My Final Visit :(

This past Monday marked the last time I'd be visiting my school for the semester. It was probably one of the saddest days of the year for me as a whole. While sitting around in my dorm room I didn't really know what to expect going into the day. Were the kids going to be sad to see me go? Did I accomplish my job as a tutor? Did I teach these kids anything? I mean for the first time all semester I was second guessing myself as an educator. Now I know this isn't a good thing, but I was nervous that now that my time was up I didn't do enough. It was a definitely an unfamiliar place for me to be in. Anyways the time finally came for me to go to the Cosgrove School. Since it was my final day I decided to get a little extra spiffy for the kids. When I walked into the school it was very melo being the first day back from vacation. I said hello to the secretary at the front office for the last time along with the Asian paperwork guy. I said hello to the reading coach and she was saying that whenever I wanted to come back or needed more volunteer hours where to find her. She also murmured a couple of compliments and wished my luck in the future. After this conversation I made my way up the stairs to the classroom where my kids were located. When I got up there to my surprise they were working with another tutor in the hallway the same place where we had worked. I recognized the tutor because the week before I had showed her how to conduct the activities. So I sat down at the group and watched them work. They smiled at me while they were competing the task at hand. I just sat quietly while they continued to work and here or there I would talk to the tutor about the lesson. It was odd not being the one conducting the activity but for the first time I got to see the kids work and instead of worrying about everything, I just got to see them work. As time went on the kids played a vocab game and I played with where we had some laughs. One girl sang single ladies by Beyonce and umbrella by Rhianna. It was probably one of the funniest things I've heard all semester while tutoring them. Slowly, minute by minute my time as a tutor with these wonderful kids was coming to an end. Eventually that time came and I had to leave the Cosgrove School. I went into the classroom to talk to the teacher for the last time discussing her son going to college next year and she wished me luck in the future. After the disposition sheet was filled out I said thank you and high fived everyone in the class. One girl wanted me to touch her book because I believe she had a crush on me so I thought that was cute. Once I left the classroom it was time to say good-bye to the kids I had tutored all semester. One girl came running up to me as I left the classroom and gave me a big hug saying thank you for helping her get smarter. Then the boy came up to me and gave me a big high five while saying thank you Mr. Mike. It was extremely sad to say goodbye and it was even sadder because one of the girls was absent, so I couldn't say bye to her. I left the Cosgrove School that day being grateful for the opportunity I had to tutor the kids. Well that's all from me...See ya

Education is Politics

1. "Education can be described in many ways. One way, suggested above, is to say that education is a contested terrain where people are socialized and the future of society is at stake."

This quote from the reading is very powerful in my eyes for a couple of reasons. The first being that in today's society I feel that the necessity of education is lacked by people. High school kids don't mind dropping out and other students at younger ages feel like taking random days off. Now I'm not saying that a break from school isn't necessary, but people these days are taking it to a new level. Like this excerpt says school is suppose to challenge the individual in order to prepare them for the future. Not only is the future important for them to have an education, but for our country and even the world itself as well. A lot of people just don't understand that concept. It's unfortunate that our society doesn't grasp that either because the future on the world as we know it depends on people having an education. The more we learn the better prepared we are for whatever comes at us. We need to accept the challenge of the educational society, raise up to it and accomplish the goals that are set for us. We need to be prepared, let's hope more people understand that.

2. "In classrooms where participation is meager, the low performance of students is routinely misjudged as low achievement."

Okay I chose this section from the reading because I see this occurring a lot in classrooms. In previous readings like the down syndrome one, people misjudge a lot of what actually occurs in a classroom. Just because a student participate doesn't mean that they can't achieve what the educator is asking of them. Is it frustrating as a teacher to receive no participation? Of course because you love the interaction amongst your students because they can learn from one another. However this doesn't change the fact that students don't have to participate or have low performance in a classroom doesn't mean that they aren't achieve anything. Trust me they are learning when they go to school no matter the circumstances. Maybe in a way we should be grateful that the students attended class that day because it shows that they care. A lot of people don't even go to class. It came up in the last reading and it comes up again, we need to stop nit-picking the littlest things in people. It's frustrating to see it coming up in reading after reading because it's so true.

3. " Students in empowering classes should be expected to develop skills and knowledge as well as high expectations for themselves, their education, and their futures."

Part of going to school is discovering who you are as a person. On top of this in any classroom the guidelines set above in this quote should be applied to every student. The higher the bar is set the more people will grow and learn. If we maximize expectations for individuals then the success rate will lead to a brighter future. Everyday a student should step into a classroom wanting to improve their knowledge on some topic whether it's math, history, reading, etc. We need to force the development of individuals and even if the fail now they will learn to get back up and try again. This will help immensely in the future because the real world isn't so kind and the better prepared we are as a society the better off we will be. On a final thought, the lower the bar is set in any setting the less people will get out of something, but the higher the bar is set the more people will get out of it.

