Literacy with an Attitude

Literacy with an Attitude by: Patrick Finn

Talking Points #9

Reflection:

Finn was part of a very big Irish family that included eight other brothers and sisters.  Between his father and his brothers Finn was the only one not to become a plumber.  He was the only one that graduated high school and eventually went on to a teaching school to become a teacher. 

His first teaching job was in a black neighborhood in the south side of Chicago teaching eigth graders.  At that school their classes got divided by their reading levels from highest scores to lowest scores.  This reminds me of my service learning placement at the middle school that I tutor at.  The students are placed in certain math classes based on their math NECAP scores.  Low scorers are placed in Trans-Math, middle scorers are placed in Core Math and V-Math, and higher scorers are placed in Algebra.  That is definitely comparable to the way they split up the reading classrooms that Finn taught in at his school. Here is an interesting article that I found that shows what a teacher can encounter with different levels of academic ability in a classroom. 

The way Finn ran his classes seems almost exactly like how my placement teacher, Mrs Terry teachers her class.  He said, "I had work assignments on the board when the students entered the classroom, and so there wasn't a moment when they didn't have anything to do."  My placement teacher also does the same thing.  She has a board called the "Do Now" board, so when the children walk into the classroom the first thing they have to do is look up at the do now board, and do the problem or problems that are written on it.  She also does that so there is never a moment when the students are doing nothing there is always something that they could be working on just like Finn does in his class.  I think a thing like the "do now board" is a great thing to have in the classroom, and more teachers should implement that into their classrooms as well.  That part of the article was definitely my favorite part of the article because it showed me what it was like to be a teacher in a tough area. It also showed me how you can make an impact on students.

Comments:

Finn's strategies are very similar to my placement teacher's strategies.  So, I have definitely have learned a lot between my placement teacher, and from Finn in this article.  I think with the right teachers and the right motivation lower-class schools can be just as good as upper-class schools.  With a teacher like Finn there is definitely a chance for it to go in the right direction.  Lastly, I think that is a good thing that students are placed in classes with students of similar ability, so that a teacher can adjust, and go at the same pace for the whole classroom.  Overall, I really enjoyed reading this article, and I learned a lot from it.

Brown vs. Board of Education

Between Barack and a Hard Place by: Tim Wise
Separate and Unequal by: Bob Hebert

Talking Points #8

Connections:

Brown vs. Board of Education happened on May 5, 1954 when the Supreme court declared state laws saying that separte schools for black and white students was unconstitutional.  Separate educational facilities are unequal according to Bob Hebert.  This came to an end by the fearless efforts of lawyers, community activists, parents, and students.  Now, we think that racism has come to an end, but according to Tim Wise racism has not come to an end.  Wise says that we beat out racism 1.0 which is like "old school" racism, but we have to be on the lookout for racism 2.0. 

Connection to Kozol
I found a connection between Wise and Kozol.  In Kozol we talked about the metaphor "a bandaid on a broken leg."  I see the same connection when I watched to video about between Barack and a Hard Place.  In Kozol, they were giving out condoms and clean needles to the residents of Mott Haven, and that is like putting a bandaid on a broken leg.  It is implying that people can still have sex, and they won't spread disease.  There is the chance that the disease could spread anyways, so that wasn't the answer.  I'm relating it to Wise because everyone thinks that just because Obama was elected President that racism will come to an end completely and that's not true.  Obama is very well educated, and is a very smart man.  So, all black people think that they have to have the same level of knowledge as him.  This concerns wise because now there can be racism of African Americans who excel in knowledge and those who don't.  This is like a bandaid on a broken leg because it has created a new kind of racism because Obama is so intelligent, so the world sees that everyone else must have to be intelligent too.  Wise wants to show that a normal person whether they are well educated or not have the same opportunities to do great things like Barack Obama.
Connection to Johnson
I also see a connection to Johnson because Wise talks about how white people can be very oblivious.  Whites are in denial about the problem of racism.  When asked 63% of white people would say there is no problem with racism towards black people today.  I'm relating this to Johnson because he talked about "the luxury of obliviousness."  He said that white people are rarely aware of the privileges that they have.  White people are unaware of the privileges they have they don't have to deal with this type of racism.  White people are in denial of the problem, and they think there is no instances of racism in the world today and that is because they are unaware of the privileges that they have.  When clearly there is still racism! According to Wise, 6 out of 10 white people said black people are less intelligent, more agressive, less hardworking, and less patriotic.  Also, 75% of white people thought black people want to live on welfare, so they don't have to work.  I think using the same examples this could also be connected to Delpit using the same examples.  Delpit says, those with power are frequently least aware or least willing to acknowledge its existence.  White people aren't going to admit or state if they think there is still racism today.  A lot of them think there is no problem, and that is because they are just in denial, according to Wise.  There is definitely a connection to both Johnson and Delpit in the video of Tim Wise "Between Barack and a Hard Place." Here is an article I found that I thought tied in with how white people can be oblivious to racism.

