Shor 10th post

1. "In school and society, the lack of meaningful participation alienate'
workers, teachers, and students. This alienation lowers their productivity
in class and on the job. I think of this, lowered,productivity a, a performance
strike, an unorganized mass refusal to perform well, an informal and unacknowledged strike."
(pg 20).

I do not like to talk in class and I do not think that participation should be the only way to asses students learning. I think that group discussion is good, but there are other ways the children can show they are learning the subject. Everyone has a voice that should be heard but if a student is uncomfortable then they should have the time to "warm up" to the students and teacher.

2.“People are naturally curious. They are born learners. Education can either develop or stile their inclination to ask why and to learn.”

I think that from day one the classroom teacher should make the classroom comfortable and open for discussion. Not having the children in groups or rows, but by putting them in a semi circle makes the room less stressful for asking questions and participating in front of peers. what i have found is that children like to know they have the right answer before answering in front of the class. Students need to know it is okay to have the wrong answer. We learn from one another.

3.“The good school is the one in which in studying I also get the pleasure of playing”

i want to be the teacher that has fun ways of learning new material. I like hands on projects because i think by see in doing the children obtains the information better than reading from a book as a whole class.

I found this reading to be very long and hard to stay on track. The points that the article did make were everyday situations, which i liked.

Citizenship in school: reconceptualizing Down Syndrome

1. "I started to notice that I didn't like the class I was taking called special education. I had to go through special ed. almost all my life. I wanted to take other classes that interest me. I had never felt so mad. I wanted to cry".

The quote made me feel bad. How can you make a child go to school everyday feeling like he wants to cry. Its like going to a job everyday that you HATE. That student and his teachers could have sat and asked him what he would like and what would make him feel happier in school. I think in this child's case special education did not benefit him. Instead it made his stress.

2. "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".

I liked to read the passages written by the person first hand.I think we have come a long way from when people with disabilities were put into institutions. People used to separate people with disabilities from non disabled people. I think that the words that were once used to describe people with disabilities, are over used by children and adults.Educators should step in when they hear children using the words like retard and dumb. Over the weekend I baptized my first goddaughter and one of the blessing the priest did on each child said "... let the blind see and the dumb speak..." I have never heard that before and was kinda shocked about it.

3. "She did not interpret Isaac's broad and impulsive motions, indecipherable chatter, and tendency to interrupt circle time with loud points of exclamation as manifestations of defectiveness. Instead, Shayne saw these behaviors as reflections of Isaac's joys in the drama of life and his desire to connect to his peers".

This is a teachers who takes the time to learn and get to know the child. She understands that some behaviors are uncontrollable and takes his interest into consideration. She took his favorite reading "Where the Wild Things are" and had the class put on a dramatic play with costumes and props. This activity included everyone in class.

I enjoyed this reading. I like when there are passages from real people, in real situations. Working with young children and people with disabilities. My first encounter with someone with a serious disability was in 4th grade. I was very interested in him and during all my spare time i spent it with him. I would help him with his school work and sit with him at lunch. We were good friends. Everyone wants to be created as an equal. You dont like when you feel left out and out of place, why make another person feel like that.

