Race In the Classroom

This article should have been the model for the entire book. "I started with children and actual events rather than the literature or theory."(476) I usually read something with a highlighter in one hand and a pen in the other, but halfway through this article I put both down. Had I continued to use the highlighter, I would have ended up with a lot of yellow pages. This was the first article that made me truly reflect upon my own experience as a student. The section on whites as the minority was of particular interest to me, since I attended MPS. It was interesting to see that although one of the primary goals for the school was to create a diverse and equal environment, paying more than just lip service to the idea, the author still felt that they had fallen way short of their goal. Race is something that just doesn't get talked about; it's like the 500lb gorilla in the room, everyone knows its there but no one wants to acknowledge it. I tried to remember an instance when race was seriously discussed in one of my classes. All I came up with was a particular instance during the LA riots, when my teacher sat down with us to discuss what was going on. I don't remember any of the particulars, but I can remember that it was one of those moments when you no longer feel like you're in school; the classroom and the real world kind of melt together. This teacher, Mr.Baumgardner, was the best teacher I had because he was so real, but not everyone has a knack for discussing such controversial subjects as race. I think it is simple enough to provide minority students with a forum to air their grievances, but a truly productive conversation has to include whites too. I think that a lot of times, white students in urban schools are afraid to express their sentiments on race. First of all they are the minorities in these schools, and therefore may not feel so emboldened to speak up. Secondly, white students may worry that they will be labeled racist if they express any misperception or prejudices they may have. I think we are all prejudice in some degree, and until we can admit that and try to sort through the stereotypes, it will always be extremely difficult to deal with race.

I Love History!

Reading about the unique perspective each student takes into the classroom made me think about how much I love history. There was an excerpt in the article that pointed out that we tend to focus on the "great" men of history while we tend to disregard the struggle of people inlower socioeconomic classes. Yes these great men were responsible for many of the great events in human history, but their actions would have been forgettable had it not been for the support or resistance from common everyday people. I look forward to utilizing primary source documents that highlight the experience of people that my students have never heard of. This is an essential means of creating social awareness in the classroom. It is important to create an awareness of the issues of the past, so that they won't be repeated in the future. When students see that everyday people from the past dealt with many of the same situations that they face today, it can create a sense of empowerment. It might also be cool to create a problem based lesson based on a situation in history. I'm really interested to see how problem based learning works, and how it can be practically implemented in the classroom.

Bilingualism and Homosexuality

Does anyone else feel like this book was a big waste of money? All I read in this book is problems, problems, problems. The solutions offered usually speak in terms of scholastic glittering generalities. "Recognizing the complexity of the individual, family, and social dynamics of adolescent development can be invaluable to gay, lesbian, and "straight" students alike." Sounds great, but what does it mean? I've read some blogs where people talk about clubs in their schools for gay and lesbian students; I would be more interested to hear the dynamics of their stories. How did students, parents, and teachers react to the formation of these groups? I don't think its impossible to institute such programs in all schools, but it is certainly more difficult in some settings. In the context of the urban school setting, I think it would be rather difficult to form such groups. The article eluded to the point that certain minority groups have hyper inflated ideas about gender roles, a phenomenon in Hispanic culture known as "machisimo". Certainly progress has been made in recent years, but their still exists a deeply ingrained homophobic sentiment in our society, a sentiment that is not only socially formed but culturally as well. This article could have spent one page talking about the problem, and the rest could have provided solutions and examples.
The article on language could have also been much more interesting. Once again it was all about the problem. What about the fact that in many societies, bilingualism is the rule and not the exception. Most of the focus of this article was on ESL students, but I think the bigger issue is a lack of Americans who can speak a second language. Being bilingual is an invaluable asset in almost every career field, and yet, our nation's colleges and universities don't really emphasize its importance. In most cases, all that is required is two years of a foreign language in high school. Most high school Spanish classes are a joke, I know some people who took four years of Spanish in high school and can't remember a single word other than, Como te llamas? I myself was a Spanish minor at one point, but I had to give it up because it would have meant me spending another 1yr and a half to 2yrs in college. When I think of all the useless time and money I've spent in classes that will have no bearing on my ability to teach, it infuriates me to no end. So far, every education class I have taken has just been a regurgitation of the information I learned last semester. All this time, I could have been learning another language.

