Last day at Kennedy School

I finished up my last day at Robert F. Kennedy Elementary school.  It was sad to have to say goodbye to the students and tell them that I would not be coming back to help them.  A couple of the kids were like "why do you have to go" and "you can't just go".  I had a good experience working with these kids in Ms. Esposito's classroom.  I got to know more about the kids each day that I went over there.  I enjoyed talking to the kids and listening to all their stories about all the stuff that they were doing and everything elsein their lives.  The stories that they told me went into every little detail and I enjoyed them greatly.  I'm glad that I was able to help the kids improve with their math skills.  It truly made me happy to hear the kids say "I get it!".  This experience was great and it is something that I will remember for a long time

Talking Point 6

A Particularly Cheap White Whine
By Tim Wise

"Fact is, there are plenty of scholarships that
have nothing to do with merit per se, but about which conservatives say nothing: scholarships for people who are left-handed, or kids whose parents sell Tupperware, or the children of horse-
breeders, or descendants of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, among many thousands of such awards (3)."
- I think this is pretty ridiculous.  A kid should not be able to get a scholarship just because their parents sell Tupperware or because they are left-handed.  They should earn the right to get a scholarship by getting good grades.  These scholarships should not be gifts. 

"Black students are far more likely than white students to come from lower-income families, and in fact, at selective colleges and universities (which are typically among the most expensive in the country, and those where students are most likely to receive some form of affirmative action), the average black student comes from a family with half the median income of the average white student (11)."
-  He makes a good point here.  Black students should be given the scholarship if they need it.  They should not be given the scholarship just because they are black. 

"In effect, these are not scholarships based on race, but rather, scholarships based on a recognition of racism and how racism has shaped the opportunity structure in the U. S."
-I think these scholarships are based on race.  How can you call them scholarships based on recognition of racism, rather than race.  They are the same thing. 

This article opened my eyes about scholarships in America.  I feel like students should not just be given scholarships just because they are left-handed or if their parents sell Tupperware.  It is crazy that kids get scholarships for reasons like this.  They should have to earn the right to receive a scholarship.  They either have to get good grades or be in great need of money in order to pay for school.  Scholarships should not be given they should be earned. 

youtube video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnVN3OxWBQE

-This video relates to the Anyon reading.  These smart clickers are being put in schools using a smart board in the classroom.  This technology will most likely only be used by the schools in upper class areas.  I can not see a lower class area bringing in this type of advanced technology.  The upper class kids are at more of an advantage because of this new technology.

Shor Reading

Empowering Education
By:  Ira Shor

"Can education develop as critical thinkers, skilled workers, and active citizens?"
-This is a very important question that needs to be thought about more.  I feel like a lot of kids go to school to just get the right answers and pass the standardized tests.  These tests should be reduced or judged differently than the are today.  There should be more creative thinking and less time spent worrying about the tests. 

"School funding is another political dimension of education, because more money has always been invested in the education of upper-class children and elite collegians than has been spent on students from lower-income homes and in community colleges"
I feel like this is extremely unfair.  The funding should be spread out evenly so that all of the kids have an equal opportunity to succeed.  Giving an advantage to the upper-class does not seem fair to children in low income homes.

"Elite prejudice against the language of everyday life also limits working-class, poor, and minority students in the United States mainland."
I do not think it is fair to be prejudice to someone because of the language they speak.  The person should not be put on the spot because they speak a different language.  They should just be able to go about their day like everyone else. 

I do think that education is political.  The money that schools receives is from the government.  Without this government funded money schools would not be able to operate the same way that they do today.  Standardized test are also a government issued item that comes up in schools.  These test make sure that the students are "staying on track" and learning what they are supposed to.  I do not agree with these because they seem to make the students close minded and lack creativity.  All they care about is the right answer, when these tests should focus more on different ways of solving the questions and relating the information to other information in class. 

Kliewer Reading

Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome
By:  Christopher Kliewer

"I wanted to take other classes that interested me."
-This quote is from Mia Peterson, a special education student.  She felt trapped in only being allowed to participate in special needs classes.  She should not be limited to what classes she wants to take just because she has a disability. 

"Mia finished school in segregated placements but then returned after graduation to take content-area courses originally denied to her"
-The fact that she went back to school to take classes that she originally wanted shows that she has a great desire to learn.  She should have been allowed to do this in the first place, but if she needed extra help in special ed. then she should be there.

"After all, his psychological tests had, at the age of 7, suggested that he functioned at the cognitive level of a 2-year old, which translates into a severe mental disability."
-This quote is referring to a student named Lee.  The teacher states that no one can tell the difference between Lee and the rest of his classmates.  This shows how Lee is treated the same as every other kid in the class.

This article does make the point that kids that have special needs need to be in the same class as everyone else.  I do not exactly agree with this because if they need more help then they should be in a classroom where they can get extra help.  Having them in a class with the rest of the kids may not allow them to succeed like the other kids because they may need more help than the rest of the class.  They might not be able to get the help because of the limited amount of teachers in the class.  I feel like they should be in a room where they can get all the help they need with things.

