? a.k.a. a stubborn ass. Even Fiona's own parents are appalled by her and Shrek - notice her parents are quite high class, and very white.



Just a couple things I never would have thought of before taking this class. Everything I have learned this semester from this course has been enlightening and so extremely important, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. :)

Monday, November 29, 2010

Empowering Education - Connections

In this article, Ira Shor argues that students should be active in their classrooms at all times by participating and being given the chance to think critically. Most classrooms now a days are filled with repetition, memorization, and questions with only one specific correct answer. Students are taught to fill in the blank and circle the right letter in order to be successful and pass their class. Shore states that teachers need to start teaching their students how to think for themselves and let them get involved in class discussions because, believe it or not, students can learn from each other.
As I was reading this article, of course the first things that popped into my head were the readings from Finn and Oakes that we came across a couple of weeks ago. Finn and Oakes wrote about how kids in higher ability classrooms get a better education and experience in schools because they are encouraged to think critically and they are not ridiculed by the fill in the blank quizzes and worksheets. Children who are taught to think for themselves and different possibilities have a better chance of having a successful future both academically and financially.
"Students in empowering classes should be expected to develop skills and knowledge as well as high expectations for themselves, their education, and their futures... empowering education invites students to become skilled workers and thinking citizens."
Giroux says that schools need to be a "public service that educates students to be critical citizens who can think, challenge, take risks, and believe that their actions will make a difference in the larger society."
Students who have been challenged in school to become critical and creative thinkers do no only benefit themselves, but also their society and the world. One who had been trained to come up with multiple answers and possibilities can really make a difference.
I also thought that this article related well to what Delpit taught us in the beginning of the semester. Not so much about being explicit when it comes to having authority, but more towards teaching the codes of power. She taught us that the most important thing one can teach a child is how to survive and be successful in this world and in whatever type of society we live in. Shore believes the same thing. He quotes from Bettelheim that "the most important thing children learn is not the three R's. It's socialization."
Sure, algebra chemistry will come in handy one day, but not as much as the knowledge students get about how to be a successful, respected, and critical citizen.
I really like this article that I found because it includes a clear list of what a teacher's curriculum should include in order to give their students the empowering education they deserve. It shows why teachers should teach "responsible decision-making," "relationship skills," "social awareness," and "self-awareness."
In class, I kind of want to argue about how part of this article somewhat contradicts Delpit. I related it to her but I also think the two disagree. I'm not sure if I'm just reading it the wrong way.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Promising Practices Conference Experience

Prior to arriving at the Promising Practices Conference, I was kind of nervous because I had never attended anything like this before so I had no idea what was in store for me. As soon as I walked in the Don, I could tell that it was very organized and I knew right away where I was supposed to go and what to do. Our entire class found each other and we all sat at a few close tables in the back. After that, I felt comfortable because I was with people I knew and I wasn't the only one experiencing something new. 
My first workshop was on LGBT Harassment and, even though we've been discussing this topic in class already, I was still very interested and I loved it. My presenter was great. She definitely had my attention the entire time I was there and she couldn't have been any sweeter - not to mention, she brought a stuffed giraffe with her, which made my day ten times better from the start. The giraffe represented confidence in children; giraffes have long necks, so they stand up tall, just like people do when they stand up for themselves and for what they believe in. I thought that was great and really inspiring. 
While in this workshop, we watched parts of the videos "It's Elementary" and "It's Still Elementary", which I had already seen in FNED, but I enjoyed watching them again. It really reenforced how important it is to be able to teach children of any age about this type of diversity and the differences that appear in our world. 
I also found this great site that is actually directed towards parents about how to help their children deal with this type of harassment. One thing I learned is that nothing is more important to a child that is going through that kind of emotional abuse than a parent's help and support.
This workshop actually ties in extremely well with Dennis Carlson's "Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community" because he writes about how homosexuals are not accepted and are viewed as completely abnormal to many people. Reading part of his book and taking part in this workshop has made me realize that there is still so much hostility present in our world. As long as there are still people among us who refuse to accept any differences, issues such as LGBT harassment, which is often fatal, will never be fixed. 
I also thought it connected very well with "Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us" by Linda Christensen because homosexuals would not be seen as different and abnormal if there was never a set social norm in the first place. If all of these myths about "what makes you beautiful" and "what makes you 'perfect'" were never even invented and thrown into the minds of everyone through the media, everyone would be accepted equally. 
My second workshop was, unfortunately, not as rewarding as my first. It was on problem solving in mathematics and, honestly, I wasn't really impressed with the presentation. I didn't feel like I had learned anything new to walk away with. One thing I did like was that the presenters made it a point to give a few examples on how to incorporate diversity in different math problems to make sure that every student in the class would understand it and be able to connect with it. I found this interesting and very important because we never know who we might have in a classroom. As a math minor, though, I feel like I didn't get enough out of the workshop than I would have liked to.
I found this interesting math site that includes different problem solving strategies and some steps and clues on what to do next when it comes to math problems. It things like this that I would have liked to learn more about during the workshop. 
As for the keynote speaker, I have a ton of respect of Dr. Dennis Shirley seeing as he did come to RI all the way from Chile just to attend our conference. However, as much as I would have loved to, I felt it was nearly impossible for me, personally, to be able to pay full attention during the entire presentation. It was lengthy and it seemed as if it was only directed toward the teachers that were sitting right in front of the podium. I felt as if the students in the back were disconnected from the rest of the audience, which definitely made it harder to concentrate on what he was saying. 
Overall, I enjoyed my experience at my first teacher's conference and I am really looking forward to having the opportunity to go to many more and keep learning. I like that it was part of a class assignment because it was very rewarding and I'm glad I went. 

