TIM WISE Talking 12

I am using my blog in response to TDUFF and his summary on Tim Wise and racism.  I agree with Tyler that in society today the Whites are thought to be more powerful, educated, and wealthier than any of the other races.  I feel that the media and society we live in has shape us to think this way.  I do really believe though that from reading this article i can see where the miniorities can feel as if they are being judged upon.  In my opinion however, i cant stand when people use the race card for every single thing, a line from a comedy film starin Stifler and Paul Rudd and the actor Mcloving, a young black boy knocks over a tent his parnter build up and the mentor says, did you do that and the african boy says "why because im black you think i did this" and his response was " no because you did it thats why i think you did it" it was comical but at the same time it had meaning to it.  I feel now that people use the race card for excuses alot.  I belive people are prejudice against race no matter what color even whites.  I know that Italians are viewed to be crooks or known for other things and some of this is due to media just like African Americans can be viewed negativly but they are successful people too.  Tim Wise article on racism makes sense to me It is never going to end and people need to learn to accept it for what it is unfortunally.

Talking Blog 10.. Critical thinking

http://youtu.be/uMU1BZ5YtMo


This a clip I found that i feel relates to the article and situsation... The video talks about how critical thinking is missing in schools in society today. I feel that critical thinking is a lost cause and that not enough teachers allow there students to do so. Most classes today are simply lecture. You go to class sit there listen and take notes. I think that critical thinking is important sometimes, somethings i believe dont need to be overthought but on the other hand some things should def. be questioned and analyzed. In FNED we use critical thining every day and it makes the mind open up i think it is a good thing however, sometimes are what they are and critical thinking are pointless sometimes.  This video main point is how critical thinking should always be used

talking points 9 quotes least restrictive enviroment

　
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. (Kingsley, 1996, p. 6)

　
I started to notice that I didn't like the classes I was taking called special education.!had togothroughspecialed.almostallmylife. I wanted to take other classes that interested me. I had never felt so mad, 1 wanted to cry. (Peterson, 1994, p. 6)

We

willnot recognize the diverse contributions of those who wear obscur

ing labels until we move our focus from the disability and look for the

complexity and individuality we take for granted in ourselves. Only get

ting to know a person in all his or her multifaceted indiViduality can cause

the "huge" disability [spread] to magically shrink and assume its real

proportions



I feel that these are three of the more important quotes in the article reading because it relates to the text of how stigma in disabilities and learning are a big deal and it is happening all over and is growing.  Placing students in a LRE can be both benefical and yet confrontintal at the same time. Many people will aruge that teaching kids in a LRE can help the students with disabilities can self confidence and make them feel normal and accepted by others. Also, it will not single out the kids and make them push themselves in order to keep up with the other students.  Teaching students in LRE i feel really makes the kids with disabilities feel normal and better about themselves and i think this is something that all kids with disabilities want. To feel accepted. The government feels teaching in LRE is good because it elimates any stimga students with disabilities may have. However, some aruge that it is bad to have LRE because they feel that the students are not capable of keeping up the other students without the disabilities and it can be a set back for the teachers and the students to have to stop or make special accomadations for the students with the disabilities to keep up and learn with the other students.  Also, it can be harmful to the students self esteem in some cases if the students with the disabilities fall really far behind and cant keep up it may make them feel worse about themselves and get depressed.  Some feel the teachers dont have the patience and training to keep up with a student in the class with high disablities and some teachers dont want to put up with the extra training required.  I personally feel that its up to the students and the parnets, no child should feel left out and labeled because of a disability, i feel it can be so harmful to a kids self esteem by letting the kid have to learn in a special different class.  Let the kid be able to feel normal and gain confidence.  The only times i feel this is wrong is when the disability is really serve and needs special attention to the point it is a drag on the other students and teachers in the classroom.

