preschoolers at lunch

i cannot figure out how to put up a youtube video....but here is the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6nOylHnvYQ

Talking points 10

"What Can We Do?" by Johnson

Argument:
Johnson argues that in order create equality and fairness, we have to ask why. We must recognize the path of least resistance and try our hardest to deviate away from it, into a path that is not typically taken. In order to take another route, we have to stand up for what is not right, not participate in mean jokes about race, sexuality, etc. We must raise our voices, stand up, and plead for a change.

Quotes:

• "Or look at the names and mascots used by local sports teams and see if they exploit the heritage and identity of Native Americans."

In Johnson's first article, he says to take the risk. If we see injustice take place we should take it upon ourselves and ask the question why. Why are teams being named after Native American tribes? We should also make people feel uncomfortable by standing up and taking a risk.

• "In the end, taking responsibility doesn't have to involve guilt and blame, letting someone off the hook, or being on the hook yourself."

This quote means being proactive. You don't have to do anything earth shattering, but you can do little things to make a difference. By not participating in oppressive behavior, such as name calling, laughing at racist/sexist jokes, and finding little ways to withdraw, can make a big difference in the long run. Like Delpit says, we should not be silenced. However, we have to be aware of what silence does....NOTHING!

• "It's one thing to become aware and quite another to stay that way. The greatest challenge when we first become aware of a critical perspective on the world is simply to hang on to it."

I think this quote means to become aware of a problem, but not just hold it inside. You have to become a preacher and stand up. We have to pay attention to different forms of oppression. Once we realize this, we have to work with other people outside of our inner circle of friends/family. We cannot just stay aware of a problem, we have to do something about it.

Comments:

I thought this article was a fabulous one to end with. It tied in every author and argument throughout the semester. I thought that the jigsaw puzzle activity we did in class was a great way to understand the article. Also I got a lot of different perspectives from everyone in the class.

To sum things up in a quote from Emily, "what will you do to change the path of least resistance?" I came up with the idea to ask why. [why are you making a racist comment? What makes you say that?] My two year old nephew asks. "Auntie, why did you do/say that?" He makes me realize my actions and think of why I did that...He is only two, but he opens up my mind.

Individuals Rights to Education

Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome by Christopher Kliewer

Argument:
Kliewer argues that children with disabilities, specifically with Down Syndrome, should be included in classroom activities.

Quotes:

• "(Douglas Bilken) and fellow educators have substantiated this vision with detailed accounts of actual educational arenas where all students are welcomed, no voice is silenced, and children come to realize their own self-worth through unconditional acceptance of one another."

This quote means that schools should be viewed as a community, where everyone is connected and welcomed. No one should be judged. The children who are labeled with disabilities should not be silenced, which means including them in group work, lunchtime, and recess. They are children, after all, they should be interacting with children.

• "Don't tell me any of these kids are being set up to fail."

Shayne, a teacher mentioned in this article, believes that children do not come to school to be labeled. School is about working and learning together. She values human reciprocity, where individuals are given an opportunity to participate in the community/school. Shayne wants a classroom where no child fails, whether it be a child with or without a disability.

• "So what...if you don't fit exactly what you're supposed to? You know, it's not like I fit many people's idea of what a teacher's supposed to be like."

Shayne analyzes a student who will not conform to society's expectations. Society believes that this child is "defective". Shayne is trying to show that nonconformity is a child's right to being human. Not everyone is going to fit every one's expectations--it is impossible!

Comments:

Students who are labeled with a behavioral or emotional disorder are generally placed in a self-contained classroom. They are hidden from their peers without these labels. I think every student should be able to play with other students. Self contained classrooms avoid socialization, which is one of the main reasons to be in school. I do believe in resource for students because every student deserves individual attention for academic purposes. But, with only 6 or so hours in the school day, that is impossible to achieve. Not every student will receive an IEP.

I think that teachers should accept each student as they are. Maybe at the beginning of the school year, the teacher could meet with the parent and the student outside of the classroom. This way each student will learn the best way they know how. :)

segregation

"One More River to Cross" by Charles Lawrence

Argument

Lawrence argues that segregation in schools make black students feel inferior to white students. Segregation means abuse--physical and emotional--towards these black children. It also involves an unequal opportunity for black people to learn in the school community.

Quotes

"The first is that segregation's only purpose is to label or define blacks as inferior and thus exclude them from full and equal participation in society."

Lawrence writes this quote as a way to understand why segregation should be placed in our society. I guess being a non-white skin color, that means you are inferior. These black people should be put in a different category of life because they are so different (skin color) from the skin color of those who have power.