Promising Practices

When i first arrived at RIC the curriculum fair was just getting set up. The first session i went to was Teaching transgender students. I think that is crazy that a person as young at 2 starts to realize they are different. I never thought that young children "knew" those feelings. "Children will have a strong persistent interest in things deemed unusual for their gender like, toys, play, artwork, dress, names, and clothing. Children spend most of their waking days at school. Teachers, faculty, and staff need to be open minded, positive and supportive. Not all transgender people are "out", so teachers need to be knowledgeable about transgender and have a no tolerance teasing policy. Parents will also have concerns about how will the children act when Joseph comes back to school at Josie. Will the child be put down and isolated? Will the child get bullied and feel unsafe at school? Will the teacher accept the child and teach the children to "stick up" for one another. Will the teacher also discuss how everyone feels the same on the inside. Will they use gender neural language. Another major concern for transgender children are bathrooms. Some children will hold it in all day long. This does not just go for children. Transgender adults get harassed when using the bathroom. No one should feel unsafe when using the bathrooms. Bathrooms should be family or unisex facilities. I also never thought how that might make someone feel. I am the type if i have to pee i will go, but not just in any bathroom.The most disturbing information was the suicide rate. By the age of 20 about 50% of transgender children have attempted or succeeded in suicide. The presenter also mentioned the transgender bill of rights
This session went over the time by like 10 minutes. I think that this session connected with Carlson. Having gender neutral bathrooms, educating teacher on how to support and make transgender children feel welcome. I think that is very important for all students to feel safe and welcoming in school in order to get the best education. I learned the most in this session.
After the first session we went to the curriculum fair. I thought it was fun to walk around and see the different learning materials they had to offer. I liked the assistance technology table.
The second session that i went to was Celebrating our World: An Integrated Approach to Global Studies. I really liked this workshop the two presenters put a lot of thought and effort into what they presented. They were 1st and 2nd grade teachers from Henry Barnard School. They have a travel friend that travels with children when they go on vacation with their family. The presenters gave a folder to everyone with letters and examples of work for the children. There is a letter that is sent home with the children for the parents explaining the children will complete a travel log. There is also a letter for the student telling them about the travel log and sharing their experience with friends when they return to school. The log includes character traits, items collected during the trip, food ate, new things, favorite things, people you met on your trip, draw the state and country of the place you are visiting, journal for each day of the trip,buildings, bridges, tunnels,lakes, rivers, oceans, and mountains visited. Also a space provided to draw your favorite place visited.
September is summer souvenir. October is Columbus, Spain to San Salvador. November is Pilgrims and Thanksgiving, from England to the new world/ Massachusetts. ETC. After the month by month lesson on geography we went around to 6 different art stations. We made art projects from places like, Brazil ( carnival masks), Japan ( paper fan), North America ( story sticks), and Germany ( wooden clothespin people). They supplied the materials and directions for everyone. I had a lot of fun with the hands on take home projects. I was thinking that maybe Rodriguez because the teachers are bringing other cultures into the classroom. The children get to see the place on the map and draw it. They invite parents into the class to teach the students about their heritage and even bring in food to try. The children like to try food. I enjoyed this session a lot i also learned a lot. i like how the teacher finds a way around learning about different holidays. They also include the family's of the children into the classroom.

I really enjoyed, Tricia Rose, the keynote speaker. She was inspiring and down to earth. i liked when she said we need to be painfully honest, and make sure that we don’t skip over the "ugly parts." I enjoyed promising practice because it is informative and you get to talk to other students wanting to become a teacher and others who are already teachers.

JEAN ANYON

1. It's no surprise that schools in wealthy communities are better than those in poor communities, or that they better prepare their students for desirable jobs. It may be shocking, however, to learn how vast the differences in schools are - not so much in resources as in teaching methods and philosophies of education.

Growing up i thought that schools were all pretty much the same. I now know that schools are different. I have also seen a school that is at or below Poverty.I do notice that the supplies are bare and and money is tight, but teachers need to use what they have and make the absolute best out of it. I don's hear much talk about higher education with the students. Some of the children in the class that i am in ask me "your in school, but your an adult"? I tell them "yes i am in college". The children in lower class schools are not getting the same opportunities as children that live in another town.


2.There were no clocks in the rooms in either school, and the children often asked, "What period is this?" "When do we go to gym?" The children had no access to materials. These were handed out by teachers and closely guarded. Things in the room "belonged" to the teacher: "Bob, bring me my garbage can." The teachers continually gave the children orders. Only three times did the investigator hear a teacher in either working-class school preface a directive with an unsarcastic "please," or "let's" or "would you." Instead, the teachers said, "Shut up," "Shut your mouth," "Open your books," "Throw your gum away-if you want to rot your teeth, do it on your own time." Teachers made every effort to control the movement of the children, and often shouted, "'Why are you out of your seat??!!" If the children got permission to leave the room, they had to take a written pass with the date and time....

I would have never thought a teacher would talk to a student like that. I have witnessed this kind of behavior at the school that i am volunteering at. There are some teachers that make the best of it. The supplies are minimal but my classroom teacher does use all the supplies that are available to her with the students. I don't see "books" in their desks everything is done as a group on the rug or with worksheets and manipulatives in their small group. When i was in school you needed permission to leave the room but you did not have to sign out and take a pass. In the classroom their is both a sign in/ out sheet and a hallway pass.

