Privilege, Power, and Difference
Allan G. Johnson
In What Can We Do? Becoming part of the solution Johnson argues that privilege exists in social systems not individuals. Johnson says that " Privilege is created and maintained through social systems that are dominated by, centered on, ande identified with privileged groups." (p.141) People of privileged groups don't see themsevles as privileged because "they see it as a personal rather than a systemic problem,because they feel angry and deprived and closed to the idea that they belong to privileged groups, because they're blinded by prejudice, because they're afraid of what will happen if they acknowledge the reality of privilege."(140) I didn't always come from a privileged home, but now that I do, I don't ever want to think of the things to be taken from me. I know it does exist because I have experienced not being privileged, but now that I am, the thought of having that taken away, I can see why people of privileged groups deny everything.
Johnson argues that we as individuals cannot change this, but there are things we can do. He states that we have two myths that stop us from trying to correct oppression.
Myth 1: "its always been this way, and it always will"
Johnson talks about people choosing paths of greater resistence in this myth.
"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 permanance." (144) If everyone worked on making better choices, one person wouldnt be able to change everything, but if every person contributed in some way then maybe we could get a change.
Myth 2 : "Gandhi's Paradox and the myth of no effect"
In this myth Johnson argues that " The problem of privilege and oppression requires complex and long-term change coupled with short-term work to soften some of its worst consequences. This means that if we're going to be part of the solution, we have to let go of the idea that change doesn't happen unless we're around to see it happen." (145) Johnson is saying many changes can't happen overnight but if we thing of what will happen in the long run change can occur even if we don't see it in our lifetime. Things do take years to figure out. Look at different cars that come out, people just can't come up with these designs or models overnight, it takes a long process of many ideas put together to come up with the best reliable model.
What can we do? Johnson gives some suggestions as to what we can do, about privilege. He says a way we can try to end this or change it is to take risks.
Acknowledeg that the trouble exists, " An awareness of oppression compels people to speak out, to break the silence that continued oppression depends on. (152)
In the long run the argument that Johnson is making is that " When people join together to end any form of oppression, they act with courage to take responsibility to do the right thing, and this empowers them in ways that can extend to every corner of their lives."(170) If everyone was to take risks and work together, we may not get a big change right away but over time there will be a difference even if we don't see it in our lifetime, it needs to start somewhere and why not with us?
Friday, June 20, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Blog #11
Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome by: Christopher Kliewer
First of all, let me just say that this article was very difficult for me to read, so I lost most interest for it. I tried to stay focused and made my way through the article. I'm not to sure if what I got out of it is right...but at least I tried right?
I think what Kliewer was trying to say was that, when we see a person with down syndrome we automatically think that this person cannot function like a normal person in society because of their innability to learn or sometimes innability to communicate. Kliewer shows some examples of stories about children with down syndrome and the citizenship provided in the classrooms for them.
Kliewer talks about how communication is built on ability to listen "deeply" to one another. To communicate with different people gives everyone the oppurtunity to meet new people in our diverse society instead of being quick to judge one another. In this case I think its great because most children don't understand down syndrome and what that person has to live with everyday.
"Douglas Biklen has outlined, society itself is hurt when schools act as cultural sorting machines."(73) If other students are marginalized how are other students going to know what other people are like that live in our society? Why not start with the children in the classroom?
I really liked the passage about the little boy named Isaac who couldn't talk but the teacher encouraged him to tell Chris about his game and the teacher said "That's right Isaac. That's your favorite game." Even though she had no idea what he said. (p.76-77)
When Shaye Robbins was asked about her three students with down syndrome she responded;
"I don't tend to see Down Syndrome as something. If you look at those three kids running around the room, they're incredibly different from eachother. They're different in terms of what their bodies are like, how they best communicate, what they're like socially, their interests. And with those three kids in the room it would be hard to say, "this is how you should teach kids with Down syndrome. " They are not all alike" (p.85)
This shows that the students in her classroom are valued for their differences. Each student is a different citizen, and everyone is different. The three studnets have in common that they all have down syndrome but they are different people, they do function differently. You could have three white people in a room, yes they are the same color but are totally different people.
This article relates to alot of other articles read in class. Our society is different and we need to accept people for their differences, whether it be race, religion, gender, or even learning ability. All that matters in the long run is that everyone is valued as a citizen and is able to function as a citizen.
First of all, let me just say that this article was very difficult for me to read, so I lost most interest for it. I tried to stay focused and made my way through the article. I'm not to sure if what I got out of it is right...but at least I tried right?
I think what Kliewer was trying to say was that, when we see a person with down syndrome we automatically think that this person cannot function like a normal person in society because of their innability to learn or sometimes innability to communicate. Kliewer shows some examples of stories about children with down syndrome and the citizenship provided in the classrooms for them.
Kliewer talks about how communication is built on ability to listen "deeply" to one another. To communicate with different people gives everyone the oppurtunity to meet new people in our diverse society instead of being quick to judge one another. In this case I think its great because most children don't understand down syndrome and what that person has to live with everyday.
"Douglas Biklen has outlined, society itself is hurt when schools act as cultural sorting machines."(73) If other students are marginalized how are other students going to know what other people are like that live in our society? Why not start with the children in the classroom?
I really liked the passage about the little boy named Isaac who couldn't talk but the teacher encouraged him to tell Chris about his game and the teacher said "That's right Isaac. That's your favorite game." Even though she had no idea what he said. (p.76-77)
When Shaye Robbins was asked about her three students with down syndrome she responded;
"I don't tend to see Down Syndrome as something. If you look at those three kids running around the room, they're incredibly different from eachother. They're different in terms of what their bodies are like, how they best communicate, what they're like socially, their interests. And with those three kids in the room it would be hard to say, "this is how you should teach kids with Down syndrome. " They are not all alike" (p.85)
This shows that the students in her classroom are valued for their differences. Each student is a different citizen, and everyone is different. The three studnets have in common that they all have down syndrome but they are different people, they do function differently. You could have three white people in a room, yes they are the same color but are totally different people.
