Social Justice Event

For my social justice event i was to an event at Roger Williams on drinking, alcohol, and sexual abuse. It wasn't too bad and i learned a few new things. There was a decent amount of people when i walked in. The first things that happened was a slide show just explaining all of the cons that drinking can lead to. There was a huge list of them that went on for a few pages. Rather than just talking about the cons like usual the people explained smarter ways to drink and making sure that you are controlling your habits and drinking. After all of the information and power point part of the presentation was over they did little skits to demonstrate situations that could happen when drinking occurs. The skits were very entertaining and some were comincal but it was still done in a serious way that could open up students eyes. I thought that the skits were a good way to gain the students who were there attention and keep their attention rather than just saying drinking is bad and pushing information into their heads. When the skits were all done they had few women students who had been sexually abused in situations where alcohol played a factor. The stories were pretty sad but they were also inspiring to the women that were there. They explained how to get out of messy situations like she was in and different ways to get through those issues if they had already happened. Lastly they wrapped up the whole thing by explaining places to go for help with these situations and handed out brochures that would be helpful. I enjoyed this event more than i thought i would have when i walked in. it wasn't bad at all and it had the perfect mix of education and entertainment in order to keep the whole presentation interesting.

Extra Blog #2

I decided to do my 2nd extra blog on Dr. Bogad's class as a whole. I thought it was a fun class and i was able to communicate and feel comfortable with classmates and Dr. Bogad. She did associate all of these authors into her class in a way where she demonstrated everything that they did. A few examples were Delpit's rules and code of power when he showed us how talking to a student in a certain way can help in teaching methods and Shor's banking theories by giving us that random test and not giving any instructions. That's like expecting us to teach ourselves just as pushing information into our heads and expecting us to know the answers. The group work allowed us to learn the opinion of others and see things differently in the eyes of others. It helped us all to become better teachers by hearing stories of other and seeing how they dealt with issues that came up in their classrooms. The service learning project allowed us to become more in touch with what being a teacher is really like even in the hardest of places to teach. It tossed us issues that will be just as hard as any we will probably face in the classrooms we will be teaching in so we will be ready for them when they occur. I enjoyed the class and thought that it was made fun not just a whole bunch of tests and information of what to do but demonstrations, activities, and ideas of how to do things. The best part about the whole things was NO TESTS OR EXAMS!!! Took a lot of pressure off for the rest of my classes for the semester.

Extra Blog #1

My extra blog has to do with one of the things i overheard when i was in the my little group at my school. I was teaching the children like it was any other day and they were doing their work very well. All of a sudden the children started to talk amongst themselves because they were done with their work. They talked about the environment that they were all living in. It was awful to hear how they were speaking and saying how there is a shooting in near their home basically every week and that they were scared to leave their houses and even walk home after school. This relates to the Johnson article because its an environmental issue in which the children are used to the environment that they all live in. I don't believe any child should have to go through something like that. I was just listening carefully and trying to understand just how hard that must be to deal with. I lived in a middle class area my whole life, so to hear about things like that to me is just completely mind boggling. The fact that there was a liquor store on the same street as the school as i was coming to my school for the first time just blew my mind. Things such as that just dont set up the right learning environment for a student. It is just another things for these children to deal with in their lives they shouldn't have to worry about getting home safely.

Shor

I think Shor was an excellent read and had a great amount of good points in it. The points the were faced with issues of Banking. His best points included participation and getting the class involved in the work they are doing. He explained the great disadvantages to banking very well. A teacher cannot not just sit in front of the classroom and push knowledge into a child's head. One, the child has to want to learn about the subject and two, the child must feel a connection and involvement in the class in order to feel comfortable enough to learn. in our class for example we do activities such as group work that help us to connect with on another, voice out own opinions, and feel that sense of comfortably to talk and share ideas with one another. We must form a democracy where everyone's voice gets heard. the teacher must not make any student in the class invisible or uncomfortable. How much a student participates in class and works with other students effects the overall success and learning of the student when the class is over. Eyes and Ears have to be open at all times whether its students of teachers but overall its the teachers job to make that happen.