Anyon Reading

"Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work"
By:  Jean Anyon

"The procedure is usually mechanical, involving rote behavior and very little decision making or choice."
-Anyon is describing a working class school in New Jersey.  These students have no creativity involved in doing their work and are told to do everything by procedure.  They should be able to explore around a problem and try to figure it out using there own methods if they want.  The teachers also do not give any information as to why they are doing what they are doing.  They just let the kids do it the way they are told and that's that.  This is terrible.

"In the middle-class school, work is getting the right answer."
- Schoolwork in middle class schools is a little different then working class schools because the main goal is to get the right answer.  Middle class schools also have more thinking for the students to do when it comes to what to do next and the meaning of the problem.  There is also more explanation of why a problem is done compared to the working class schools. 

"A primary goal of thought is to conceptualize rules by which elements may fit together in systems and then to apply these rules in solving a problem."
-The work in executive class schools is more different from the other classes.  These kids focus more on reason and getting logical answers.  The teachers care less about the answers and more about how the students came up with the answers. 


I was shocked by the fact of how different these schools operate.  They are all close to each other in New Jersey and they all have very different teaching styles.  It seems like the working class parents wants their kids to also be the working class types so they are put in school to achieve this and nothing more.  I feel like this is terrible because it may not be what the student wants.  The student may want to become a doctor or a lawyer and the school is not giving them a chance at that.  The students in these school should be encouraged to be more creative and not just follow things step by step like the teacher or book says.  They should try and come up with answers their own way. 

Talking Point #7

Teaching Boys and Girls Separately

By ELIZABETH WEIL

 

"Separating schoolboys from schoolgirls has long been a staple of private and parochial education."

-I agree with this in that it should only be in private schools.  Parents should have the option to send their child to this type of school if they want to.  Public schools in my opinion should not be separated by sex and boys and girls should go to school together.

 

"In 1995, there were two single-sex public schools operating in this country. Currently, there are 49, and 65 percent of those have opened in the last three years."

-I was not aware of the rapid growth of this.  I did not know that there were this many same sex schools.

 

"For boys, he said: “You need to get them up and moving. That’s based on the nervous system, that’s based on eyes, that’s based upon volume and the use of volume with the boys.”

-I do agree with this teaching technique of teaching boys.  As a male i feel like i became bored very easily and needed to be up and moving around in order to retain things better. 

 

I do not agree with the idea of converting more schools into same sex school.  I feel like there should be some private schools that offer same sex schools, so the parents have the choice of whether or not they want to send their child there.  I feel like this type of segregation of schools could make one sex feel like they are "better" or smarter than the other just because they go to different schools.  I also think that if a child goes to a same sex school their whole life then they will become used to working with their same sex.  It may be a challenge later on in life to deal with the opposite sex because they are so used to dealing with their own sex.  This obstacle can be avoided if children are placed in regular schools and not same sex schools. 

Talking Point #5

In the Service of What?
By:  Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer

"Service learning makes students active participants in service projects that aim to respond to the
needs of the community while furthering the academic goals of students."
I think this is great to get kids to help out in their communities.  Doing things outside the classroom that benefit other people in the community is a great thing for the kids to do. 

"By finding and engaging in community service activities, Mr.Johnson explained, students would interact with those less fortunate than themselves and would experience the excitement and joy of learning while
using the community as a classroom."
I like Mr. Johnson's assignment that made his students go out in the community and help out people that are less priveldged then them.  I feel like this would open his student's eyes to the world around them and how good they have it in their everyday lives. 

"This process can transform students' understandings of both disciplinary knowledge and the particular social issues with which they are engaged."
The beneits of students participating in a service learning project are excellent.  After doing their project i feel like students will walk away with a sence of accomplishment and well being.  The fact that the students helped other people should make them feel good.

I think that service learning projects should be a requirement in every school district.  Participating in these activities is not only good for the community, but it is good for the students.  Whatever the kids do whether it is serevice learning projects should be a requirement for all students in order to graduate.  I think there is only good things that can come out of this and that the students will feel good about themselves after they participate in the activity.  I helped out in a memory walk for Alzheimer’s disease one year and it made me feel good.  The people that I passed out water to were all very greatful for the event that was happening.  

Talking Point #3

"Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community"
Dennis Carlson

"The commonsence perspective on language is that words refer to or stand for things, so that it does not really matter what you call these things."
Carlson disagrees with this and feels that words represent things.  He thinks that the commonsenced person does not see all the meaning in words.

"Early in this century, the dismissal of gay teachers was legitimated as a way of keeping young people from being exposed to improper role models, lechery, and child molestation."
The fact that this used to happen in this country bothered me.  How can you assume that a gay person would do something like this just because they are gay?  Those people were horrible to think that way and stereotype all gays.

"For example, it is now estimated that up to one-third of all adolescent suicide victims are gay...."
The fact that some many young gay kids are committing suicide is eye opening.  I feel like these kids do not feel welcomed where they live and they may not be able to connect with anyone.  I also think that bullying could also be a reason for why these young kids are committing suicide.  They need to be treated fairly like everyone else. 