This article relates to alot of other articles read in class. Our society is different and we need to accept people for their differences, whether it be race, religion, gender, or even learning ability. All that matters in the long run is that everyone is valued as a citizen and is able to function as a citizen.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Blog #10
Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work
Jean Anyon
Anyon argues that schools in wealthy communities get a better education than those in the poor communities using many examples from this article. This article also demonstrates how these schools educate the students in a way that prepares them for which the community they live.
Jean Anyon begins talking about the communites in which the study was conducted. The first two schools observed were the working class schools where she says most parents have blue collar jobs that requires little or no skill, where the income is at or below $12,000.
The teachers at the working class schools teach students to follow procedures and steps.
"The teachers rarely explain why the work is being assigned, how it might connect to other assignments, or what the idea is that lies behind the procedure or gives it coherence and perhaps meaning or significance" (3 of 13)
While about these first two schools, I was wondering how the children stay focused in class when they are not being engaged in a way to answer questions, they don't even have the ability to come up with questions on their own. These children are going to end up like their parents. Children are supposed to go to school to acquire skills and gain knowledge but if the teacher isnt giving the knowledge or skills these students are possibly going to be making the very little money that their parents do. It actually annoyed me to read that children just take notes and do dittos that the teacher made up half of the time.
"Teachers made every effort to control the movement of the children" (5 of 13) This quote also shows that there is not trust between the teachers and the students. Everything in these two classrooms just seems so negative. Just because the community they come from isnt the best, isn't your job as a teacher to help these students learn something and be able to function and work in society???
The third school is the middle class school the population is a mixture of several social classes. The average income is $13,00-$25,000.
Unlike the other two schools, this school focuses on the students getting the right answer by listening to the teacher or reading books. The more right answers the better the grades.
The teachers in this school assing work where the students have to read and answer questions to make sure there is an understanding.
"I want to make sure you understand what you're doing-so you get it right." (5 of 13)
This method is a little better because the children are asked how they got the answer and the teacher makes sure there is an understanding of how the child arrived at the answer. I think the only problem is that the children constantly have to be under pressure to get the right answer all the time if they want to do good. A problem that is big in this classroom is that most of the work is based on book work and the students lack creativity to come up with their own ideas.
The fourth school the affluent professional school, the average income of parents in the community was $40,000-$80,000.
"In the affluent professional school, work is creative activity and carried out independently. The students are continually asked to express and apply ideas and concepts. Work involves individual thought and expressiveness, expansion and illlustration of ideas, and choice of appropriate method and material." (7 of 13)
In this community students are able to express their own thoughts and individual ideas. This is great compared to the other schools listed before becasue a person needs to be able to think on their own and have their own opinions and ideas. If a student is constantly writing down what the teacher writes down you're not allowing them to actually think about the question, while at this school in this curriculum students have that oppurtunity. This curriculum focuses more on Independent and creative learning. I think it is good to incoporate this in a classroom because children like to have fun and I think this is a great way to have fun and be learning at the same time. The other students who arent as privileged just store those "lists" in their minds and never have the thought process to go back and use them. The childrens ideas are valued, whether it is right or wrong.
The final school, the Executive Elite School
Family incomes in this community range from 100,000-$500,000 WOW haha
At this school, "Schoolwork helps one to achieve, to excel, to prepare for life."(9 of 13)
Children are challenged by this work. The are asked questions where they must come up with the reasoning on their own. I noticed the teacher has class discussions where she keeps all the children on their feet by asking random students questions, students will stay alert not knowing when the question may be put on them.
Teachers talk about current events with studenst, which i think is great, its important to know wahts going on in the world and some children may have questions or concerns they need to let out and talk about. However, I did not like how the children don't have the same oppurtunity to be creative with their writing and show their individuality. Most papers were research, which is very useful, but at such a young age children have so many ideas to express and the opppurtunity to be creative. The children are so young but are faced with adult repsonsibilites for example at the bottom of page 10 the teacher says to the students must make their own priorities, I think the teacher needs to set goals for the children or they will never know what is really expected of them, they need to know the codes of power for that classroom!
Another thing that was great about this last school was that there is so much trust in the students. " After the first two months of school, the fifth-grade teachers did not line the children up tochange classes or to go to gym, and so on, but, when the children were ready and quiet, they were told they could go--sometimes without the teachers."
"In the classroom , the children could get materials when they needed them and took what they needed from closets and from teh teacher's desk" (11of 13)
I think that being able to trust your students in a good thing, though some abuse the privilege and not be trusted. Also these students had access to materials that other students in other schools did not.
The "hidden curriculum" is that the schools make it seem like they are teaching the students about your average, history, math, science and writing skills. In reality, from reading this article it shows that the teachers are preparing the children from the social class from which they were born into. This is not good at all! We need to make all learning oppurtunities the same for every child because they didn't ask to be born in the class they were born into. Some schools dont have the same materials as others. Our system needs to come up with better ways as to where our taxes are always going and put more into our schooling system. What the students get out of their education is big because that is the future of our country. The next president could be going to the worst school right now and we just don't know it. OR maybe that student has the potential to be president but because of his social class and school he/she may never have the oppurtunity to run. Weneed to come up with a solution fast because it is unfair to the children.
Jean Anyon
Anyon argues that schools in wealthy communities get a better education than those in the poor communities using many examples from this article. This article also demonstrates how these schools educate the students in a way that prepares them for which the community they live.
Jean Anyon begins talking about the communites in which the study was conducted. The first two schools observed were the working class schools where she says most parents have blue collar jobs that requires little or no skill, where the income is at or below $12,000.
The teachers at the working class schools teach students to follow procedures and steps.
