Respect: Pass it on

Shown above are my two cousins Allister (left) and Addison (right) on their way to a RESPECT conference.

 

Since a very young age I have been exposed to the idea of respecting everyone and anyone no matter their race, religion, sexuality, or in this case number of chromosomes. What I mean by this is that people with down syndrome actually have an extra 21 chromosome, which makes them the way they are. And I'm happy to say that I'm blessed with not only one but two amazing people in my family that live with this syndrome.

By no other means but coincidence two people on my mother's side live with down-syndrome. One is my mother's brother (Uncle Jay) and the other is my cousin Amy's daughter Addison. So you can say I can relate really well to the whole concept of respecting everyone.

While reading the  document "Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome" by Kliewer I realized that all I could make was connections. For example on the very first page it mentioned the negative stereotypes given to people living with down syndrome. The idea that just because they are different and take a little while to understand certain things they are stupid. And personally that couldn't be anywhere farther from the truth. For instance ever since  was little I have been going to my grand parents house every Saturday and given that my uncle lives with them I see him quite often. And every time I see him he never fails to impress me with his intense knowledge of every fact about the Muppets, and his ability to sing every song from every Disney Channel original Movie. And if you were a Disney fan you would know just how many movies there were. And even with my cousin Addison, at just 13 years old her reading ability is amazing and to be honest probably exceeds mine.

And even when it comes to education I have witnessed first hand the grouping and set schedules children with down syndrome are forced to face. For instance since elementary school I have been in class with a young boy named Matthew. And even though Matt is ranked higher in intelligence than many children who have down syndrome, I watched as he and the other children with special needs came to school and sat in the same class room every single day, unable to decide which classes they wanted to take. And even though I understand that the Bristol-Warren School District has one of the best special education departments I don't feel as though we should group them like mentioned in the Oak's reading and force them to deal with a life of set schedules.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDt_T-_-QPs

Above is a link to a video pertaining to Karen Gaffney, a young woman with down syndrome showing that even though she has this disorder she can function and thrive just as well as everyone else.
                                               

Should Children Be Grouped?

In the reading "Tracking: Why School's Need to Take Another Route" by Jeannie Oaks the controversial topic of grouping kids comes into play. Now by tracking and grouping certain children, it is said that there are both advantages and disadvantages. However I only see disadvantage. For instance in the reading it mentions that tracking "locks most kids into classes where they are stereotyped as "less able". And by doing this I feel as though it puts everyone at a disadvantage because they are now stuck and unable to be challenged. This reminded me of the video "Between Barack and a Hard Place" because in the film the speaker mentioned how children of black or Hispanic background were placed in lower ranking classes than him just because they were not white. And because of this they were viewed as less able and maybe less intelligent.

Another quote I found interesting was "A number of studies have found that top-classes spend more class time on learning activities and less on discipline, socializing, and class routines." I found this to be important because all though in some classes of lower standards there are disciplinary issues, teachers should always make it their main priorities to teach the students, and should find a way to still have stable order of the classroom. And finally "What about average kids? The quality of classes for average students usually falls somewhere between the high and low-class extremes" I feel as though this is really important because being an average kid myself I realized that many of my fellow class mates who were in higher ranking classes were asked to do more and were given more independence, and with kids in lower ranking classes, they were babies their whole way through high school. But with the average kids we were stuck in some awkward stage of life where there was either too much of one thing and too little of another and it eventually became frustrating! So overall though I believe this reading made some good points I feel as though by tracking and grouping children only harm can be done.

Identity in the Classroom

     After reading the article "Becoming Something Different' by Fairbanks, Crooks, and Ariail, I felt as though it connected really well with the readings we have done without the semester. For instance it connected really well to the readings of "Aria" and an "Indians Father's Plea". I think this because throughout the study on Esmé she was faced with similar situations that occurred to the young boy in "Aria" and from Wind-Wolf in "An Indian Father's Plea". However I feel as though this reading had more of a personal connection to me. Like many of you I am faced with a lot of diversity in our tutoring classrooms. And in mine I have witnessed first hand a young boy change from who he is in order to fit in. On the first day of tutoring I was asked to work with some students who had trouble working on some basic math problems. One was Rico(alias). Now Rico had moved here from Spain over the summer and really hadn't picked up on much over the past couple months. However after working with him through out the weeks I began to notice slight changes in him. What started off as getting new shoes, and a unique hair cut, eventually led to a big change in behavior and I watched as this sweet boy turned into a very agitated, mean young man. He stopped paying attention in class and when he would work with me had little to no interest in focusing. But last Tuesday while I was working with him, he seemed to open up. And began telling me how he was getting picked on for his accent, and the way he dressed, and he actually apologized for the way he had been acting. After this I went up and talked to the teacher and she had let me know how she was dealing with the situation and what was being done to make sure Rico was happy in the classroom.