I found Carlson's document a little hard to read at times, but what i took away from it is that all people including gays have to be treated equally.  I feel like there is a problem with this in American today.  Young people need to learn about gay people at an early age and need to understand that there is nothing wrong with it.  This issue needs to be discussed in classrooms all over the U.S in order to try and fix the problem.  The fact that these people are looked at in bad terms by some people is wrong.  Their sexuality does not have anything to do with them being a good or bad person. 

Talking Point #2

The importance of storybook reading in multilingual, multicultural classrooms                               Kyle Garcia
By:  Terry Meier

"According to the U.S. Department of Education, by the year 2020 students of color will represent the majority of students in 18 states including California, Texas, Florida and New Mexico"
This quote taken from Terry Meier's piece shocked me.  It surprised me that this would be the case in some parts of the country.

"In addition, as the research cited here documented, they have figured out how to use language to get things done in the world, often in highly sophisticated ways."
Meier gives three examples of young children around the age of three getting away with things or getting what they want.  The accomplish this by tricking their parents by doing something that they think is cute.  I never really thought about the fact that kids get away with a lot until this article. 

"Or a teacher may spend 10 minutes or so reading aloud and then spend the balance of the literacy period on follow-up activities (e.g., an art or cooking project related in some way to the story)."
Some teachers feel like they have to do this because students can not sit and listen to the story.  I feel like they should spend more time going over the story and less time doing little projects.  The students need to give more effort to get through the assignment. 

I think children at a young age are a lot more intelligent than we think.  The fact that they have the ability to be persuasive around their parents and get away with things proves this.  They get these idea from books that they have read and stuff that happens in school.  The information that they get sticks to their mind and they try to use it in every day life.  I feel like students should spend more time reading because of the benefits that they get from it.  Their vocabulary is expanded each time they read a book because a young child's brain is like a sponge. 

The persuasiveness and exchange of power can be related to the Delpit piece.  The children take the power from their parents and somehow manage to get what they want.  This is an exchange of power because the parents direct their kids to do something and the kids get to do what they want because they are persuasive. 

Talking Point #4

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us                                                                                            Kyle Garcia

By Linda Christensen

"Our society's culture industry colonizes their minds and teaches them how to act, live, and dream."

-Chistensen states this because he thinks that pop culture today is brain washing kids in what their desires and goals should be in life.  This is shown because children are so heavily influenced by what they see on television, hear in music, and see in magazines.  Some kids may not feel happy if they do not accomplish everything that happens in a fairy tale.

"They assure me that they make their own choices and the media has no power over them-as they sit with Fubu, Nike, Timberlands or whatever the latest fashion rage might be."

-Christensen makes this statement because it shows how students will not admit to the obvious fact that these children are influenced by the media.  Some of these children might not even like the styles that these brands come out with.  They probably just buy them because the media says "that's what the cool kids are wearing". 

"And often the world depicts the domination of one sex, one race, one class, or one country over a weaker counterpart."

-I agree with this quote by Christensen.  It seems like when you watch television today you see the same social group being used or the same race or class over and over again.  You also see the "bad guy" as someone of a different race or gender from the main character.  This can give children the wrong impression as to what is good versus bad.  Children can not be brain washed to thinking that there is perfect world outside, like the movies and shows exemplify. 

Christensen's piece shows many good points about the current ideas that may be in young peoples minds today.  I feel like kids should be watching less TV and getting more experience in the real world.  By watching television their brains are being corrupted into thinking things that they do not really want.  Kids may think they want one thing because that is what is shown over and over again in all types of media.  They should go out in the real world and form their own opinions on what they want.  All girls are not going to be princesses and they should not feel like the have to find a prince charming like the movies portray to be happy.  Instead they should go after whatever it is that makes them happy and do it.

Talking Point #1

Kyle Garcia

White Privilege:

By Peggy McIntosh



"I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed."
-McIntosh states this as a white person refering to the things she does not have to deal with because of her race.  I agree with this quote because I have noticed that people of a minority race are watched over the whole time when they shop because the store owners feel like they will steel.  I feel that white people do not have to deal with that problem.

"I can choose blemish cover or bandages in “flesh” color and have them more or less match my skin."
-I found this quote to be a little funny.  I never really realized this before and it made me open my eyes.

"I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege."

-I feel like minorities have to deal with this and white people just go along with it.

I agree with a lot of the points that McIntosh brought up in her article.  I feel like a lot of them show up in our every day lives.  I did find this article hard to read at parts.  Some of the language was difficult for me to understand.  I feel like white's privledges



Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

Hello

My name is Kyle Garcia and I am currently a sophmore at RIC.  I am a health and physical education major.  When not in class I like to play sports and hang out with friends.  I also play on the golf team for RIC.  I really enjoy this because it is a great way to meet new people and make friends.  I having a boring office job that I do on the weekends because I am so busy during the week with school and practice.  I am excited for this semester and taking more classes that deal with my major.