Overall, this reading was very informative and provided a nice insight on certain aspects of the classroom. It also exploited the politics in education and that can be an unfortunate situation for a lot of people. I just wish we would all stop being so byist in society and just see people for what they are. We should set high standards in order to better prepare ourselves and the more people succeed the more others are going to want to join in. Again another great reading.

CitizenShip in School : Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome

1. "Now we know that people with disabilities can learn and have full, rich life. The challenging is to erase negative attitudes about people with developmental disabilities, get rid of the stereotypes and break the barriers for people with disabilities."

You know when we talk about the American Society, Johnson summed it up with why can't we all get along. We are suppose to be the most capable species yet we can't along with each other. Again this ties in to another reading like this one because once again we don't respect one another. It's truly sad to read a story like this and learn about how people with disabilities are so easily down graded. And the unfortunate part is it's so true!! Think about it, have you ever thought that a person with disabilities was as intelligent as a person without disabilities at first sight? I know that answer is no. People are so bias it's not even funny. This huge challenge that lies ahead of us can be overcome but our mindset needs to change in a hurry or it's just going to get worse. We need to finally realize that everyone is equal no matter what shape, size, or disability they have. Students with disabilities need to be let to take regular classes if they please and not be segregated unless it's asked for. Change is a necessity.

2. "To value another is to recognize diversity as the norm. It establishes the equal worth of all school children, a sense that we all benefit from each other, and the fundamental right of every student to belong."

This quote above, might be one of the best quotes I've read all year. It's so true when it states that to value another is to recognize diversity as the norm. When we value another human being instead of nit-picking at whats different about every specific one then we have finally accepted diversity. Unfortunately I don't see this happening anytime soon in our society. People always have something bad to say about one another especially on a racial level. The fundamentals of acceptance begin at the elementary level and that's where good habits need to be enforced and developed. Like the quote states, every student has a right to belong. America is a free country and instead of making people change their culture for us, we should adapt to theirs. That's when we become better people and a better country. Diversity has been a huge issue for a long time and it's time to end it.

3." We will not recognize the diverse contributions of those who wear obscuring labels until we move our focus from the disability and look for the complexity and individually we take for granted in ourselves."

This excerpt is crucial for the mind set we need to have as humans. Instead of judging people at first sight or putting labels on people we need to see who they really are. Equality is the key for acceptance in society, but hey that's just my opinion. I feel that this article really presents a huge issue in educational settings because students don't really accept others with disabilities without mocking them. It's sad to witness, but it happens everywhere. It comes back to not segregating students in classroom either because the more they work with one another they more comfortable they will get. With this their acceptance level will go up and it'll be a good starting point in their lives on accepting all kinds of people. Who knows maybe this change will influence the stubborn adults that refuse too.

Overall, this article was really interesting and it brought up a new side to diversity. Diversity isn't just an ethnic war its a disability one as well. When you first read the story at the beginning of the story it's really an eye opener. I don't think some people realize how crude they are until they look back on it. I agree 100% that we should start to slowly integrate students with disabilities into a regular classroom, especially when they want too. Normality is the key comfortability and acceptance by others. If certain people are treated differently than others than that raises eyebrows that they are different or weird. This was a very good read and I look forward to influence a normal classroom with lots of diversity as an up and coming educator. Fight for equality!!

School Visit

This week at school was quite different from any of my other previous 12 visits this past semester. I had already finished my Syllable activities so the reading coach had nothing else for me to go over with the kids, which was odd because I was now on my own in order to help the kids learn. As I walked into the classroom at the Cosgrove school the mood in the classroom was very depressing. Everyone was quiet, which is completely strange because the kids are usually all over the place due to the fact that recess/ lunch has just ended. So I walk into the class and I ask the teacher if there is anything specific she wants me to help her with. She says that I can read a story with my usual kids about the Incas because she felt they'd grasp it more in a smaller group with me guiding them. This sounded like such a great idea at first, but I was quick to learn that it wasn't. So we get together in our usual spot in the hall way and begin reading the story out loud when all of a sudden kids come out of the classroom and start talking so loud. Well about 5 seconds later their teacher came out of the classroom probably yelling louder than any other human I have ever heard in my life scream. This just wasn't in 2 minute shout either he was yelling for about 10 minutes. So of course the kids I'm trying to finish this book with are completely unfocused now. After it got quiet again we started reading the story again except this time now one of my students was looking all over the place not paying attention, which led to another girl doing the same. Eventually it got to a point where I had to start quizzing them after we had completed two pages of reading. This was extremely frustrating for me because now I had to slow down to make sure they were paying attention and it took a lot longer to read the story than it should have. After we finished reading I had told the kids I didn't have to many more visits that I would be able to see them and the looks on their faces were so sad. It's amazing how deeply affected they were by a stranger that they have just began to get to know. It was heart breaking because these kids weren't just normal elementary school students anymore, they were my friends. Now on Monday something, was different too.

