Empowering education

Empowering Education By: Ira Shor

Quotes :

“About the role of education in socializing students, Bettelheim said near the end of his life, If I were a primary-grade teacher, I would devote my time to problems of socialization. The most important thing children learn is not the three R's, It's socialization" (quoted in Meier 1990,6)

This is something that I also have to argue with Meier when he speaks about teaching students in grade school about socialization. It helps them become less judgmental and if this happened I believe that schools and students would act so much different.

“The teacher plays a key role in the critical classroom. Student participation

and positive emotion are influenced by the teacher's commitment to both.”

I believe that this is 100% true for example the way that Dr. Stevos helped us become comfortable with each other in her classroom and help us not be afraid of talking even if its something no one agrees with.

“By situating critical study in student experience and language, problem-posing is also multicultural, the fifth value in the agenda offered in the first chapter. Student speech, community life, and perceptions are foundations of the curriculum. Empowering pedagogy develops classroom discourse for the students diversity.”

This is an kind of like an example of what high school and middle school are like they offer classes for example in middle school I took performance arts. But they also have languages, music, and sometimes cooking. Which is a good thing because its become like a break for students instead of having all day English, math, science, and history.

Citizenship in School

Citizenship in School

Quotes:

“I started to notice that I didn’t like the classes I was taking called special education. I had to go through special ed. almost all my life. I wanted to take other classes that interested me. I had never felt so mad, I wanted to cry.” (Peterson, 1994, p.6)

It must be really frustrating to not be able to have classes without having a label. When I was in elementary and middle school I remember how the students in the “regular” classrooms would make fun of the students in special ed. to me that just means adding extra problems into the students. Embarrassment, feeling like they are less and more. It would be a lot better if schools did not have labels on students and just had then all inclusion classes.

"In establishing a representation of citizenship for all, Shayne recognizes the transnational relationship of human reciprocity:community acceptance requires opportunity for individual participation in the group, but opportunity can not exist outside community acceptance."

Similar to the previous quote. Acceptance is important, and in order for everyone to be accepted they need to be treated equally.

“What is hidden under the cloak of competence is the individuality and personality of the human being”

Just because you look a certain way that doesn’t mean that you should be judged for who you are or what you are capable of doing.

Literacy With An attitude

Literacy With An Attitude

In the article Patrick Finn speaks about the different school systems going by class. The differences between Working class school, middle class school, affluent professional school, and executive elite schools. Speaking about the difference between all the classes and the working class school are the school which have the teachers who care less about giving the students the proper education.

While reading this article I was actually getting a little upset about how different each class is. Its just crazy to know that money even runs how you are being taught. Its kind of disgusting to me. Very frustrating to read the difference between the executive elite school and the working class school.

In the executive elite school the students are taught to work more independently and students had to teach each other lessons. They had more complex, sophisticated, and analytical type of work. Versus the working class who hardly have enough books to give to each student. The difference in the teachers is crazy also. How does where you live and come from and how much money you have, have anything to do with how you should and could learn. Yes the students in working class probably don't have enough time to work at home then the kids in the elite schools, but why should that affect how they are being taught.

It is very frustrating just to think that this really does happen in this world. Its like only giving a chance for success to the people with money because once again the people in the working class need to work even harder to have a little success.

 

Becoming Something Different

Reflection

Becoming Something Different by: Colleen Fairbanks and Penny Mason Crooks

While reading the article Becoming Something Different I was reminded of my own experience growing up. My parents are the first of my family to come over to the United States from Dominican Republic, and so I am a first generation Dominican-American. I am the youngest of my family and the first to attend college. Every since I was young my dad had always talked to me about his dreams of my success because of the opportunities he knows I would have because I was born in this country. Since both my parents came from a Spanish speaking country English was extremely hard for them to learn. And so homework was something that at first I would have to do alone or with my siblings. My parents really couldn't help. But they always made sure they had a good relationship with my teachers and they would ask the teacher my progress in school and always ask how my homework was. They always gave me examples of other people success living in this country, to show and motivate me to always do my best as this country to the was one of the best countries which brought many people success.