"The teachers rarely explain why the work is being assigned, how it might connect to other assignments, or what the idea is that lies behind the procedure or gives it coherence and perhaps meaning or significance" (3 of 13)
While about these first two schools, I was wondering how the children stay focused in class when they are not being engaged in a way to answer questions, they don't even have the ability to come up with questions on their own. These children are going to end up like their parents. Children are supposed to go to school to acquire skills and gain knowledge but if the teacher isnt giving the knowledge or skills these students are possibly going to be making the very little money that their parents do. It actually annoyed me to read that children just take notes and do dittos that the teacher made up half of the time.
"Teachers made every effort to control the movement of the children" (5 of 13) This quote also shows that there is not trust between the teachers and the students. Everything in these two classrooms just seems so negative. Just because the community they come from isnt the best, isn't your job as a teacher to help these students learn something and be able to function and work in society???
The third school is the middle class school the population is a mixture of several social classes. The average income is $13,00-$25,000.
Unlike the other two schools, this school focuses on the students getting the right answer by listening to the teacher or reading books. The more right answers the better the grades.
The teachers in this school assing work where the students have to read and answer questions to make sure there is an understanding.
"I want to make sure you understand what you're doing-so you get it right." (5 of 13)
This method is a little better because the children are asked how they got the answer and the teacher makes sure there is an understanding of how the child arrived at the answer. I think the only problem is that the children constantly have to be under pressure to get the right answer all the time if they want to do good. A problem that is big in this classroom is that most of the work is based on book work and the students lack creativity to come up with their own ideas.
The fourth school the affluent professional school, the average income of parents in the community was $40,000-$80,000.
"In the affluent professional school, work is creative activity and carried out independently. The students are continually asked to express and apply ideas and concepts. Work involves individual thought and expressiveness, expansion and illlustration of ideas, and choice of appropriate method and material." (7 of 13)
In this community students are able to express their own thoughts and individual ideas. This is great compared to the other schools listed before becasue a person needs to be able to think on their own and have their own opinions and ideas. If a student is constantly writing down what the teacher writes down you're not allowing them to actually think about the question, while at this school in this curriculum students have that oppurtunity. This curriculum focuses more on Independent and creative learning. I think it is good to incoporate this in a classroom because children like to have fun and I think this is a great way to have fun and be learning at the same time. The other students who arent as privileged just store those "lists" in their minds and never have the thought process to go back and use them. The childrens ideas are valued, whether it is right or wrong.
The final school, the Executive Elite School
Family incomes in this community range from 100,000-$500,000 WOW haha
At this school, "Schoolwork helps one to achieve, to excel, to prepare for life."(9 of 13)
Children are challenged by this work. The are asked questions where they must come up with the reasoning on their own. I noticed the teacher has class discussions where she keeps all the children on their feet by asking random students questions, students will stay alert not knowing when the question may be put on them.
Teachers talk about current events with studenst, which i think is great, its important to know wahts going on in the world and some children may have questions or concerns they need to let out and talk about. However, I did not like how the children don't have the same oppurtunity to be creative with their writing and show their individuality. Most papers were research, which is very useful, but at such a young age children have so many ideas to express and the opppurtunity to be creative. The children are so young but are faced with adult repsonsibilites for example at the bottom of page 10 the teacher says to the students must make their own priorities, I think the teacher needs to set goals for the children or they will never know what is really expected of them, they need to know the codes of power for that classroom!
Another thing that was great about this last school was that there is so much trust in the students. " After the first two months of school, the fifth-grade teachers did not line the children up tochange classes or to go to gym, and so on, but, when the children were ready and quiet, they were told they could go--sometimes without the teachers."
"In the classroom , the children could get materials when they needed them and took what they needed from closets and from teh teacher's desk" (11of 13)
I think that being able to trust your students in a good thing, though some abuse the privilege and not be trusted. Also these students had access to materials that other students in other schools did not.
The "hidden curriculum" is that the schools make it seem like they are teaching the students about your average, history, math, science and writing skills. In reality, from reading this article it shows that the teachers are preparing the children from the social class from which they were born into. This is not good at all! We need to make all learning oppurtunities the same for every child because they didn't ask to be born in the class they were born into. Some schools dont have the same materials as others. Our system needs to come up with better ways as to where our taxes are always going and put more into our schooling system. What the students get out of their education is big because that is the future of our country. The next president could be going to the worst school right now and we just don't know it. OR maybe that student has the potential to be president but because of his social class and school he/she may never have the oppurtunity to run. Weneed to come up with a solution fast because it is unfair to the children.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
One More River to Cross
"One More River to Cross" Recognizing the Real Injury in Brown: A Prerequisite to Shaping New Remedies
Charles Lawrence argues that we should evaluate the success of Brown vs. the board of
education he doesn’t only want us to evaluate the success but, instead where brown has left us as stated on page 281 in the introduction. Lawrence wants the people to see how children of color are affected by segregation. I did some research on the topic just to get a better background on it. I found that there are five cases under the one title of Brown vs. the board of education. All five cases have to do with colored students who were denied admission into a white “public place”.
The point that Brown was trying to make was that schools segregating children is unequal, which is goes against the fourteenth amendment. The Warren Court basically focused on segregation in schools, which is not the only point. Brown was not only trying to make the point that segregation was bad in schools, but also for a colored person trying to function in society. “By focusing on the effect of school segregation rather than it’s purpose the Warren Court confused the issue and led us to look to separation as the sole source of black children’s feelings of inferiority rather than at the larger institution of which segregated schools were only a small part.” (p283) It’s not the fact that the children were separated from the white children, it was the fact that they were labeled inferior. Under the fourteenth amendment the colored children should have the same opportunities as the white children but since they were labeled as inferior, the self esteem is gone and the encouragement for learning is missing. “Once blacks are labeled as inferior, they are denied access to equal societal opportunities. The resulting inadequate educational preparation , poverty of cultural backgrounds, and lack of experience constitute real limitations on their ability to contribute to society, and the prophecy of their inferiority is fulfilled.” (p286)
On page 286 Lawrence also asks “where do we proceed from here?” He believes that the courts inability to see what segregation is doing the children has made everything unsuccessful. Lawrence talks about how we must find a “remedy” for all this; “Following the rule that the remedy must match the injury, judges have ordered that schools be desegregated if there has been evidence of school segregation, that Blacks be given access to housing if there has been proof of discriminatory real estate practices, that Blacks be given jobs if there is sufficient evidence of discriminatory employment practices, and that states that have engaged in practices denying Blacks the vote cease and desist from engaging in those practices.” (287) For all these things to happen segregation as a whole needed to be abolished.
