Post10: Empowering Education by:Ira Shor

“He urged teacher to encourage students to questions their experience in school: You must arouse children’s curiosity and make them think about school.”

·         I think this is very true, because if students feel that they are doing something just because they are told, then they won’t learn anything instead, they will just memorize it.  I think it is very important, that teachers associate the material to a real life situation that way it will stick to the child.  

“It is a student-centered program for multicultural democracy in school and society.  It approaches individual growth as an active, cooperative, and social process.”

·         I think there should be more of these organizations, in urban areas.  Mainly because students who live in these areas do not have the opportunity to be active because the streets are filled with gangs and drugies.

“The difference between empowering and traditional pedagogy has to do with the positive or negative feelings students can develop for the learning process. “

·         I think that a teachers should make sure that her/his students have a positive attitude because the more the child is interested in the material the better it would stick to them.

Post #9: Citizenship in School.... by Christopher Kliewer

“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 think overtime people have gotten use to the idea that people with disabilities are not smart or able to do things like a “normal” person.   I think the reason for this was because prior to the medical revelation, anyone who had mental problems or were not physical able, were look down upon.  However, I think it is time to change that mentality.  As an inspiring teacher I feel that when I have a class that I should educate them, that people with disabilities are not look down on, but look as another equal individual.

“Schools have traditionally taken a narrow position when defining and judging student intellect (Gardner, 1983). The presence of a thoughtful mind has been linked to patterns of behavioral and communicative conformity associated with competence in logical-mathematical thinking and linguistic skills.”

·         I do agree with the first part of this quote.  I do think that schools have narrow down the position when defining student intellect.   My main reason for this thought is because teachers now in days pass students to the next level just because they do not want to have the child in the class.  Also, the school curriculum has changed.  It does not challenge the student as it should; this is not doing any good to anyone.  

“A sense of reciprocity or shared value exists in relationships in which individuals, including those with the most severe disabilities, are recognized as thinking, feeling, caring human beings personalities all their own.”

·         I feel that people who are disable, do not get picked on as much as before.  I feel that this is because other people are getting educated in this area.   And I think by educating children that disable people are use like us that they will help them out instead of teasing them.

Post #8: Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work by: Jean Anyon

"Scholars in political economy and the sociology of knowledge have recently argued that public schools in complex industrial societies like our own make available different types of educational experience and curriculum knowledge to students in different social classes."

• I do believe that scholarships do give need base children an opportunity to study in a higher class society.  Scholarships do give the opportunity for many children to attend a higher education school.

"The four fifth grade teacher observed in the working-class schools attempted to control classroom time and space by making decisions without consulting the children and without explaining the basis for their decisions"

• I do not agree with what the teachers did here.  I believe that children need to know why they do certain things, and why are they assign to do certain things.  This way they do not ask "why I'm I doing this." 

"Creativity is not often requested in social and science projects, either.  Social studies projects, for example, are given with directions to "find information on your topic" and write it up."

• I think when I become a teacher that creativity is something that I will ask all my student to do.  The first reason it just makes the project more interesting.  Also, I could actually see what they know, because in research paper, they could just copy and paste.

Random#3: Yes I Can

Random# 2: What Would You Do? Racism In An Upscale Store

Random#1: Latin King Goonies Attack Gay Men in The Bronx (www.hiphopenquirer.tv)

Talking Point #7: Race, Class, Genders... by: Peter McLaren

 “The exploited and oppressed female population represents one of the largest segments of any stratified capitalist society.”

• I believe those females are oppressed by society to meet a guy and get marry.  Even though now in days this is not true for some girls.  Female are also oppresses to look a certain way, or else they won't be able to find someone who likes them. 

“The girls in the Corridor often reject marriage as a desirable option for the future.  At the same time, however, some felt that marriage would be preferable to working in meaningless job.”

•      I believe that that for those girls who, prefer to get marry than working in meaningless jobs, are mostly living in a fairytale world.   To compare this to another reading that we did in class, girls that think they should get married instead of working, could of gotten that idea from fairytales stories.

“Teachers must be aware of how school failure is structurally located and culturally mediated, so they can work both inside and outside of schools in the struggle for social and economic justice.”

• As an inspiring teacher, I do believe that teachers have to find what is wrong with the system in order to fix it inside out, and help all the students as well.  If not they will not being doing their jobs.

Talking Point #5: "In the Service of what? The Politics of Service Learning" by: Joseph Kahne & Joel Westheimer

1. "As is commonly the case with new policy initiatives, however,more attention has been focused on moving forward than on asking where we are headed."

• I agree completely with this quote, because I do believe that now in days people are only thinking of going forward without knowing where they are heading. For example, the government has said that social security benefits might get cut.  With this being said, the government really doesn't know what that is going to do.     

     2  ."Bush was advancing voluntary community service as an alternative to government programs. He made no mention of changes that address the structural injustices that leave so many in need."

• In regard to this quote, I do feel that volunteer work has been more important than ever before.  However, I do disagree with the author in not giving the president any credits for advancing volunteer work.  I understand that the authors feel that transformational changes should be done, but not many people have the time to do that.  I just feel that they are putting volunteer work down, when in fact it is very important. 

     3.  ". . .When asked what they gained from the experience, many students said simply that it thought them "that people can be different" from what you expect."

• I could agree with this quote, because with the VIPs program, I have learned the same concept. I realize, that one should not stereotype.  I also realize that giving part of your time to someone could really make a big difference in their lives.