"Once blacks are labeled as inferior, they are denied access to equal societal opportunities."

There is a stigma towards black people--earning power, work ethics. People of the non-white power culture are often wrongfully accused of crimes and denied the opportunities to do the same things that a white person can do.

"The exclusion or segregation of blacks in public facilities was settled policy and reached considerable maturity in the North before moving South in full force."

The North was said to abolish slavery way before the South and this is still evident today. In the North people are more liberal in the sense that they are more welcoming towards diversity. In the conservative South, there are debutante balls devoted to the white young ladies coming of age. And like Kayla said, Obama won the North states and McCain won the South states.

Comments

I was surprised to see that this article was written in 1996. It was a very long list of how segregation is still apart of our society today. This was one article that I did not enjoy reading. I was so blind to not see segregation in our country. But, according to the article, my observations proved false. Lawrence says that if we don't recognize and try to fix prejudism, then it will never go away. If nothing is changed, then African Americans will always have to cross one more river and never reach their full potential.

School Tracking

"Tracking: Why Schools Need to Take Another Route" Jeannie Oakes

Oakes' Argument:
Oakes argues that tracking should be in all schools because it allows teachers to target certain individuals in the classroom. Many teacher find this a helpful way of figuring out a students needs (equity). Others find tracking to be stereotypical-- students are grouped by being "less-able" and put into a different class or even put in a different part of the classroom.

Quotes:

• "In low-ability classes, teachers seem to be less encouraging and more puntitive, placing more emphasis on discipline and behavior and less on academic learning."

High-ability classes have better instruction. The teachers spend more time on learning and less time on discipline. The teachers are enthusiastci. The students tend to trust their teacher. If there is trust, then there is more time spent on learning. However, on the opposite side of the spectrum is the low-ability classroom. The atmosphere here is not a postive one. The students interefere with the teacher, making him/her spend their whole time creating order and discipline.

• "Unless students are similar in learning 'speed', such a curriculum racing horrendous problems of pacing."

In the classroom, there are always going to be some students who acell and learn at a fast pace. Then, there are other students who learn a little slower. For these students it becomes humiliating to be retaught by the teacher. During this re-teaching period, the fast paced learners have to be occupied by "busy work" in order to resist boredom.

The curriculum that Oakes is writing about is the material taught that requires prior knowledge from the students. It is obvious to know that not everyone and/or their parents ever taught them this prior knowledge. So, I can imagine the difficulty in trying to mix students who do have prior knowledge, with those who do not. It becomes frustrating.

• "Students need not be held back from ideas because of skill differences; rather they can acquire skills as they become ready."

I agree with Oakes because not everyone is ready at the same time. As teachers, we should not hold back on new ideas--"challenging, complex, related to real life, and rich with meaning". These students have the right to know and it is up to them when they will process and become ready for this information.

In order to spread these ideas, Oakes suggests creating an active classroom environment, where the students work together. The material needs to be taught with the abilities of the whole class. Some stratgeies Oakes points out are teaching through thinking, discussing, writing, and visualizing. This makes all the students able to comprehend material. Through real world problems, students venture away from the "abstract world of 'school'".

Comments:

Working with the students from VIPS, I notice that when I go over to one of the students desks and ask if they need help, they sheepishly shy away from me. When I do actually get the chance to help them, they feel timid and unsure. My intentions are by no means to humiliate the students, I just want them to comprehend the material. I can see where Oakes is coming from when he writes about the horrendous problems of pacing. I think that schools should track its students that way the children can learn in the best possible way. I know that it is controversial, but so what? Maybe the parents should allow their children to be placed in special classrooms, in order to acheive greatness. :)

In the Service of What? The Politics of Service Learning

Author’s Argument:

Kahne and Westheimer argue that in order to “serve” the community, we need to reflect and change what needs to be fixed inside the community. They investigate two cases of service learning-- both reflect on matters affecting the community. In order to be a citizen, we have to provide a service learning experience to our resumes.

Quotes:

1.) “He argued for the creation of ‘miniature communities' in which students would work together to identify and respond to problems they confronted” (4).

In today's democratic society, there are many people in need of assistance. As citizens we have to recognize these people and find our own ways of helping them. The miniature communities that the authors are talking about are our own neighborhoods of helping hands. As a VIPS volunteer, I think that the school I work at is a miniature community because it is filled with children who need to be taught something. It is my responsibility to recognize these students and to respond by teaching them what I think is best for their learning experience.

2.) “In contrast, much of the current discussion regarding service learning emphasizes charity, not change. The claim regarding the relation of service learning to the development of altruism is relatively articulate and, in many respects, compelling” (4).

