Chapter 9: What Can We Do? By: Allan Johnson
This chapter is about…
Privilege
Oppression
Dominance
Change
Society
Community
Difference
Groups
Discrimination
Acknowledgement
Race
Gender
Class
Ability
Author’s Arguments:
Allan Johnson argues that we must face the challenges that are before us when it comes to privilege and power and ask what we can do in order to make a change in our society.
“ Since people can always choose paths of greater resistance or create new ones entirely, systems can only be as stable as the flow of human choice and creativity, which certainly isn’t a recipe for permanence.” pg 129
“ Whether we help change systems of privilege depends on how we handle the belief that nothing we do can make a difference, that the system is too pig and powerful for us to affect.” pg 131
“There is no easy answers to the question of what can we do about the problem of privilege. There is no twelve-step program, no neat set of instructions. Most important, there is no way around or over it: the only way out is through it. We won’t end oppression by pretending it isn’t there or that we don’t have to deal with it.” pg 136
Since this is my last blog of many I don’t want to bore you with my brilliant words of wisdom, but I will. I have learned from this last chapter of the Allan Johnson book “Privilege, Power and Difference” that you can not fix a problem or approach a problem if it is never spoken about. If I have a problem and my friend asks me what is wrong and I don’t tell them then how is it suppose to be fixed, how am I suppose to get the answers I am looking for without asking them? I think that when it comes to teaching this is going to be a very valuable lesson that I am glad that I am learning early in my education. We need to teach our students and ourselves that it is okay to talk about certain topics because they are not going to go away anytime soon. It teaches everyone involved about responsibility and maturity when discussing these topics. If we don’t get these topics out in the open between the faculty and the students how with everyone feel comfortable in the classroom when everyone will be too afraid to say what it is that they want without trying to offend someone. The more you deny there is a problem the bigger the issue it becomes. For example in the movie Big Daddy, when Julien spills the milk on the floor and covers it up with newspaper, it isn’t going to make the spill go away by covering it up. (I took this example from my think piece #1).
We fear things that we don’t know about, which make it harder to trust people that are different from us. But if we are able to expand our walls and give others insight on different cultures we will be able to let go of our fear of difference and embrace them. We shouldn’t be inclined to put a label on what is the right or wrong way of living because the differences are what make this country a melting pot. We cannot define people by their disabilities or race, but by the people they actually are. We are going to have to try to break the stereotypes if we are ever going to be able to get along and work together. If everyone just tried to make themselves better and do the little things and then we could put all of that together and that could make a difference. No one should ever tell you that the little things that you do don’t make a difference because they do. They can become a model for you students or friends to do the right thing. This chapter was a nice summary of what Johnson is trying to say and how we need to take these lessons and use them in our classrooms.
Well, I am afraid that I have finished my last blog! It has been a blast! It is so weird how I don’t have to do anymore of these, and I guess in a strange way I will miss it…NOT! I don’t want anyone to take it personal, I think it is a great idea, but you know what I mean. I hope you liked everything I had to say and I would love an A+ on this project and for the class. (Just thought I should throw that in there.)
Monday, December 3, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Talking Points #9
“School Girls: Young Women, Self-Esteem and the Confidence Gap” By Peggy Orenstein
This article is about:
Gender
Equality
Society
Women
Rights
History
Lesser
Male
Female
Education
Gender-fair classrooms
Male dominance
Author's Arguments:
Peggy Orenstein argues that there should be gender equality within the curriculum giving students the opportunity to study both men and women which will allow the students to open their eyes to both genders being of equal importance.
“‘It disturbed me that although girls were willing to see men as heroes, none of the boys would see women that way.’” pg 5
“‘I think that it’s the resentment of losing their place. In our other classes, the teachers just focus on men, but the boys don’t complain that that’s sexist.’” pg 11.
“‘Because I include women, I’m seen as extreme. If I took those lessons out and concentrated only on men’s experience for a whole year, that would be ‘normal’’” pg 14.
As a girl I never really thought of making the curriculum in my classroom more female based, not making it the more dominant gender, but making it equal to the male gender. I think how Ms. Logan did it in her class was interesting making all of the boys do their projects on a female and all of the girls do it on a male. For a girl, to do a project on a male and to dress up like them isn’t a big deal because it happens all the time. When a group of girls have to do a project and one has to dress up like the boy, it isn’t a big deal. But if a group of all boys has to do a project and one has to dress up like a girl, they change the project all around. But since Ms. Logan made it necessary for all of the boys to do a monologue of a woman in history, it wasn’t as big as an issue as it could have been.