Promising Practice

This event started bright and early saturday morning at RIC. the day started by signing in to a worksheet that told you which group you would be working with during the day.  I got put in group 2. a reading and writing workshop. I felt so out of place. I knew nobody in the group and we were talking about reading books and writing. We did a few ice breaker games in the first group which was kind of fun but then we started talking about writing and verbs and stuf and i had no clue what was going on to be honest.  I did alright in that aspect.  After the first workshop ended around 940 we went into another room it was a second grade teachers room and we a teacher Michelle and her assistant talked about reading and power of reading.  We watched a 10 minute clip on organzing a library area in a classroom and in a school. To be truthful I really couldnt focus on what was going on because i had no intrest in this topic and felt out of place because all of the students around me were all going to be writing or reading teachers and I felt not as knowledgable as them in certain areas.  I tried to pay attention as much as possible. After that meeting we met and sat at the cafe where i saw my classmates and that was a relief because i felt more comfortable there cause i knew the people. We sat around for about a half hour and i ate a lot of granola bars, after that we went to Teen Enpowerment meeting, to be truthful I really didnt understand the point of this session.  I give the kids alot of credit for standing up and presenting their views on acheiving goals in school but I just did not relate to the points they were trying to make.  They played alot of ice breaker games but I feel most the people didnt no what was going on either.  The main idea i think of the presentation was to tell people that there are ways to acheive goals in school and you can do what you want if you put your mind to it. Also, to help people in need if they need it and offer them guidance and support.  I give the kids alot of credit to do what they are doing and they seem like they are going to have a bright future if they contiune staying on track.  I found the ALLIED meeting to be pretty intresting and useful i feel the made message there was to be open to diversity and get a understanding of what is going on in the world.  I feel this relates to Johnsons journal about understanding diversity and learning about race and changes in the world and learning how to adapt to it . I also felt that  it related to Delpit and the rules of power, how the teachers shuld explicitly teach the rules and codes to those students who may not learn them at there homes.  ALso related to Rodriguez because self identity would be a big factor in this ALLIED and teen empowerment meeting, i feel students will sometimes do things to fit into our peoples public eye.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/opinion/oped/saving-america-s-self-identity-in-the-classroom/article_fd461c8b-43a9-518f-aa26-26f7e7b31535.html

http://voices.cla.umn.edu/teachingmaterial/identity.html

Talking Points Gender and Education

http://youtu.be/Rwersydp9-Y  this is a interview with a Dr. on national news talking about gender and difference in education.


http://youtu.be/eFnYyzEPvNk  a
nother clip about Title IX in a classroom



http://www.ungei.org/resources/files/Education_from_a_Gender_Equality_Perspective.pdf   this is a very in depth look at Gender and education in the classroom that provides many facts and intresting information and views on gender roles and education.. All three of these links are pretty useful

talkin point 6

the website/article talks about racism in the world we live in as a past and current problem in society we live in.  It is something that I feel is always going to be around and unfortunaly I ddont think there is anything we can do t stop it feel we just need to accept racism is always going to be around. this website mentions how racism has shaped society and caused problems in our society.  i feel racism and cultural differences is one of the biggest reasons why we are divided as a community. The race issue is dividing us and causing issues.  In class we talk about how it affects our lives. I feel racism is not as bad as it once was but it still very much apart of the world elive in.. I connected this website to many to of tthe readings even Christensen. it will be intresting to talk aout this website in class

Talking Points 5

I am "Extending Comments" to "Tyler Tduff" blog.  I agree with Tyler he said that Christensen mentions how media can effect societys way of viewing things and I agree completly.  Not all of people are influenced by media because tehre are many mentally strong people in this world but I feel most of the people especially kids in our age group are influenced by media.  For example, if girls go shopping and they see celebrities wearing Gucci and Versace Sunglasses on chacnes are they are going to try and buy those designer brand because its considered "fashinoable".  Guys playing sports may be influenced to take certain supplments they see athletes taking to help improve performance.  Media plays a big role in society especially in the department of money. Tyler mentions that  Christensen talks about how money is so important and makes happiness, I believe it def. can make a person happy but I think having good health and good morals outweights the money even though you can never have enough of it.   I agree with Tyler as well when he mentions media and marketing and how girls look in magazines is how media promotes how females should look.  I feel this is wrong sometimes cause not everyone will look the same but at the same time business is business and that type of marketing makes money through fashion etc. I feel this article was intresting