Reading About Esme made me think of all the trouble my parents went through to get me motivated in everything I did. Also seeing my parents try their best in school himself helped and motivated me. Seeing their desire of me extending my education is great coming from where they came from with very little resources helps a lot.

This reading reminded me of Aria by Richard Rodriguez which was also my a first generation Mexican family and how they went about trying to help their child with their education and things they did to help them learn which had a bad effect on them culture wise.

This article Becoming Something Different was a great read.

In the Service of What

In the Service of What

In the article, In the Service of What? by: Kahne and Westheimer, they speak about the importance of service learning is not only to yourself but also to the schools and students you work with. Service learning goes both ways you're learning how to better your teaching skill and the student is being helped in things they struggle in. As part of passing to the next grade in my high school we did something similar to service learning called internships. Every student had an internship my internship for most of my high school years was at an Elementary school working with the same bilingual teacher. The first year with the teacher She was a second grade Bilingual teacher and so I would work one on one with the students and mostly helping them with their literacy skills for example timing the students accuracy reading words, I was also able to teach a math lesson, and create a book for the class about the zoo and zoo animals because they were going to visit the zoo. The next year i was in a first grade bilingual class and practically did they same thing except thing time the teacher taught me how to compute each students literacy grades. which I was then held responsible for grading every quarter. This experience helped me learn some teaching skill but also helped the students.

Service learning is a great part of the college experience because if we were not able to help out in schools working with students not everyone would know how it felt like to work with the students and help determine if they like this profession.

Even though my experience was something that was part of my graduation requirement I still believe it was a was of service learning.

Unlearning Myths That Blind Us

Unlearning the Myths That Blind US

In the Unlearning the myths that blinds us by Christensen I learned about how much media and things we see as children affects us. The media shows us how we should live our lives, and how our futures should be. The media has so much affect on us growing up, but it shows only one view of things. For example Disney movies shows young girls how we should look, in order to find your true love you have to look a certain way. Which is skinny, with a hourglass figure, nice pretty hair, and really nice big eyes. It also shows how girl are not the bread winners of the house that men are the only ones who bring money to the table. Disney's shows also show how men should be, rich, handsome, popular, and strong in order to find a women. The Disney movies don't really show success of a chubby person who might not be as pretty. These movies are showing children that in order for you to live “HAPPILY EVER AFTER” you have to be pretty, skinny and have a nice body.

It also portrays that in relationships women should have no say in things. Like in the movie  The Little Mermaid when the Ariel gave up her voice to be with the man of her dreams. This show that women when in a relationship should have no say in anything. She also gives up her culture goes from being a mermaid to being a human. I believe this is wrong because its showing that a woman's input in a relationship is worthless, and that the men should have all the right in a relationship.

While watching the show “Sex in the city” I came across an episode that spoke about maleness. I thought about this reading when I watched this episode.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wYbxdMRa0c

Speaking the Unspeakable in Forbidden Places

Speaking the unspeakable in forbidden places

      

In this article the teacher is trying to be creative about how to get into talking to her class about the topic of LGBTQ by switching up the Disney princess movie Cinderella and instead calling it The Paper Bag Princess. A story about a prince who wants to find love he has to meet with all of the princesses but doesn't want to. I feel like this story is a great way to get kids talking about the very sensitive topic of sexuality. Its a great way of introducing LGBTQ to kids in a way which they will understand. And would probably feel comfortable speaking about.

