Blog #10

 Blog #10

Samantha Marsella

        Card Game

This was the game that we played at the beginning of the semester where we had to all remain silent and read a set of directions and try to play this card game. Each group had a different set of directions and while we played there was a lot of confusion. This game was part of Delpit's culture of power and we saw who took control and who were the followers. Society is built with people that follow the rules and others go against them.

        Kohn

In the video Learning to See I learned a lot about what to look for in a classroom. Watching this helped me understand what to look for when I started my service learning. I knew the good signs and the things to worry about in a classroom. Seeing group work and lots of materials to be used are good signs, but blank walls and bored students are things to worry about.

        Queering Our Schools

This reading had a lot of meaning to it because it shows that people aren't the only thing that needs to be more accepting of people who identify as something else but schools need to as well. Teachers learning to be open about talking about people who are gay, lesbian, etc. needs to be done. This is important to have a more inclusive school. People need to feel welcomed and comfortable in school to be able to get a good education.

Blog #9

Queering Our Schools

The Editors of Rethinking Schools

Samantha Marsella

Argument

        The authors argue that we need to create classrooms and schools with accepting arms with students who identify as something else. Another thing is that communities are built by working through differences and not pushing them away. Lastly, students need to be able to openly talk or ask questions about gender and sexuality.

         This reading is all about being open to students who have a different gender or sexual preference. Schools are the place where a lot of bullying happens about these things. Schools need to take action to make these students feel more comfortable and safe. Doing things like having a gender-neutral bathroom, not lining classes up by boys and girls, changing gym classes and locker rooms, etc. Another thing is opening teachers up to be able to have these conversations with the students who need it. That can then lead to more lectures on the LGBTQ community and history. This will allow students to feel more comfortable in schools knowing that they will be accepted and not judged by teachers or other students. We have to remember that these people are human too and just want to be treated the same, but in their own skin.

        This video below is about teaching identities in schools and how the students feel safe and can trust. There is a lesson about people being visible or invisible. The things we see on the outside are visible but the things on the inside are invisible.

Exploring Perceptions About Identity Through Self-Portraits - YouTube

        Have you ever thought about what you identify as? If you haven't then you don't understand the difficulties that these people go through. No one truly understands that they are standing in those shoes. Just like the video talks about we never know the invisible of people and shouldn't assume.

 

Blog #8

 Eliminating Ableism in Education

Thomas Hehir

Samantha Marsella

Quotes

        "Cyndi Jones, a disability activist and former poster child, argues that “the poster child says it’s not okay to be disabled . . . but it says if you just donate money the disabled child will go away” (p. 4)."

This quote is saying that money is an easy solution for people to not have to worry about children of disability. They can easily pay to not have to look at them or even see them out in public. The poster in the quote is implying that these people deserve pity as well. They want you to feel bad for them instead of respecting them for the way that they are. Until they can prove that they can overcome their disability and not be affected by it anymore.

"By using American Sign Language (ASL), the school demonstrated that literacy could be raised impressively among the deaf (Baynton, 1996) (p. 5)."

Thomas Gallaudet had found a deaf teacher, Laurent Clerc. They had opened an American Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb. They used American Sign Language (ASL) which improved literacy greatly. Another thing they had found was that these people were achieving higher levels in literacy than the neighboring schools. This then led to many deaf people holding leadership positions in their communities.

"I contend that negative cultural assumptions about disability continue to have a negative influence on the education of children with disabilities (p.4)." 

When people have negative thoughts and do negative things to people with disabilities then they think down on themselves. If a teacher never calls on them in class, then they are going to think that they aren't smart or know the answer and this is why they are never called on. If a child is always in the lower classes because of their disability, then they will think they aren't smart enough to be in the higher classes.

Below is a video on how to change the way we talk about people with disabilities. That people come first before their disability.

Bing Videos

Have you ever encountered someone with a disability? Did you change the way you looked or spoke to them? We find that people feel bad for these people and give them a different type of treatment. But all these people want is to be treated like everyone else so that they can feel normal.

Blog #7

 Aria

Richard Rodriguez

Samantha Marsella

Hyperlink

        In the text Rodriguez writes about going to school as a child not knowing much English. He was brought up on speaking Spanish and went to a school where it was English based. His teachers even go to his home and talks to his parents telling them to start speaking English at home. Because whenever he is called on in school no one understands his broken English and that he isn't comfortable speaking in front of the class. The issue I see in this reading that is discussed is that Richard's teachers were making him speak English and not his native language. I find this a big problem because children are brought up on their culture and their language is a part of that. When you take that away you are taking away part of their identity.

