Empowering Education

The article that we read this week was called Empowering Education written by Ira Shor.  I really liked this article because it talks about everything that I stand for when teaching and helping young people in the world today.  I agree with what the article says as well as what Zach said in his blog.  The author says what children should be focusing on school and how it shouldn't be solely focused on the three R's but on socialism and peeking ones curiosity.   Shor had quoted Piaget and said "If the aim of intellectual training is to form the intelligence rather than stock the memory, and to produce intellectual explorers rather than the mere education, than traditional education is manifestly guilty of a grave deficiency."  I agree with this.  Things should be taught to children in a way where they can ask questions and form their own opinion on the subject at hand.  Instead as students we are forced to memorize things and believe things taught and not to question.  One particular situation comes to mind for me when I was a freshman in high school and I was in biology class and the subject of evolution was being taught.  Now as an adult I understand evolution and what it is but when I was a child I didn't and I was brought up Catholic and I questioned my teacher about his and said that I was taught that God created everything.  Now I understand this concept but then I made a big deal about it and instead of working with me and trying to understand where I came from I was forced to sit in the office while this subject was taught and then later transferred into another biology class.  Now what if that caused some damage for me and I never questioned things again?  Some children will have one bad experience like that and it would end their curiosity and questioning forever.  I'm lucky that didn't happen for me. 

Like Zach said in his blog again school is very high pressure now a days and everything is related to test.  They make you work alone and then say well how come the kids do not socialize with each other.  It's because they are told not to.  I believe that working in groups and combining thoughts and ideas kids can come up with solutions for anything.  I also believe that as teachers we should push kids to be more and go get more.  Like the article says if empowered to do more kids can do anything they set their minds to.  The children should be able to think for themselves, decide what they want to do when they get older, and form their opinions about society and the world as a whole.  It's the teachers responsibility to do this, to push them to their potential.  This relates to the last few readings.  I believe that kids fail because no one gives them a shot.  It reminds of me this student in my service learning placement and I just talked about this in my journal.  This kid has a hard life and is a troubled kid and everyone gives up on him but his teacher now pushes him to do more and while I was there I pushed him to do more and to be a better person.  In the short time I've been there and watched him he has caught up on his work, got his internship set up and he found a job to help support his family.  I truly believe kids can do anything they set their minds to but it is on us to push them to ask the questions and to strive to make a difference and change. 

I found this video on youtube and it is a ted talk by Dr. Christopher Emdin who was the keynote at the promising practices and I think it fits nicely with this reading.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouudXr-csZg

Questions for the class:
As teachers how will you empower your students?
What changes would you bring to the classrooms?
How would you react to your students question the subjects at hand?

Social Justice Assignment- Promising Practices

I attended the Promising Practices here at RIC this year and I thought it was great.  When I first went in I wasn't sure what to expect and I wasn't sure if I was going to like.  My first workshop was Confidently Working Toward Your Career.  I thought the speakers did well but I didn't really relate anything to class but got some good stuff out of the workshop and how to build myself up and work toward what my goals are and how to achieve them. 

The second workshop was great.  It was called Expanded Learning Opportunities: Students Passions take the Lead.  I thought this workshop was cool and now after reading Kliewer's article it defiantly fits right in with that piece.  The speakers were from Central Falls High School and they talked about ELO programs inside their school and how it helps their students succeed in areas that they are passionate about.  First we sat and talked about the community garden that they set up in the area for students to grow flowers and vegetables and how it gave them experience in agriculture and farming.  The next person was a teaching inside the school and he had a program after school about safety and disaster protocol and fire safety and strength training.  I thought this was great because it gave students an opportunity to learn how to survive in certain situations but not only that they also can save lives like one of the students did.  Next we sat with Elizabeth Ochs who is the coordinator of the ELO program and she explained the program as a whole to use and what it does for students.  Each student has a program and has to follow and is responsible for what they need to do get it done. And then there was a student who came in and showed us one of his projects about code in the computer and how to recognize code but also how to right it down with instructions for the simulation to do and how it could be difficult.  I thought it was really cool.  This workshop defiantly relates to Kliewer's article but it also relates to the culture of power piece we read earlier in the semester and how the students of Central Falls are classified and judge and that the teachers there are working on making a difference to change the stereotypes that are set for their students. 