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Oakes and Finn: Extended Comment


Katie's Post:

Quotes from Finn and Oakes

As I read the two articles for this week I tried to keep Dr. Bogad's words in mind, "can separate be equal?" I found that unlike the Brown v. Board case, where I could firmly say that separate was not equal, I could not come to a definitive answer on either side of the issue of tracking students in public schools.

Starting with Oakes, Tracking: Why Schools Need to Take Another Route, I found myself going back in forth between arguing that schools should group students into different levels to arguing that it is harmful to students to do so.
Oakes writes,

"Tracking leads to substantial differences in the day-to-day learning experiences students have at school. Moreover, the nature of these differences suggests that students who are placed in high-ability groups have access to far richer schooling experiences than other students." 

I’ll draw from my own experiences to comment on this quote. In my own school, Math, English and Science classes were broken up into high, middle, and lower level groups. When I was in honors classrooms I did much better than when I was in inclusive classrooms because the teachers spent less time on discipline, we went at a faster pace, and I was motivated to keep up with the other students. In my regular classes I was bored easily, distracted, and less challenged. While on the one hand I think it would be beneficial for previously labeled lower level students to be in classrooms with highly motivated students, I worry that it might drag the material behind for the students who are moving faster.

I enjoyed reading Finn’s experience growing up and teaching in urban Chicago schools in, Literacy with an Attitue but when he described the feelings of some of his graduate students, I must say that I had to agree with them,


"When I suggest to my hard-bitten students that poor children are not being as well educated as they could be, they are not amused. They take it as a personal attack from someone who has been living in in ivory tower for the last thirty years and they resent it—a lot"


Finn describes the only 8 years he ever spent teaching in public schools as being the wrong way to go about it (militant-like, not challenging) and then went to graduate school where he changed his perspective. But he never describes how he personally implemented his new teaching method theory. Considering how difficult these teachers in urban areas seem to have it, if he hadn’t tried these ideas on his own I probably wouldn’t listen to him either.

I think the best quote from Finn was about students in working class areas and schools systems,

"Their capacity for creativity and planing was ignored or denied. Their response was very much like that of adults in their community to work that is mechanical and routine."

I am a firm supporter in social justice opportunities for underprivileged students and I think it is horrible that teachers significantly lower their expectations and materials to those children who deserve a good education. That being said, I also think it is unfair to punish highly motivated students by giving them less attention because they somehow, “don’t need it” and this is the unfair attitude that these authors seem to suggest.

If you are interested in social justice and equitable education, I suggested looking to books by Louise Dunlap: Undoing the SilenceI met and worked with her at a teaching conference two years ago and found it to be a great experience.

I’m interested to hear what the rest of the class thought of these articles and the conference. Do you think schools school segregate based on GPA and perceived abilities of students?