When I walked into the classroom to gather the activity for the day I realized that there were no more activities to be completed. As a result of this the reading coach at the school told me to just ask the teacher what she needed help with, which made sense. But as I walked out of the classroom the reading coach changed her mind and told me to teach another VIPS volunteer how to conduct an activity. I felt special that she told me to show another volunteer what to do. So on Monday I showed her how to conduct the activity yet make some variations so the children have more fun yet still learn a good amount. Sometimes that involves having competitions or grouping the students, it'll depends on how you feel is best for the kids. At the end of the day she said that I did an excellent job showing her what to do and it made me feel really good. So that was my exciting, yet very different week at Cosgrove School. I look forward to my last week there even though it'll be very depressing to say good bye :(

Anyon

"The procedure is usually mechanical, involving rote behavior and very little decision making or choice. The teachers rarely explain why the work is being assigned, how it might connect to other assignments, or what the idea is that lies behind the procedure or gives it coherence and perhaps meaning or significance. "

Okay well this whole excerpt from from the piece written by Anyon brings up a lot of problems in this classroom. One of the most important requirements of a teacher is too involve students with different challenges that involve decision making or choice because those keys are huge in life. On top of this students like a challenge and it keeps them intrigued in a classroom setting. Now another part of this quote that is really disturbing is how the author writes that the teacher didn't explain why the work was being assigned or its connection to other works. Like are you kidding me? How can you consider yourself a teacher without explaining what is going on? The students need to understand the meaning of the assignment and how it connects to others. This quote is honestly annoying to ready and makes me angry that this actually goes on, but once again I'm not shocked.

"Serious attention is rarely given in school work on how the children develop or express their own feelings and ideas, either linguistically or in graphic form. On the occasions when creativity or self-expression is requested, it is peripheral to the main activity or it is "enriched" or "for fun."

Creativity is a huge key in a classroom in my opinion, especially for young students. They should be able to express their feelings in a constructive way in order help influence other discussions in the classroom. Another piece to this is what makes a classroom so special is the individuals personality and how the kids work with another, which allows them to grow as individuals. The thought of forced fun that is also talked about in this quote is morally wrong. There is no turn on or off switch for creativity and you can't expect a student too suddenly have all this creativity just for the specific assignment. This statement is sad to here and like the above quote is honestly ridiculous if it occurs daily in a classroom, let a kid be themselves!!

" Children are continually asked to reason through a problem, to produce intellectual products that are both logically sound and of top academic quality. 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. Schoolwork helps one to achieve, to excel, to prepare for life."

It's unfortunate to hear that this only occurs in an upper economic classroom because it should take place in every classroom. Problem solving is an important skill to have especially as you get older in life. Another important key in the classroom is the idea of setting goals not only as a student but as a teacher. So it's nice to see that a primary goal of the educator is to conceptualize rules by which elements can relate to one another in different systems. Connections are crucial in an educational setting! Not only this it's even more crucial in solving a problem, not only school but in life. This is why these schools are so successful maybe we should start taking some time an educate teachers of other schools to think this way. We need to prepare our students properly for life.

Overall this piece was probably one of the better ones that I have read all year. I loved how the author took five different school settings and compared them in order to show why higher economic school's have a better success rate. It's troubling at the same time however, to hear about how different these schools are and how the teachers play such a large role in it. It makes you want to get out there improve the schools that truly need it. The higher economic class shouldn't be the only ones getting prepared to be a doctor it should be everyone in school. Goals need to be set by everyone in order to students to succeed.

Teaching Boys and Girls Seperatly

"Foley Intermediate School began offering separate classes for boys and girls a few years ago, after the school’s principal, Lee Mansell, read a book by Michael Gurian called “Boys and Girls Learn Differently!”

I think it's honestly ridiculous to even consider having boys and girls taught in different settings. The only time I could see this being a possible idea is an elementary sex education lesson where the kids are immature. Yes I know woman mature early than men, but it definitely doesn't change the fact that they should be in the same class room. Segregation isn't approved anymore in this society, so it doesn't make sense to me on why they'd have gender segregation. Another concept that comes out from this excerpt is the influence of a book effecting a classroom setting that greatly. It makes you wonder if he just uses that as an excuse to configure something like this because it's what he wanted to do. I just whole heartedly believe this arrangement of a classroom is morally wrong, it's different to have all guy or all girl schools than schools that aren't that have separate classrooms. People have to remember that children can grow from one another they don't just need the same sex all the time.