I think that it is so funny how much this society has gone backwards when it comes to sexuality and gender. In the ancient Greece, homosexuality was a normal thing, and everyone did it, and it wasn’t as huge of an issue as it is today. Some people shun others who are gay, when it used to be the normal way of life. The same goes for the theatre, who do you think played the women in all of Shakespeare’s plays? That’s right, men! Now when we have to talk about women in history and when these kids had to dress up like them and become the person, it wasn’t considered to be normal. I think that it is a way to teach the struggle that women had and that these young boys can help change the way women are treated. I would defiantly do an exercise like this in my class. It might not be considered normal, or well received by the parents, but at the end of the day if the students learn something from it, nothing else will matter.
This article is about:
Gender
Equality
Society
Women
Rights
History
Lesser
Male
Female
Education
Gender-fair classrooms
Male dominance
Author's Arguments:
Peggy Orenstein argues that there should be gender equality within the curriculum giving students the opportunity to study both men and women which will allow the students to open their eyes to both genders being of equal importance.
“‘It disturbed me that although girls were willing to see men as heroes, none of the boys would see women that way.’” pg 5
“‘I think that it’s the resentment of losing their place. In our other classes, the teachers just focus on men, but the boys don’t complain that that’s sexist.’” pg 11.
“‘Because I include women, I’m seen as extreme. If I took those lessons out and concentrated only on men’s experience for a whole year, that would be ‘normal’’” pg 14.
As a girl I never really thought of making the curriculum in my classroom more female based, not making it the more dominant gender, but making it equal to the male gender. I think how Ms. Logan did it in her class was interesting making all of the boys do their projects on a female and all of the girls do it on a male. For a girl, to do a project on a male and to dress up like them isn’t a big deal because it happens all the time. When a group of girls have to do a project and one has to dress up like the boy, it isn’t a big deal. But if a group of all boys has to do a project and one has to dress up like a girl, they change the project all around. But since Ms. Logan made it necessary for all of the boys to do a monologue of a woman in history, it wasn’t as big as an issue as it could have been.
I think that it is so funny how much this society has gone backwards when it comes to sexuality and gender. In the ancient Greece, homosexuality was a normal thing, and everyone did it, and it wasn’t as huge of an issue as it is today. Some people shun others who are gay, when it used to be the normal way of life. The same goes for the theatre, who do you think played the women in all of Shakespeare’s plays? That’s right, men! Now when we have to talk about women in history and when these kids had to dress up like them and become the person, it wasn’t considered to be normal. I think that it is a way to teach the struggle that women had and that these young boys can help change the way women are treated. I would defiantly do an exercise like this in my class. It might not be considered normal, or well received by the parents, but at the end of the day if the students learn something from it, nothing else will matter.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Talking Points #8
"Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome" by Christopher Kliewer
This article is about…
Downs syndrome
Community
Citizenship
Disabilities
Democracy
Equality
Individuality
Creativity
Unique
Opportunity
Author’s Argument:
Christopher Kliewer argues that through citizenship people with Down syndrome can be recognized as creative and thinking individuals that can add something unique to the learning community.
“Acknowledge students with Down syndrome as thoughtful, creative, and interesting learners with personal identities that distinguish them from all other people suggests an individual value that enhances any context containing the child.” pg 208
“They’re different in terms of what their bodies are like, how they best communicate, what they’re like socially, their interests… it would be hard to say ‘this is how you should teach kids with Down syndrome.’ They are not at all alike.” pg 207
“To eliminate a single person through any form of banishment, no matter how benevolent the logic, reduces the web and makes the community a less democratic and less rich place.” pg 212
When I was started to read this article I didn’t know what to expect. I knew that I would be interested because I am a special education major, but I didn’t know what point they were trying to make when I began to read. But as I continued all I could think of was tracking and how much this article relates to Jeannie Oakes’s article that we read a couple of weeks ago. I was amazed how quickly I made that connection and to be completely honest, I was very proud of myself. What I think Kliewer is arguing is that we need have children with Down syndrome in our classrooms because we can not exclude them from their education just because we think that they cannot learn the material. Just because they cannot express themselves as we can in everyway, they have different ways of expression and they can bring a unique way of learning to the classroom.
I have wanted to be a special education teacher since I can remember and I have volunteered and observed in many classrooms. I have never thought about having students with Down syndrome in a mainstream classroom. I know that people with Down syndrome are loving and friendly and they would be great for a mainstream classroom, but it is the reception of the other students I would be worried about. Some people don’t feel comfortable around people with disabilities, but if the interaction happened at an early age I think everyone could benefit by the collaboration. I have never thought about this before and I think if it is done properly could really help everyone involved.