Citizenship in School

Right off the bat i was interested in this article because my mother and sisters teach at schools with kids with disability. I have volunteered at the schools and understand thoroughly everything that comes in the picture in this article. Some of the stories were really disappointing to here like the story of the girl who wanted to be a movie director. Teaching skills even in the field require never doubting any kids or ruling them out in anything. When i volunteer at my moms school i make sure i have open ears and eyes to all students no matter if they are disabled or not. Separating the kids can be a better thing more time than a negative thing. The reasoning for this is from seeing examples of kids with disabilities being taken out of the classroom and getting the one on one attention they need and being in an environment where they can concentrate and be comfortable it helps them to learn better and have a lot less distractions. The only negative part of this is that they may feel secluded form the group and it may take away from different social aspects. Overall i think it should be evenly spread where they are in the class for the areas of school they understand and they are taken out of the class when they need help or are struggling with a subject. A person may be seen as different in some ways but everyone is different in one way or the other and we are all human beings no matter what. Therefore a child with a disability such as down syndrome can be in any career he wants with the best help just as any other person could and this is what we as teachers need to realize.

Jean Anyon

The different points brought across in this blog can help us to learn how to become better teachers as well as students. Anyon describes to us in different opinions just how bad or good a school can be. If the learning is one that is disciplined, kids are kept in line, there is punishments, caring, orders and directions are followed, and kids are in school to learn due to these factors then the chances for success are unbeatable. One personal experience that i can recognize from my service learning projects is seeing the behaviors, attitudes, and discipline of the kids and the teaching skills of these teachers and relating them to when i was in elementary school. The different things that children are getting away with and the discipline is just not there at all. If i was to do any of those things in my old school i would have been suspended or maybe even expelled. I went to a catholic school where all the kids were polite, kept in line, and the discipline was one at a level of expertise so seeing this is like a whole new world to me. My school relates more to the first couple examples given that was why i had reason to believe those school were public schools.
The kids obviously aren't getting the discipline that they need at home and this is where our jobs at teachers are brought in the picture and we need to step up and make sure that this is changed. There is no reason a teacher cant put a kid in line and make him a better person. The knowledge known by those who teach shouldn't always be about teaching and should play as a role of one who can get these kids into shape and make sure they have the manners and discipline they need to make it in this world. No matter what class they are in a child can always change if the right things are played into the picture.

Gender and Education

To find information on this subject wasn't easy at all. Most said boys were smarter in math and girls were smarter in English and history. I personally think it varies from what i have seen in all my years of being school. The girls in my schools usually had more drive and motivation in school and in that may have been considered smarter but that doesn't necessarily mean that the girls were smarter. Until i actually see statistics and results that are accurate and posted i cant really believe that gender plays a role in the subject a student takes. It is more to do with drive, environment, and smartness of the student learning.
I think in order to change what is happening teacher need to make boys and girls equal in every single classroom, make sure that they are never grouped separately, and make both genders want to learn the subject and have drive. Everything must be equality including things such as being called on in class, same push, and same work that is given in the classroom. The children cant be stereotyped before they even walk into the room because it plays to an unfair disadvantage to one gender or the other. I personally have a reference to this with one of my high school teachers. She would always judge girls as smarter than boys and pick on the girls more than boys. This even played a factor in things such as test grades because it was all a mental mind state. The teacher would look as the name on the test see it was a girl and already be thinking that the paper was good and when a boys test was looked at nothing much was expected. I would like to see a classroom that gives gender equality and does all of those things that i said above and then show the statistics of the grades and i will believe whatever the results are even though i feel it would be different in every school.

Wise

This article was just an okay read for me. I thought there was a lot of good points brought up about Obama and the different factors that played into race. Wise gets the message across that Obama becoming the first black president is a start for change but it doesn't erase the problem of racism. I agree with him on that point but every little step that is made is one that is closer to change and closer to equity for good.
Brown vs. Board of Education for what i learned was a huge turning point in the factor of color or race. It ended segregation and was another one of the steps as i mentioned. It was a step but the problem was still not yet solved. Racism was still a factor to the point where kids didn't even want to go to school. Although this was true i feel it was the only way to realize the equality among races and help kids to realize that white and black students and people could work together and make things work as a whole. Overall equal opportunity and rights were given to those of color and it obviously helped a lot if we are where we are today.

Kahne and Westheimer

This article was pretty interesting to me because we are doing service learning projects so some ways could relate. Relations such as caring for the people your helping and actually devoting time and giving to them were seen as more of an importance to me after reading. I realize that you cant just give to someone and expect for them to learn and be fine you have to care for them and vice verso. The article also opens up eyes to recognizing whats around us and the different things that we can do to help people. Going to hospitals, caring for the elderly, or helping out in schools just as we are is key to making a better society as a whole. Students must be dedicated in doing these projects and it will help to connect with those being helped, teach others better, and help to learn more about different situations and things that are beneficial.