It is so difficult to change a person. A student may volunteer because he/she has to do it. But to get a student to take something away from charity and learn and grow from their experience is an amazing feat. I know that in high school we had to do charity work in order to graduate. I worked at a nursing home, but I was not appreciative of my experience. I received no change from my experience. I just did it because I had to. But working with VIPS has made me feel like I was changing a child's life by being at the school and working one on one with him/her.

The authors identify charity as "giving" and the deep relationship received from charity as "caring". I think that when you volunteer, you are giving yourself to another person. As a young adult, I recognize that when you give your energy into something, you become selfless. That is what I get out of service learning. I drop the "me, me, me" act and think of someone besides myself. That is altruism.

3.) “Maybe this [community service] is what citizenship is about, acting in a decent way toward people who live where we live” ( 9).

What JFK said about serving your country is true. We need to ask what WE can do for our country, not the other way around. Why not serve the people who need help? What if we ever needed help? Would we hope for assistance? I know I would. In middle school I learned about reciprocal respect. Do unto others, as they do unto you. Under Obama's new US policies, we should provide service anywhere we see fit. It is all about citizenship.

Comments:

I thought this article was pretty boring because before we started with VIPS, we discussed how we need to provide service and learn from it. Going to a Catholic school my whole life, I know what charity work and giving is all about. As I am maturing, I realize that I am learning and growing from my service learning. It makes me feel good to help out. I do not want to do it because I have to (like I have done in the past). I want to be a citizen of the US and according to Kahne and Westheimer, I need to provide my services to those who need it.

Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us by Linda Christensen

Argument:

Christensen argues that through the media--children's books, children's movies, clothing ads, etc.--we can see that the world is dominated by one race, sex, class, or country. She wants the parents and teachers of the world to break this mold by making children realize that our society is distorted and it is up to everyone to dissect the media.

Quotes:

1. "...So why dissect the dreams..My dreams keep me from dealing with the unpleasant."

This quote was spoken by a student analyzing the media. All of her dreams, as well as who she is now, has been formed by Disney moves. The student says that all of her dreams are related to each other. The way she acts, thinks, and speaks are all influenced by her dreams. So, why would she want to alter her dreams? I think she has a fear of knowing that the media does "steal" her dreams because subconsciously that's where she got the dreams from. Starting as a little girl and developing into a young adult, the media has given her these dreams.

2. "Happiness means getting a man and transformation from wretched conditions can be achieved through consumption--in [Cinderella's] case, through new clothes and a new hairstyle."

This quote sums up the media. Any television show or movie or advertisement, you can see the need for consumption. This can mean anything from having a man to owning the newest pair of skinny jeans. Self worth is determined by what you have. If you don't have a man or a new style, then you are unhappy. I disagree that these two things will make me happy. I think that surrounding myself with good people, family, and friends, will make me completely content.

3. "Women who aren't white begin to feel left out and ugly because they never get to play the princess."

Almost every princess is white. There are the exceptions of Mulan and Jasmin. Two out of a lot more princesses are non-white. That is sad to see because there are waaaaay more than two people in our world who are non-white. As a white woman, who has a white three year old niece who loves Tinkerbell (that is a different issue in itself), I find that it must be difficult to fathom the idea that a non-white three year old girl rarely sees a princess who looks like her. I wonder who those little girls look up to?

Questions/ Comments:

What a sad article to read. I didn't actually cry while reading this article, but I did find it disturbing to read how distorted our media is, especially the cartoons I grew up watching. I mean I am set in my ways now, but I have a two year old nephew and a three year old niece who are very moldable. I think if you showed several types of cartoons, they could develop their own sense of the world. But maybe cartoons that have no people could be a better option to show kids because their is no race. However, if they looked at Spongebob Squarepants, then they would see a fat starfish who was dumb. Therefore, maybe they just shouldn't watch any cartoons because they all offer a negative mindset, whether it be with race, body type, ethnicity, or financial status. Now what can kids watch? National Geographic...and that's pretty much it.

Fin.

homosexuality=contagious?

Dennis Carlson, Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community

Carlson's Argument:
Carlson argues that public schools have a large part in rebuilding a multicultural community, in which sexuality is recognized and the silence is broken.

