All About Us

Education is Politics - Shor (hyperlinks)

          I found this video that explains critical education, which is something that Shor is supporting in the article. The video explains the many questions that surround teachers and how to teach.  One of the main focuses is freedom in the classroom, which Shor advocates for in his article.  In many ways this video is like a summary/review of the article, and it helped me understand it better.  

          The article raises a lot of issues with the "standard form" of teaching, and how it is unsuccessful in teaching students properly. In a quote from Shor's article (from Bettelheim), "you must arouse children's curiosity and make them think about school" (11).  It is important to teach students (from a young age) that they can challenge their education as well as their society.  Rather than regurgitating facts over and over again, teachers should allow the class to develop their own views and opinions, and to learn how to support their personal stance.  Teachers should also encourage their students to challenge the world they live in.  Shor offers many examples of how to teach students to challenge, and my personal favorite was, "whose history and literature is taught and whose ignored" (14).  This specific example is important for me because I plan on being an English teacher, but also because it allow the students to see discrimination in their society, and they can react to it.  Teaching democratically and critically is what we experience each time we set foot in Dr. Bogad's classroom.  Rather than learning about all white dead males, we are learning about different cultures, but also understanding that there is a bias in society for white males.  Shor would argue that you need to teach both parts. First you must integrate different materials that relate to the student's lives and secondly, you must point out the discrimination or societal preference that is dominant.  

          I found this website, for a group, the ESR (Educators for Social Responsibility) which, "works directly with educators to implement systemic practices that create safe, caring, and equitable schools so that all young people succeed in school and life, and help shape a safe, democratic and just world".  This group is fighting alongside of Shor, both of which are advocating for an educational reform of sorts. 

          The following video shows the results of teaching democratically and critically.  The video touches upon Shor's point that the teacher needs to personalize their curriculum for their students.      

What did you find interesting about this article?

How do you feel about democratic and critical teaching methods?

Did the videos help you understand the article better?

  

A Different Side of Me

Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome - Kliewer (Reflection)

          This article was complicated at first, but it really helped me understand a topic that I've never really been exposed to.  In my high school, the "self contained" students (as they were called), would have a class together, in the basement, where they wouldn't do much work.  I can say truthfully, that I have never been in the room or worked with the students in a classroom setting, but I know for a fact that they would constantly have breakfasts and treats throughout the day.  From the limited view of these students, I would guess that they were not being treated in the way that Kliewer would support.  These students in my high school would only interact with non-disabled students when they had lunch or during gym.  As I was graduating I noticed that there was some incorporation of disabled and non-disabled students into the regular classroom setting, and I hope that my school continued on that path.  

          One quote that really struck me was from Judith Snow (an advocate in the disability rights movement) who explains, "how absurd to be judged by others at all, especially by those who have never experienced a disability or who are unwillingly providing us with support or who don't listen to the voices we have".  Why is it that we think we know everything?  As humans, we wrongly judge people every day.  There is no way to know exactly what a person is going through just by looking at them or briefly interacting with them.  To go back to the GLSEN information, you might not be able to tell if a person identifies themselves as LGBT.  I would never want someone to think they knew everything about me and my family life, friends, education and workplace.  Unless you have a personal relationship with a person, you might not be seeing the whole picture.  The whole act of judging makes me think of a quote (see picture):

The fact is, you never know the whole story, you never know what it might do to that person, and there is more to that person than whatever you assume you know about them.

          To go on with my last point, that there is more to a person than just what you see, Kliever explains a similar question.  When one of the teachers in the article, Colleen talks about her disabled student Lee, she explains that he is labeled as "retarded" or "self contained" or whatever other people may perceive, only when people don't take the time to truly meet him.  "They see mental challenge, retardation, whatever you want to call it.  That's what they see, but they wouldn't be seeing him".  There is a lot of discrimination in today's society that is successful by dehumanizing the person or group that is in question.  This has been done through every war we have ever encountered (dehumanizing the enemy), this was done to African Americans (which "allowed" them to become slaves), and it is clearly happening in regards to disabled students.  We need to break this barrier and dehumanization of students, and realize that they are people like you and me.  There are a number of personal accounts in the article that explain how real and normal disabled students are.  This is something new in the eyes of society, which decided to shun them into separate classrooms in the basement of the school.  

          In many ways, this article made me think of the novel, The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.  The main character, Hazel is a teenage girl who has been diagnosed with cancer and refers to herself as a "ticking time bomb".  The reader understands things from her point of view and she explains that she is identified as her sickness.  People in the novel see Hazel as cancer, not a person. They are constantly trying to tell her she is okay, and even her best friend drifts away.  Hazel decides that her best friend only hangs out with her once in a while, but when it comes down to it, its because of the cancer.  This relates to the article, because the teachers present ways that their disabled students are seen as their disability, not as a person living through their disability.  