My Response:
I was very interested in the points that Katie made in her blog about Finn and Oakes. I like that she brought up the line "can separate be equal" because all of the readings we have done in this class have shown some sort of separation that, in turn, prevents equity in our society. The topic that these readings focus on is the idea of tracking in schools. Separating students into different classes and levels according to their ability and performances - does that sound anything close to equal to you? 
Like Katie, I can personally relate to these thoughts on tracking and the quote that she pulled from Oakes' text: 
"Tracking leads to substantial differences in the day-to-day learning experiences students have at school. Moreover, the nature of these differences suggests that students who are placed in high-ability groups have access to far richer schooling experiences than other students." 
I experienced this happening in my own high school as well. All of the "standard", or general education, classes are split up and broken down into Honors, First Level, Second Level, and Third Level (the Third Level classes are not considered college prep classes. In other words, if a student is in this class level, he/she is not eligible to go on to College after high school). The majority of my classes were Honors classes, all except my history class, which was a level one. Switching down from an Honor's history class was my choice because I had always struggled in that subject, and when I did, I realized that there was a significant difference in the two levels. My honors classes continued to move at a much faster pace while the level one class seemed to be taken a lot less seriously by both the teacher and the students. Switching out of my honor's class was even greatly discouraged by my counselor and teachers when, honestly, it shouldn't have made a difference. 
The fact that students are getting different learning experiences depending on what level they are in schools does not promote equality. The classes students take are highly publicized which makes it really easy for false judgements to be made about those students as well as lack acceptance for them. 
As Oakes stated in his article: "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer" and there is no better way to put it. Students with high academic capability will continue to be praised and receive better opportunities for education, and those who may tend to fall behind will continue to fall further and further behind and may never be able to catch up. 
I found a video in which Jeannie Oakes actually talks about why she disagrees with tracking. Dr. Robert Slavin states that teachers only use the tracking method as a convenience to them. Flexible grouping, meaning that students are not trapped in the same groups at all times, is also highly encouraged in this video.
I would like to hear about any other experiences that anyone has had in their previous schools. Do most schools have this tracking strategy in place? How do we all feel about it? 

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Gender and Education

It is safe to say that gender inequality is very much around and very prominent in most schools in our society today. Girls are seen as more intellectual and "smart" than boys and thought to be more successful academically, while being taught that sitting quietly and focusing on her social status is equally important to boys focusing on their independency. This article titled Gender Bias in Education by Amanda Chapman includes a lot of information on how boys and girls in school districts are looked at completely differently both education wise as well as socially.

This website is all about gender differences and its role in education; how it affects both ends of the line. It lists some of the disadvantages for both boys and girls, as well as ways in which both genders cope with certain experiences differently and whether or not they should be educated in completely separate classrooms.

Of course the most common place in which gender bias takes place is within the sports' teams at school. The teams are divided into boys only teams as well as girls only teams; and we can all guess which one of these two groups gets better privileges for their sport. 

The Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations had a pole to see whether or not the public agreed with the fact that female athletes would play on all boys' sports teams. It was really interesting to see what the public had to say about this topic in their comments on this article.

This article even has statistical data proving that females are well capable of being just as successful as males in their ability to do math, however girls are more apt to have confidence issues when it comes to their math abilities.

All of this research is so contradictory because there are so many studies that say girls are more successful than boys in schools because of either the way they are taught or the way they are programed to learn, and other studies say that boys are more successful because they have more confidence than girls in their academic abilities. This article basically just talks about "gender gaps" and how boys and girls act very differently and learn differently in schools.

All of this information that I read and found is such good proof that there is still a large group of people that do not believe girls and boys are equal in any way, shape, or form. I think that every human being learns a different way and is successful in their own way and whatever that way may be has nothing to do on whether or not you are a female or a male.



Monday, October 25, 2010

Between Barack and a Hard Place

Brown vs. Board of Education


While listening to the videos of Tim Wise discussing his book, Between Barack and a Hard Place, I found myself agreeing with him more and more. It is disappointing to admit it, but racism is still very prominent in today's society. The "Separate Is Not Equal" website we explored explained a lot about Brown vs. Board of Education and how it supposedly "marked a turning point in the history of race" in the United States. Yes, this problem has come a long way and there have been many great improvements throughout the years on racism, but all of this hard work has yet to diminish all form of racism everywhere. 