Linda Christiansen

I feel as though this article is a very interesting one but its very controversial as well. Most people try not to feel as though the media plays as an influence in their thought process and lives when overall i personally believe it does. All the cartoons, movies, and media that people use to entertain themselves plays some kid of aspect in their lives. Children are very easily manipulated by cartoons but there are also some cartoons that are far fetched and i think that children can sometimes see the difference of what can be pertained to real life and what cant. The quote "Turning off cartoons doesn't stop the sexism, racism and racism." is an extremely strong point to make. I agree partially with that statement but i also think that turning off cartoons and choosing cartoons wisely is a very important start. The points that were made about Disney movies were obvious to me. When you look at most Disney movies there is usually a princess or prince that is either beautiful or handsome and they end up together every time. Kids see this and want to be that beautiful persona and look as themselves differently if that don't look that certain way. Disney would never have anyone that is LGBT in their movies and that's an example of sexism in itself. The quote about the servants and rich people came as an extreme shock to me that was one issue that i had never even picked up on or noticed in the Disney movies until now. There are so many cartoons like this out there but we can allow our children to watch this stuff but we must reassure them of the important factors that they may take to heart. This whole article was definitely one that makes you think and look into the media and television shows that you watch more thoroughly and see the different stereotypes that you do notice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uatrgO5Omfw

Carlson

This article was decent read but i noticed it addressing all the different priveledges and cultures again. I feel like all these articles connect in different ways and address the advantages of color, sexuality, and other things. The fact that teachers had gotten fired due to the fact that they were gay was absolutly ubserd. Teachers are teachers no matter what they are there for the same reason, to teach these students and give them a better education. The sexuality of a teacher shouldnt make a difference because that is his/her personal right and personal buisiness. I personally believe that people who are gay today are a lot more open about it than the people back in the day were. They should have the same respect as everyone else even though they are gay though, they shouldnt be addressed different than any other person. The point of being gay as a bad thing that is viewed by some people just needs to be erased. I think the people who are homosexual need to not be scared and not worry about what other people think and stand up for themselves more and then they will gain more and more respect over time. It needs to start in schools where children can be gay, be proud of what they are, and the other students dont look at them different. It shouldnt be as silenced as it is now. Carlson brings up a lot of good points in this article that need to be approached more thoroughly by the people who read it.

Aria

I really enjoyed this read and noticed a lot of different things that i had not seen in the last few articles. Rodriguez really opens up to his struggles and what can happen when things just aren't going the right way. He shows the difficulties that must be faced when your common language is different and everyone around you is speaking a different one. I noticed the main point of view to the story were concerned with struggles and how much easier life is in an environment like that when you are bilingual because if Rodriguez would have been bilingual its would have helped solve some of his problems. The article was mostly based on life at home but it did recognize points on how not being very fluent in the main language at school can be to a strong disadvantage fore you. It makes you less confident to do things such as speak in class. The cultures of power is noticed in this read as well because the main language in the public where Rodriguez was, was English and he wasn't very good at and could barely speak it. I felt that this article did get a bit frustrating at times because you just wanted him to be bilingual because you felt bad.

1."I believe that what the rich have done to the poor people in this city is something that a preacher could call evil. Somebody has power. Pretending that they don't so they don't need to
,•
use it to help people-that is my idea of evil. "

This is a strong statement and an eye opener. It makes you think in the back of your mind the things in this statement that are true. Those in power should be using it for good and taking advantage of having that power in a good way. This quote is one out of anger that really decsribes and dids deep where this anger is coming from. If the rich and the poor reached a happy medium and helped each other everything would be so much different.


2."It's a different world from where you live. What can I say?"- Mrs. Washington

The environment where Mrs. Robinson is, is like no other. Its almost like a different lifestyle. She's trying to say what is there to do about this situation im in.

3.“As confident and grown-up as he sounds, he has the round face of a baby and is scarcely more than three and a half feet tall”

The way Cliffie sometimes had to live it would depict him as a adult in this lifestyle. But this was not true even his matureness couldnt prove he was nothing but still a boy.

I belive that is book teaches a lot of different things to its readers. It digs deep into lifestyles that some of us have never even heard of before. It shows hardship and at times is extremely sad to read. I liked this read the best so far and believed it told a better story than the other articles. It kept my interest the whole time and did make me want to keep reading. It deals with peoples lives that have delts with stds and deaths due to stds which is extremely sad because they are poor so they cant get much medication for it. It draws your attention to poverty and the different things that could be done to change it or help. Welfare should be used to help those is real need like the people in the book. It also shows the need for education in a society like this one because some of the kids really are smart and try hard like Cliffie.