3. "The children had no access to materials. These were handed out by teachers and closely guarded. Things in the room "belonged" to the teacher: "Bob, bring me my garbage can."

I even hear this kind of talk at the school that i work at. I don't understand why teachers in general, call the classroom materials "theirs". One of the girls i work with does this all the time. "those crayons are miss XXX, you can use those over there". Even if the teacher buys something with her own $$, she still bought it with the class in mind. Why would you not share it

I liked the reading because i could relate to it. I sometimes dont think that the location of the school has anything to do with it. I think that its the teachers. They need to not think they are better than the children and remember what is was like to be a kid.

Gender and Education

i really liked the mother of the twin 6 year old girls. I never thought of gender and sex as being different. I have a few friends the are pregnant and the first thing i ask is boy or girl. I feel that i associate girls with dresses and dolls, and boys with jeans and trucks. This clip made me see that, just because you are a girl, it does not mean you will be a girly girl. i also sometimes think that boys are easier to take care of. i don't think that there should be "boy" or "girl" toys, children should be able to play with any toys they want, without being judged. Children should also be able to dress how they want. Especially at a young age a teacher should not make a child feel embarrassed or ashamed.
More men are staying home with the children while the mothers are the "bread" winners. The rolls of men and women have changed over the years therefore boys and girls should know both rolls of a man and a women. There is a 5 year old boy at the place i work at and his mother buys him "boy" toys like trucks, action figures but she also lets him some to school with his baby doll Caroline. I like that this little boys parents let him play with dolls and bracelets and fire trucks and cars.
I also never realized that children as young as 2 or 3 know how they like to dress and act. Gender rolls are everywhere. Children see it in Disney movies and TV. Teachers how a days need to be open minded and encourage children to play with all they "toys"

Tim Wise

I liked listening to Tim because he talked about issues we all can relate to. He is not a white male who is oblivious to racial issues. He is also not blinded by white privileged.He made a lot of good points. He does not stick up for one race or the other. He thinks that everyone should be treated equal. I liked when he was talking the different schooling that kids go to, and if "you" have the money then it does not matter how well you do. That "black and Brown" kids think they need to be rappers?

Even though we have a black president now does not mean that racism has disappeared. There will always be racism, and work to be done. I do not think that racism will ever "go away" people will always stick up for that they think is right.

Brown v. Board of Education and the contemporary issues of race is related because they b0th have to do with black being equal. Some times i wonder will racism ever end?

In the Service of What? The Politics of Service Learning

1." Service learning activites seek to promote students' self- esteem, to develop higher- order thinking skills, to make use of multiple abilities, and to provide authentic learning experiences-m all goals of current curriculum reform efforts."

I have noticed that throughout the years going into different schools I am less nervous. I have learned what to say when I get to the school and how to introduce myself without shuddering. I am also more involved in the classroom because I know what I am expected to do. I think that service learning benefits students for starting future jobs.


2." the requirement that all schools take part in volunteer activities in either their school or community as a condition from graduation from high school."

In my high school we were required to complete hours in the community in order to graduate. The high school I went to had a Senior project, we were one of the first schools to do this project and now many school are doing it. After working on this project all year different people from from the community and other schools came to "judge" us. The school closed for underclassman and each classroom had 4 or 5 judges, and 5 or so students. My brother is a Senior this year and is working on his senior project, he choose business management. I enjoyed the senior project and I learned a lot from it.


3."In the service of what?" is a question that inevitably merits the attention of teachers, policy makers, and academicians who take seriously the idea that learning and service reinforce each other and should come together in America's schools."

I did my first service learning in High School. It was called the Senior Project. We need pass this year long project to pass high school. We could pick anything we wanted to learn about and find a mentor. I chose home daycare. I really like the service learning because the more schools you go into the less nervous you are each time. I also like going into different schools and see what each has to offer. Each teacher had their own style of teaching and with service learning we get to see the different styles.

I liked this article it was an easy read and informative. I think that the community service should be in all schools. Giving back to the community is important and fun. If you really get involved not just staying on the "surface" you can really learn a lot. My first service learning was in high school and it continued when I was at CCRI. For many classes I had to go an observe in a day care. I always got to choose where I wanted to go. This was the first time that I was placed somewhere. I like being out of my comfort zone and working with students that are not as "privileged" as others. I am not a fan of the principal and some teachers at my current service learning but with the help of my teachers and classmate I will be able to learn how to deal, and solve problems.