Next the Key Note Speaker Dr. Christopher Emdin was absolutely fantastic.  Again I wasn't sure what to think going into it and wasn't sure if I was going to like it but I did.  He spoke a lot about what we read in class and culture of power and segregation inside the schools in the country.  He stated at one point in the speech about how schools are still segregated and that because of the social classes in America basically separate race inside the schools.  He also talked about the military drill style that teachers have at times, which I am always talking about.  I could go on and on about how many topics he related to in our class but I'd be here typing all night.  I really like how he related Hip-Hop to the classroom and the norms of culture and the how expressing your mind is just like the music that he relates it too. 

Overall I really enjoyed the day and learned a lot and related a lot as well.  I didn't think it was going to be to too fun and it might be boring but it really wasn't.  It was fun and interesting and very motivating.  I love Dr. Emdin's speech and it really motivated me but the workshop with the Central Falls High School was fun and inspiring and interesting.  It motivated me to look at different ways to reach kids and make sure I do my best to have them strive to meet their dreams and goals.   

Kliewer-Citizenship in Schools

In this article the author Kliewer talks about the citizenship inside the classroom as it relates to children with down syndrome.  In fact any child with a disability is placed in Special Education classrooms whether they have down syndrome, autism, or some other type of disability.  I love how the Kliewer talks about teachers who made it the norm to intergrade their students with disabilities into the communication and community of the classroom.  As Kliewer states that is very important to live as we know it.  Networking, communicating, social interaction.  Students need social interaction to feel part of and motivate them to be better humans.  It is human nature to want to be part of and students with disabilities want to be part of too.  I love what Jessica said in her blog. "they have a disability, but their disability is not who they are."  I can not agree with her more.  People with disabilities are people too the disability is not who they are.  Just like Shayne's aide Anne was her own person and to be honest didn't really like working with children and yet the committee put her as an aide and she was going to have to do that for the rest of her life and not be happy.  But what she was happy with the most was movies and she wanted to be a Hollywood director and Shayne helped her get a job in a movie store. Shayne said "It's not Hollywood, but it's a start." And she is right.  Anne got a job and is good at it and knows everything there is to know about movies.  But because the committee didn't really listen to her they didn't know that and didn't think she could do it.  That is the problem, people in society think that people with a disability can't do certain things but if they just stopped and listened to them they might find out that they really can.  For example Isaac.  Just because he couldn't speak in words doesn't mean he didn't know what was going on or couldn't communicate.  He communicated in sounds and acting things out and was really passionate about it and good at it.  It was Shayne who had to figure out how to learn from him in order for her to teach him.

Now here is where the problem sets in.  Students with disabilities are segregated into classrooms with other students who have disabilities and not with the other students in the school for the most part.  Some students with disabilities are more severe than others.  Now I agree that every person with a disability is his or own person and I can only relate this to my own experience.  My fiancé's brother has sever autism and is one of the smartest people I know but struggles in social events and large crowds of people.  He can learn very quickly and can retain information but has a hard time staying focused.  Now in my opinion I do not like that they segregate the students but in my future brother in law's case this classroom helps him.  Now I believe that every student with a disability can be integrated into "normal" classrooms.  Some students with disabilities are good with music and can function in a normal music class.  Some can play an instrument and can be in band class.  Others are great in math and can take classes with the rest of the students in math class.  I believe every student with a disability can be in gym class with the other students.  This gets them into social interactions with other students and they can express their individuality.  Now in the case of my future brother in law, he is fantastic with computers, movies, and tv shows.  He can tell you how to play any type of computer game but not only that he can show you have to use computers, fix them and set up different programs on them.  He knows almost every movie and tv show.  So why couldn't he be integrated into some type of film class.  Or even better a type of tech class fixing computers?  He most certainly could be but isn't.  This is what Kliewer was talking about in the article and the citizenship of students and the dialogue.  Because people do not think that people with disabilities can think for themselves or even make the right decisions for themselves but they can.  They are their own person and know themselves better than anything and if people just took the time to listen to them and get to know them they would know what they want and what they are capable of doing.  It's human nature and yes people with disabilities might seem different but they feel the same way as everyone else does and in reality they just want to fit in.  Especially kids, every kid in high school wants to fit in and it is not different with kids with disabilities.  They want to interact with other kids and play with other kids and do what other kids are doing.  So why can't they?  This is a very touchy subject for me and I am very passionate about it.  I have always treated people the same way and that everyone is equal and that means people with disabilities as well.  My fiancé is a Special Education Pre-School teacher and I love volunteering in her classroom and working the little ones.  My brother works with adults with disabilities and I love visiting with his clients and talking to them about their day and their jobs and what is going on with them.  Like I said people could do so much more to make people with disabilities feel more part of and that is what this article is saying and what I am talking about here in the blog. 