“The Underlying Myths That Behind Us”

In “The Underlying Myths That Behind Us”, by Linda Christensen discuss her problems with the media.  She wants her students to understand and question what the media is putting into our heads as children.  Disney movies and other cartoons viewed by children are really giving off subliminal messages that they may or may not be realizing.  Disney movies have stereotypes that make young girls believe that every girl is beautiful, smart and will meet their prince charming.  This is setting standards high for young girls when in reality none of this may be true for some girls.  It is also making girls believe that if they want to be pretty and happy all they need is to get a new clothing and hairstyle.   In many Disney movies all the princes and princesses are white; this makes multi cultural kids feel left out and unappreciated.   Many of the “norms” of society are determined by what is seen on children’s cartoons and is accepted within today’s society.

            Christensen makes a point that all though these stereotyped take place in almost every childhood movie and cartoon that people especially her students should not accept and it should try to change it.  She wants her students to express their opinions in their writing and be critical thinkers throughout life.  She wants them to make a change in all these views within our media and society. 

            I think that people are taking the multi cultural issues of the cartoons too seriously.  Now days there are many more cartoons being made that incorporate multi cultural aspects into their shows and it is not as big of an issue.  I think that media is learning to adjust to diversity and to be frank it is what it is yes many cartoons have white main characters and magazines but it is what it is these cartoons have been around for while and they need to accept and deal with it.

GLSEN

GLSEN receives federal grants from goverment to help protect and secure gays, homosexuals, bisexuals etc. so they feel safe at school and in the community. "The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) announced today an annually renewable grant from the Department of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to increase the percentage of schools that identify and maintain "safe spaces" for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth. During the five-year project, GLSEN will partner with 20 targeted school districts across the country, including the 16 DASH-funded districts, to implement a comprehensive evidence-based program to help keep LBGT students safe and healthy." By the close of the five-year plan, which was funded at the maximum $285,000 annually, GLSEN programs will have reached 14,500 school personnel and 4 million students.

To be 100% honest i am a Catholic and it is definatly a touchy subject of gays in the church however deep down they don't bother anyone and who am I to judge someone based on there sexual preference.  Nobody should have the right to judge anybody except God and I feel that they deserve a right to feel accepted and protected just like anyone else. However, i am not for all that protesting and causing a scene in the street and rallys i think that is a bit much.  I prefer they keep it to themselves and life their lives.  It seems like they want attention when they act like that.  However, I think this is a good thing because I have seen people getting abused and bullied because of there sexual preference and thats not right.  People should be able to live the life they want without having any fear.

ARIA

Aria  Santa
          This reading Aria was a intresting and somewhat sad reading.  The child was a Spanish boy growing up in a mostly white area and going to school in a white school where the kids spoke English. Richard had a hard time adapating to the new lanaguage and at his house him and his family spoke Spanish and liked there indivudialism of being different.  The boy was very afarid and shy in school to speak and lost out on alot of chances to adapt and succeed in the classrooom.  It was a bit frustating because Richard did not really try to make changes and adapt to speaking English and getting along at first. The teachers met with his family and wanted them to start speaking English at the home. This caused the family to seperate to a point, something they once valued of being different they had to act the same.  The family grew apart over time slowly because of the changs in the house and the lack of communcation within the house.  Richard enjoyed school more though and had chances to be successful.  It was sad because to lose a family over changing is really sad. I know that I am blessed to come from a supportive family and that well always be there for each other no matter what. I could understand what the message of this article, and it made me realize how some culutural changes people can make can tear families apart and make changes in the household, yet it can allow the people to be successful in the society.