Wise admits that Obama's presidential election was a step forward in this long battle, but racism still has a long way to go before being completely resolved. People really need to change they way they view people of color (and people of different "styles") because I believe that an issue such as this will never be resolved unless every single person is on the same page. It's one thing to say that there is no racism and that everyone is equal, but it's another thing to actually put those words in action and prove it


There are a couple of videos that I found that pertain to racism that is still seen today. They include some vulgar language, but they are amusing to watch, and they are completely true. I only posted two of them, but if you go on youtube, you'll see that these same characters have made many different videos pertaining racism in today's society. 
And since I can't seem to be able to post them directly on my blog, here's video 1 and video 2 :)


After watching the Tim Wise videos, I'm actually really interested in reading his book. There is nothing I want to learn about more than modern day issues in our society that clearly need to be fixed.
In class, I want to brainstorm about some of the small steps we as individuals could do to make a small difference, as well as giant leaps that we as a whole could accomplish in order to really start changing people's perspectives on this issue.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

In the Service of What?

Argument:

In this article, the authors, Kahne and Westheimer, argue that service learning is an important learning experience that everyone should have the opportunity to get involved in at least once, but it is important to do it the right way. They write about two different ways to get involved in a service learning project and that the two can have very different outcomes. There is a service learning for simply charity purposes, and then there is a service learning that can make a change.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with being charitable, because that can be indeed extremely helpful to some people. But service learning for charity is basically just another way of saying "community service." Which, again, isn't a bad thing, but it involves more of just giving the community a few hours of your life and then brushing it off and being done with it. Whereas, service learning for change requires more passion, more research, and more thought. It's not just helping someone out for the sake of making yourself feel good, it's doing it for the sake of trying to make a difference and preventing the reasons why that person needs your help in the first place. Yes, that person may be in need of your services and your help, but why? And how can you, or we as a whole, change that?

It's kind of like what we've already talked about in class: The difference between pity and awareness. We can be involved in service learning either because we feel bad for those people in need and we want to help them so we can feel good about our accomplishments, or because we want to make a difference, and change the fact that these people are so dependent.

"Students tutor, coach softball, paint playgrounds, and read to the elderly because they are interested in people, or because they want to learn a little about poverty and racism before they head out into the waiting corporate world .... We do not volunteer 'to make a statement.'"
We shouldn't go into our service learning thinking "I am so great because I am helping these people who are in need" but rather "I am going to learn so much from this experience and it will help me understand where these people come from and how they feel."

Service learning is all about the learning experience: who you are helping and working with, putting yourself in their shoes and trying your hardest to fully understand them and better their lives. Not so much about the charity work, that's just a small bonus.

Kahne and Westheimer state that it is very important to discuss each other's service learning experiences in class with our peers in order to either get different thoughts and ideas that will help one's service learning experience or just to share what they are involved in. In our FNED class, we do just that. We share our stories and experiences in our schools, are ask questions about certain things we are curious about, and we even connect our experiences to the different readings and subjects we learn about in previous classes.

This video is a great example of the right type of service learning. It provides facts and statistics about the issue they are raising awareness about and then they provide information on what one can do to help.

In class, I want to continue to talk about these two different types of service learning, and about how much more awkward, difficult, and nerve-wracking our service learning project would be if we didn't talk about it as a whole group.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Unlearning the Myths - Easier Said Than Done

Quotes:

In the article, "Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us", Linda Christensen argues that the way children are influenced by media needs to change drastically. Cartoons, TV shows, and movies all do a great job in portraying the average human as beautiful and flawless, and, in most cases, the "bad guys" of the stories are usually much less appealing to the eye. Christensen gives many examples of fairy tales that do just that, such as Cinderella: the ugly stepsisters verses the beautiful Cinderella and the handsome prince, Snow White verses the evil Queen, and The Little Mermaid (and gorgeous Prince Eric) verses Ursula. Fairy tales are brought into children's lives at a very young age and these children are learning about all of these biases just by watching a fun, colorful, motion picture.
The truth is, most kids don't even notice it's happening:

"Many students don't want to believe that they have been manipulated by children's media or advertising. No one wants to admit that they've been 'handled' by the media. They assure me that they make their own choices and the media has no power over them - as they sit with Fubu, Nike, Timberlands, or whatever the latest fashion rage might be."