Some questions for the class.  How many are looking to teach in Special Education?  How can you work on integrating your classroom once you are a teacher?  What can you do to change the "norm"?    

Literacy With An Attitude

 

While reading this article I keep thinking back about how school was for me and how I could relate to a lot of the things that were being said in the article by Finn.  I love the part of the piece where he talks about the study that Jean Anyon did inside the classrooms and how they are divided up into social classes in America.  I get so frustrated about the lack of encouragement inside classrooms and the lack of actual teaching.  What I mean by that is in every classroom that Anyon was in each teacher just followed the way its been for years like a robot.  Either right from the books or right from how it has been for years.  I put the picture above because schools are getting smaller and smaller and less participation and less of uniqueness and creativity for students.  Schools are getting shut down and children are dropping out more and more.  I believe that it's not just the lack of encouragement inside the classroom but it is the lack of enthusiasm from teachers and creativity to push the students to not only do better but to think outside the box and relate to the readings and the assignments.  Who says the classroom has to be boring?  Yes you have to teach certain material and the students have to learn it and follow certain guidelines but why does it have to be like a military drill style?  For example look at the way the seats are aligned in the picture above.  Why? Why not space them out differently?  I believe that kids learn through what they are interested in.  Get to know your students and relate your teachings to the way they learn.  Every child learns differently.  Instead teachers for decades teach the same way and I'll post a video to show this.  It has to do with social class like Finn shows in part of the article.  Teachers see how they were taught in the classroom and use it and some times never adapt to changes.  If the students aren't getting it so what as long as the follow the guidelines and do their job they will get seniority and move to a better school.  But what about when they get to the "better school" they teach the same way and students still struggle.  I am a believer that showing is the best way to teach, not just giving notes and reading from a book and just doing work and if a student doesn't get it you just assume that you know and can read it and understand it. But because people are programed to do things a certain way if you do it different than it's wrong.  For example this quote from the article. "When a girl realized what they were making and said she had a faster way to do it, the teacher answered, "No you don't.  You don't even know what I'm making yet.  Do it this way or it's wrong." Why is it wrong.  I see this a lot now in the classroom.  If I come to the same conclusion the teacher did why is it wrong if I did it differently.  This takes away from uniqueness and creativity for that particular student.  That's telling me I can not think for myself and it has to be done the way the teacher tells me.  There is no acceptance of change by the teacher.  Also due to lack of test scores teachers assume that students do know certain material therefore do not teach it to make things easier for students instead of expanding their minds to learn more material.  But not only that if the teachers give easier material and students get better grades they get better evaluations and can move on to making more money.  Since when did becoming a teacher matter about making the most amount of money rather than seeing students succeed and do better?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHzTUYAOkPM

 

This video is an old video and it shows right and wrong about teaching.  I thought it was good because it shows a lot of the stuff that was talked abo

ut in the article and what I have talked about in my blog.  I agree with the second half of the video about how to really teach the kids but again it is still like a military drill they way the students stand up and answer and are in the rows.  The first part of the video is awful and this still happens today.  Teachers say something and expect you know what it means. The harsh discipline for not doing well, and for acting up and getting punished.  Yes sometimes kids do things that are deserving of punishment but there is a way to handle certain situations and this video is from the either the 50's or 60's and they were trying to teach teachers to do better then and it still happens today.  Follow orders and just teach rather then teach and show. Things can be taught from the book but if you relate to your students and understand them and make things fun and interesting and test their knowledge and make students think, isn't that better?  Instead classrooms are boring and some students don't like to go because it's boring and some students don't like class because they are not pushed to their ability. 

 

In conclusion there is a major problem inside our schools and with some teachers.  I say some teachers because not every teacher is like the ones talked about by Finn but they are out there.  More than we think. 

Questions for the class:  As teachers how will you be different then the "normal" classroom that we all know?  How will you push more uniqueness and creativity inside the classroom?