This article is about…
Downs syndrome
Community
Citizenship
Disabilities
Democracy
Equality
Individuality
Creativity
Unique
Opportunity
Author’s Argument:
Christopher Kliewer argues that through citizenship people with Down syndrome can be recognized as creative and thinking individuals that can add something unique to the learning community.
“Acknowledge students with Down syndrome as thoughtful, creative, and interesting learners with personal identities that distinguish them from all other people suggests an individual value that enhances any context containing the child.” pg 208
“They’re different in terms of what their bodies are like, how they best communicate, what they’re like socially, their interests… it would be hard to say ‘this is how you should teach kids with Down syndrome.’ They are not at all alike.” pg 207
“To eliminate a single person through any form of banishment, no matter how benevolent the logic, reduces the web and makes the community a less democratic and less rich place.” pg 212
When I was started to read this article I didn’t know what to expect. I knew that I would be interested because I am a special education major, but I didn’t know what point they were trying to make when I began to read. But as I continued all I could think of was tracking and how much this article relates to Jeannie Oakes’s article that we read a couple of weeks ago. I was amazed how quickly I made that connection and to be completely honest, I was very proud of myself. What I think Kliewer is arguing is that we need have children with Down syndrome in our classrooms because we can not exclude them from their education just because we think that they cannot learn the material. Just because they cannot express themselves as we can in everyway, they have different ways of expression and they can bring a unique way of learning to the classroom.
I have wanted to be a special education teacher since I can remember and I have volunteered and observed in many classrooms. I have never thought about having students with Down syndrome in a mainstream classroom. I know that people with Down syndrome are loving and friendly and they would be great for a mainstream classroom, but it is the reception of the other students I would be worried about. Some people don’t feel comfortable around people with disabilities, but if the interaction happened at an early age I think everyone could benefit by the collaboration. I have never thought about this before and I think if it is done properly could really help everyone involved.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Talking Points #7
“One More River to Cross”- Recognizing the Real Injury in Brown: A Prerequisite to Shaping New Remedies---By Charles Lawrence
This article is about…
Brown vs. the Board of Education
Segregation
Inferior
Superior
Education
Society
Community
Equality
Inequality
Government
Author’s Arguments:
Charles Lawrence argues that the decision of the court case Brown vs. the Board of Education established schools to desegregate; however it did not set a time frame as to when and how schools were to desegregate.
“Each step forward was just that, a step. There would always be ‘one more river to cross.’” 281
“Segregation violated the equal protection clause because of its empirically demonstrated discriminatory effect on the educational opportunity afforded blacks.” 283
“The Court’s refusal to recognize and articulate the real nature of segregation in Brown and its progeny has fostered an attitude and approach to the elimination of segregation that necessarily be unsuccessful.” 286
I completely agree with what Charles Lawrence is saying because the Brown case came to a close with the decision to desegregate schools in the United States; however it was an urgent decision because it wasn’t until years later that they really enforced the verdict. I learned about this case and the cases that followed this in one of my classes last year and the things that occurred from the time of the first decision to the time of Brown II was unacceptable. If they were going to pass a clause that stated that there was no longer going to be segregation then they should have enforced it more.
Finally when segregation no longer occurred in the school systems it didn’t stop what was going on in the real world because discrimination and racism was still taking place in many working environments and equal opportunity was not taking place. I don’t know what I would do if any of this would have happened to me. I think I would have been so angry because finally when the government did do something they didn’t enforce it because they didn’t want to come with a proper system to change what was going on. For the most part I think that I understood this article, however there were certain parts that could have been summarized and didn’t need to go into the detail that it did. And since I know about this particular court case I found it repetitive, but I did agree with the article. I guess I had mixed emotions.
This article is about…
Brown vs. the Board of Education
Segregation
Inferior
Superior
Education
Society
Community
Equality
Inequality
Government
Author’s Arguments:
Charles Lawrence argues that the decision of the court case Brown vs. the Board of Education established schools to desegregate; however it did not set a time frame as to when and how schools were to desegregate.
“Each step forward was just that, a step. There would always be ‘one more river to cross.’” 281
“Segregation violated the equal protection clause because of its empirically demonstrated discriminatory effect on the educational opportunity afforded blacks.” 283
“The Court’s refusal to recognize and articulate the real nature of segregation in Brown and its progeny has fostered an attitude and approach to the elimination of segregation that necessarily be unsuccessful.” 286
I completely agree with what Charles Lawrence is saying because the Brown case came to a close with the decision to desegregate schools in the United States; however it was an urgent decision because it wasn’t until years later that they really enforced the verdict. I learned about this case and the cases that followed this in one of my classes last year and the things that occurred from the time of the first decision to the time of Brown II was unacceptable. If they were going to pass a clause that stated that there was no longer going to be segregation then they should have enforced it more.