I found this "packet" online that gives teachers activities to use in the classroom that deals with thinking differently.  Much like our in class experiment Thursday, these activities are to help other students to become aware of disabilities as different, not bad or wrong.  There are activities that deal with blindness, leaning disabilities and mental retardation (and more). Although this may not be a packet you would use of there were disabled students in your class, it is a way to stop the discrimination and help students to accept others with disabilities.


Tell me what you think :)
Do you know anyone with any type of disability?  How has it impacted you?

What did you learn from this article?

  

  

A Public Affair

Promising Practices Conference 

Key Note Address

          The first thing that caught my attention at Promising Practices was that there were more than 50 organizations that were being represented at the conference.  To know that there are that many organizations for youth development and that we could all interact was an amazing experience for me.  In the key note address, I found it very interesting that a student is impacted by their home life, schooling, religious views, and their neighborhood, and as teachers we need to understand that there is more than meets the eye when it comes to a student's background.  We should never assume that we know exactly what a student is about, and we must think about every word that comes out of our mouth, as well as every action that we take, to make sure that no one is offended! 

          I also found it interesting that more often students saw after school programs as more beneficial than actual school programs.  To me, this meant that the students were not engaged enough in their classroom and could only let themselves have fun and engage when they were out of the classroom.  These statics made me think of the Literacy With Attitude article, by Patrick Finn, which offers reasons as to why students may not be engaged.  According to Finn, "teachers rarely explained why work was being assigned or how it was connected to other assignments" (19), which only teaches students that their work has no meaning.  Another quote states that, "lessons that explicitly called for creativity and self-expression were 'enrichment' and 'for fun'.  They did not count toward grades" (14).  For me, this quote illustrates a huge reason that students enjoy after school activities more than those in the classroom.  If students are being held back from creativity in the classroom, it only makes sense that they would enjoy when they get to be creative, and for these students, its after school.  I know that I always enjoyed after school programs when I was in grade school, because I could talk to friends, have a snack, be creative, and not stress out about getting the right answer and getting a good grade.  I feel like there should be some assignments for students that are based on creativity and the students should get credit just for completing the assignment.   

          I also found this website for an after school program in Chicago that helps students "develop marketable job skills".  Their mission is, "to provide teens with opportunities to discover their potential and find their path to a meaningful life".  It is important for students to engage in meaningful after-school activities that can engage them in activities that will help them to better their lives and potentially their future career.   

Workshop #1 - Teaching Social Studies through Zumba

Kristen Vito-Silva

Tiffany Giusti

          When I sat in the classroom, as the workshop started, the teacher, Kristen Vito-Silva  explained that she always starts from scratch and has her students "build" the classroom.  Instead of a printed number line or alphabet line, the students from numbers and letters from their bodies and represent the number or letter, and the teacher takes pictures and posts them along the walls.  By using this technique, the students are engaged, creatively thinking, and every student can broadcast their strengths.  The students also remembered the numbers and letters, because they physically made it.  In a similar way, Zumba was an activity that the teacher brought into the classroom, using content for specific moves and the accompanying music.  Each dance was created around a continent, and each move was based on a specific aspect of that continent.  For example, the music/routine was called Africa, and a specific move was the African elephant.  After implementing this activity, the teacher noticed that the students remembered everything they were being taught and they were constantly teaching their friends and family.  The teachers also supplied us with a huge packet of work from their students, before Zumba and after, as well as their reactions to Zumba.

          In this specific workshop, I was surprised by both Kristen and Tiffany's reaction to boys and the Zumba dance moves.  Tiffany explained that she would have never guessed that the boys would have enjoyed it so much, and that she was nervous that they wouldn't like it.  Both teachers decided that any of the moves that seemed too "girly" were slightly changed for the boys.  Although they had good intentions, I found myself questioning their decision.  I thought back to Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Orienstein, where there was a clear gender gap between "boy" toys and those toys that were for "girls".  In a way the teachers were thinking in terms of fathers, as described by Orienstien, "boys as young a four said their daddies would think it was 'bad' if they played with 'girls' toys" (21).  At the same time, I feel that the teachers should have allowed the boys to do the same moves as the girls, and if it was something "too girly" they should have created a different move all together.  I know that the teachers were not trying to present a gender gap, but at the same time, it was there.  If the boys wanted to  shake their butts, the move should not be labeled as a girl move, it should just be another dance move.  