What we can do about this is, as future educators our job is stated on page 289, “The traditional role of all schooling throughout history has been to prepare young people for the roles they will assume in society.” If we have a segregated system how are we supposed to abide by the fourteenth amendment and give everyone equal opportunity putting, race, gender, religion, etc, to the side? Some people aren't very privileged and are stuck in the projects or a bad community. Most bad communities have poor school systems and what they get out of school is what is going to prepare them for the future.This court case has come a long way and it wasn’t easy for most young black children. Things have gotten better in our society but I will quote from the packet yet again, “There will always be one more river to cross” (281)
White Swim In Racial Preference
In this article Tim Wise states that we have made an effort to produce equal oppurtunities but the equality given to people of color is actually not equal. "Privilege, to us, is like water to the fish: invisible precisely because we cannot imagine life without it." (p. 2of 3)
What he is saying here is that we have so many privileges that we don't realize it, but when they're taken away to give someone else a chance at privilege people get angry.
He also talks about points that are given to students who attend college. The University of Michigan awarded only 20 points to students of color out of 150 points! "Michigan awards 20 points to any student from a low-income background,regardless of race. Since these poins cannot be combinede with those for minority status (in other words blacks don't get 40 points), in effect this is a preference for poor whites" (p.2)
This is an example where they try to make it look good that they are awarding points to people of color but in the long run a poor white person is able to get more points than a poor black person. Students who can't get points or help to go to college have trouble staying in school because they need to work to make more money and often times can't complete college so therefore, segregation comes into affect yet again, and the black people are working lower class jobs.
White people don't realize what privileges they have until they have lived in someone elses shoes. What we need to do is realize what we have and help other achieve success in our society. We can't just hand things over, I think everyone needs to work hard if you want to make it in society. If you shun people from getting the oppurtunity to work hard, and they have the intention too, then we need to change our system. There are people out there who truly want to make it, and make something of themselves. However, they will never get out of the projects or working a low income job if things do not change and if people don't realize the privleges that they really do have it will take a very long time for change.
Charles Lawrence argues that we should evaluate the success of Brown vs. the board of
education he doesn’t only want us to evaluate the success but, instead where brown has left us as stated on page 281 in the introduction. Lawrence wants the people to see how children of color are affected by segregation. I did some research on the topic just to get a better background on it. I found that there are five cases under the one title of Brown vs. the board of education. All five cases have to do with colored students who were denied admission into a white “public place”.
The point that Brown was trying to make was that schools segregating children is unequal, which is goes against the fourteenth amendment. The Warren Court basically focused on segregation in schools, which is not the only point. Brown was not only trying to make the point that segregation was bad in schools, but also for a colored person trying to function in society. “By focusing on the effect of school segregation rather than it’s purpose the Warren Court confused the issue and led us to look to separation as the sole source of black children’s feelings of inferiority rather than at the larger institution of which segregated schools were only a small part.” (p283) It’s not the fact that the children were separated from the white children, it was the fact that they were labeled inferior. Under the fourteenth amendment the colored children should have the same opportunities as the white children but since they were labeled as inferior, the self esteem is gone and the encouragement for learning is missing. “Once blacks are labeled as inferior, they are denied access to equal societal opportunities. The resulting inadequate educational preparation , poverty of cultural backgrounds, and lack of experience constitute real limitations on their ability to contribute to society, and the prophecy of their inferiority is fulfilled.” (p286)
On page 286 Lawrence also asks “where do we proceed from here?” He believes that the courts inability to see what segregation is doing the children has made everything unsuccessful. Lawrence talks about how we must find a “remedy” for all this; “Following the rule that the remedy must match the injury, judges have ordered that schools be desegregated if there has been evidence of school segregation, that Blacks be given access to housing if there has been proof of discriminatory real estate practices, that Blacks be given jobs if there is sufficient evidence of discriminatory employment practices, and that states that have engaged in practices denying Blacks the vote cease and desist from engaging in those practices.” (287) For all these things to happen segregation as a whole needed to be abolished.
What we can do about this is, as future educators our job is stated on page 289, “The traditional role of all schooling throughout history has been to prepare young people for the roles they will assume in society.” If we have a segregated system how are we supposed to abide by the fourteenth amendment and give everyone equal opportunity putting, race, gender, religion, etc, to the side? Some people aren't very privileged and are stuck in the projects or a bad community. Most bad communities have poor school systems and what they get out of school is what is going to prepare them for the future.This court case has come a long way and it wasn’t easy for most young black children. Things have gotten better in our society but I will quote from the packet yet again, “There will always be one more river to cross” (281)
White Swim In Racial Preference
In this article Tim Wise states that we have made an effort to produce equal oppurtunities but the equality given to people of color is actually not equal. "Privilege, to us, is like water to the fish: invisible precisely because we cannot imagine life without it." (p. 2of 3)
What he is saying here is that we have so many privileges that we don't realize it, but when they're taken away to give someone else a chance at privilege people get angry.