Finally when segregation no longer occurred in the school systems it didn’t stop what was going on in the real world because discrimination and racism was still taking place in many working environments and equal opportunity was not taking place. I don’t know what I would do if any of this would have happened to me. I think I would have been so angry because finally when the government did do something they didn’t enforce it because they didn’t want to come with a proper system to change what was going on. For the most part I think that I understood this article, however there were certain parts that could have been summarized and didn’t need to go into the detail that it did. And since I know about this particular court case I found it repetitive, but I did agree with the article. I guess I had mixed emotions.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Talking Points #6
“Tracking: Why Schools Need to Take Another Route” by Jeannie Oakes
This article is about…
Education
Tracking
High-level students
Low-level students
Unspecial students
Change
Separation
Learning
Enthusiastic/Unenthusiastic
Richer environment
Equality
Parents
Teachers
Administration
Author’s Argument:
Jeannie Oakes argues that the tracking system in schools needs to be taken out and replaced with a more beneficial system that will affect all students equally in order to help all students be successful.
“Students who are placed in high-quality groups have access to far richer experiences than other students.” pg 179
“Alternative strategies, while not simple to implement, promise to help schools reach their goal of providing high-quality, relevant education to all students.” pg 179
“If students of all abilities are to benefit from being taught together, classrooms will probably need to be organized far differently, providing a diversity of tasks and interactions with few “public” comparisons of students’ ability.” pg 181
When I was younger I had a reading problem, which required me to have extra help in reading, writing and comprehension. I think that if I had to completely go into a lower level class because of that I wouldn’t have been able to succeed. I don’t really like to talk about how hard school is for me and about everything that I had to do in order to be where I am today, but I am at the stage in my life where I feel it is okay to talk about my learning troubles and not be judged about it because I am in college. In elementary school I think because I was in a mainstream classroom I was able to improve my learning ability and the speed at which I learn because I had no other choice. But I also was able to learn from my peers by watching how they would approach a problem and how they learned. It made me work even harder because I wanted to be able to help some of my classmates the way they helped me. Maybe I am just naïve, but I feel like tracking didn’t occur as much in my elementary school. I was given the extra help and support when I needed it, but people weren’t put in separate classes in elementary school because of their learning levels, I see this occurring more in middle and high schools. It started in the eighth grade when you could take algebra or just regular math, then in high school with college prep classes or honors classes. I eventually made it to the honors classes, but it took a lot of hard work.
I think that the main thing that teachers have to do is know that every student does not learn the same way, and because of that they must teach each individual student and not the class as a whole. In order for every student to benefit the teacher must learn not to compare the learning speed of one child with the learning speed of another child because we are all different. If it comes down to teachers taking a different approach to a certain unit in order to help and benefit each individual better then that is what the teacher should do. If we are to separate the high-quality students from the low-quality students and teach them differently then we will have less successful students. Then if you have a separate category that has the “unspecial” students, or the average students, then they will not have the confidence in themselves to succeed because people consider them to be “unspecial.” Some of those average students grow up to be millionaires because they have different strengths, and that is because every student is different. Tracking need to be a thing of the past because what really matter is each individual student.
This article is about…
Education
Tracking
High-level students
Low-level students
Unspecial students
Change
Separation
Learning
Enthusiastic/Unenthusiastic
Richer environment
Equality
Parents
Teachers
Administration
Author’s Argument:
Jeannie Oakes argues that the tracking system in schools needs to be taken out and replaced with a more beneficial system that will affect all students equally in order to help all students be successful.