Security!!!

"Three of the five African Amercan men working with children in the school are responsible for discipline. Each has impressive physiques, as if body size is a part of the job description. The figure whose job it is to strike fear in the hearts of children in school is epitomized by the intimidating physical presence of the African American male." Hold the phone. Before we accept this as gospel, let's pick this statement apart. First of all, What kind of schools are we talking about here. If they are urban schools, then is it any wonder that most of the security guards are black. This is just a reflection of the community in which these schools operate, and furthermore, I would say that having these men in schools is more of an asset than a liability. Some of the coolest people in my school were security guards, and in some cases they knew the students better than the teachers did. Is it so bad that we're using African Amercans to discipline African Americans? We can sit here and talk about diversity till we're blue in the face, but the fact of the matter is that many people just feel more comfortable around people who look like them. We already have an abundance of white people in society serving as diciplinarians, they're called cops, and many people will tell you that minorities don't always hold the plice in the highest regard. By the way, body size IS a part of the job description. Have you seen the size of these kids lately; I don't know what they're putting in milk, but restassured I'd be more comfortable putiing discipline in the hands of someone who is 6ft and not 5ft. The African American male is not an intimidating figure simply because society makes him out to be this way, but because many lack the sufficient information to form their own opinion.

Group Projects

I guess I don't understand the point of blogging on something that we're going to be presenting tp the class anyways, so i 'd like to take the opportunity to discuss group presentations in general. Does anyone else find the process of putting together a group presentaiton somewhat akward? In my experience its usually only a superficial collaborative effort. You get together and discuss what everyone's roles will be, and then you seperate and do your own thing. Its alawys difficult to asses the outcome of such an effort. It usually turns into a group of seperate presentaions, loosely held together by the subject matter. How do you create a true group project? It sometimes feels as though the presentation needs to be constructed from start to finish, with all group members present. I would like to add that this isn't a dig at the members of my group, and that I'm just looking for suggestions. Perhaps I'm oversimplifying or overthinking it.

Teen Terrorism

So let me get this straight. Dangerous Minds was a fictional movie and not a documentry? Seriously though, was anyone that surprised to find out that teen violence is a biproduct of abuse and poverty. I don't mean to sound so sarcastic, but none of this is news to me. The streotypes we create about teens is based on the same principals as racial streotypes, misinformation and ignorance. As a prospective teacher, the only way to combat this is to find some way to involve oneself with teens before we enter the classroom. I'm only ten years removed from highschool, and I'll admit that teens seem almost alien or foreign to me at times. What is that kid wearing? What's with this music? And yet I'm not so sure that many prospective teachers are taking this step to familiarize themselves with future students. Not to mention that teachers who grew up in rural areas or suburbs are facing a double whammy. I think that sometimes people underestimate the culture shock and subsequent peroid of adjustment that come with being a new teacher in an urban school. I was fortunate enough to graduate from MPS, and I believe that this experienc will be a valuable asset; but I can't help that I'm getting older, I need to find ways to reconnect with my younger self.

Blog Entry #2

Anyone up for a discussion about the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadotropin-gonadal system? I understand that this subject can make people a little uncomfortable; so to make things a little easier, I found this pamphlet: "The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadotropin-Gonadal System and You(Hair in Funny Places)". This was pretty much the same treatment that I received from my parents in regards to puberty. I'm 27, and I still don't even know half of the words that were in this chapter. Why can't parents be more honest with their kids? It's easy, "Son I'd like to talk to you about spermarche". As fascinating as this subject is, I kinda wish I could take back the hour out of my life that it took to read this chapter. Assuming no one in this classroom is above the age of 85, I think we all know what we need to know about puberty. It wasn't that long ago the we lived through it. We've all had the embarassing pimple, and certainly some of us have spent five or six days fasting in the comfortable confines of a menstration hut. Let's be serious, yes puberty can be an "akward" and "troublesome" time in a kids life, but there are a variety of factors that account for this, and they certainly extend far beyond the limits of the pubertal process. Bottomline, parents need to talk to their kids, regardless of how uncomfortable it may be for both parties.