Tuesday, April 21, 2009

What Can We Do?~ Allan Johnson

In this piece Johnson is speaking of ways in how to address issues of discrimination and inequalities. Johnson speaks of how people can't get so offensive because of certain words spoken to them. That is the problem everyone has been shooting around the bush with the real words that many people are getting so offensive when the real word comes out. Some issues Johnson talks about are:

The white privilege needs to learn their roles and just because your white your role can change. Things are happening and changing all the time.

Just say the words like in his previous article that we read, Johnson just wants us to say the words. The "words" are real and out there so just say them dont be afraid of what other people are going to think. Don't be afraid of the anger that it might bring to some people just say the words!

Make noise be seen, stand up and voice your opinion speak out for those being discriminated upon.

TO BE CONTINUED....

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Talking Points 9

Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome~ Christopher Kliewer



Kliewer argues that children with disabilities should be put in a 'regular' classroom and get the same learning experience as the students without disabilities.
"Mia finished school in segregated placements but then returned after graduation to take content-area courses originally denied her. These included, among others, introductory and advanced journalism, as well as child development. Mia has since gone on to co-lead a study on communication skills and people with Down syndrome with Professor Laura Meyers, a linguist at the University of California-Los Angeles."
This goes to show that even though Mia went through a segregated school she is just as capable as the "normal" students. So for all the years that Mia was placed in a different school for her disability she really had the capability to learn just as the "normal" students did.
"Now we know that people with disabilities can learn and have a full, rich life. The challenge is to erase negative attitudes about people with developmental disabilities, get rid of the stereotypes and break the barriers for people with disabilities"
This goes to show that people need to realize that students with disabilities should be in the same society as those without disabilities. I know that when some people see students with disabilities they put them into a stereotype as DUMB... but they are really bright and intelligent human beings and we have to demolish that stereotype. People need to realize that disabled students are capable of great things. Just because they are disabled doesnt mean that they cant do anything. And everything that you can do to help them be succussful is important.

Personally I think that school administrators are afraid to take that leap into including disabled children in the classroom. I think that they are afraid that the disabled students will be a distraction to the "normal" students. I really think that schools need to start including the disabled students in regular classrooms. I think by separating them it makes them think that they aren't like the normal students and that they can only hangout with the disabled students. They need to socialize with the students who don't have disabilities as well as those that do.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Diversity Event

For my diversity event I chose to report on a recent high school volleyball game that I went to. There was a little girl in the stands on the side of me and she was trying to talk to her mom about the black boy on the opposing team. Instead of saying "that black boy" she just kept saying "that boy over there", "you know that boy". This reminded me of Johnson and how he says just to say the words.
Another thing that I saw was Delpit and the codes of power. All of the seniors on the varsity team kept barking orders. Also the player that they were always telling to get water was a black boy. He was just used to getting water and didnt care and just kept doing what they said. I also noticed that they were always telling only the few black boys what to do. They never said anything to the white boys on the team.
I also saw was Kozol, the libero had to just wear a t-shirt. It was like putting a bandaid on a broken bone, instead of getting him a new uniform they made him just wear a t-shirt.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Talking Points #8

Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work~Jean Anyon

Jean Anyon argues that the schools in wealthy communities are better than those in poor communities, or that they better prepare their students for desirable jobs.
" The first two schools I will call working class schools. Most of the parents have blue-collar jobs... The incomes of the majority of the families in these schools are at or below $12,000."
In these schools supplies are limited. Students have to copy information about topics they are learning from the board. The teachers just show the students how to accomplish tasks and just show them over and over and say they need more practice. I see this in many schools. How the lower-class schools are more rundown and have older edition of books and have books from other schools. They often borrow supplies from other schools or share supplies throughout the whole school.
"The third school is called the middle class school,...Parents occupations can be divided into three groups: a small group of blue collar workers, white colloar workers, and personnel directors in local firms... Income is between $13,000 and $25,000"
In the middle-class schools work is getting the right answer. Instead of students copying answers from the teacher off the board students are to think for themselves and come up with their own answers. I feel this is because students in the middle-class are viewed as smarter than ones in the lower-class. Students are given decisions and multiple ways of completing a problem. Most lessons are based in the textbook and classes usually have their own textbooks either new or in good condition.
"The fourth school is called the affluent professional school. Typical jobs are: cardiologists, interior designers, lawyers, engineers, or advertising in television. Most family incomes are between $40,000 and $80,000."
Students in these classrooms work mostly independently. They express and apply their own thoughts and ideas. These schools have new textbooks every few years and every student has their own issued textbook given to them in the beginning of the year. These schools have endless amounts of supplies. They are 'smarter' so they get more, they need to be educated in order to be successful.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Talking Points 7