        Below is a link on some pros and cons of bilingual education. Some pros are that it makes it easier to learn more languages once you learn one. Another thing is that it creates an opportunity for early diversity and gives children future opportunities to learn. Some cons are that it can be expensive and inconsistent. And there are fewer qualified teachers that are able to provide this education to the students that want to learn.

14 Pros and Cons of Bilingual Education – Vittana.org

        Did you ever have someone in your class that spoke another language and how did you feel? I feel some people hate that other people speak a different language and others don't care. The reason that they hate it is because they can't understand it themselves, so they don't want that person speaking it. It is not right to tell someone they can't speak their native language because you don't like it. Have you ever thought about when you go to another country and you speak in English, how those people felt?

Entry #6 Finn

Literacy with an Attitude

Patrick J. Finn

Samantha Marsella 

Connections

            We have read quite a few pieces from different authors and in this post, I am going to write about some connections I found from this reading and the other ones we read. The first connection is about Rose talking about how structural racism works and how we can find it in education. In the reading by Finn, he writes that when rich students get an empowering education nothing changes. But when you give the working-class students empowering education you get literacy with an attitude. In the working class schools the teachers would make the students follow their steps without telling them what they are doing. They skip pages in the books, and they think they are extras and don't need to be used. In the rich class schools, the teachers taught them everything grammar, vocab, math, etc. They even taught them how to make relationships with the economy, authority, and work. You can obviously see that the more privileged children didn't have to worry about getting a good education. 

        In the NY Times article Still Separate, Still Unequal it talks about how there is segregation in schools. I find that this reading is similar because the rich children go to one school and the working-class children go to another. I feel this makes segregation a part because why can't these children all go to the same schools. They were all pretty much white and read from the same books and all located in Northern New Jersey. The only differences were how much their parents made and their social class.

Honestly, I feel people and schools are still like that today. Private schools tend to be for children that have more money, and public schools tend to be for children that are in the working-class. Below is a link about the benefits of private and public schools and how much people have to make to afford it.

Private School vs. Public School – Cost & Comparison (moneycrashers.com)

Entry #5 Rose

How Structural Racism Works

Tricia Rose 

Samantha Marsella

Reflection

        I chose to do a reflection because I still have personal connections even though I am not someone of color. But first I want to talk about some key points that stood out from the video. Structural racism in a brief definition is when people of color have poor or chronic outcomes while white people receive advantages. For example, white people are more likely to get a house because of their skin color or because they are willing to pay more for the home. People of color are more likely to be shut down when getting a job as well. Another thing is that 80% of people don't see that racism is a problem or think we are moving on from it. Lastly, there are five key areas where racism can take place and those are in media, wealth, criminal justice, education, and housing. With all these areas being stated there is no safe space for people and that is just not right.

In my own life, I didn't recognize racism at such a young age, but that doesn't mean it wasn't happening around me. Racism doesn't just have to be about the color of people's skin but it could also be about how someone identifies themself as. The one story that I always talk about and can relate to was my grandmother. I had a friend of a different color skin and she told me to stay away from him. She told me that "black people are no good". I understand that she is old school and there were a lot of problems with people back then but it is a different time. I got pretty upset with her and told her that times are different and not all people are bad. I told her I could be friends with whoever I wanted to be friends with and just because he is someone of color doesn't mean he's bad. I knew he was nice and smart and a really good kid and I understand that she didn't know him but you can't make assumptions.

That brings me to my next point about making assumptions. Assumptions are made every day whether you realize it or not. Honestly, I never realized I had done it until this class, and could actually think of a time when I've done it. The first time was when I was in school and I looked at someone and thought to myself, "She's popular" or "he's a nerd" without even knowing these people. I have even done it on the softball field when we played a team and I either thought there was no way we are winning because they are really good or that they suck. Making assumptions is the first step at making racism happen because if you think something about someone you aren't going to give them a chance.

Below is a link that explains some laws and rules about structural racism.

Bing Videos

Do you think that racism is ever not going to be a thing? Do you think at least it will get better or worse? I know there is no true answer to these questions but everyone has a different opinion so I want to know other people's thoughts or maybe even some actions that can be taken to stop racism.

Video Analysis

Classroom Tour

Precious Knowledge

Teach Us All

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XQ5j2fdvxyxbYN7j82LF69HQ-n8SD7Sog8pxz3AKnTU/edit?usp=sharing