     Now even though I will never experience what its like to change my culture in order to fit in, by working with Rico I managed to see just how big of an effect it can have on a young child.

 

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=latino+students+in+the+class+room&FORM=HDRSC3#view=detail&mid=5CBBE4B8902F96EE80BD5CBBE4B8902F96EE80BD
In the video above it talks about the importance of affirming identity inside the classroom.

The Talk On Racism

   
     After watching the two videos I really found that the "Between the Barack and a Hard Place:Challenging Racism, Privilege, and Denial played a huge role in the various readings we have been doing. From the very beginning of the presentation the speaker made amazing points towards the battle of racism. For instance one that I really enjoyed was when he said the excuse of "Some of my best friends are black...". I really enjoyed this because he mentioned that just because you have friends that are black, it does not mean that racism does not exist. In addition to this idea he mentioned a study that had been conducted where 75% of Americans stated that they had many black friends. And in correlation to the term "many" is the idea of 4 or more. So that would mean that 142 million white people would have at least 4 friends who were black but at the time of the poll there were only about 35 million black people in the country, so this poll would be viewed as very inconclusive.
     In addition to this, the speaker also mentioned that people of color were usually placed in lower ranking classes while children of Caucasian background were usually placed in higher ranking classes despite their academic ability.He also mentioned a study in which 626 white students keep a journal for 6 weeks and were asked to report every sign of racism they saw. And after the six weeks there was a total of 7500 accounts of real racism recorded. ( http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/01/12/reid.race.lessons/) And it is from these different experiences that I can connect this video to Idea's like SCWAMP where whiteness is the prominent factor over other  races.
     Furthermore another thing that I found extremely interesting was a study where a black man and a white man both went to the same doctors with the same symptoms, occupations, and insurance. Yet received different diagnostics and prognostics. And in the case of the white male, there were almost immediate treatments, where as with the black male the treatments were different and seemed to be spread out further. And also when it comes to black students, 14 studies show that they were 2-3 times more likely to be suspended over white kids, even if they committed the same act. These incidents remind me of McIntosh's reading "White Privilege" where people who are white are treated better than people of color.
      In conclusion I feel as though these videos played in perfectly with what we are learning in class. Especially the idea that even though we may not be racist ourselves, by remaining silent we are no better than the ones making the racist remarks. And also the absurd idea that just because we have a black president all racism in the world is gone. For the only way to end racism and inequality is to "befriend the unequal".

Service learning: In the service of what

In today age, service learning has become very prominent in local schools. 

The ability for students to get out in the world and do their part to make a difference has really become a large part of our educational norm. But as the title of the reading  "In the Service of What?"  by Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer states that doesn't mean whether or not you are working at a food pantry or the senior citizens home down the street but whether or not you actually understand why you are doing it. From this reading I pulled some fairly important quotes. The first one is " In addition to helping those they serve, such service learning activities seek to promote students' self esteem, to develop higher-order thinking skills, to make use of multiple abilities and to provide authentic learning experiences- all goal of current reform efforts." I picked this quote because I felt as though it helped give a better idea as to the many benefits students get form doing these service learning projects. I firsthand can tell form my experiences of working in schools that I have learned so much from working with the kids and feel a thousand times more comfortable working with them now then I did before. In addition I feel as though I have gained so much new knolege and feel as though I know how to use these abilities to my advantage. The second quote I enjoyed was " The approach to service learning by Mr. Johnson stresses charity and the ways in which participating in service and reflection can develop students' sense of altruism." I chose this because I feel as though in today's world many children don't see the need to help anyone but themselves and by making kids, especially older ones begin helping people of less fortune without expecting anything in return, the world will become a better place. And that connects to my final quote "In contrast, much of the currant discussion regarding service learning emphasizes charity, not change."