Becoming Something Different

In this article a group of professors followed a young student by the name of Esme.  She is a Latina student in America but her heritage and home was Mexico.  This article shows the struggles of Spanish speaking students in America and how they are developmentally behind in school to American standards.  I really enjoyed reading this article.  It reminded me of the Rodriguez piece we read earlier in the semester.  Esme strived to well in school but some of the teachers didn't really understand how to teach her.  This happens a lot in schools and teachers do not focus enough on some of the other students and they loose interest and get frustrated which Esme did early in her schooling.  She wasn't confident to ask questions because she never really was given answers and that is how she defined teachers.  It wasn't until 7th and 8th grade that she became more aware of better teachers.  It was because she was placed in different classes or what they call resource classes.  The teachers here helped her more and taught her how do things rather than assuming she knew these things.  The resource classes helped Esme tremendously but it made her put a label on herself as if she wasn't in "regular" classes.  She understood she needed these classes but also understood that she needed to more to make something of herself.  Now what happened to her in high school I didn't like.  She was in three AP classes and she was doing well in two of them and struggling in the math class.  Now I agree with her taking herself out of the AP math class because she didn't fully understand it in the first place, could she have gotten yes probably but because she struggled from the beginning I think it was good for her to go down and pass the "regular" math class.  Now for the other two AP classes she was doing fine but the first sign of struggle she wanted to move down because she knew she could do it, but at the same time she wanted to stay up in the class too and if the teachers motivated her a little more to do better I think she would have done fine.  But because there was no motivation for her that she could do it she was fine with moving down.  I get so angry by this because as teachers they are supposed to bring the best out of children or at least try and encourage them to do better and make them feel like you are in their corner to succeed.  This didn't happen for her.  They also touch on the need to fit in in high school and Esme really wanted to make sure she fit in.  The pressures to fit in are so bad today but she really adjusted to it and didn't let it effect her school work. 

I love the shift in her speaking.  You could really tell throughout the article that she was getting better at speaking in English.  We also saw the shift in believing in herself which is exciting.  She first thought that college wasn't an obtainable goal for and as the article went on she really wanted to go to college and knew she could.  What I hate is that test that are mandated by the states.  Even though Esme was passing her classes and getting involved in school she still couldn't pass the TASK's and hadn't when she moved, and it said she wouldn't be able to graduate because of them.  I think that's awful because sometimes people do not test well or have other issues or even these tests are just hard in general and they make it very hard almost like they are weeding children out.  At the end of the article I enjoyed reading that Esme was doing to the cosmetology program so that she has a skill to have but wanted to go to college and use cosmetology to work while in school to provide assistance to her parents to help pay for it and to have money for herself. 

In conclusion I had my likes about the article but it made me think about what we are doing inside our school systems to really help children.  I know that I never want to discourage a student away from doing better for him or herself.  I also hate the standardize testing and I wish I knew how to go about changing this stuff because it really bothers me that it sets kids up to fail or that's what it seems like it does.  My goal is to push children to their full potential and to believe in them in whatever it is that they do or what to do.

My question for the class is: Social status in school is important to kids.  How important do you think it is?  What were some of your experiences with fitting in?  How would you teach children to either fit in or not to worry about it?

Teaching After Brown v Board of Education: Gloria Ladson-Billings, Michael Lomax, Gary Orfield on "The Other 3 Rs

The video called teaching after Brown v Board of Education: "The Other 3 R's was all about the problems inside the schooling in this country.  I enjoyed this video because it had a lot of information in it and I got a lot out of it.  I also enjoyed it because it hit on every reading that we have had in class this semester.  I found myself thinking back on our readings when they talked about the fact of race inside the class room and how students of color are set back and do not have the same opportunities as white's.  I thought about the Rodriguez reading when the panel was talking about the language barrier inside the schools and how teachers are not properly trained or schooled in how to teach children where English is their second language. 

There were a lot of different things that I liked about this video but some in particular were when Gloria started talking about the cut aways in the curbs in America for the handicapped, and how people who were not handicapped didn't want them but they were implemented and everyone benefits from them.  From the handicapped people to the women with the stroller and the father with child on his bike.  Then she says how it can be related to schools, where if you implement something for the less fortunate and start it from the bottom even in turn will benefit.  I also like when she brought up the part about how the schools are still segregated and not properly funded and how each school should be funded equally but they are not.  I think this is one of the biggest problems that we face in this country with the school system.  It reminded me of what Dr. Emdin said on Saturday at promising practices about how the population in the country determines the enrollment in the schools and in poor neighborhoods there are mostly people of color and that's what the schools are and in the richer neighborhoods there are more whites. This topic made me think of Kozol's piece we read and the neighborhood he was in and how it was for those people in that neighborhood and the schooling and what the success rate is.  I think that there is a big problem here in this country and we claim that there is equal opportunity here, but really where does the opportunity fall and who gets it? People of color do not get the same opportunities as whites, especially in poorer neighborhoods its even worse.  The fact that teachers do not want to teach in schools that have less opportunity, lower test scores, low success rates, and low pay is terrible but I agree with Orfield that these teachers need to live too.  Those schools do not pay well and the teachers cant survive on what's being paid.  Again it goes back to the funding issue.  Teachers want to make a difference in a child's life but also need to be able to survive in a country that is getting harder to live in then ever before.  Of course they will leave to go to a school for better money.  In my opinion though I want to make a difference in children's life no matter the money but not everyone thinks that way. 