Anita Hill Is A Boy~ Peggy Orenstein

This reading is arguing that males have and may always have the power, and that women are trying to make a comback and gain equality in society. I really like this article and I like learning about issues of TITLE 9. I like how Ms. Logan actually had a class focusing more on women than men.
"Women are one half of the world's people; they do two thirds of the world's work; they earn one tenth of the worlds income; and they own one one-hundreth of the worlds property."
This quote is saying that even though men and women are said to be equal they really arent. A women can hold the same position as a men but they will make less. They could go to the same school have the same gpa and still get paid less. I feel as though this should be pasted in every magazine, because it is all true.
"If I told them I was interested in women’s history, they’d call me a fag. So I just take it and don’t talk about it."
Even men are embarassed to say that they know a little about women, and their rights. Men think that its not important to know about women and their rights and how unequal they are treated. I think that men should realize the inequality in men and women. Men could learn about the inequality and they still would treat women the same. Men just think that they have the right to have the upper hand on women.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Talking Points #6

"One More River to Cross"-- Recognizing the Real Injury in BROWN: A Prerequisite to Shaping New Remedies~ Charles Lawrence
This reading has a variety of cases dealing with segregation and segregation in the schools. I have always been interested in segregation and segregation in the schools. I really liked this reading and I thought it was a quick read.
"The ultimate goal was full political and civil equality for blacks; they knew that this could not be acheived until the entire system of segregation had been destroyed.Equality of education is not enough, there can be no equality under a segregated system. The American negro is not a dominate minority; therefore he must fight for complete elimination of segregation as his ultimate goal."
This quote is saying that we need to put diversity aside and just treat everyone equal. No matter where black people go the feel inferior and the minority. Everyone has to come together and make segregation and inequality disappear. I thought of Johnson when I read this quote and its saying that it is really out there and we cant ignore it. We have to recognize it and realize its still out there.
"Northern and Southern cases are distinguishable on the basis of state action; in the South, state action is present because state laws required the operation of dual school systems, while in the North, state action is action because segregated schools occurred as the result of segregated housing patterns."
I found this interesting because the reading said that segregation first occurred in the Northern states which I didnt know. I think that if the Northern states took action right away then segregation may not have ended up in the Southern states. It would have just stopped in the Northern states.
I really liked reading this article and understood the different cases a little more. I think that I have a grasp on the readings. I really enjoyed this article.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Talking Points # 5

In The Service Of What? The Politics of Service Learning~ Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer

This article was hard for me to understand. I didn't really get anything out of it and it was very hard to blog about it. What I got out of the article was how the legislators view service learning.
"Educators and legislators alike maintain that service learning can improve the community and invigorate the classroom, providing rich educational experiences for students at all levels of schooling."
By this quote I believe that legislators like the idea of service learning. It is stating that service learning makes students active in the community while being academically challenged. I know that during my service learning I am getting an experience in a community that I am not familiar with, and at the same time being challenged by teaching/helping students in the classroom. I am using new skills and applying them to the classroom environment. To answer the question in the article "IN THE SERVICE OF WHAT?" I think that would be helping the community. For example with VIPS we are helping students better their education. In the classroom there maybe as many as 30 students and only 1 teacher so with service learning we provide the students with the same help that the teacher may provide. You are also servicing the educator as well. You provide them with aide in helping the students. In my high school students would do a type of service learning, they would sleep in cardboard boxes over night in the cold and have to heat their bodies by making barrel fires. This made them sense what it was like to be homeless.
"Major initiatives with links to graduation requirements are underway in Atlanta, New York, Maryland, Vermont, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia, and numerous other districts throughout the country."
I think that this is a great idea, it gets students out in the community lending a helping hand. Where I graduated from a minimum of 75 hours of community service over the 4 years was required. By having to complete these hours I got to meet many people, and by working in the schools it may help me in the future with a job. This would help students realize how some people live. They may live in poverty, or just incapable of doing various household chores. And by doing the hours in the classroom setting is what helped me decide to be a teacher.
I know that when I am doing my service learning it make me feel good when the students don't want to go back to class, they want to spend longer time with me. I love when they leave with smiles on their faces because I know that I have just changed their life in some way.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Talking Points 4