He also talks about points that are given to students who attend college. The University of Michigan awarded only 20 points to students of color out of 150 points! "Michigan awards 20 points to any student from a low-income background,regardless of race. Since these poins cannot be combinede with those for minority status (in other words blacks don't get 40 points), in effect this is a preference for poor whites" (p.2)
This is an example where they try to make it look good that they are awarding points to people of color but in the long run a poor white person is able to get more points than a poor black person. Students who can't get points or help to go to college have trouble staying in school because they need to work to make more money and often times can't complete college so therefore, segregation comes into affect yet again, and the black people are working lower class jobs.
White people don't realize what privileges they have until they have lived in someone elses shoes. What we need to do is realize what we have and help other achieve success in our society. We can't just hand things over, I think everyone needs to work hard if you want to make it in society. If you shun people from getting the oppurtunity to work hard, and they have the intention too, then we need to change our system. There are people out there who truly want to make it, and make something of themselves. However, they will never get out of the projects or working a low income job if things do not change and if people don't realize the privleges that they really do have it will take a very long time for change.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community by Dennis Carlson
Carlson argues that the school curriculum should educate students about homosexuality, "gayness". He argues that students should be accepting to someone who is gay or lesbian like they are taught to be accepting of people of other races.
"Throughout much of this century, the dominant idea of community in America was represented by what I call the normalizing community."
To most Americans being normal is being middle class and up white and heterosexual. This quote I believe to be true because how often do you read about people who are gay or lesbian, from another race, or sometimes even woman who have done something that have had a big impact. These people who are ignored or even untalked about are thought to be people in the United States who are "abnormal"
Carlson also points out that prejudice towards gays or lesbians has a big effect in the job market too. "Throughout this century, one of hte primary means of ensuring that gayness was an invisible presence in the school was through the dismissal of teachers who were found out to be homosexuals."(p.237)
This quote angers me to read. Just because someone is gay does not mean they arent qualified enough for a job. That person who is homosexual could probably make a better than I and you know what, if they worked harder than I did, well thats how it happens. To discriminate against topics like homosexuality and race and gender is rediculous. Once students leave the classroom, its definate that they will at least see one of these issues walking down the street or even happening in their own home. One student may have two moms or two dads, its just life, so I can't see why we have to hide reality from children who are learning.
Not teaching students about homosexuality can have a big affect to those who may be trying to figure out their sexuality identity or may already know what they prefer. For example on page 239 " These abuses get tolderated because gay teachers and students operate in an environment where they feel afraid to stand up for themselves, and becasue any discussion of gay people continues to be absent in the curriculum so that homophobia is not interrogated."
I think this contributes to those people who have homophobia. This is out of the ordinary to them to see someone who is attracted to the same sex. Those who are gay or lesbian have to keep something so bottled up inside out of the fear of what other people will think of them.
This article was difficult to read. At times I found myself rereading certain sections over and over again. I think more students should be exposed to homosexuality because if we are exposed to racism and that it's mean to be racist, this is just a stepping stone for people to be more accepting of others homosexuality. However, I don't think school curriculum's will adopt teaching about homosexuality at least people getting there opinions out there are a start.
"Throughout much of this century, the dominant idea of community in America was represented by what I call the normalizing community."
To most Americans being normal is being middle class and up white and heterosexual. This quote I believe to be true because how often do you read about people who are gay or lesbian, from another race, or sometimes even woman who have done something that have had a big impact. These people who are ignored or even untalked about are thought to be people in the United States who are "abnormal"
Carlson also points out that prejudice towards gays or lesbians has a big effect in the job market too. "Throughout this century, one of hte primary means of ensuring that gayness was an invisible presence in the school was through the dismissal of teachers who were found out to be homosexuals."(p.237)
This quote angers me to read. Just because someone is gay does not mean they arent qualified enough for a job. That person who is homosexual could probably make a better than I and you know what, if they worked harder than I did, well thats how it happens. To discriminate against topics like homosexuality and race and gender is rediculous. Once students leave the classroom, its definate that they will at least see one of these issues walking down the street or even happening in their own home. One student may have two moms or two dads, its just life, so I can't see why we have to hide reality from children who are learning.
Not teaching students about homosexuality can have a big affect to those who may be trying to figure out their sexuality identity or may already know what they prefer. For example on page 239 " These abuses get tolderated because gay teachers and students operate in an environment where they feel afraid to stand up for themselves, and becasue any discussion of gay people continues to be absent in the curriculum so that homophobia is not interrogated."
I think this contributes to those people who have homophobia. This is out of the ordinary to them to see someone who is attracted to the same sex. Those who are gay or lesbian have to keep something so bottled up inside out of the fear of what other people will think of them.
This article was difficult to read. At times I found myself rereading certain sections over and over again. I think more students should be exposed to homosexuality because if we are exposed to racism and that it's mean to be racist, this is just a stepping stone for people to be more accepting of others homosexuality. However, I don't think school curriculum's will adopt teaching about homosexuality at least people getting there opinions out there are a start.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Aria and Teaching Multilingual Children
Aria by Richard Rodriguez is a story about a young boy who must learn the English language which soooner takes over the "closeness" of his family. At school Richard says the nun's would constanly pressure him to answer and speak up. After a while the nun's became "fed up" with Rich-heard and confronted his parents "With great tact the visitors continued, Is it possible for you and your husband to encourage your children to practice their English when they are home?"(p.35) His parents were afraid to face authority and question the church. Richard claims this is the point where his family began to lose it's closeness.
"We remained a loving family, but one greatly changed. No longer so close;no longer bound tight by the pleasing and troubling knowledge of our public separateness." Richard then begins to explain that he realizes that he is an american citizen and his family began to learn neighbor names, get a telephone and share less words. He wasn't actually really sure what to call his parents anymore or have a conversation with them. This has to be hard for children in our school systems today who have parents that can't speak english so they have no choice but to speak their native language at home. At the end of this piece Richard Rodriguez argues that bilingual educaters that the people who speak another language are losing as much as they are gaining. We need the english language to survive in America but to compeletly deprive someone of it can change their family individuality.