Overall I enjoyed this video and got a lot out of it. I liked mostly everything except that they talked about a lot of the issues in America but didn't specify on some of the things they are doing to change it unless I missed that.  And also Gary Orfield couldn't keep his hands still and didn't stop moving the microphone the whole video that really bothered me because I do a lot of public speaking and that takes focus away a lot and distracts, it obviously distracted me.  Just a little peeve that I have sorry. 

Some questions I have are what is Kip School? And also this one is for the class.  How do you feel about going into the education field knowing that this exists, and how might you try and change this? Either on a small level or a larger scale? 

In the Service of What? Kahne and Westheimer

This article that we read this week was a good look into service learning and the difference between charity and change.  I completely agree with this article that the service learning should be focused more on change.  I like the idea of charity and it should be instilled in young peoples minds that they need to help those in need but in my mind it should be thought not to look through people and think that you are better than them just because you have more.  Young people should always get to know the people that they are helping.  It creates more of a bond and more of a learning experience for them to know what the bigger issue is and how they can help these individuals not only on a level of charity but how they can help change the bigger problem.  The little story about the middle school kids that went to the poor neighborhood school was the one I liked the most.  It showed how the parents preserved the area and how the news portrays the area and how completely different it was than what they thought.  After their show they got to talk to the kids and see who the kids really were and it gave them a different perspective on the area.   Now the author stated what else could have been done in this service learning but overall it was good for these kids and they engaged in conversations and got to know them.  To go further if they discussed and researched why their parents thought like this or why the news makes this neighborhood look bad and then how can it be changed would be going an additional step forward.  I related to this because I had a different perspective on the MET school that I am doing my service learning project at.  I had a student on my baseball team that goes to the MET and he was a socially awkward kid and didn't really fit in with kids in the public school.  He was outgoing and respectful and focused on his studies.  So going into the MET that was what I assumed most of the children were but I was wrong.  A lot of these children have problems at home, get distracted easily, have some authority issues, and need more help than most kids that I have met in the public schools.  So to relate to the reading, I worked on trying to get to know these kids on a more personal level and how I could help them do better in school and out of school. 

I love the aspect of change and how kids can change the world.  I help run a non-profit organization in Warwick RI and we have a lot of young kids volunteer with other younger students and mentor them.  It's like a big brother program.  We also do community cleanups and we get to know why the area has become the way it is and how we can change it.  We utilize the help of the local police officers to get data from the community and we meet in groups to discuss what we can do to change this in the community. Change comes from the people who teach you as you grow up.  When I was a kid there was a man who worked at the boys and girls club in my area, we were always doing service learning around the community that we lived in.  We did community cleanups, homeless awareness, fundraisers for the homeless, etc.  It was from this man that I learned how to better help children and be a positive figure in my community.  This man went on to be a teacher and a mentor to many children, me included and he became one of my best friends.  So when he passed away in 2012 we wanted to do something for him like he did for all of us.  We rebuilt a basketball court down the end of Oakland Beach and named it after him.  It started out as just one project with the Oakland Beach Association and it turned into the George Schmeider Memorial Association.  This is the non-profit I mentioned in the above sentences.  So when we talk about change it starts with the teachers and how they teach you to be better human beings and how you can change the bigger issues.  This is a video that hits close to home it was what we made to help raise money to start the whole association. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csAjYcPg4Vk

Overall I agree with the article and think that service learning is important but it needs to be more focused on the change. It is good to see children being better humans beings but we need to teach them how to make the bigger changes.   Yes the charity is important but the change is how you make a difference.    