Quotes:

• In Carlson's argument he talks about a broken silence about sexual orientation. On page 237, Carlson references Willard Waller. Waller wrote The Sociology of Teaching, in 1932. In it he argues that homosexuality is contagious! Ridiculous, I know, but I didn't say it, Willard did. "He argued that homosexual teachers represented a danger to their students...certain [that] homosexuality is contagious". I chose this specific quote because it give some sort of voice towards homosexuality. It may not be a positive one that I agree with, but it is a start. The silence is broken.
• "In the late 1940s and early 1950s, homosexuality and communism were closely linked as threats to the 'American way of life'" (Carlson 237). So, now we have homosexuality as being contagious and threatening to the great American people. Given the time period when this was thought of, I can see where they were coming from. WWII had just ended and a Cold War had Brewed. Everyone had to watch their backs, people who seemed different from the SCWAAMP concept, were thought of as a threat.
• "These abuses get tolerated because gay teachers and students operate in an environment where they feel afraid to stand up for themselves" (Carlson 239). Homosexuals in our society are often teased, made fun of, beaten, and even killed. The "don't ask, don't tell" policy started by our military is very important because if no one knows your gay, you run the chance of not getting abused. I mean, how can one person stand up for every homosexual in our society? They can't. They know that nothing is going to change, so they tolerate this abuse. It is probably hard to find a dominant voice where you know no one is going to listen.

Comments:

I thought that it was funny to read some of the ideas formulated by people throughout the 1930s through 50s. The idea of homosexuality being contagious was ludicrous. Some of these ideas were far to crazy for me to fathom.

I feel like this article relates to Secondary Ed. teachers. Early and Elementary Ed. teachers should not have to worry about this. Middle and High schoolers are the ones to worry about. They harshly tease each other, but imagine if they found out their teacher was gay or a lesbian? The harassment would never end. Also, the curriculum in the younger grades seems to be neutral--there is no sexuality, besides the heterosexual mother and father combo. Most of the kids in these younger grades seem to think that the opposite sex has cooties anyway. When you get to the older grades, the students start to have more opinions of the world and our society.

***This article seemed the same as all the others, illustrating the idea of the privileged class. I'm wondering when people are going to realize this idea and fix the injustice made to those who have barely none, if any, privilege. ***

ARIA

Richard Rodriguez, Aria

Rodriguez's Argument:

Rodriguez argues that a person can become individualized by acclimating to the power culture, in this case English- speakers.

Quotes:

1.) "...While one suffers a diminished sense of private individuality by becoming assimilated to public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individuality" (Rodriguez, 39).

This quote is Rodriguez's argument. He states that sense he was forced to learn English for his education in American society, he achieved a public identity that was not there before when he only spoke los gringos. Throughout Rodriguez's article, he focused on how distant he felt from his parents because they only spoke los gringos. The mother and father had very little public identity, since they barely understood English. There was very little dialogue in the house because of this new found language barrier. His parents were okay with the fact that he had to learn English for the sake of Rodriguez's well being. The Rodriguez family was turning away from their private individuality's.

2.) "At last, seven years old, I came to believe that what had technically been true since my birth: I was an American citizen" (Rodriguez, 36).

Through discipline from his teachers and family, Rodriguez finally acclimated to the power culture. His family would make sure no one used Spanish sounding words in their attempt at the English language. They would call this "cheating". In school, Rodriquez had private tutoring sessions for a whole year. The teachers deliberately enunciated every sound in Rodriguez's Americanized name. Finally, when Rodriguez familiarized himself with this new language, he focused on the certain ways people talked--- actions, tones, etc. He described his silence while participating in this observation, as being "crowded with words". It seemed as if he prided himself on learning the ins and outs of English speaking Americans. Now, Rodriguez was finally a citizen.

3.) "On official business, it was she [mother], not my father, one would usually hear on the phone or in store, talking to strangers" (Rodriguez, 37).

Rodriguez discussed his fathers silence throughout this article. The mother would explain why his father was often very silent--"He was never encouraged to speak", his mother would say. His parents, mostly the father, seemed so set in their ways that they did not fully understand English. If not the children, the mother was the translator. She had this new powerful role in the house. She had to make important business decisions because she had the advantage of the power culture's language.

Questions/Comments/Point to Share:

Where I work, I come across non- English speaking people everyday. At the cash register, if there is not a translator, then it is very hard for me to understand and vice versa. It's probably very frustrating to not know English in America. If they do not know the language, then they have no public individuality. I agree with Rodriguez in the fact that there are two types of individuality--private and public. You may loose a bit of your private side, but you gain more of a public side. I think that it is worth it to loose a small part of your private side because you are now more apart of the power culture, since you acclimated to the language and public individuality. Once you have a little bit of power in you, you have so many more opportunities (better jobs, education, public persona) that you did not have before, say when you did not know English.