Teaching Mulitllingual Children by Virginia Collier is a more optimistic piece when it comes to teaching bilingual children english. Collier gives seven guidelines for the teacher to use in the classroom. She explains what teachers are responsible for when teaching a classroom "Teachers are responsible for facilitating academic language development. Academic language does not come to kids automatically, just because they are in dominant English speaking locale."(p.225)
The guidelines can be very helpful when working with esl children. Guidelines 3 and 4 seem to be the most useful to me considering I work with ESl children as my service learning project. #3 "Don't teach a second language in any way that challenges or seeks to eliminate the first language." This would have been useful to Richard's teacher in the first peice. Some children have parents who can't speak english so at home they need that communication with their parents.
#4 "Teach the standard form of English and students' home language together with an appreciation of dialect differences to create an environment of language recognition in the classroom."(p.227) I see the point in this because when working with the students at teh elementary school they often don't know what some objects are called. For example one of the students had the work lake, and she didn't know what that was. I told her its a small body of water and I asked her how to say it in her language. She told me and I attemted to say it and seh began to laugh at me, and I told her see theres nothing to be ashamed of, learning a new language is very tricky. I can relate a lot to this piece because of my service learning project.
These guidelines produced by Collier will be useful so other students don't end up like richard rodriguez and can have a strong family life at home. If teachers in the classroom just put in a little more effort to help the children succeed in engilsh and still keep their native language.
"We remained a loving family, but one greatly changed. No longer so close;no longer bound tight by the pleasing and troubling knowledge of our public separateness." Richard then begins to explain that he realizes that he is an american citizen and his family began to learn neighbor names, get a telephone and share less words. He wasn't actually really sure what to call his parents anymore or have a conversation with them. This has to be hard for children in our school systems today who have parents that can't speak english so they have no choice but to speak their native language at home. At the end of this piece Richard Rodriguez argues that bilingual educaters that the people who speak another language are losing as much as they are gaining. We need the english language to survive in America but to compeletly deprive someone of it can change their family individuality.
Teaching Mulitllingual Children by Virginia Collier is a more optimistic piece when it comes to teaching bilingual children english. Collier gives seven guidelines for the teacher to use in the classroom. She explains what teachers are responsible for when teaching a classroom "Teachers are responsible for facilitating academic language development. Academic language does not come to kids automatically, just because they are in dominant English speaking locale."(p.225)
The guidelines can be very helpful when working with esl children. Guidelines 3 and 4 seem to be the most useful to me considering I work with ESl children as my service learning project. #3 "Don't teach a second language in any way that challenges or seeks to eliminate the first language." This would have been useful to Richard's teacher in the first peice. Some children have parents who can't speak english so at home they need that communication with their parents.
#4 "Teach the standard form of English and students' home language together with an appreciation of dialect differences to create an environment of language recognition in the classroom."(p.227) I see the point in this because when working with the students at teh elementary school they often don't know what some objects are called. For example one of the students had the work lake, and she didn't know what that was. I told her its a small body of water and I asked her how to say it in her language. She told me and I attemted to say it and seh began to laugh at me, and I told her see theres nothing to be ashamed of, learning a new language is very tricky. I can relate a lot to this piece because of my service learning project.
These guidelines produced by Collier will be useful so other students don't end up like richard rodriguez and can have a strong family life at home. If teachers in the classroom just put in a little more effort to help the children succeed in engilsh and still keep their native language.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
school context
My Volunteers in Providence (VIPS) placement was at Anthony Carnevale elementary school. I’m from Woonsocket Rhode Island so I don’t live in the greatest city, but compared to the district Anthony Carnevale is in, Johnson would say I’m very privileged. The district that the school is located is in a high traffic area. There are many one story houses that need repair, that have unattractive yards with tall grass and spray painted words on random buildings. Anthony Carnevale school surprised my sight actually. The school is a nice brick building and has crayon pillars, the inside is very clean, floors are always shined, and fresh painted walls. The school is a great environment for the children who attend school there.
The environment inside the school does not reflect the neighborhood that is outside. Each student in Anthony Carnevale has a locker, they don’t share lockers, each student has their own personal locker. Students line up in single file lines to make going up and down the stairs easier for other classes or staff that need to get by on the stairways. The room that I was placed in for was the reading/math room. In the reading room there are two teacher desks, one for the math coach and one for the reading coach. There are two big round tables with many chairs circling the tables. There are many bookshelves that hold so many books its almost like a small library. There is a television in the room however, I have never seen it used to see the purpose of it. In addition, there is only computer in the room for the teachers use only.
Above all, the reading/math room is used for the privacy of students who struggle with mathematics or reading. For example I work with a English as a second language student and that student just started school on a fifth grade level because of their age. It is embarrassing for that student to sit in the classroom and not be able to comprehend what everyone else can. Students in the class will often make fun of her because of the “babyish” words she needs to start off reading. In the reading room there is no one there to judge her. Everyone has something in common whether it be difficulty in reading or mathematics. There has also been another incident when working with the same student. The reading coach came to check on us one time to see how everything was going, and we were in the computer room, working on star fall.com. When the reading coach left the room she left the door open just a little bit, and the student did not say a word. I looked at her confused and I said to her “are you having difficulty sounding out the word? What’s wrong?” She pointed to the door and said “You need to close the door, everyone will hear.” I got up from my seat and closed the door, she began to read again.