Unlearning the Myths that Blind us

1. " A Black Cinderella? Give me a break.She wrote:Have you ever seen a black person, an Asian, a Hispanic in a cartoon? Did they have a leading role or were they a servant? What do you think this is doing to your child's mind?...Women who aren't white begin to feel left out and ugly because they never get to play the princess." pg 131

Growing up I never noticed that most of the Disney characters were white. There were a few that showed ethnicity like Pocahontas, Aladdin, and Mulan. I have been noticing dolls in the story that are different races. I have even seen male dolls. I like seeing the children playing with the black, Hispanic, and Asian dolls. Also, I never really watched cartoons. When I watch reruns of shows that I did watch as a kid, I notice the racism, sexism, and discrimination that I didn't as a kid. I also feel that no little girl should feel ugly or left out, princesses come in all colors.

2. "We look at the roles of women, men, people of color, and poor people play in the cartoons".

I don't think this is just in cartoons but everywhere. I do remember growing up that the father was the "head" of the house and the bread winner. The mother stayed home to cook, clean, and care for the children. Even though society has changed over time,I dont think we can ever escape the stereotypes. The first show that came to mind when I read this was the Fresh Prince of Bell Air. He was a poor black kid that moved in with his rich black aunt and uncle.

3. "Because we can never look like Cinderella, we begin to hate ourselves. The Barbie syndrome starts as we begin a lifelong search for the perfect body. Crash diets, fat phobias, and an obsession with the materialistic become commonplace."

We see in magazines, billboards, and on TV the image that people think every girl needs to look like. People need to put the Average everyday looking people in the magazines and all over billboards. Not everyone can have the Barbie look. I think it is sad when I put on lifetime and it is a story about a young girl who is anorexic or bulimic. I wish that the pressure in school was not so tough. Girls feel that they need to act and look a certain way to fit in. When I watch shows like Toddlers in Tiaras I first think that they are so cute, then I wonder how many of those baby's are going to grow up thinking they need to be perfect all the time.

I enjoyed the reading by Christensen. It made me open my eyes and realize how discriminating cartoons, TV, magazines, billboards, and peers can be. I feel that I was sheltered growing up. I never caught on to the cartoons and other everyday discrimination. Books, movies, and dolls should come in all different shapes and colors because everyone is different and no one wants to feel left out and ugly. We also need to teach children that not everything you see on TV and in magazines is the way we all need to look like.

Anti gay marrage commercial~ reference to King and King book

Dennis Carlson

1."Gay people have for the most part been made absent, invisible, and silent within this community and at the same time represented as the deviant and pathological Other". pg 233

Gay people have been portrayed as "deviant" when they should be seen as no different then anyone else. I do not understand why people are judged for reasons they cant control. You cant pick who your parents are, and you cant help who you fall in love with.

2." At the level of state educational policy, it is noteworthy that no state currently recognize gays and lesbians as legitimate minority or cultural groups to be considered in textbook adoption or to be included in multicultural education; and a number of states explicitly prohibit teaching about homosexuality.

I think that it is sad that just because you like the same sex you loose out on different things. Same sex can not get married, be put on the same health plan, they loose out on tax benefits. Being homosexual shouldn't automatically legally forbid you to marry the person you love. I look forward to homosexuals to have equal rights in the eye of the law. I personally was never taught about homosexuality in school.

3." We cannot and should not attempt to impose "politically correct" beliefs on students; but we have a responsibility as public educators in a democratic society to engage them in a dialogue in which all voices get heard or represented and in which gay students and teachers feel free to "come out" and find their voices." pg 252

With my a major in education I feel that children should be able to ask questions freely about any matter. I want to be able to give an answer that is not bias. I would not want to discurage anyone from feelings they have. I also think that schools should introduce homosexuality to students around the age of puberty. Students that may have different feelings shouldn't be outcasted. Everyone has a voice and they should be heard. There should be no "politically correct" way of life.