Comments:  I'm curious has anyone seen any instances of racism today? At school? At work?...etc. Or do you think everyone is oblivous to it too?  Anyways in my comments I wanted to bring up the article by Bob Herbert.  He says that it is difficult for students to have good results in school with high poverty.  I think we know that from our service learning.  We can also see how there is high levels of poverty in our schools too.  According to his article and research, lower class students do better academically if they are placed in schools with middle class peers, and are just in an overall better enviroment.  Do you think that would work if we put the students we work with in a different school that has little or no showing of poverty?  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think. 



Obama vs Romney: Gay Marriage/Rights

Talking Points #7

Obama:

Gay Marriage or Gay Rights is a big issue in the world.  This article that I found shows what Obama thinks about Gay Marriage.  Obama's stance I think will be very critical to whether or not he will be re-elected for a second term.  According to the article that I found Obama backs Gay Marriage.  Obama is the first sitting president that has announced his support for same sex marriage.  In an interview, Obama stated that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally.  The gay rights community have been pushing Obama to declare his support for marriage equality for several years now, and he finally has now that the time to vote is here. It shows his bravery as a President, and a victory for the gay rights community.  North Carolina passed an Amendment that defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman.  Obama was disappointed about that decision.  I am also disappointed about that I think that every state should allow gay marriage.  If you love someone you should be able to marry them.  Obama still sets the bar very high on this issue since he is the first ever president to publicly support marriage equality.  Romney will have to have very good points if he wants to show his support on gay rights.

 

Romney:

Romney has been very confusing with this issue because he keeps changing his stance on gay rights.  He says, "Like the vast majority of Americans, I've opposed same-sex marriage."  Which is such bull... why shouldn't people of the same sex get married?  He thinks that marriage should only be between a man and a woman.  According to that website.  This website says how Romney opposes discrimination in the workplace.  Romney also says that Gay couples have the right to adopt children.  That is one of the few things that I agree with him on because no matter the couple they should be able to adopt children.   

 

Romney vs Obama

On this website it goes through the many issues of Gay Marriage, Gay rights, LGBT, Don't ask don't tell, and it shows both of their stances on it.  LGBT is the first issue they discussed.  Romney was supportive of the LGBT's movement cause early in his career, and he says his stance has always been the same.  Obama states that he notices that the LGBT community has been victimized, but he is wrestling with his faith because he is a Christian.  Romney on same-sex marriage is that he is generally against it, and he believes that it should be between a man and a woman.  Pretty much from all the articles I read Obama is the first President to support Gay Marriage, and Romney is against it and thinks that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. 

 

Comments:  On this issue I completely back Obama.  Gay marriage should be supported, and allowed in every state.  Gay or Lesbians should have the right to get married if they really do love each other just like everyone else in the world.  They should also have the same rights as everyone else, and they should be treated equally like Obama says.   The only issue that I agreed with Romney on was that gay couples have the right to adopt children.  If a man and a woman can adopt a child why can't two men or two women adopt children?  I think Obama is really working hard to make equal rights for the gay community.  That's the way it should be, and we should vote for Obama because he is the man who supports this issue and many others that would make him the better president!

 



 

In the Service of What?