“Students who are placed in high-quality groups have access to far richer experiences than other students.” pg 179
“Alternative strategies, while not simple to implement, promise to help schools reach their goal of providing high-quality, relevant education to all students.” pg 179
“If students of all abilities are to benefit from being taught together, classrooms will probably need to be organized far differently, providing a diversity of tasks and interactions with few “public” comparisons of students’ ability.” pg 181
When I was younger I had a reading problem, which required me to have extra help in reading, writing and comprehension. I think that if I had to completely go into a lower level class because of that I wouldn’t have been able to succeed. I don’t really like to talk about how hard school is for me and about everything that I had to do in order to be where I am today, but I am at the stage in my life where I feel it is okay to talk about my learning troubles and not be judged about it because I am in college. In elementary school I think because I was in a mainstream classroom I was able to improve my learning ability and the speed at which I learn because I had no other choice. But I also was able to learn from my peers by watching how they would approach a problem and how they learned. It made me work even harder because I wanted to be able to help some of my classmates the way they helped me. Maybe I am just naïve, but I feel like tracking didn’t occur as much in my elementary school. I was given the extra help and support when I needed it, but people weren’t put in separate classes in elementary school because of their learning levels, I see this occurring more in middle and high schools. It started in the eighth grade when you could take algebra or just regular math, then in high school with college prep classes or honors classes. I eventually made it to the honors classes, but it took a lot of hard work.
I think that the main thing that teachers have to do is know that every student does not learn the same way, and because of that they must teach each individual student and not the class as a whole. In order for every student to benefit the teacher must learn not to compare the learning speed of one child with the learning speed of another child because we are all different. If it comes down to teachers taking a different approach to a certain unit in order to help and benefit each individual better then that is what the teacher should do. If we are to separate the high-quality students from the low-quality students and teach them differently then we will have less successful students. Then if you have a separate category that has the “unspecial” students, or the average students, then they will not have the confidence in themselves to succeed because people consider them to be “unspecial.” Some of those average students grow up to be millionaires because they have different strengths, and that is because every student is different. Tracking need to be a thing of the past because what really matter is each individual student.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Dumbledore is Gay?
As a huge fan of all seven Harry Potter books I have to say that I wasn't at all bothered by the recent coming out of the character of Albus Dumbledore. I read it and I wasn't sure at first if the paper was talking about the actor or the character, but as I read further it was the fictional character that was outed by the creator of the revolutionary series herself.
I have read all of the Harry Potter books several times, including this summer to freshen up for the seventh book, so all of the stories are pretty fresh in my mind. I keep trying to think of hints and clues that J.K. Rowling left behind, but none stood out. The only thing that I could think of is that in the part of the seventh book when reporter Rita Skeeter wrote a book called "The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore" when she mentioned that Dumbledore and another powerful wizard Gillert Grindelwald became close friends for a few months until they had a disagreement about what they would do to change the wizarding world and they never saw eachother again until Dumbledore defeated him years later. But even this part of the book wasn't an obvious clue, the only reason why I thought of it was because that is what the paper said.
J.K. Rowling didn't have Dumbledore prancing around with a pink wand trying to suduce Harry. He was a little busy trying to keep Voldemort, oh sorry, You Know Who, from killing all non-pure wizards and gaining domination over the wizarding world. He didn't make up all of these things about the prophecy and how Harry was the "Chosen One" just because he wanted to get a little alone time with him. He was trying to protect him from the dark lord.
It is crazy to think that priest would pull these books and movies from their libraries just because Dumbledore happens to be gay. Let me say again that he didn't say anything about his sexuality in the book, the only reason why we know he is is because of the author. Priests of all people shouldn't be judging others about their sexuality when there is major corruption going on in the church, but that is a different topic for a different day. What would Carlson think about this?
I have read all of the Harry Potter books several times, including this summer to freshen up for the seventh book, so all of the stories are pretty fresh in my mind. I keep trying to think of hints and clues that J.K. Rowling left behind, but none stood out. The only thing that I could think of is that in the part of the seventh book when reporter Rita Skeeter wrote a book called "The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore" when she mentioned that Dumbledore and another powerful wizard Gillert Grindelwald became close friends for a few months until they had a disagreement about what they would do to change the wizarding world and they never saw eachother again until Dumbledore defeated him years later. But even this part of the book wasn't an obvious clue, the only reason why I thought of it was because that is what the paper said.
J.K. Rowling didn't have Dumbledore prancing around with a pink wand trying to suduce Harry. He was a little busy trying to keep Voldemort, oh sorry, You Know Who, from killing all non-pure wizards and gaining domination over the wizarding world. He didn't make up all of these things about the prophecy and how Harry was the "Chosen One" just because he wanted to get a little alone time with him. He was trying to protect him from the dark lord.
It is crazy to think that priest would pull these books and movies from their libraries just because Dumbledore happens to be gay. Let me say again that he didn't say anything about his sexuality in the book, the only reason why we know he is is because of the author. Priests of all people shouldn't be judging others about their sexuality when there is major corruption going on in the church, but that is a different topic for a different day. What would Carlson think about this?