The curriculum that I was told to use with the students may be different from the other classrooms. In other words, I work with ESL students who need special attention in learning the English language and being able to read it. The curriculum that I use with those students is; sight words, books on vowels, star fall.com and sometimes even games where the students don’t know they are actually learning and having fun at the same time. The sight words build the students vocabulary. Every word the student learns is another word added to the sight word list. The different books on vowels are interesting to read because the book will use such small words but each word focuses on the vowel sound being concentrated on in that book. The game that the students love to play when I come every Thursday and Friday is concentration. In the game of concentration I use about ten sight words and use two of each word. I shuffle the words and make two columns with the words facing downward. The student picks up the first card says the word, and picks up another card and says that word. If the two words do not match the student puts the cards back down where they picked them up and it’s the next players turn. I enjoy my time playing this game with the students because I let them win, and they don’t know that. The confidence the student gets from beating me is a great sight to see. Starfall.com is a great website for students to practice using the computer while at the same time learning new words and being able to read them. The website has different levels, the first level will start off by saying find the letter that completes the word pan. The letter p will be missing and the student has a row of letters they need to pick from that completes the word to make it say pan. The students enjoy using this website and often ask if we can save that for last because it’s the best part.
The pedagogy I follow is very structured. The reading coach set up a schedule that shows the students name and the time I go to the classroom to get the student and what time I bring them back. She has written down how everything should go. Today start off with this and end with that. Everyday is the same thing, it’s a routine and the students know that routine. Lisa Delpit may not agree with this structure of teaching because not every student learns the same way. Different students may have different “codes” when it comes to learning. However, with the very short time working those students I have already seen an improvement. The students know what is expected of them and why I’m here to help them. Which is pretty much the “culture of power”. I respect those students for their knowledge of what is expected because when they go home their lifestyles are so different it doesn’t reflect the teachers pedagogy. One student I work with was held out of school for two months by her parents because someone needed to stay home and take care of the grandmother while they worked. The schooling of girls is not valued in their culture as much as it is in ours. That student missing school for two months straight put her at a disadvantage and gives her less time to do homework or study. She knew that’s not what her teacher expected but, she had no choice.
I have not had many informal interactions at Anthony Carnevale Elementary School. One Friday I was working in a classroom since some of the students I usually work with were on a field trip. That morning I had spilt coffee on my shirt while driving. I was wearing a white shirt which is a bad combination! One student pointed out to me, “You have coffee on your shirt.”
I shrugged it off by saying “ Yes I was very messy today.” The student beside the one who pointed out I had coffee on my shirt said “you shouldn’t be talking, your shirt has a big hole in it.” That point in time was very awkward and I just pretended I didn’t hear what she said because I don’t know what to do in a situation like that. I felt really bad for the student but I just didn’t know what to say. There was just one other incident. A second grader that I tutor in reading would just not listen one day. She would stop reading, get up and go do other things that did no relate to what we were doing. I asked her nicely to come sit back down and continue. She acted like she didn’t hear me so I just brought her back to the classroom and took the next student. Again, I don’t know if that was wrong of me, I’m still learning these things myself, but I am in no position to discipline her so it just seemed best to bring her back to her classroom.
Using the school demographics from Information Works! I found that Anthony Carnevale Elementary School is 69% Hispanic, 15% White, 11% African- American, and 5% Asian. In addition, there are 78% of children who are eligible for free or reduced- price lunch and 22% are not eligible. In regards to the neighborhood, Johnson would say this is a very underprivileged neighborhood. The attendance rate for time out of school is only 7%. I was wondering that maybe the number is so low because the children need to go to school in order to eat. The Rhode Island Elementary time out of school is only 5% there isn’t much of a difference to take into consideration that maybe they need to eat. It’s only an assumption. I have also taken notice that Anthony Carnevale Elementary School has two secretaries, not only have I never seen two, one of them is Hispanic. I was in the office one day and the white secretary got a phone call but had to transfer it over to the Hispanic one who then began to speak Spanish. Having diverse secretaries is a great idea considering there are 24% of children who receive ESL and their parents need to be able to communicate with the school.
Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge the academic achievements of the students that attend this school. In mathematics Anthony Carnevale was compared to similar students statewide and the school was below forty percentile. The Anthony Carnevale school however reached in the sixty percentile, setting the bar for similar schools. In reading similar schools were in the forty-one percentile and Anthony Carnevale reach just below sixty percentile raising the bar higher yet again. In writing similar schools were in the thirty percentile and Anthony Carnevale Elementary School did it again setting the bar at the sixty percentile again. The reasons for these stats could be that the school values education and the students know the codes of power. I can see how this school values education because the extra students receive who need it, and the willingness of the staff to provide it. Another reason could be the involvement of the administration setting the goals for the teachers and students of this school.
Anthony Carnevale has changed my opinion over the course of my time being there. I thought the children were going to behave badly, and not listen because of the neighborhood in which they live. These students have proved me wrong. I see the students try when I work with them to sound out those words and smile when they succeed. The school honors the different cultures that exist. There are all different kinds of bulletins hanging up the in the main hallway with the names of different countries, the flag of the country and pictures of students who are from that country. The staff is very diverse as well. There are teachers of different race, and not just your typical “white” teacher. I’ll leave that school with a different outlook on different neighborhoods knowing that Anthony Carnevale Elementary school is the one who proved my stereotype wrong.
The environment inside the school does not reflect the neighborhood that is outside. Each student in Anthony Carnevale has a locker, they don’t share lockers, each student has their own personal locker. Students line up in single file lines to make going up and down the stairs easier for other classes or staff that need to get by on the stairways. The room that I was placed in for was the reading/math room. In the reading room there are two teacher desks, one for the math coach and one for the reading coach. There are two big round tables with many chairs circling the tables. There are many bookshelves that hold so many books its almost like a small library. There is a television in the room however, I have never seen it used to see the purpose of it. In addition, there is only computer in the room for the teachers use only.