Blog #5 Unlearning the Myths that Blind Us

After reading this article I can defiantly say that I agree with everything that was written.  I loved how Christensen made her class think about all the things that go on inside the media and how the media is so influential to young viewers.  I first thing that came to my mind when I started reading this was commercials.  Perfect example of this is the smoking ads in the 90's.  At that point in time smoking ad's had been around forever we all remember the Marlboro Man, but they started getting a little more geared toward kids and I would say parents started to notice more about these commercials and the health risks of smoking were more known by then as well. So in turn the took them off the TV.  As I continued to read I started thinking about the cartoons that I watched as a child and started thinking about Popeye and then when I turned the paged she referenced Popeye and I laughed.  I thought about when I was a kid my Uncle was a huge Popeye fan and we would watch the show all the time.  That show is one of the worst ones I could think of and Christensen seemed to think so too.  If you really look at it Popeye was the "Man's Man".  Always the hero, had a lot of pride and was rugged so was Bluto.  Then look at Olive Oil.  As women were looked at in the 40's you were supposed to be super skinny, Olive was, women were looked at as kind of ditzy and Olive was, and then she was always looking for the stronger man.  Think about what that does for both women and men or shall I say boys and girls.  It shows kids that if you are a boy you have to be tough and strong and a hero and you'll get the girl.  And as girls it shows that they have to be pretty, skinny and just go with the man that is the strongest.  This video of Popeye was the one that came to mind when she started talking about how cartoons portray anyone other than whites or even white Americans.  Popeye always shows any other ethnic group is weaker than White Americans.  The video is about Popeye and the Indians at least that's what its called they are not called Native Americans.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baUIo7Gg4J8

There are so many things in the media that as kids we see and want to be like.  As men we need the nice cloths, nice shoes, nice cars, money, in shape, and popularity to get the girls.  And as women they need to have some of the same things but used differently.  Women need the nice cloths, nice shoes, makeup, skinny/in shape, and popularity to get the guys.  That couldn't be any more untrue but the media makes us think like that through magazines, TV shows, movies, and so much more.  It's worse now than it was when I was a kid. 

I can't sit here and say all media is bad and all cartoons are terrible and our children shouldn't watch them.  I think as parents we should stay on top of what our kids watch and teach them right and wrong and about different things in society and life. Teachers can do this as well just like Christensen did in her class.  I couldn't never take cartoons away from kids some of my favorite memories are watching cartoons with my brother and my father on Saturday mornings.  It's just about how you teach our children what certain things are good and what things are bad. 

Speaking the Unspeaking

There were many authors in the article and at first I wasn't sure about the number of different views that each author would have but they blended everything together and I enjoyed reading the different stories that these teachers and researchers had.  I liked the one where the teacher Laura had come in and was "Cindy" rather than Cinderella.  She came into the classroom knowing not to cross too much of a boundary but also wanted to class to understand that a fairytale doesn't have to end with the princess marrying the prince.  She blended what happens in real life into her classroom and affectively gave her students another look on how the world operates.  She allowed the class to ask questions and gave appropriate answers that related to what the lesson was about. 
The staffroom "lingo" is a good insight to what is talked about in the private setting in the school rather than in the classroom.  I agree that talking about sex and sexuality between teachers should be talked about in the staffroom but if you want to bring it into the classroom it needs to appropriate and relate it to either readings that are being done or about topics relating to class.  Bringing this conversation into the classroom is very difficult because of parents and how some of the world views LGBT.  For example the father that had come into school about his son and said "I'm worried, my son's a fairy and what on earth am I going to do?"  He sounds concerned but he uses the word fairy and it shows that he doesn't understand what his son is going through nor does he accept it. 
The easiest way for conversations about LGBT is in the afterschool setting and the stories here prove that.  I thought it was great that Kate was able to "come out" to the after school group but she also knew that she wasn't teaching them everyday so it would be easier for her to explain it and then not have to worry about it everyday.  I love how her decision to talk about this led to conversations with parents and their children to talk about sexuality outside of school.  It also helped the boy who's dad didn't understand feel comfortable and realize that not everyone is like his dad and people will accept him for him. 
I think that it should be talked about more in the school setting because a lot of kids now don't understand what it is to be LGBT and it could help educate kids and might lessen bullies to those who are different.  It will also help the ones that feel different to make them feel more accepted and knowing that a teacher/adult understands what they are going through and can help them transition. Times are different now where we can talk about this  more in schools.  When I was in school it was a little harder but it was coming around to people being more understanding but you can go back even 20 years and if you were gay or a lesbian in school it was very taboo which is sad. 
In conclusion I believe that in the appropriate setting inside the classroom children should be educated about the differences in society and outside of the classroom we can continue to do projects like Kate did in order to make kids more comfortable with sexuality.  But there is still a fine line that you can not cross as a teacher and you have to remember not to offend or push views on children, because like the article states society still has this view that children in school or innocent creatures.  But as the times change so do the children and I think children are able to understand more and are not as fragile as people might think.