Amazing Grace John Kozol

This excerpt from Amazing Grace by John Kozol takes place in the Bronx in New York.  In the Bronx there seems to be a lot of gang related activity, drug use, prostitution and many illnesses primarily AIDS that is spreading around this city.  There are also many issues with air pollution and many people have asthma because the air is not clean.  The government has assembled all these people into one city and created a ghetto of the poorest families.  This is making people of this area feel like they are being segregated from the rest of the country.  It has given many of them the feeling that they are not worthy enough to be associated with the rest of the nation.  Also instead of trying to better this area and allow these people to try to change their lifestyles the government keeps adding more negative aspects to the town such as more garbage dumps and a waste burner.  The narrator of this story is from Manhattan a town much different than the Bronx.  She comes to a church in the Bronx, St. Ann’s, where the pastor Martha Overall is very involved with the people in the town.  There is a mother waiting to talk to the pastor and allows the narrator to take her son for a walk.  The little boy, Cliffe, actually takes the narrator for a walk and shows her around the town.  On this walk he points out many different aspects, one of the things he points out is the waste burner.  He tells her that they burn bodies in there and she later finds out that they burn amputated limbs from the hospital in this building in the middle of their town.  Another thing the boy points out to her is that he saw a young boy get shot in the head in a park they passed.  Later the narrator finds out this park is where drug addicts come and get clean needles and condoms.  The little boy only seems to point out the negative in the town but still seems to keep his spirits lifted.  He seems to be much more grown up than kids from other towns.  The pastor took the narrator to Mrs. Washington who was a social worker for people who had contracted AIDS.  Unfortunately later she found out she had AIDS as well.  She is a sickly woman but has always given back to her community.  She tells stories of how a fifteen-year-old girl was a drug addict and over dosed which led to her death and how her uncle did not have enough money to buy her a gravestone.  She also told a story of how the cops knocked on a mother’s door looking for her son; this mother was confused and found her son sitting naked on the stairs.  He was naked because he sold all his money for cocaine.  Another story she told was of a mother whose boyfriend raped her daughter and they both died of aids leaving the grandmother without a family.  Mrs. Washington talks about how the hospitals in these towns are not clean and people are waiting for days to get checked.  They run out of medicine and sometimes patients have to clean their own rooms before they are admitted.  The Bronx is full of social unfairness being set by the government and is not safe or healthy for the citizens.  The article ends with Mrs. Washington’s son talking to the narrator about how sick his mother is and how the town is just becoming worse.  He is scared to see his mother die and does not believe that the town is giving anyone a chance to improve their lives.  Tuberculosis is going around the town and Mrs. Washington is scared to go to the hospital because you could be waiting for days and contract other diseases before you are seen.  David talks about this and how prostitutes on the street just walk up to you, the drug use and the pollution issues in the town.  None of this gives them a chance to change. 

This article shows the discrimination against the people that they are moving to this town.  Our government should be trying to offer these people ways to improve their lives instead of adding to the negative aspects of their lives.  This upsets me to see the way many people live.  It is not fair to have these social prejudices against children who cannot control where they grow up.  This article affects me because I do not understand how the government can let these children grow up in such a bad environment.  I have luckily never had to experience this but for less fortunate people this is reality and something needs to be done about it.  This article affects the country as a whole as well.  For one part of a town to get this bad it is allowing for this behavior to expand around the world.  If the government is grouping people into on area of New York they could start to do this in other states.  No state wants an area of town that is a dump.  I would not want an area in Rhode Island that is that bad.  If the government does not look at this whole aspect it could affect the country as a whole because other states could discriminate against low income families and people that need some support and make their situations worse instead of trying to balance the town with some good and maybe allow these people to make the changes needed to stop living the ghetto lifestyle.  No state wants a ghetto area where it is too bad to even drive through.  The government needs to focus on bettering these areas for the sake of all citizens. 

I do believe that if the government tries to help citizens out and better their lifestyles that these people need to put in an equal effort.  I do not completely blame the government but for the sake of all citizens they need to offer a better system to allow these people to try to better their lives.