Above all, the reading/math room is used for the privacy of students who struggle with mathematics or reading. For example I work with a English as a second language student and that student just started school on a fifth grade level because of their age. It is embarrassing for that student to sit in the classroom and not be able to comprehend what everyone else can. Students in the class will often make fun of her because of the “babyish” words she needs to start off reading. In the reading room there is no one there to judge her. Everyone has something in common whether it be difficulty in reading or mathematics. There has also been another incident when working with the same student. The reading coach came to check on us one time to see how everything was going, and we were in the computer room, working on star fall.com. When the reading coach left the room she left the door open just a little bit, and the student did not say a word. I looked at her confused and I said to her “are you having difficulty sounding out the word? What’s wrong?” She pointed to the door and said “You need to close the door, everyone will hear.” I got up from my seat and closed the door, she began to read again.
The curriculum that I was told to use with the students may be different from the other classrooms. In other words, I work with ESL students who need special attention in learning the English language and being able to read it. The curriculum that I use with those students is; sight words, books on vowels, star fall.com and sometimes even games where the students don’t know they are actually learning and having fun at the same time. The sight words build the students vocabulary. Every word the student learns is another word added to the sight word list. The different books on vowels are interesting to read because the book will use such small words but each word focuses on the vowel sound being concentrated on in that book. The game that the students love to play when I come every Thursday and Friday is concentration. In the game of concentration I use about ten sight words and use two of each word. I shuffle the words and make two columns with the words facing downward. The student picks up the first card says the word, and picks up another card and says that word. If the two words do not match the student puts the cards back down where they picked them up and it’s the next players turn. I enjoy my time playing this game with the students because I let them win, and they don’t know that. The confidence the student gets from beating me is a great sight to see. Starfall.com is a great website for students to practice using the computer while at the same time learning new words and being able to read them. The website has different levels, the first level will start off by saying find the letter that completes the word pan. The letter p will be missing and the student has a row of letters they need to pick from that completes the word to make it say pan. The students enjoy using this website and often ask if we can save that for last because it’s the best part.
The pedagogy I follow is very structured. The reading coach set up a schedule that shows the students name and the time I go to the classroom to get the student and what time I bring them back. She has written down how everything should go. Today start off with this and end with that. Everyday is the same thing, it’s a routine and the students know that routine. Lisa Delpit may not agree with this structure of teaching because not every student learns the same way. Different students may have different “codes” when it comes to learning. However, with the very short time working those students I have already seen an improvement. The students know what is expected of them and why I’m here to help them. Which is pretty much the “culture of power”. I respect those students for their knowledge of what is expected because when they go home their lifestyles are so different it doesn’t reflect the teachers pedagogy. One student I work with was held out of school for two months by her parents because someone needed to stay home and take care of the grandmother while they worked. The schooling of girls is not valued in their culture as much as it is in ours. That student missing school for two months straight put her at a disadvantage and gives her less time to do homework or study. She knew that’s not what her teacher expected but, she had no choice.
I have not had many informal interactions at Anthony Carnevale Elementary School. One Friday I was working in a classroom since some of the students I usually work with were on a field trip. That morning I had spilt coffee on my shirt while driving. I was wearing a white shirt which is a bad combination! One student pointed out to me, “You have coffee on your shirt.”
I shrugged it off by saying “ Yes I was very messy today.” The student beside the one who pointed out I had coffee on my shirt said “you shouldn’t be talking, your shirt has a big hole in it.” That point in time was very awkward and I just pretended I didn’t hear what she said because I don’t know what to do in a situation like that. I felt really bad for the student but I just didn’t know what to say. There was just one other incident. A second grader that I tutor in reading would just not listen one day. She would stop reading, get up and go do other things that did no relate to what we were doing. I asked her nicely to come sit back down and continue. She acted like she didn’t hear me so I just brought her back to the classroom and took the next student. Again, I don’t know if that was wrong of me, I’m still learning these things myself, but I am in no position to discipline her so it just seemed best to bring her back to her classroom.
Using the school demographics from Information Works! I found that Anthony Carnevale Elementary School is 69% Hispanic, 15% White, 11% African- American, and 5% Asian. In addition, there are 78% of children who are eligible for free or reduced- price lunch and 22% are not eligible. In regards to the neighborhood, Johnson would say this is a very underprivileged neighborhood. The attendance rate for time out of school is only 7%. I was wondering that maybe the number is so low because the children need to go to school in order to eat. The Rhode Island Elementary time out of school is only 5% there isn’t much of a difference to take into consideration that maybe they need to eat. It’s only an assumption. I have also taken notice that Anthony Carnevale Elementary School has two secretaries, not only have I never seen two, one of them is Hispanic. I was in the office one day and the white secretary got a phone call but had to transfer it over to the Hispanic one who then began to speak Spanish. Having diverse secretaries is a great idea considering there are 24% of children who receive ESL and their parents need to be able to communicate with the school.
Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge the academic achievements of the students that attend this school. In mathematics Anthony Carnevale was compared to similar students statewide and the school was below forty percentile. The Anthony Carnevale school however reached in the sixty percentile, setting the bar for similar schools. In reading similar schools were in the forty-one percentile and Anthony Carnevale reach just below sixty percentile raising the bar higher yet again. In writing similar schools were in the thirty percentile and Anthony Carnevale Elementary School did it again setting the bar at the sixty percentile again. The reasons for these stats could be that the school values education and the students know the codes of power. I can see how this school values education because the extra students receive who need it, and the willingness of the staff to provide it. Another reason could be the involvement of the administration setting the goals for the teachers and students of this school.
Anthony Carnevale has changed my opinion over the course of my time being there. I thought the children were going to behave badly, and not listen because of the neighborhood in which they live. These students have proved me wrong. I see the students try when I work with them to sound out those words and smile when they succeed. The school honors the different cultures that exist. There are all different kinds of bulletins hanging up the in the main hallway with the names of different countries, the flag of the country and pictures of students who are from that country. The staff is very diverse as well. There are teachers of different race, and not just your typical “white” teacher. I’ll leave that school with a different outlook on different neighborhoods knowing that Anthony Carnevale Elementary school is the one who proved my stereotype wrong.
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