Hunger of Memory Post

This book Richard Rodriguez was about himself and how his native language was stripped away from him as a young child.  He is a Spanish speaking child at the age of 5 and is going to school in a catholic school trying to learn English.  At the home he speaks Spanish and he talks about how beautiful it is and how the sounds of his mother and father talk to him and how it is like a different world inside his house or "behind the screen door" than it is in the outside world.  He speaks about how he is shy in school and is shy around the neighborhood and that his family doesn't really know many people in his neighborhood.  But as the story goes on the nuns visit his house and basically make his parents have the children speak more English rather than Spanish in the home.  Richard slowly starts to learn the language but as it goes on the uniqueness and intimacy of his heritage language is slowly leaving him and the home.  He becomes distant from his parents but starts to fit in more at school and in the outside world.  The family starts to know the people in the neighborhood and Richard starts to have more friends and become more outgoing.  You would think that this is a good thing for Richard because he is living in America and needs to learn the language, but I would say that it is sad because Richard paints a picture of sadness because of the loss of his heritage.  He also talks about the anger of his relatives as well.  The reason I think this is sad is because he should have been encouraged to use both languages and the teachers should have tried to have an understanding of who Richard was and how they could keep both languages in his life.  

 

The last statement I made also relates to Meier's story about how to incorporate different languages in the schools and teach children how to use both.  That way it can keep a balance in the child's life.  Now to go back to Rodriguez's book, he didn't really have a choice and at the time in the world I don't think they were aware of the importance of bilingual students.  His teachers should have encouraged him to keep his language in his life as well as learning English.  In my opinion, I agree that a student of a different language should learn English but as teachers it is our job to not strip them of their first language or the heritage.  By they end of Richard's story he was barely speaking Spanish and he couldn't hear the sounds of his native language nor the sounds that intrigued him of the English language.  I came across this video that talks about bilingual students and how teachers can learn from them to help them teach the students.  I thought it was great because the teachers here made an effort to learn about their students languages and incorporate it in their teachings.  Not only does it help the student trying to learn English it also helps the students who know English adopt a second language and learn that as well. 

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09PrmLppQ1A

 

Questions to ask:

1. Why don't teachers do this more? 

2. Why isn't there more bilingual teaching going on in schools?

3. How can we incorporate more heritage into our schools?

Delpit: Other People's Children

The author of this article is Lisa Delpit and the part that we read was called the Silent Dialogue which is turn describes the silence that people of color have in the world because it is just easier for them.  I disagree with this because in my opinion everyone should be equal but that isn't the case all the time.  But rather than speak their mind the person of color keeps quite knowing that if they speak up it won't make a difference so to make things easier they don't say anything at all. 

The first part of this article is upsetting to me.  I know that this happens in the world and that people of color are looked down on and their knowledge sometimes isn’t valued and the “white folks” know what is best.  But that doesn't sit right with me!  But here's the deal with that, I know that people act differently and I can only speak for myself and I know that I don't act like but people do.  Two questions come to mind when people show racism towards people of color or even someone different then "white" 1. Is it fair? 2. When will it end?  It is so upsetting that this has been going on for hundreds of years and it has gotten better.  But has it really?  Just like in the article when Delpit says about the position of power in our schools and how it is geared more towards the middle and upper class kids and the lower class suffer.  It makes me cringe knowing that this goes on and that people actually justify it to make themselves feel better. 

I want to mention a little bit about power in reference to the article. In a position of power the one or group who is in power will always try to make the person they are trying to teach see it the way they see it.  A lot of people handle power differently.  Some can use the power and teach and be understanding to peoples learning abilities and then some yell, belittle, act arrogant and teach and say what they think is best regardless of people’s opinions or even knowledge, god forbid someone knows more than they do about something.  I know this from experience at a job where I was a boss and I also got bossed around so to speak.  I would use different tools to help my employees understand how to sell and would relate it them but I was in a world of negative teachings and my boss would belittle me and make fun and just was mean to the managers and it would rub off on me and I would find myself doing that to my employees and would have to catch myself.  I always would say I don't want to make these people feel the way I feel when I go into a meeting or to work.  I want them to be able to come to me and ask questions not fair me.  I feared the owner and it wasn't fun.  

