The Problem We All Live With (extended)

In this blog I used Josh’s blog as the center of mine. Josh made some great points on his blog that I totally agree with him on, but I want to start by connecting these two episodes to Delpit’s work and how she talks about how we are aware of methods to improve learning and teaching in America but we just ignore them. And that’s what happening with integration being a successful methods  “but we decided it wasn’t worth the trouble” stated in the broadcast. This trouble they are talking about it’s the issue Josh focus on his blog, which is the racist judgments and opinions from the white and wealthy parents.

“This is not a race issue. This is a commitment to education issue”. To say that this isn’t a race issue is a complete lie, especially when a woman before her said in a “very kind” manner that she didn’t want people of a different race coming to their side of the bridge.

The one way all this accusations brought up by parents are proven to be fabricated by beliefs it’s shown in the second video. This one student talks about how at first she was scared of having black and Hispanic kids in her school and that now that’s sounds stupid to her. She also talks about how ashamed and embarrassed she is for even having such mindset. Like Josh said the issue wasn’t about education because statistics showed that the students who chose to traveled every morning for their education ended up averaging same test scores as the kid who were originally from there. This also proves that integration really works we just have to put in practice.

"But if you're always in the same environment, always doing the same things with the same people, you become naive. Or like, you don't really know about the world. It's better if you experience something different, because you get a feel of other people. And you end up changing, you end up becoming a different person, a lot based on the community you're surrounded by. And that's reality. Your environment really makes you."

Josh explains how integration ‘gives a chance for students who may not know the culture of power to learn it from students who do’. And not only that!! At one point in the second video they talk about how students come home and with excitement tell their parents stories and new things about the diversity in their school. Integration is not only the key to improve school and test scores but also the tool to make schools in America “safe places” like August would say. Because kids would grow up accepting the differences that exist among them.

In The Service Of What? by Kahne and Westheimer (refection)

While reading “In The Service Of What?” by Kahne and Westheimer a few connections and experiences that I can relate it to came to mind. During my high school years my school did many acts for people in need; homeless, hospital and many others. Most of the events done in the high school I went can be consider charities. For example my school made our homeroom teachers collect cans and other types of groceries for homeless people and people in need of it, and whichever homeroom collected more food would be announced in the morning announcement and also would have a pizza party. My point on telling my personal experience is that students brought cans and groceries so their homeroom wins the announcement and the pizza party. The school doing this to whoever wins makes the act not about the people in need but about the students themselves even though it’s something helpful for the people. It was charity because we were doing something good for the people in hunger. But I know the impact in the lives of those who received the food wasn’t effective enough to resolve the problem.

“Change” events also took place in my school. Donating blood is an event that throughout an academic year happens more than once. I believe this event is a change because when nurses go to collect blood to the school, they usually go to each lunch and sit with the students and educate them and give them information about how are they making a change and saving lives by donating blood. The fact that the nurses inform the students of the way they changing people’s lives just by donation of blood, many students felt engage and extended their research and asked many questions to the nurses. I even had friends encouraging me to donate too but I couldn’t because I had to be a certain weight to be able to. The difference between change and charity is that they’re both good for the society but change goes beyond just doing good, it’s also learning about the issue.

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us by Christensen (argument)

This author Linda Christensen argues that “Our society’s culture industry colonizes their minds and teaches them how to act, live, and dream.”

Christensen describes how the books and movies that we read and watch in our young age are the “secret education” from where we are taught to live our lives a certain way which also causes social control between sex, race, and social class. For example when she says “the stereotype and worldview illustrated in this stories become accepted knowledge.” The YouTube video we watched in class support her statement, how some of the students listed few bad things when the teacher ask them to writes words to come to mind when they hear the word gay. When the teacher asked from where they got that information, some said movies, and news. One of movies shown in that video where the main character realized he kissed a guy and exaggeratedly starts cleaning his mouth illustrate a discrimination against gay people. Kids who watch that movie and can see a gay couple kissing and might see it as something nasty because that’s what they gain from the movie.

Some people might also argue that media doesn’t affect their lives or has no influence on them like I did a minute ago before reading this article. But its funny how I try to dress and act like celebrities that make commercials on social media for brands like Nike, Adidas and others. While reading the few questions that Christensen makes her student keep in mind while watching cartoons or movies I realize that those are stuffs that can gap a person from another, or change the way people look or think of you. One of the messages of this article is that teachers can make a difference the same way Christensen did with her students, which they ended up being very passionate about how media is affecting our society.

Safe Spaces by August (quotes)

“To the extent that teachers, school administrators, and college professors create and atmosphere in which difference is not only tolerated but expected, explored, and embraced, students will be more likely to develop perspectives that result in respectful behaviors.”

August explains how people that have influence on students like teachers, school administrators and college professors can make a difference. In this quotes he’s stating that those people have to power to educate their students in an environment where they accept the differences between one another and not only that but also respect and look upon them as normal.  For example the way LGBT is seen in the US as something strange just because opposite sex attraction is consider inappropriate. August also talks about how “students carry their classroom experiences out with them when they leave” meaning that everything students learn in school will be pass on to others.

“Youth who see themselves as wise or powerful main characters or heroes worthy of celebration and emulation will feel validated, included, and safe inside their classrooms. LGBT youth rarely have this experience.”

This quote demonstrates how the rules and codes of power can affect a classroom. Students other than LGBT typically feel free to participate in class and express themselves because everyone looks at them as normal students. In the other hands LGBT students are most likely to be shy and less outgoing in school due to the fear of other students judging and not accepting how they are.

“The oft-state objective is for children to learn that families come in different shapes and sizes, live in different dwellings, observed different traditions, and celebrate different holidays.”

Like I mentioned before August believes that schools can help on the acceptance of differences between students and to see the differences as normal. Examples she provides to support her statement is that the same way divorced, foster, and single- parent families are in educational stories and books, including stories of LGBT families can be the key to make LGBT students to not feel left out in the classrooms. Also by doing that student will start to see LGBT people as normal human beings like everyone around them.

This reading go back to the activity and discussion we had in class where we wrote down examples of SCWAAMP and talk about how these are walls that prevent us from creating safe spaces where everyone feels integrated.