I enjoyed reading this article. It made me think about how I was never taught about homosexuality, race, religion, well diversity at that matter. I also never really knew anyone in same sex relationships. It wasn't until I was in my first year of college and a bartender that I met all sorts of different kind of people. They have the same feelings that anyone else has but they feel that they need to hide their sexuality, because some people just cant see that not everyone likes the opposite sex. I kind of snooped around and found out that my best friends brother was gay. He still hasn't come out and said it. His family knows but does not speak about it. I realized after high school that most people keeps their true feelings secret until after high school.

Talking points 2

1." What they seem not to recognize is that, as a socially disadvantaged child, I considered Spanish to be a private language. What I needed to learn in school was that I had the right and the obligation to speak the public language of los gringos". pg 34


Richard Rodriguez is saying in this quote that the use of Spanish was used only in his home life and English was used in the outside world. He did not see the use of being bilingual. He is also saying that he knows how to speak Spanish; he needed to learn how to succeed in speaking English. This quote reminded me of a recent incident that happened. When I went on my second visit to my service learning, there was a mother who came into the office to register her children. The secretary spoke only English and the mother spoke only Spanish, the daughter was shy and wouldn’t talk. A third grader that was leaving early stepped in and said "I speak Spanish and English, I can help". I thought that was a very nice thing that little girl did.


2. "One Saturday morning I entered the kitchen where my parents were talking in Spanish however until, at the moment they saw me, I heard their voices change to speak English". pg 35

I don't understand why they would totally cut out their "home language". It is a part of what makes their family unique. All families are different. Besides in today's society you can benefit from speaking another language. Speaking a different language should not make you feel any less of an individual in today's society.

3."One day in school I raised my hand to volunteer an answer. I spoke out in a loud voice. And I did not think it remarkable when the entire class understood. That day, I moved very far from the disadvantaged child I had been only days earlier". pg 36

He is saying that one day he finally had the courage to take the English that he knew how to speak and speak for the first time in front of the whole class. That takes a lot of courage. His confidence must of boosted way up when the class understood him. I only speak English and do not like to speak in front of my peers. I always wonder if I am going to mess up or stutter (talking to children is different).

Richard Rodriguez's "Aria" was an easy read and I really enjoyed it because it is a personal experience. I like to read stories about people’s lives. It is written in first person therefore it is easy to put yourself in that "persons shoes" in a way. I think that it is boring to read a bunch of facts. I look forward to more readings of this nature, it spikes my interest. I also think that I will be able to relate more to diversity in the classroom now that I am expanding my horizon and volunteer in a setting that I did not think I would ever be in, and so far enjoying it very much.

Peggy McIntosh

1. " White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, code books, visa's, clothes, tools and blank checks"(1)


The author is simply expressing her feeling that just because of her race (white) she is automatically privileged to certain things that persons of others races are not. She calls being white an unearned asset that she was born with. It’s almost like being white is a license to a better quality of life.

2."When I am told of our national heritage or about "civilization", I am shown that people of my color made it what it is"

White people made America what it is today. From Abe Lincoln to Albert Einstein just about any major leap or bound in American history has been accomplished by a white person. There are not too many people of other races that impacted the country like our founding white fathers. Even presidents up until now have all been white males. It took over 200 years for non-white male to become president of the US.

3. "White students in the United States think that racism does not affect them because they are not people of color; they do not see "whiteness" as a racial identity."(5)

From what I infer she is trying to say that a white kid just views themselves as "normal" not just white, where as they view people from other races as "not normal" because they are not white. White people don't realize all the racism around them because they are not subject to it as often as other races, if at all.


Peggy McIntosh's article has been the easiest and most enjoyable to read so far. I liked the way she presented her information. This article did not make white people seem "bad"; she simply states that white people are born with some advantages that others are not, and change is needed. Being a white female, like most white people according to this article, I never really notice racism around me. After reading this article (and the 26 statements) I am noticing racism all around me. Like when I turn on the television and see mostly white people or when I go shopping and see food sections for other ethnic group particularly and it’s almost like the rest of the store is for American. Johnson and McIntosh use related dialogue. How much has our country changed since this article was published?

Me

My name is Nicole and I am Junior in the Early childhood/ Special Education Program. I transferred to RIC from CCRI. I am a full time student and I work part time at a child care center as an infant/ toddler teacher. I also have two dogs, Cody and Riley