Unlearning The Myths That Blind Us~Linda Christensen



In this reading Christensen explains how in cartoons, books, and even movies show a great emphasis on sexism, racism and are often very stereotypical. Ever since we have been children we have experienced sexism and racism and haven't even known it. Just by watching children's cartoons we witnessed cases of sexism and racism. We often refuse to see the fact that certain cartoons and children's movies have these issues.
"Many students don't want to believe that they have been manipulated by children's medias or advertising. No one wants to admit that they've been "handled" by the media." Nobody wants to be "controlled" by the media. But if you think about it when you think of professional athletes and their commercials, the children always want what they have. Or often times in movies the bad kid is always the black kid. When children see that, often times every time they see a black person they associate bad with that person. Or the old ladies and old men are always grumpy, they are never nice, and all the girls always want to be like the princesses and not the normal, more realistic characters.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this cartoon teaches a false sense of violence to kids: fight and you don't get hurt, or solve problems through fists and swords instead of words." When children see this they think that it is okay to fight with fists, they think that nothing can happen to them. They think that fighting is the solution to everything. I know that when my five year old cousin watches TMNT he gets alot of violence and fighting from their show. After watching he will be very rambunctious and crazy. Same with Star Wars, he always goes and gets his light sabers and wants to duel. I think that alot of shows that little kids watch should have higher viewing ages.
"We look at the roles women, men, people of color, and poor people play in cartoons." In older cartoons you notice that there are not many women as characters. But when the women started appearing in cartoons they looked perfect. They looked like barbies, and all the girls wanted to look like them. In cartoons the poor people always look dirty and have on haggy clothes, and get treated awful. So people have in their minds that this is reality, the real world is based on stereotypes!

Monday, February 23, 2009

Talking Points 3

Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community~Dennis Carlson

In this reading the author is arguing the fact that society doesn't look as everyone the same. Carlson said that community, society, and schools should teach people to realize that everyone is "normal", we should be taught that it is okay to say lesbian, gay, homosexual, and bisexual. We need to use these words everyday because its real, its out there.

"Throughout much of this century, the dominant idea of community in America was represented by what I we will call the normalizing community. Within normalizing communities, some individuals and subject positions (ie, white, middle class, male, heterosexual, etc.) get privileged and represented as "normal" while other individuals and subject positions (ie, black, working class, female, homosexual etc.) are disempowered and represented as deviant, sick neurotic, criminal, lazy, lacking in intelligence, and on other ways "abnormal"." This quote is saying just because of someone's sex, gender, job, or sexual orientation they are stupid, this is so stereotypical. I know people that when they see a black man they think of them as dumb or "bad", but that isnt true. That black man could be just as smart as you or even smarter. This quote is terrible but so true.
“Three techniques of normalization and (hence) marginalization have been of primary importance in this regard: (1) the erasure of gayness in the curriculum. (2) the “closeting” and “witch hunting” of gay teachers, and (3) verbal and physical intimidation of gay teachers and students.” In high school my varsity basketball coach/math teacher was a lesbian and married to a woman. Her wife would go to all the games and her family was very supportive about it. When the parents found out they didnt want her coaching girls anymore. So they caused alot of chaos and eventually "drove" her out. She just had enough and stepped down from coaching, but still taught. Parents then went after her teaching job and now she has a different teaching job at a school that is very accepting of her sexual orientation. In a way she closeted her relationship from the whole school because she didnt want drama revolving around her, but she was open with her orientation with her team because we were "family".
I really liked this article by Carlson, it really grasped my attention. I think that everyone should read this article because its really true, people need to realize that there are people of different sexual orientations in the world. This is like Johnson, Carlson is saying its okay to say the words, just say them outloud. In this reading Carlson also talking about power and privilege like Johnson. They are very similar writers and want to get there point across to society.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Aria~Richard Rodriguez