Monday, October 29, 2007
Talking Points #5
“Teaching to Change the World” by Jeannie Oakes and Martin Lipton
This article is about…
Myths
Metaphors
Rules
Power
Government
Education
Social class
Schools
American schools
Children
Parents
Perception
Profit
Competition
Testing
Future
High performing
Author’s Arguments:
Oakes and Lipton argue that our educational society bases our education system on myths and metaphors of what education should look like. Education is supposed to be for every child and that everyone can succeed, but the system guarantees that some students won’t.
“Americans can love all their children and want them to prosper while maintaining institutions and social structures that guarantee that some students won’t.” pg 18
“It had become clear that regardless of their merit, some people could never overcome the disadvantages with which they began.” pg 20
“Many well-off Americans saw ‘the problems’ as poor people themselves rather than the social and economic conditions that made them poor.” pg 21.
To be completely honest when I was reading this article I highlighted a few key points and sentences, but I don’t really think that I got the point of the article. I feel like it said a lot of stuff and I only pulled out that throughout the years we have become so competitive as a nation, whether economically or socially, that it has carried over into academics and is becoming increasingly harder for not only minorities to get into good schools of higher education, but people of the main ethnicity also. The academic standards are set so high that it is guaranteeing some students to fail and not succeed like they should in the public’s eyes.
This might be completely off the topic, but school is not for everyone, and this society has made it possible that now not even a college degree can guarantee you the dream job. Now it is required to get a masters degree and a doctrine, and whatever else they can come up with. When will all of the schooling be enough? There is only so much school a person can go through before it is time for them to go out into the real world and gain some experience. You could have all of the degrees in the world, but if you don’t have experience out there in the real world, then what good will it do. Society thinks that making it more challenging to get into school is better for us in the long run, when it is really hurting society because some either can’t afford it, or are not good enough based on these perfect standards.
I am pretty positive that I just went off on this big rant of basically how expensive school is and how if society would lower their standards a little they might see more success stories then failure. I think it will be interesting to see what my classmates have to say tomorrow, because I have no idea what this article was trying to say.
This article is about…
Myths
Metaphors
Rules
Power
Government
Education
Social class
Schools
American schools
Children
Parents
Perception
Profit
Competition
Testing
Future
High performing
Author’s Arguments:
Oakes and Lipton argue that our educational society bases our education system on myths and metaphors of what education should look like. Education is supposed to be for every child and that everyone can succeed, but the system guarantees that some students won’t.
“Americans can love all their children and want them to prosper while maintaining institutions and social structures that guarantee that some students won’t.” pg 18
“It had become clear that regardless of their merit, some people could never overcome the disadvantages with which they began.” pg 20
“Many well-off Americans saw ‘the problems’ as poor people themselves rather than the social and economic conditions that made them poor.” pg 21.
To be completely honest when I was reading this article I highlighted a few key points and sentences, but I don’t really think that I got the point of the article. I feel like it said a lot of stuff and I only pulled out that throughout the years we have become so competitive as a nation, whether economically or socially, that it has carried over into academics and is becoming increasingly harder for not only minorities to get into good schools of higher education, but people of the main ethnicity also. The academic standards are set so high that it is guaranteeing some students to fail and not succeed like they should in the public’s eyes.
This might be completely off the topic, but school is not for everyone, and this society has made it possible that now not even a college degree can guarantee you the dream job. Now it is required to get a masters degree and a doctrine, and whatever else they can come up with. When will all of the schooling be enough? There is only so much school a person can go through before it is time for them to go out into the real world and gain some experience. You could have all of the degrees in the world, but if you don’t have experience out there in the real world, then what good will it do. Society thinks that making it more challenging to get into school is better for us in the long run, when it is really hurting society because some either can’t afford it, or are not good enough based on these perfect standards.