In the Service of What? The Politics of Service Learning by: Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer

Talking Points #6

Hyperlinks: 

  http://www.servicelearning.org/what-service-learning 

Service Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that involves community service with instructions and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. That is the definition of Service Learning from the link above.  According to the article, service learning makes students active participants in service projects that aim to respond to the needs of the community while furthering the academic goals of students.  The link above showed many examples of service learning projects that were done.  The first one was Elementary Students in Florida studied the consequences of natural disasters. Then they designed a kit for families to use to collect important papers in case of an evacuation.  Another example from the link above was how middle school students in Pennsylvania learned about the health consequences of unhealthy eating, and lack of exercise.  They brought their knowledge together by creating health fairs, creating healthy cookbooks, and opening a fruit and vegetable stand.  Much like our article a portion of it had to do with two service learning cases.  The first one had to do with a twelth grade class who studied issues surrounding democracy and citizenship.  The teacher allowed the students to participate in community service projects of their choosing.  The second case was a little different.  The middle school class identified issues of common concern, and then they voted to focus their attention on just one issue, and that issue they came up with was homelessness.  The service learning examples from my link is an example of change service learning in my opinion. I think that because they created health fairs and tried to impact the community.  The first example of service learning from our article was more charity because they were just doing a good deed.  An example of a change service learning project from our article was when some of the upper-middle class students went and performed music at an elementary school.  They impacted their community, and also their perspectives on the elementary school children had changed it wasn't as bad as they thought. 

I remember in high school we had to do a service learning project in order to graduate.  We had to do 15 hours of some sort of service and then write an essay about it.  I did recycling for my high school.  I feel like I got nothing out of it, and I didn't really help anyone.  My school needs to come up with something better so we could have really helped the community.  The service learning we are doing for our class is so much better.  We are actually helping students in a certain subject area, for me its math, that really need help in school.  I feel like I am making an impact on the students I work with, and I feel accomplished and happy that I can help. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTAfHBwW2mk

This is a link to youtube video about service learning.  It shows a lot of service learning examples like above.  It also shows how students have to learn something, then teach it to other people in their community.  They have to struggle to learn something, and change the students roles for once.  It gets them involved with other people in their community.  They are engaged, and they are problem solving.  They are not only helping others, they are learning while they do this.  While we do are service learning for our class, we are making an impact on these students, but we are also learning how to become good teachers.  This video also shows that Service learning really does work! The students also love doing this service learning projects.  A quote from the article we read shows 90% of 14-17 year olds who had been asked to volunteer said yes.  That shows that kids really do want to volunteer and help the community, and they enjoy doing it.  A student from the article did a service learning project of serving senior citizens Thanksgiving dinner.  She said that it felt great helping, and she appreciated the chance to help. 

http://www.servicelearning.org/lsa/honor-roll/index.php

I wanted to put this link in here because it shows how President Obama has pledged to make service a central cause of his administration.  This fits in with our article when President Bush voiced his support for the National Community Services Act of 1990.  I think that what this shows is that no matter if your a democrat or a republican they support service learning.  This is a good thing because it should be accepted by every president that comes into office.  I think that Service Learning should be required for all grade levels: Elementary School, Middle School, High School, and College.  I plan on continuing to do my service learning after this class, and go above and beyond the minimum hours required for RIC.

Comments:  The service learning project that I did for my high school was terrible.  I really wanted to do something that impacted the community.  I did recycling.  That did nothing for me I remember walking around the school collecting the recycle bins, and goofing off.  It shows that my school did not take this project seriously.  I hope that they work on things to improve that, and do real service learning projects like helping students with math in Providence.  I think students would enjoy it, and by the things I've said in this post students do enjoy it.  I'm glad service learning is becoming more widespread, and students really enjoy doing this!

Cinderella Ate My Daughter

Cinderella Ate My Daughter by: Peggy Orenstein

Talking Points #5

Extended Comments:

For my talking points blog this week I decided to do an extended comments blog using Brittani's post.  The first thing that she brings up is that Orenstein argues that the current "princess-phase" is anything but natural.  I think that's exactly what Orenstein is arguing she thinks that the princess phase is making young girls see something that is unrealistic.  For example, no one can look as beautiful as they portray the princesses to be, and because you are so beautiful you aren't going to find true love.  Orenstein also thinks that this will eventually damage the girls' self-esteem.  The next point that Brittani brings up is about the toy fair and how all the toys meant for little girls are all in one color, pink.  She really doesn't find it necessary for everything to be in pink, but apparently it will help them sell more products.  It will show to young girls that everything needs to be pink, so they can be seen as feminine or "girly."  Girls should have multiple colors to choose from, not just pink.  Using any different color isn't going to make them any less feminine than they were before.  Girls should choose how they want to be portrayed. 