I am attaching a video my blog this week because this article is reminding me what I am learning about in one of my other classes.  It is called blaming the victim yet this was in the 1950's some of this stuff goes on today and we are always blaming people of color for things so I thought it was fitting to this article and this post. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALmBinv19mc

Kozol's Amazing Grace

This chapter out of Jonathan Kozol's book Amazing Grace paints such an vivid image about what goes on in the "Ghetto".  The descriptive verbal illustration made it seem like I was right there with him.  He drove his point home that these places exist and it almost seems like they are just shipped into this neighborhood and left for dead.  I think that it is horrible. It reminded me of the piece that we read called the Silent Dialogue. The people in this neighborhood don't even bother to speak up anymore because they know they wont be heard.  For example the women Kozol talks to named Mrs. Washington she says "My doctor said that I should be on SSI.  He said, if I have to start all over, that's the program that I should apply for.  I told him I applied for it before, when I had cancer, but they said I wasn't sick enough. He said I needed to go and try again.  I don't know how sick you have to be to qualify for SSI"(Kozol 20).  She then goes on to say that her friend finally got money after she had died and that nobody know at the records office.  Come on now that is just wrong.  It's like they set you up to fail.    I knew places like this exist and I know they are terrible but I wasn't always like that.  There was a time in my life where I had no idea about what really went on in these types of neighborhoods and I got a dose of reality when I went on a business trip to Cincinnati.  This is like what Tanya's story in her blog is like.  I went there to work with my friend Kurt and he lives just on the outskirts of the city in a nice neighborhood but his mother and family live in the city.  He took me into the city and showed me around just like the little boy Cliffie did in the book and when I got there it was like a whole new world.  There were factories pumping out pollution into air, run down houses and housing project stacked side by side just like Kozol was talking about in NY.  No matter how sunny it was outside it always looked gloomy to me and had a atmosphere of just something totally different than what I was use to.  But the funny thing was that people had some positive attitudes and kids would play and run and there was a buzz a very different buzz but there was some positive energy. 

It saddens me that the kids suffer too.  They don't have a shot to make it out of the place they live and make a better life for themselves.  Mrs. Washington's daughter never moved out of the city just out of her mothers apartment.  And then this was stated too, "At the elementary school that serves the neighborhood across the avenue, only seven out of 800 children do not qualify for free school lunches.  Five of those seven, say the principle get reduced-priced lunches, because they are classified as only poor, bot destitute."(Kozol 3).  This reminds me of a project that myself and Kurt started to work on with other people he knew from his childhood neighborhood who had beat the odds and did well for themselves and moved out of the neighborhood.  The project was geared towards children in the inner city and they wanted to create a drop in center for youth to come and do afterschool programs, have computer access, tutoring, study hall, counseling, life coaching ect.  It was going to be set up to give kids in the area hope that they could get out of the "Ghetto" and be anything they wanted to be.  Now because it was a non profit it has to go through all the channels of the government to get funded.  And wouldn't you know it got denied.  It's just like in Kozol's book they group these people together and give them nothing and don't allow them to try and succeed.  In my opinion it's just awful.  And here I was growing up that everyone was equal and that is so not the case.  It's just what McIntosh was talking about in her piece. 

I'll end with this.  One part of the story really bothered me when Mrs. Washington was talking about the 15 year girl who died and earlier in the chapter it was mentioned that the uncle was trying to raise money for her funeral.  He didn't raise enough and this is what was said.  "The girl who died, the city had to bury her.  Her uncle couldn't raise the money for a funeral.  That means that she don't get no stone over her grave." "What do they put on it?" "I ask.  "They say she gets a number, she replies.  City don't have the money for the living.  I guess they think: Why waste it on the dead?" (Kozol 20,21).  That right there is the worst thing I have heard in a long time.  That was a human being she had a name lived a life yes a short life but it was her life and she had a name and the city can't even put it on where she is buried she just gets a number.  That's what these people are to them just a number just another number.  It is like we never moved out of slavery.  I cant believe that that still exists is appalling.  That is something I would like to talk about further and see who else it bothers or is it just me. 

About Me

My name is Michael Fratus and I am a Junior at Rhode Island College.  I am just coming back to school this year after taking 6 years off. I am majoring in Youth Development and want to work with children and adolescents.   My first week of classes went really well and I am excited to be back in school just a little nervous.  I work a lot outside of school as well as being a high school baseball coach.  I volunteer my time with two non profit organizations.  I enjoy all sports but baseball is my passion.  I enjoy a lot of different things and I look forward to sharing all sorts of views and opinions with you on my blog.  I hope it isn't too simple it is my first blog.