        I just recently had situation with my nephew. I was watching Snooki and JWOWW show and in the episode i was watching both girls were at a wedding dress store trying on dresses, moments after came in there two gay friend and they started to try on dresses as well. My nephew walked in the room exactly when this was happening and looked at my very confused. He asked me “why do they had girl dresses on?” I almost didn't know how to respond because he is so young and i don't think he would quite understand, so I answered “ They are two guys who want to be girls.” I immediately thought about our class discussion and just have been hoping that I told him the correct way. He is only five years old. This situation that happened to me mad me realize that it is good to be open to children maybe we shouldn't have conversations about LGBTQ when they don't know about it but if they ask I believe they should be told the truth or else would just lead to confusion.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG0yqhzVuYA

Hunger of Memory

Richard Rodriguez: Hunger of Memory

While I read this autobiography of Richard Rodriguez all I could think of was myself. I am from first generation immigrant parents and so my parents both only knew Spanish when I was a little kid, so my first language is Spanish. But as I started school I started losing it little by little. Till I had to travel to my parents country no one knew English, so I wouldn't speak too much. Till one day the Spanish just seemed to kick a little in me. So know I speak both English and Spanish but I don't feel comfortable speaking either language in front of people because I might just start speaking Spanglish.

The reason why I lost my Spanish when in school was because of all of my cousins and siblings, not because I was told to by a nun. And so there's the difference between my story and Richard Rodriguez’s. But I do feel ashamed when i think about the possibility of having both languages fluently it I had the chance to go back in time and change the part where I lost my Spanish. Knowing more than one language is great when looking for job opportunities bilingualism help out a lot.

An Indians Father's Plea

"An Indians Father's Plea"


“It takes a long time to absorb and reflect on these kinds of experiences, so maybe that is why you think my Indian child is a slow learner.”

This piece in the article reminded me of a student that i worked with while I was at my elementary school internship in high school. The little girl came from Mexico but the part of Mexico that she came from was the native parts of Mexico where it was similar to Wind Wolfs family. She was a recent newcomer to this country and spoke no English, but how she was taught in Spanish was very different they the ways schools teach. She would struggle learning how to learn the way that the school teacher’s taught. She was the student with the lowest grades. But she soon started to pick up and out of no where she was at the same levels as most of her classmates. The reason why she struggles at first was because she was used to learning things the way that her heritage taught.

This made me think about things and wonder about the many different ways in which people all around the world teach their children important subjects such as math, science, literacy etc.

“So I realize he may be slow in grasping the methods and tools that you are now using in your classroom, ones quite familiar to his white peers, but I hope you will be patient with him. It takes time to adjust to a new cultural system and learn new things.”

You should not judge a student because you never know their history for being the way they are and learning at whatever pace they are learning. We are all different people and its not fair to judge especially children, because it will affect the way in which they think about themselves and will affect their confidence to keep striving. In the end we don't know how their living why, were, when neither how.

White Privilege

White Privilege by Mclntosh

“As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something which puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege which puts me at an advantage.”

As a Spanish person with mildly light skin I have realized that after reading the article of White Privilege by McIntosh, that I also have been taught about racism and its disadvantages. If I go over to my parents home country the Dominican Republic a light skinned individual is favored over the more darker skin individual. There was once a President in that country that wanted to whiten the country by getting rid of all the dark skinned people. Every country has its favored skin color. But in a lot of cases gets worse depending in the country, city, or state in which you are living in.

What I'm trying to say by this is that every race is taught about privileges that there particular skin color have.

I also thought back to a time in which not being a white was a disadvantage. About two years ago I went out to eat dinner at an Apple bee’s in MA, I was with my boyfriend. We walk into the restaurant and get seated at a table which was not cleaned, our waiter was acting as if she had never seen people of our race. When we finally got our food the waiter threw it on the table very rudely. I was so shocked and embarrassed that we just sat there and looked at each other. What was the saddest part was the way it made both of us feel. They practically told us that we were trash by doing what they did.

I believe its true about the privileges that the white people receive but don't understand why. The color of someones skin should not be a problem to anyone.

Who am I

Who am I

Hi my name is Mindy, I'm from 21 and from Providence. I am this semester started off in a great note but seems to be turning on me. I am a special education major hoping to become a Teacher of students visually impaired. When I'm not in school I care for my newborn son. I hope on learning a lot from this course and hope that I do well in it.