I think that the author is trying to get across the fact that ESL students should still be able to speak their language in the home. This article makes the family totally stop speaking spanish to their children. When this happens the children and parents can not communicate with each other. They are drawn apart. "But the special feeling of closeness at the home was diminished by then." The parents could speak to each other in spanish but had to speak english to the children.

I think that students should still be able to speak their language in the home. "Is it possible for you and your husband to encourage your children to practice their English when they are in the home?" Richard would get yelled at by the nuns at school when he mumbled or didnt speak up. If a child is shy and gets yelled at for trying to speak the language he is always going to think negatively about speaking. If someone is shy about it then you shouldnt yell at them to speak up, you should encourage them to keep trying and its ok if you mess up.

I disagree with the reaction of the nuns in this reading. I think the way they handled the situation was way out of hand. You have to have patience with someone learning a new language. When and if I ever experience a situation I will remember this reading and how negative his experience was and never react the way that the nuns did.

Monday, February 9, 2009

McIntosh/Muwakkil

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible knapsack~ Peggy McIntosh

Peggy McIntosh discusses how white people are born with privileges just because of there ethnicity and color. She discusses how people of different ethnicities don't have the same privileges but could be the same person on the inside. Just because of their color they don't have the same privileges. Different ethnicities have to fear things that white people take for advantage. On page 2 "My schooling followed the pattern my colleague Elizabeth Minnich has pointed out: whites are taught to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative, and average, and also ideal so that when we work to benefit others, this is seen as work that will allot "them" to be more like "us"."McIntosh also discusses the inequality of men and women. On the first page "I have often noticed men's unwillingness to grant that they are over privileged, even though they may grant that women are disadvantaged... These denials protect male privilege from being fully acknowledged, lessened, or ended." I really liked reading this article. Everything she mentioned I totally agree with. As I read the conditions that she states in which her skin is beneficial one that really caught my eye was the last one. "I can chose blemish cover or bandages in "flesh" color that more or less matches my skin." After I read that I really thought about how this is so true. I never really thought about it until I read it. I really liked this article and it didn't bore me!



Data show racial bias persists in America~ Salim Muwakkil

"Do you feel that racial minorities in this country have equal job opportunities as whites or no?" I think that they have equal opportunities but people cant see past the color of their skin. I mean I feel as though if it was to come down to a white man getting the job position and a black man the white man would get the job regardless of knowledge and experience. "However, white applicants with prison records were still more likely to be hired than black men without them." If race wasn't such an issue even today wouldn't you think we would of had an African American President sooner? People always ask the question "Is there still racism today? I definitely think that there is still racism today. How many company CEOs are African American? Or how many police lieutenants are African American? I still think that racism is a big issue today, and I think it needs to be stopped. You cant just judge someone by their skin color, that is just ridiculous. They could have more knowledge than the white man but because of his skin he doesn't get the job or he doesn't get the house that he bid on. This needs to be stopped!


Thursday, January 22, 2009

Its all Me

My name is Rachel Motta I am 18 and this is my second semester @ RIC. I am majoring in Physical Education and Health, and I am on the Womens Basketball Team. I live on campus, but I am from Tiverton RI. I absolutely love the summer and the beach! In high school I was a three sport athlete playing field hockey, basketball, and softball. In my spare time I like to workout, and spend time with friends and family. I am taking 5 classes this semester and so far enjoy them all.