Workshop #2 - Kinesthetic Connections for Middle School Aged Students 

Carol Cummings

Kathleen Johnson

Kristen Pepin

         The second workshop I went to was about "energizers" or activities to get students' bodies in motion.  The could have content added to them, or stand alone.  It is proven that test scores are higher when students are physically active, and since a lot of schools are cutting recess, it is important that the students get their exercise inside the classroom (to some extent).    Throughout the workshop, we would engage in different energizer activities which made the workshop fun and engaging for us.  One of the teachers confessed that she couldn't teach for two hours straight and that she needed the energizers just as much as the students.  I was stunned to hear the fact that an adult's attention span is about 30 minutes, and for children it can be as low as 7 minutes or less!  These energizers allow students to get the blow flowing in their brains and can break up a long class that may seem to drag on.  As a high school student myself, there were many classes that I felt tired in, and an energizer would have helped me to stay on topic.  The teachers also provided us with a list of energizers that we could use, as well as introduced us to a book that they used personally. Please comment if you would like a copy of the energizers!!  The following video is an example of an energizer that could be used in any classroom.  If this was a biology or science classroom, the teacher could call out specific biological names of body parts in order to add a content and a challenge to the game. 

Un-Conference

          The last part of the conference, was the "un-conference", which I found very informative and interesting.  Although I had heard of Allied before, I never really knew what it was about.  I learned that it was a group that provided academic support and advising, and it also helped students develop identities around difference.  This group connected to the topic of youth development, because it is imperative to be culturally competent as a person who works with youth.  Regardless of position, everyone working with students and youth should be able to recognize cultural differences, and be able to confront them in a appropriate way.  In other words, this view connected directly to Privilege, Power, and Difference by Allan Johnson.  Johnson explains, "a trouble we can't talk about is a trouble we cant do anything about" (13), meaning that teachers and students should engage in meaningful conversations about discrimination.  It is difficult to talk about things that are not clearly accepted in society, and it can lead to hostile feelings if done in a certain way.  A teacher must bring issues of race, gender, sexual orientation, and income to their class and form discussions, but in an acceptable way.  Students can not react rudely to each other's comments , and they must respect each person as they share their insights and personal stories.  Studies show that children notice differences at a young age, and there is no use ignoring the differences that are in the classroom.  By bringing up the topics of discrimination, a teacher can help their students to better respect and possibly accept the differences.

Visit the Unity Center Site

         




 After learning about ALLIED, I wondered what other groups RIC had to offer about youth development and promoting healthy, safe and accepting environments for our fellow students.  If you follow the link under the picture, you will be brought to the Unity Center website and you can explore from there. I was stunned to see 15 student groups that are geared to helping students to erase the discrimination on campus.  I honestly felt horrible, that there was not one group that I had hear of.  At the same time, I am glad that I have finally discovered these groups and I am glad that they exist.  I also think that it is important to note that the unity also has a student lounge, and it offers student leadership opportunities, in other words, its not just for those who are being discriminated.

            
How was your experience at Promising Practices?
Have you ever participates in Zumba? Would you use it in the classroom?
Do you think energizers are important in the classroom?
Did you know about the Unity Center before Promising Practices? 

A Daydream Away

Literacy With Attitude - Finn (Quotes)

"We worry instead that the low levels of literacy among them make them a liability for the rest of us.  The idea is that if we could raise their level of literacy they would join the haves" (ix)

          This quote made me think of Kozol's band-aid on a broken leg, that just by fixing the level of literacy the world would be perfect.  The fact is that illiteracy is one of many problem that people may face.  As a society, we also have to decide what a "have" is opposed to a "have not".  Are "haves" only SCWAMP's? In that case simply changing the level of education or ability will not change a person's race or skin color, or what religion they believe in.  Of course, the level of literacy must be raised, but it is one of many problems that people face every day.  It would alleviate a large problem, but it would not fix everything.  As the same time, this quote is also suggesting that society views illiterate people as a liability.  I feel that this is true, as with any person of any form of disability.  There are many times that I worked in groups in high school, where I felt that one (or more) students were holding the group back.  There is a feeling that there is a level where all people must exist, and if someone falls behind the level, they are to be left behind, rather than helped.   

"Some minorities feel that they have been wronged by mainstream Americans and that 'acting white' is a betrayal of their people" (x)

          This passage instantly made me think of the Rodriguez piece where he felt that he could only speak one language, and by choosing English, he was abandoning his Spanish culture.  This was important to me, because it made me realize that language is not the only way that multi-cultural students could be offended, but that they may also feel that Americans are pushing their cultures and customs upon them.  It was a wake-up call for me to understand that as a teacher, I must be aware of the differences that students who are not white, might face, and in order to make my classroom a safe place for everyone, I must be aware of the conflict and learn how to avoid it.  