We, as children, adolescents, AND adults, don't realize how materialistic we really are. And the truth is, we're all the same! Of course, some people might always have more expensive brands and the most recent electronics or styles, but, if we all could, everyone else would as well. We have been brought up in a world that thinks 'image is everything', and it really is. Not that I agree with it, but everyone and everything revolves around one's image and appearance.
The next important thing on the list, is one's goals. People's social class and position in the world - what they do, who they are married to and how much money they have. The wealthier you are, the more important you seem to get. And people in the upper class are encouraged to marry within their class as well. The respect you receive from society dwells a lot on your marital status and who you're husband or wife is:

"Like the original tale, Cindy Ellie's main goal in life is not working to end the plight of the homeless or teaching kids to read. Her goal, like Cinderella's, is to get her man. Both young women are transformed and made beautiful through new clothes, new jewels, new hairstyles...Both of the Cinderella's compete for their men against their sisters...They 'win' because of their beauty and their fashionable attire. Both of these tales leave young women with two myths: Happiness means getting a man, and transformation from wretched conditions can be achieved through consumption - in their case, through new clothes and new hairstyles."


As soon as young girls turn the age of about thirteen, the most important thing in the world to them is having a boyfriend, or, a "boyfriend." It might not even matter who the boy is, as long as they have someone to call theirs, they're satisfied. This definitely does come from the media. Girls, young women, feel the need to be dependent on other people, mainly men, and they hate the idea of being single. It makes them feel unimportant, unwanted, and "unbeautiful."

 

"I'm single because no one wants to be with me. I'm not good enough for anyone, not pretty enough." How many times have you heard that one? I know I've lost track.
The fact that, in the media, we see all of these beautiful, flawless people get everything they could possibly want, does not help that matter, either. Most films include these characters who can't quite get what they want or where they want be, so they change something about themselves, and in the end, they get it. That is basically the basis of most Hollywood movies, it always has been. Pretty much saying "Hey, man! Still not getting that girl, huh? Try going to the gym, work out a bit, cut your hair, make more money, then you'll have a chance," or "Hey, girl! You actually want to 'fit in' in society? Okay well, try lowering your calorie intake to about 20 a day, dye your hair, glob on some makeup, spend your entire paycheck on designer shoes and handbags every week, then you'll be set." I hate to say it, but that is every one's mind set.

"As Tinker Bell inspects her tiny body in a mirror only to find that her minute hips are simply too huge, she shows us how to turn the mirror into an enemy...and this scenario is repeated in girls' locker rooms all over the world."





Christensen quotes Catkin when she says that people hate themselves if they don't look as exquisite as Cinderella or Prince Charming. They refuse to be happy until they have the perfect body along with all their desired designer products.
"We don't call it deception, we call it good taste. And soon it feels awkward going to the mailbox without makeup."
 That line is genius, and most importantly, very true. We have been living in this state of mind our entire lives. It is brought upon us not only through our media, but also by our parents and families from what they learned from the media of their times as well. It's pretty scary to say that no one is safe from this lifestyle; it is all around us.
The sad part is, the goal for everyone is basically to become perfect. To look perfect, act perfect, have perfect materials, live a perfect life with the perfect amount of wealth in our perfect houses, with our perfect husbands and wives and perfect children. And this is impossible. Christensen knows that as well, and she feels, as do I, that the media in this world needs to slowly take a turn and change the way it is interpreting everyday people. Because the people they are creating, are not real, inhuman, and for us to feel the need to be like these fake characters should not be our lifelong goal.

I found this amazing blog that talks about princess stereotypes. I was so excited while reading it because it fits extremely well with this topic.

In class, I plan to discuss how our media is the main cause for eating disorders, surgical procedures, many reality shows, and suicides. "Why can't I look like that?" - the famous question inside everyone's mind.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Gayness, Multiculturalism Education, and Community

Hyperlinks:

Is this really happening? Okay, what century are we in again? And we still can't accept that people are different? What is wrong with out society? I just had to get that out because I am extremely disgusted, to say the least, with what is going on in our world right now.
The morning before I actually read Carlson's article, I was watching the news and found out that yet another young man had killed himself as a result of being harassed because he was homosexual. This man, named Tyler Clementi, was a freshmen at Rutgers State University of New Jersey, and, as you can read in this news article, he was pushed beyond the limit, and decided to end his life by jumping off the George Washington Bridge.
It doesn't end there. Just last week, two other boys took their own lives after being bullied and pushed out of the social norm for being gay. Thirteen year old Asher Brown of Houston, and thirteen year old Seth Walsh of California decided that they couldn't live one more day getting treated the way they were. And Billy Lucas, a fifteen year old high school freshmen, also hung himself last month from the same cause. Blunt enough?
Carlson argues that people, kids especially, need to become aware that there are differences in this world, and they need to be accepted. No matter how against something kids are, they need to somehow reprogram their brains and think otherwise. To do this, teachers and departments of schools need to stop being cowards, and they need to start teaching and acknowledging homosexuality in their curriculum. They need to know that it's okay to teach about these things, because it is present in the real world. It's when teachers decide to maneuver around the subject and ignore it, then students begin to think that maybe it is wrong, and maybe it shouldn't be accepted. And that's when gay students themselves are too afraid to stand up for themselves and live their lives openly as who they really are.
In this video, clinical psychologist Jeff Gardere reinforces the idea that teachers and parents need to help their children and students understand that homosexuality is a part of our world and it needs to be accepted. The video expands on Tyler Clementi's tragedy but the most important points begin at around 3:20 in the video. I also found this page that is strictly on gay/lesbian news where anyone can comment on specific stories and share their thoughts and I found it really interesting to read the different things people have to say on this topic.
Carlson states that "the official policy in most school districts is in fact identical to that of the U.S. military: Don't ask, don't tell," and that is ridiculous. People shouldn't feel the need to 'ask', because it doesn't matter either way, but they also should most definitely not be afraid to 'tell'.

I plan on furthering my discussion on how teachers, as well as parents, need to begin taking full responsibility in how their children and students view the differences in our society. This segregation and these "phobia's", need to stop, and since children are the future, I believe that's the best way to go.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

It May Sound Bad, but Just Learn the Dominant Language


Response/Reflection on Aria by Richard Rodriguez:

I feel as if I can definitely relate to this article firsthand because I was once in the same situation as the author. Ten years ago, my family and I moved to the United States from Canada, where I was born. Since I had lived there for the first nine years of my life, French was my first language. When I moved here, I could not speak English, and the beginning of the school year was just around the corner. Trust me, when I stepped into that school to go to fourth grade and I didn't fully understand what people around me were saying, I was sure glad to have that ESL teacher.
ESL, for those who aren't aware, stands for English as a Second Language, and these educators are available for students like me who need help learning English; it could be just learning a few grammar skills, or learning the entire language from anew. And without mine, I know I most certainly would not be where I am today.
However, while I was learning my second language, I started feeling the same way Rodriguez did. I began thinking that maybe my French culture would slowly go away. Since now I was speaking English at school with my friends, doing my homework and watching TV in English, and even had to speak it at home all the time, I was afraid that I would never be "French" again. I started resenting my new life and my mother for making me move and change my entire way of thinking. I felt uncomfortable in class as well as in my own house. I felt as if I didn't belong, and as if no one wanted me to. It took me a very long time to understand that this type of change was for the better and I would appreciate it in the long run.
Although I have lost some of my fluency in French, I can still speak it and read it very well and it is still a huge part of my life. I go to Canada every summer to visit my dad and the majority of my family, and during this time, I speak French and go back to my life before I ever left. Nothing can change the fact that, everyday, I miss where I am from and all of the people that live there, however, moving here and learning English was the best thing that ever happened to me. It opened up so many more doors and gave me hundreds of opportunities that I would not have had if I hadn't been forced to learn it.
Learning this second language was a very challenging task, but it has made me the person I am today. If my school offered to teach me both in English and in French, I would not have felt the need to push myself to learn the new language at all. Then, I certainly would not have been as successful in school and I probably would not be writing this blog right now. Think about it, there are no French schools around here. There are no French companies, radio stations, or television channels. There are no opportunities for a French person to succeed here, unless they learn the dominant language. So that is what I had to do, and I am so grateful that I was able to do so because without it, I would be very unsuccessful in this country.
There are so many people that are here in the United States that cannot speak fluent English and demand others to learn their language and make all public places bilingual. Don't get me wrong, I do not have a problem with those who speak a different language. In fact I encourage them to hold on to their culture, however, I also encourage them to broaden their horizons and learn about new ones; the ones they are surrounded by.
Rodriguez ends his story by stating "they do not realize that while one suffers a diminished sense of private individuality by becoming assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individuality," and I strongly agree. If I were still unable to speak English, sure I would be an individual in the sense that I would not be able to understand anyone around me and I would basically be isolated from society. Since I have learned this dominant language, I am now able to do what any other American can, but in my own way; and I am still a unique individual.