Another point she brings up is how a research shows that up until the age of 7 that kids still think that their hair, clothing, toys determines your gender. The link I put there goes to an article about the gender stereotype between masculine and feminine.  That is wrong in my opinion, girls or boys shouldn't have to worry about how they dress or what they play with.  Whatever they do is up to them, and it doesn't make them any less of a boy or a girl.  Brittani says, that the author thinks, girls don't need to prove that they are girls, but the Disney princesses make them do this.  I completely agree, young girls are given this image that they have to look beautiful to find true love or wear this big pink dresses to make them look more girly.  It's not true they are sending the wrong message to children.  A child should just be themselves, and they can achieve anything they want. 

Brittani also talked about the Bratz dolls.  I didn't know what the Bratz dolls were until I read this article, but I'm glad that they came up with dolls that don't portray the normal Disney princess image.  I agree with what Brittani and the author are trying to say that these Bratz dolls do not portray the "princess-y" or "barbieish" image. 

At the end of Brittani's blog she asks the question who's to blame, the parents, the industry or both?  To answer that question I think that they are both to blame.  The parents think that their children will grow out of this princess phase, but a lot of them won't, and it could affect them in the future.  It could affect them in school or their self-esteem.  The industry is also to blame because they portray everything as very girly by having every toy they sell for girls in pink.  Also, how they portray the Disney princesses as beautiful, skinny, and white.  They all look like supermodels, and the industry helps portray that image from what they sell.  I thought Brittani's blog was right on, and I agreed with all the points that she made. 

Comments: Parents are a big part of the problem I think.  Especially fathers with their sons.  Boy's as young as 4 said their father's would say that it was bad if their son's played with girls toys.  Just because their father uses tools that means they have to use tools too!  The fathers try to poor masculinity into their sons.  In the article one of Orenstein's friends bragged about how he got his daughter hot wheels, and when is son asked for a tutu he refused to get it for him.  That is unfair in my opinion he is playing favoritism towards his daughter by letting her play with something that is considered masculine, and if his son wanted something that was considered feminine he refused.  Like I said in my blog children should be able to play with whatever they want it won't make them any less of a boy or a girl, and it won't affect them in the future.  The gender stereotype of masculine and feminine need to change. Look at link I put earlier in the article if you haven't already.

Who wants to go to breakfast tomorrow morning with the class?

Hey everyone! We are planning on going out to breakfast tomorrow morning during the time we would normally have class at either friendlys, ihop or somewhere else. Let me know if you want to go.

Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us

Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us by: Linda Christensen

Talking Points #4

Reflection:

 

This was a very difficult article for me to read.  I was a kid who always loved cartoons, Disney movies, and Disney World in Florida.  I still occasionally like to watch cartoons now, and I'm 19 years old.  Now, that they mention it in the article I do realize how they depicted certain characters.  All the different stereotypes that are depicted show people of color, fat people, women, and other types of people in bad ways.  So, when children watch this they get this image in their head of how these types of people act.  No one acts different because of what they look like all people are the same and deserve to be treated the same. 

One part during the article was when a couple of the students mentioned how they never see the main character as African American, and they thought the Disney movies would be better if the main character isn't only depicted as white.  It wouldn't change how we learned from it.  If the main character is black or white like in Cinderella the story will still end the same.  It will end happily ever after the girl will get her prince charming just by changing how she looks, and making herself look more beautiful.  Happiness doesn't just come from getting a man, and changing your clothes and hairstyle.  This brings me back to SCWAAMP.  Especially the "A" in scwaamp" which means Ablebodiedness.  Everyone has this image of beautiful as you should be skinny or just look like a barbie doll.  That is also what a movie like Cinderella is trying to get across just because of how beautiful you are means that you will have a happy ending in life.  The world is not like that.  I wish everyone could have a happy ending, but its not that easy.  You have to work hard in life, and achieve your goals, and find someone you love.  Not everything is based on how you look.  The link I put there shows exactly the point I'm trying to get across about how a Disney princess like Cinderella sends the wrong message to young children. 

Comments:  I will always love Disney movies and cartoons because I grew up watching them.  They do send bad messages to children, but when they are that young they don't realize what they are learning.  When they get older I hope they realize that the messages these movies sent were wrong.  I wish that they didn't have these types of messages in the stories.  Disney movies had all sorts of subliminal messages that I didn't know about.  Why would they put those in their movies when they know the general audience for them are children?  I hope that in newer cartoons they send better messages to children, and I don't think that these movies should be taken away from them all in all.  I just think at some point children should learn about the messages these movies were depicting, and realize it was wrong to depict them that way.