Talking Point #4: "Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us" by: Linda Christensen

"I was nourished on the milk of American culture: I cleaned the dwarves' house and waited for Prince Charming to bring me life..." Christensen  (p.126)

• ·         I think that every girl has this dream, of waiting for Prince Charming.  However, I do believe that this is just when the girl is a child.  But even yet, there are many women that believe that they should throw their life away and wait for the perfect man, and live happily ever after.  I think this is mostly because of Folk Tales and Princesses stories.  As a child when I watched, Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast, I always wanted the ending to become my reality but that feeling just lasted for five minutes though.        

"I start by showing students old cartoons because the sterotypes are so blatant. We look at the roles women, men, people of color, and poor people play in cartoons." Christensen (p.129)

• ·         I do agree with this quote because, in every fairytale, African American are the servants, or people that are really not in important in the story.   I also do realize that women are always waiting for Prince Charming.  For example, Cinderella and Rapunzel, waited until the prince came and saved them.  Another perfect example is Sleeping Beauty.  I feel that, until this problem was put out in the open, people of color would of kept on being the servants, and the buffoons in these stories.

"Towards the end of the unit, students write essays critiquing cartoons. I hope that these will encourage students to look deeper into the issues..." Christensen (p.133)

• ·         I had a problem with this section.  I do believe that we should teach students about sterotypes, but I do not think we should hammer it into their head, only because we feel a certain way about it.  I think that we should educate them, and then they can come up with their own opinion; but from that to making them a paper about it, is where I have a problem about it.

Talking Point #3: Gayness, Multiculturalism and Community by; Dennis Carlson

1. “… A democratic community of mutual support and respect, gay people have for the most part been made absent, invisible, and silent within this community and at the same time represented as the same time represented as the deviant and pathological.”

• I do think gay people have been made absent and that is where the problem comes in. I think if gay people have been more present (more out there) like they are today, they wouldn’t get discriminated upon like they do now by society. I think if people were expose from an earlier time about gayness all the riots we have going on against gays wouldn’t be happening. The only solution to stop this quote from being true is to educate our children and future generation about sexual orientation.

　2. “… The film makes its point: Be yourself no matter who or what you are.”

• In this section, the author was talking about how a certain magazine, talks about a homosexual film and its point. The publisher of the magazine made it very clear that they felt the film was very successful in telling other people just to be themselves. And I couldn’t agree with this anymore that than what the author does. I believe, that may people who are guy do not feel at welcome with society because the society can not understand this quote. I really do believe that this quote is a very powerful one, if everyone just listen to it.

3. “Popular culture may represent identity, but identity also is represented in corporeal form, as individuals actively “live” their identities and make these identities visible in their everyday relations with others.”

• When I first read this, I had to read it again because it is very important to understand what it is saying. In my own words, this is saying that culture is a strong structure to someone’s identity, but in addition it’s someone’s way of living that built them as a person including their partner of choice regardless the gender. I think the way an individual lives represent them more than their popular culture. I think that lot of people do not accept gays because they are afraid of the unknown, and in another class article an author said it is human nature to fear the unknown.

Talking Point #2: "Why can't she remember that?" by: Terry Meier

"Despite their diverse background, all children bring to school rich linguistic abilities acquired through social interaction in their homes and communities." p242

• I believe that all children have a special quality in them even though they might not be privilege as other children nor their parents. I believe that no matter the situation a child is always eager to learn and it is a teacher’s job to make that happen.

"Gabriela... typically sat quietly when books were being read, other children who have not had the experience of being read to at home may participate vociferously in story reading sessions." p245

• Many children do not have the "luxury" of being read to by their parents or at home in general. Mainly because their parents do not know how to read because they have a low education level and/or because they do not know the English language. On of my student in the VIP's program does not have the opportunity to be read for at home.

"Make books come alive." p.249

• I feel as future teachers, we should get our mind set into making reading fun for the kids, because if not they will not like to read and will not learn as much.

Comments/Thoughts.

  I feel that all children should be read to in their homes, even if it is not English.  The main goal/common goal is to get the child to read and learn regardless in what language.

"Amazing Grace" by:Jonathan Kozo

1) " The Number 6 train from Manhattan to the South Bronx makes nine stops in the 18-minute ride between East 59th Street and Brook Avenue. When you enter the train, you are in the seventh richest congressional district in the nation. When you leave, you are in the poorest"

• This quote is the 1st paragraph of the article, and this paragraph really hits home because I use to live in New York City until the age of 13. When Kozo said that the seventh richest city in the nation is only 18 minutes away from one of  the poorest neighborhood it struck memories because when my mom use to work as a CNA she use to take me to her job, and her means of transportation was by taking the 6 train and this quote couldn’t be any better in telling the truth. We got on a certain stop and off another.  The two neigborhood only a couple miles apart are totally different societies. In one neighborhood I saw African American children in the streets and in the rich neighborhood all the white children were in their in huge houses.  I could really relate to this part of the story.

2) ". . . She tells me that more than 3,000 homeless families have been relocated by the city in this neighborhood during the past few years, and she asks a question . . . ' Why do you want to put so many people with small children in a place with so much sickness?"

• This quote took me by surprise because I never knew that 3,000 families get relocated in New York due to poverty. I also did not know that when these people get relocated they get relocated to an unsanitary place with sickness. I think that Government could do a better job than this.

About Me.

I love to sleep and eat. However that does not make me lazy. I like to go out and hang around with friends.  I also like to stay on top of my school work, because that is my future.