...That's All Folks....

talking points 1

Arguement:

In her article "White Privilege", Peggy McIntosh argues that there is this invisible racism of the white people in our society. Jobs, band-aids, housing opportunities, etc. are based on skin color. White people automatically get these opportunities, strictly because of this "power privilege". The list of everyday situations that McIntosh writes about are true--at least in my life anyway. The part where she writes that she can go shopping without being followed is true for me because I belong to this "white privilege". In order to change this unearned privilege and make it earned, we must realize how it affects how we live everyday. Like in the SCWAAMP activity, we have to force ourselves to realize the powers and advantages that we have working for us. Sex, ability, ethnicity,religion, etc., all affect the way we live and operate on a daily basis.

Quotes:

1. McIntosh eloquently brings racism to light. She says, "I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth" (McIntosh, 5). I used to think, up until now, that I was never racist. But, looking at this quote, I can see that institutions in our (white) society hold this invisible curtain of racism over our eyes. It makes me feel racist strictly because I am a white female living in this American society. We do not see racism until it is clearly brought forward.
2. "What will we do with such knowledge?" (McIntosh 6) McIntosh wants to know if we will try to put an end to unearned power, or at least "reconstruct [the] power systems on a broader base". I think that this knowledge comes from living in society. As a white female i have learned about this knowledge by seeing people different from me and the different/unequal opportunities they receive. I can obviously see that there is still racism in our society, but it is up to the advantaged white people to try to put an end to this racism.

I do not think that anyone has the right to judge, but a higher being. It gets me frustrated to see that one group (white people) in our Western society have the privilege and the ability to judge. Who made white people the power culture?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I did not get as much information from this piece, as I did with the McIntosh article. What I did find intereseting was:

In his essay, "Data Show Racial Bias Persist", Salim Muwakkil writes that 55% of whites said yes to the fact that minorities are given an equal opportunity in the job force. This may be true for basic, entry level jobs, but in our society there is this invisible biased opinion that has been en grained in the American mind. Even on job applications, where the boss does not see the one wanting to be hired, the boss will pick the first and last name of the one who has the most "white- sounding" name. The name of the person has nothing to do with the ability of the person, but in our society we see that a non-white name could mean any racial stereotype you could think of. All of these typical stereotypes are probably wrong when thought of in a job related task, but the manager will more than likely use his/her biased opinion on who to hire for the position--typically the white person.

race

Peggy McIntosh wrote "White Privilege". It describes invisible racism of the white people in our society. Jobs, band-aids, housing opportunities, etc. are based on skin color. White people automatically get these opportunities, strictly because of this "power privilege". The list of everyday situations that McIntosh writes about are true--at least in my life anyway. The part where she writes that she can go shopping without being followed is true for me because I belong to this "white privilege". In order to change this unearned privilege and make it earned, we must realize how it affects how we live everyday. Like in the SCWAAMP activity, we have to force ourselves to realize the powers and advantages that we have working for us. Sex, ability, ethnicity,religion, etc., all affect the way we live and operate on a daily basis.

In his essay, "Data Show Racial Bias Persist", Salim Muwakkil writes that 55% of whites said yes to the fact that minorities are given an equal opportunity in the job force. This may be true for basic, entry level jobs, but in our society there is this invisible biased opinion that has been en grained in the American mind. Even on job applications, where the boss does not see the one wanting to be hired, the boss will pick the first and last name of the one who has the most "white- sounding" name. The name of the person has nothing to do with the ability of the person, but in our society we see that a non-white name could mean any racial stereotype you could think of. All of these typical stereotypes are probably wrong when thought of in a job related task, but the manager will more than likely use his/her biased opinion on who to hire for the position--typically the white person.

McIntosh eloquently brings racism to light. She says, "I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth" (McIntosh, 5). I used to think, up until now, that I was never racist. But, looking at this quote, I can see that institutions in our (white) society hold this invisible curtain of racism over our eyes. It makes me feel racist strictly because I am a white female living in this American society. We do not see racism until it is clearly brought forward.

I do not think that anyone has the right to judge, but a higher being. It gets me frustrated to see that one group (white people) in our Western society have the privilege and the ability to judge. Who made white people the power culture?

me

Hi guys! I'm Alyssa, sophomore, elementary ed. major, almost 20!!! I work two jobs, go to school every single day. I have a crazy household--- everyone lives here it feels like, but there is never a dull moment. I have a dog- Bella- she is the queen of the house, she always begs for food and runs around like she is possessed when she does not get her way. I love Sex and the City and the Hills :) I have absoloutely no time to do anything this semester, when I do get a chance to breathe I sleep. If I could read, I would have to read Leaves of Grass. I read a little while I attended Saint Michael's College in Vermont and I loved it! Other than those things, I have a pretty boring life. The End! <3