I am pretty positive that I just went off on this big rant of basically how expensive school is and how if society would lower their standards a little they might see more success stories then failure. I think it will be interesting to see what my classmates have to say tomorrow, because I have no idea what this article was trying to say.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Talking Points #4
| “Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us” by Linda Christensen This article is about… Fairy tales Cartoons Inequality Myths Secret education Culture Media Domination Stereotypes Embedded Manipulation Dreams Imagination Standards Perfect Author’s Arguments: Christensen argues that society needs to become aware of the inequalities portrayed in children’s movies, literature and cartoons, and use these stereotypes to image what a better world it would be without this “secret education.” “The ‘secret education’…delivered by children’s books and movies, instruct young people to accept the world as it is portrayed in these social blueprints. And often that world depicts the domination of one sex, one race, one class, or one country over a weaker counterpart.” Page 126 In the Little Mermaid the students noticed that “‘Look, Ursula the sea witch is ugly and smart. Hey, she is kind of dark looking. The young, pretty ones only want to hook their man; the old pretty ones are mean because they are losing their looks.’” page 130 “They accept the inequalities in power and exploitative economic relationships. Their acceptance teaches me how deep the roots of these myths are planted…” page 132. I have to say that I completely agree with this article because everyone wants their life to be a fairy tale and live happily ever after, but even though we dream this, we know that it won’t end up just as we planned. But these movies and cartoons are an excellent escape for children to experience and to broaden their imagination, but where do we draw the line? I feel like you can’t just say to a child, this will never happen so don’t even think about it or get your hopes up, they do have to learn on their own, but another side of me wants to tell these kids that it is very unrealistic because life isn’t perfect and life isn’t fair all the time. These cartoons and movies can also make a child feel awful about themselves because they don’t look like the people in the movies. They do not have that hour glass shape, and they don’t have the blond hair and the blue eyes to match their perfect skin tone. It is still hard for me to accept the fact that I will never be skinny like the people I see in the movies or in the news because that is not who I am, it is hard sometimes, but it is reality. There is the notion that you can’t be smart and pretty at the same time; you have to be one or the other. That stereotype needs to be broken because it gives girls the idea that in order for people to like you that they have to loose a sense of themselves along the way, and that is no way to live. Also how all of the pretty girls are always thinking about boys and that once they have a husband they will have children and that will be their job, and for some people that is enough, but women don’t just have to be wives and mothers. And the older they get doesn’t mean that they get mean because their looks are going. The sad thing is that we have made it a fact and a part of our lives that this is the way it is suppose to be. Poor people are not suppose to be happy and they don’t deserve a leading role, or to be cared about, and if you are rich you can be guaranteed a leading role and for everyone to know that you are important. These stereotypes need to be broken because not all step mothers are evil, and not all fat people are ugly and mean. If these didn’t exist then everyone would feel better about themselves, I know that I would. |
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Talking Points #3
| “Gayness, Multicultural Education and Community” by Dennis Carlson This article is about… Gayness Education Community Equal opportunity Stereotypes Out casting Fear Difference Normalization Silence Invisibility The “norm” Hurtful words Teachers Students Author’s Arguments: Dennis Carlson argues that gay men and women have been kept in their place in both the community of education and in society and how difficult the world has made it to be gay. 1. Gayness in the school and its techniques of normalization: First, erase gayness from the curriculum. Second, the “closeting” of gay teachers and lastly, verbal and intimidation of gay teachers and students. Page 236 2. “One way of normalizing curriculum or text works is by presenting students with a ‘selective tradition’.” Page 236 3. “Abuses are tolerated because gay teachers and students operate in an environment where they feel afraid to stand up for themselves.” Page 239 When I read this article I couldn’t help but put myself into different situations if I were a teacher and these issues were brought up, I was thinking about what I would do. And as I read on I found out what not to do, and that is to completely ignore the topic if it comes up in the classroom. Now if I was going to teach high school, and this topic came up I wouldn’t have a problem with my class talking about it, and I would express my opinion. But what would I do in an elementary school classroom? How would I approach the students and tell them in a way that they understand? And I was thinking that I would try to avoid the situation because I wouldn’t want to cause any problems with the students parents because that is something no teacher needs. But I can’t just ignore it with elementary students because they will not rest until they hear an answer that is satisfactory. I think that my dilemma is a key example of what our society thinks about talking about being gay in the classroom. We don’t want to step on anyone’s toes so we ignore the situation, but it really isn’t helping the situation. Allan Johnson says that just because we don’t address a particular issue, doesn’t mean that it will just go away. So if someone were to ask me in my classroom “what does gay mean?” or anything about this subject I would have no choice but to address it, but I am struggling to think of the best way of approaching it. I believe that everyone is different, from the way we talk, and the way we look all the way to our sexuality, we are all different and that is what makes us who we are. No one should have to hide who they are because of public opinion, and that means in the education community. I don’t think that teachers should talk about their personal lives with their students, but they shouldn’t be punished or have less opportunity because of their sexuality. This topic can lead to controversial arguments and that is why people don’t like to talk about it. |