"Just do your best.  If they learn to add and subtract, that's a bonus.  If not, don't worry about it" (11)   

          This was the most shocking quote of the article, for me.  The fact that a principal told a teacher that it didn't matter if the children learned something was just appalling.  What is a teacher's purpose, if not to teach their students?  It is teachers like these that upset me, because they have the ability to change and shape student's lives, but they chose to worry about themselves rather than their students.  If the students in this classroom don't learn adding and subtracting, I would hope they were engaging in meaningful conversations, or in other words, learning something else.  There are too many "responsibilities" put on teachers.  I used quotations marks, because I'm talking about additional responsibilities like discipline, manners, and teaching their students about growing up.  Teacher's need to realize that no matter what they are doing, they need to be educating their students in a positive way.   

What quotes or sections in this article surprised or shocked you?

What lessons have you learned from this article that will help you in your future classroom?

I have also found this video that puts this article into perspective.  This video gives the facts, and they are truly shocking!  According to this video, 7 out of 10 students can not read the text in the video itself. 

Scandalous Scholastics

Separate Is Not Equal : Brown v. Board of Education - Connections

What is Brown v. Board of Education? (more info on this website)

          -Supreme Court case where parents sued to get their African American daughter into an all-white school

          -Supreme Court consolidated 5 previous cases (called Oliver Brown et al . v. Board of Education of Topeka) to help make their decision

          -topic being debated: "Does segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race, even though the physical facilities of other "tangible factors may be equal, deprive the children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities?"

          -official ruling: "we believe that it does"

What does this mean?

          Brown v. Board of Education was one of the many cases that tried to diminish the "separate but equal" segregation.  This decision made it illegal to segregate students by color, and with help from the NAACP, "equality" was eventually achieved. (arguably) 

Why is this relevant today?

          While many people may argue that racial equality has been achieved, especially with the induction of the nations first African American president, this is not the case. As author, Tim Wise explains, there is still a a lot of progress that needs to be made.   

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Wise and Johnson

          One of the most important points that Wise and Johnson both make, is that "a trouble we can't talk about is a trouble we can't do anything about" (Johnson 13).  Wise makes this point, by pushing for a dialogue (and writing a book!) that deals with racism in the present day.  Wise is starting the conversation, but that is not enough, people need to read and listen, and not ignore the facts.  Both Johnson and Wise know that writing a book or article will not change the discrimination (not even a court case can permanently change society's reactions to discrimination), but they understand that the first step is to recognize the problem and try to engage others in the racial dialogue.  

Wise and Delpit

          A quote from Wise's video explains Delpit's stance on the white privilege, "if you want to know if a problem is still a problem, it probably makes sense to talk to the ones who are the target of it, not the ones who don't have to know, because we're not" (Wise). This quote is explaining Delpit's point that, "those with power are frequently least aware of - or least willing to acknowledge - its existence.  Those with less power are often most aware of its existence" (Delpit 26).  In other words, both of these authors are explaining that those who are not effected do not see the problem, but those who live it realize how bad the discrimination is.  Wise also gives an example that as an able-bodied person, he can is not aware of the discrimination towards disabled people.  In this case, it is important to talk to the group who is discriminated in order to get the full effect of what is happening.  This is similar to the way that racism is depicted, where some white people do not realize that racism still exists, simply because they are not aware of the impact that it has.  As Wise explains, you can still be a good person and not realize that certain forms of discrimination exist.  The thing is, don't assume that there is no discrimination, and instead actually ask those who are considered discriminated to get a truthful answer.        

Herbert and Kozol 

          Both of these authors have articles that deal with "separate but equal issues" in the present day.  Kozol explores a poor neighborhood where the children are all living in poverty and the government adds to the bad living conditions rather than helping the families to better themselves and the community.  One jaw-dropping statistic from Kozol's article is that, "only seven of 800 children do not qualify for free school lunches" (3).  This shows the reader just how poor this community has become.  The problems that students in this area face at home and in school force them to set aside school and have more important priorities (like caring for sick family members).  This situation is both about racial discrimination and about economic differences, as Kozol compares this run down neighborhood to the near by white suburbs.  When the government was trying to find a place to put an incinerator, they chose the poverty-stricken neighborhood rather than the nice one.  What always entertains me, is that the rich white neighborhood was able to convince the government that their children would be at risk for cancer, and that it was a better idea to put it in the poor black neighborhood, where apparently children are immune to cancer (obviously not).  In Herbert's article, he explains that "if you really want to improve the education of poor children, you have to get them away from learning environments that are smothered by poverty"(2).  This goes hand-in-hand with Kozol's article by explaining that life in poverty is a dead end, and the only way to help children in these areas, is to remove them.  There is also a clear point in Herbert's quote that suggests that things are not equal in poor areas, otherwise the children would be successful.  In both articles, there is a clear "separate but equal" slant that those children who are poor are given  crappy things, while those who are rich are given brand new things.           

************************************************************************************************************Have you experienced any evidence of Kozol's/Herbert's articles in your service learning school? 

Do you think there is still racism? Are things any better at all?

What shocked you in regards to this assignment?