The reason why I chose this quote is because as shown in one of the charts it states the charity is the art of giving while change has to do with the aspect of caring. And if children only focus on the idea of charity and giving I feel as though they will never reach true altruism and care about the difference they are making. And in the following link http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=service+learning+project+effects&FORM=HDRSC3#view=detail&mid=7948D401E1947CB778F37948D401E1947CB778F3 it discusses the service learning project going on at Fred Becker Elementary school.

 Finally In conclusion I feel as though through service learning projects children are becoming more aware of their surroundings and how they can improve the world around them.

A Cartoonish Way of Life

Don't get me wrong I have been and always will be a huge fan of the classic cartoon such as Popeye or the Looney Toons, and many of the Disney Classics will remain my favorites, however after reading this article I have come to a conclusion that it is through these cartoons that stereotypical beliefs are passed on. In fact only recently did Disney begin incorporating various "princesses" such as Mulan and Princess Tianna from the Princess and the Frog who don't conform to the typical white Disney princess. And even though Disney has expanded their range of nationality and race they still conform to their own ways. For instance in many of their films the role of the female characters usually play the ones of Damsels in Distress. Granted even though they are getting better at truly being one with the beliefs of the 21st century, Disney still has a long way to go before it can say it is a contributing factor in the fight against sexist and racist stereotypes.

In "Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us" by Linda Christensen she explains the way her own students question the act of impression through the movies and cartoons we watched while growing up. And in reading this I have to completely agree with her beliefs, For even I have stereotypical beliefs that I have acquired throughout my life of TV watching. For instance one of my favorite shows to watch even still today is "Spongebob". And though it seems like just a stupid show pertaining to the life of a sponge it has tons of stereotypical connotations that go along with it. For instance it has ccharacterslike the cheap business owner, or the fat idiot. Also in addition to this in one infamous episode of Spongebob, the two main ccharacters(Spongebob and Patrick) go on a rant about everything they believe about Texas.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ_PwD0gOSo 

It si through these various shows and movies that we watch while growing up that the beliefs of certain types of people are put into our heads. And as explained by Christensen  works like a "secret education" and makes us view things a certain way. But perhaps if various children shows worked to promote equality for all sexes and races then this stereotyping nature would be one of the past.

Out of the Closet, and Into the School

When we first were talked too about working in the schools, we were warned about sharing any private information. Not only did this create an unprofessional relationship between the teacher and the student but it opened up the teacher to all types of commentary; whether it be positive or negative. But what happens when you are working with a class every Monday through Friday for a whole year? Do things change? Should you admit your true sexuality or just go with the flow of assumption that you are heterosexual? These scenarios are perfectly depicted in the reading "Speaking the Unspeakable in Forbidden Places: Addressing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality in the Primary School" by Allan, Atkinson, Brace, De Palma, and Hemingway.
     In the reading it mentions are group called "No Outsiders". What this group does is have a group of trained professionals, whether they are teachers, professors or anyone else go into schools and then record their experiences. In it there was the story of the teacher and her lesbian version of Cinderella and another teacher who came out to all of her art students, and also the idea of "openness" in the staff room.
     Now while reading about this all I could think about was my won personal experience. While growing up I had only experienced "straight" teachers, that is until I went to High School. In my eyes teachers were sort of "straight until proven otherwise" and this would be the time I would be proven otherwise. I had heard rumors of a gay teacher working in our school, But like I said I thought it was a rumor. I figured someone didn't like him, or he had been misunderstood or something. Because I just couldn't believe that any teacher would tell his class he was gay. But on that that first day of chemistry sophomore year, when I walked in and one of the first things out of my teachers mouth was "Yes, I am gay. And yes, I am Jewish" I was Astonished. I wasn't turned off or uneasy, but instead I was intrigued. I thought it was crazy how comfortable he was with his sexuality. He never seemed worried about what people were saying about him, or how people were viewing him. But instead he embraced his lifestyle and wanted everyone to know about it.
     Now the thing that I found most interesting about sophomore year in chemistry wasn't the use of Avogadro's number in measuring molar mass's or the correct way to use a Bunsen Burner, but instead the idea that a simple prefix such as homo or hetero doesn't define you as a person let alone a teacher. And even though many teachers tend to keep quiet about their sexualities whether it be of fear or privacy you can never assume that everyone you meet is going to be straight, and you can never assume that straight is better.
      In the following link http://www.theguardian.com/education/2012/nov/26/gay-teachers-homophobia-stonewall-research it tells various stories of different homosexual teachers and their concerns and experiences.