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Talking Points #2: Rodriguez
| “Aria” By Richard Rodriguez This article is about… Culture Citizen Language Americanization Family Voice Disadvantage Embarrassment Bilingual School English Education Prejudice Home Society Public Acceptable Individual Tone Sounds Author’s Arguments: Richard Rodriguez argues that bilingual education must be taught so that the student gains the knowledge of the dominant language of the society in order for them to succeed in that society, and also to continue to speak the language that the child already knows and is accustomed to. This not only leads to the students being comfortable in the classroom, with their peers and in public, but embraces their cultural differences as well as similarities with the dominant culture. 1. A sense of culture and your heritage enriches your mind; you shouldn’t have to throw that away in order to participate in the dominant culture. For example, the three nuns came into the house to tell the parents to encourage their children to speak English when they are at home. As much as they have to try to speak English because that is the dominant language and if they don’t it would be harder to succeed, but they shouldn’t have to loose their individual self while they are learning a new culture. pg 35 2. Americanization is the most important thing, but also is a sense of culture and a sense of self. We should embrace a new culture, just as other cultures embrace the American culture. Americanization is about differences in each other, and if we were all the same then we wouldn’t be America. pg 36 3. Family is lost because the children are learning more about the dominant culture then the parents are, and because of this their own culture has taken a backseat and has become an embarrassment, which lead to the loss and strength of their family. pg 37 When my dad was younger he was part of a large Italian family, with many aunts and uncles who came over from Italy. My dad and his cousins were all around the same age and when my grandparents heard him speaking Italian to his cousins, they would tell him to speak English. The same went for his sister and the rest of his cousins. The adults would speak Italian to each other, but English to their children. They wanted their children to succeed in this society and that started with the language. Now my dad can understand bits and pieces of what others are saying when speaking Italian, but not everything and he can no longer speak it himself. Now he wishes that he could speak the language because it is apart of his culture. A sense of culture should be brought into the classroom because it creates diversity. Without diversity we wouldn’t be able to have the meaningful experiences that make us who we are today. Just like in Aria, Richard was told to loose part of his culture, maybe the most important part, the language, and become devoted to American culture. However, being diverse and having a different heritage from others is what this country is all about. So why do we try to make everyone Americanized, when our ethnic differences make us the country we are today? |
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Talking Points #1: McIntosh
| "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" by Peggy McIntosh This article is about... privilege race racism opportunities society advantage disadvantage denial recognition dominance Author's Argument: McIntosh argues that even though equality and opportunity isn’t suppose to be just for white middle class people, but for every race. However, our society is racist on a subconscious level that we continue to allow white middle class to be the dominant power in our society. 1. In school and in society it has always been taught that racism is a horrible thing and that it puts deserving people at a disadvantage. And even though we try to fight racism and say that we as individuals are not racist, the fact remains that white people are born into a society with advantages that may or may not be deserved. (page 1 paragraph 2) 2. Whites are taught not to recognize that there is white privilege because that would lead to confrontations and then leading others to think that racism is involved. (page 1 paragraph 3) 3. We have been told that racism would end of we just changed our attitudes, but being white leads us down paths that are not necessarily paved for people of a different race, whether we approve or not. (page 6 paragraph 1) |
It is hard to believe that white dominance is still happening in the twenty first century, but that is what is still occurring in our society. I want to believe that every man and woman is created equal. If this is true then why is there still the stereotype of American society being a white society? The best thing about this country is so great is that it is the land of opportunity, but if opportunity is only available, and easier to achieve for the dominant power, then this isn’t he country it says it is suppose to be.
I believe that each person should have an equal opportunity to succeed. Our society connects success to education, and that education is the most important thing, I believe that this is true considering that I am going to be a future educator, but higher learning isn’t for everyone. This country makes it impossible for anyone to be successful without a college degree. And if higher education is the only way to get ahead and for people be successful, then it should be affordable and available to anyone and everyone. Maybe this is me being naïve, and hoping for the best, but maybe there is a way that this thought could become a reality. Success, opportunity and privilege should not just be for white America, but for all of American society.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Hey Everyone
| So I will start by introducing myself. I am Stephanie, and a Sophomore at RIC and am 19 years old. I live in Smithfield, Rhode Island and my major is elementary education with a concentration in special education. Since we are only a couple weeks into the semester everything is going pretty well so far. I can't complain just yet. I like all of my classes and my teachers, which makes school a little bit easier and bearable. I am a member of both the Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field team here at RIC, were I am a thrower. When I am not at practice or meets I like to hang out with my friends, watch movies and just relax. I enjoy watching any sporting event, but my favorite teams are the Boston Celtics, Red Sox, NY Giants, Patriots and NE Revolution. I am pretty easy going. Some say that I am quiet, but I open up more once you get to know me. But I am willing to help anyone or discuss anything, all you have to do is ask. Well, I think that's it! I hope you enjoyed reading my first blog EVER! |
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