This video shows some reasons as to why teaching English above all else is a priority. Towards the end, however, there are bilingual education supporters who are quite offended and make their claim that bilingual education should indeed persist.

In class, I plan to discuss this issue further. I am almost positive that some will strongly disagree but I am prepared to back up my blog and stay true to my opinion. I don't really feel the need to talk about my personal experience any further since I've written about it, unless anyone is curious about a certain issue. See you all Tuesday!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

I'm so excited!!

okay so yesterday was my first day at my school for my service learning and, as usual, i was nervous for absolutely no reason. It was so much fun! Of course, i got lost on the way over, because dirrections and i do NOT get along, but once i parked and walked in, it ran really smoothly. The teacher that i am working with is super nice. The entire hour and a half that i go into the classroom happens to be during their DI class, and yesterday was my first time ever experiencing that and it was actually really interesting. I had the chance to introduce myself to the principal before leaving too and she was so sweet. I'm really happy with the way my first day went, and i'm very excited for the rest of the semester. So for whoever hasn't gone yet, i know it's easier said than done, but relax because there's really nothing to be nervous about. :)

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Response to Caiti's Blog - Amazing Grace


Caiti's blog post:

"Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol, Quotes

Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol was a serious tearjerker.  Every page had something shocking and horrible on it.  This piece really affected me.  I am glad that I read White Privilege by McIntosh first, because to be honest when first reading that article I did not agree with a lot of the “privileges” that were placed upon me and my race, but after reading Amazing Grace it opened my eyes to how truly blessed I am. 

This quote from Kozol demonstrates how the innocence of many children has been stolen from them due to the environment they were born into and the pain they go through everyday.  “He doesn’t answer me but smiles at the bears affectionately.  I saw a boy shot in the head right over there,” he says a moment later, in a voice that does not sound particularly sad, then looks up at me and ask politely, ‘Would like you like a chocolate chip cookie?’”   The way the little boy just mentions it in passing shows how little tragedy effects him since he has to deal with it every day, it is almost normal to him. 

So many people need help from the government and it makes me so angry that people that legitimately need it do not receive it.  “After she died, the checks began to come. Now they keep on coming.  Her boyfriend cashes them each month. She’s dead! They have to know she died. They paid to bur her.  They had to see the death certificate.” This shows how truly “effed up” the government systems are.  They finally help a woman when she is already gone. 

This story stuck out to me the most.  The little boy was sent to the store to buy three slices of pizza one for him and one for his mom and dad.  He saw a man less fortunate then him and gave him some pizza.  When Kozol asked the little boy if his parent were mad he gave away some pizza he responded, “ Why would they be mad? God told us share.”  This shocked me he has so little yet he still has the heart to give to the less deserving while there are people out there who have so much but do not give anything to the poor. 

In class I really want to talk about the first quote I mentioned, I do not understand how something as serious as seeing a child shot in the head could not faze a child.  I want to discuss how this could have happened in our society. "





Saturday, September 18, 2010

Moi ♥

Hey guys!
My name is Jess and i am a sophomore here at Rhode Island College. I am majoring in elementary education with a concentration in mathematics. I live in Coventry, RI but I was born in New Brunswick, Canada. I moved here when I was nine and I had to learn English in fourth grade while going to school, which, of course, was very challenging, but it has definitely made me a stronger person. 
I am one of seven children in my family. When we moved here, I had two brothers and one sister, but five years later, in 2005, my mother adopted three precious girls into our family. Being part of such a large family does get extremely frustrating and difficult at times, but nothing compares to how rewarding it is. 


I will be the first to admit that I am possibly the clumsiest person you will ever meet. I'm pretty outgoing, depending on the situation, and I love making people laugh. I love the color green and I adore the Earth, so take care of her!! 
I like...meeting new people and making new friends, dancing, laughing, taking pictures, making videos, going on roadtrips, and of course, listening to music. Music is the basis of my life. 
I have the most amazing best friend on this planet. We do everything together and she means the world to me. Although we have NO musical talent whatsoever, we love making music videos. We're basically professionals at it, and it's hilarious. Check them out sometime! http://www.youtube.com/abovebeingunder
One of my favorite quotes : "Live at the Bottom, even if you're at the Top"
I'm really looking forward to getting to know everyone in this class and to a great semester! 
Peace and Love,
Jess :)