“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.” Chadwell, like Sax, says that differences in eyesight, hearing and the nervous system all should influence how you instruct boys. “You need to engage boys’ energy, use it, rather than trying to say, No, no, no. So instead of having boys raise their hands, you’re going to have boys literally stand up."

Okay, I agree with this statement somewhat in the sense that males tend to want to be more active than females generally speaking. I agree that you should engage a person's energy and use it in a positive way rather than tell them no. That shouldn't just be done with boys though, it should be any child in general that has a high energy level. I don't know the scientific facts between the differences or boys and girls or women and men, but I do feel that their learning differences aren't substantial enough to point to separate them. On top of this, I don't think it's to a point where boys have to stand up instead of raising their hand. Other aspects of the class can be differentiated in order to make adjustments to the higher energy levels.

"One of the first things she did when she got serious about trying to start an all-girls public school was to hire a lawyer, George Shebitz, to explore the legality of a single-sex school. Tisch started visiting elite Manhattan all-girls private schools like Brearley and Spence, and once she had a vision of girls in blue-and-white uniforms sitting in circles around tables instead of at rows of desks, Tisch met with Evelyn Castro, who was then the superintendent of New York City’s District 4, the district that encompasses part of East Harlem and one known for its innovation. "

I honestly I don't understand why people would want to create a public school for all girls. It just blows me a way that a person would go out of their way to make this happen. Eventually they are going to have to learn in a coed setting they mine as well get used to it at a young age. I understand there is some learning differences, but are they honestly that serious? I don't have a problem with being an occasional private all girls or guys school, but a public all girls school is a little sketchy. I admire the effort that is taken place in order to improve the educational setting, but I feel like it's gone to far.

Overall, this reading was extremely interesting and made valid points. The research that has been conducted in order to discover differences between boys and girls. However, I don't feel that same sex public schools should be put in place. I understand that they may have different learning abilities or ways to learn, but it doesn't mean they should separate them. Eventually coed learning environments occur in life, so the earlier kids get used to this the better. Some people will disagree with this point of view and I can understand that there are benefits by separating the different sexes. However by separating them we have to ask ourselves will to help or hinder them in the long run?

School Visit

I went to the Cosgrove school this week and again it was a very nice visit, but some interesting topics came out of the topic this week. We were working on a syllable activity and I was incorporating some of the spelling words the children had been using in class. By doing this this I would have the kids come up with sentences with the words and some of the sentences they said were quite sad. For example one girl said that her grandmother had a disorder thats why she couldn't get off the couch or another boy said my mom said never to be disrespectful or I'd get a slap. Like some of the sentences that were saying were so heart-breaking, but at the same time time some of the other ones made you think about how smart these kids really are. But anyways, as I walked thru the hallways before I got my children I walked slowly and could hear some of the teachers yelling at their students which is typical at the Cosgrove school. I guess they use it as a way of spreading some type of order throughout the school. Then I entered my classroom where the class had just gotten back from lunch and they were preparing to take some type of test, so the kids put up their folders or books to protect their answers. Ms. Alice was extremely nice to me as usual, she told me about how her son was choosing a school and how stressed he was so I gave a couple words of advice, I don't know much it helped but I tried.

After all this I met up with the three 3 students I always teach and they begged for me to start coming three days a week, but I tried to explain why I couldn't so they moved on to the next topic, which was if I was ever going to bring them a treat. They are too funny :). After our discussion about how their weekend was, we got to work . The kids were extremely well behaved this time and tried there best to practice there reading skills. It was a complete turnaround from the last time, but I was definitely glad to see it. After we worked we talked a little more about college and they were asking me funny questions like if I was a good student and stuff like that. When we were done chit chatting I left and told them I'd have a surprise for them next time. Well, that was all for this week see ay in a week....:)

Between Barack and a Hard Place

This short video was absolutely moving and an inspirational sensation that actually makes you think. I liked this video better than any other reading that we have done this year. The speaker made many valid points including the part where he discussed the various shootings by white people and how we kind of brushed them off unlike killers with a different descent. For example, the D.C snipers from a few years ago made news all around America. People seemed to never let that go and definitely just didn't brush it off. On top of this, the Virginia Tech shooting from a couple years ago was a huge incident that occurred that many people to this day haven't forgotten. However, the speaker in this piece addresses numerous shootings that have been committed by white people yet the only one I was even familiar with was the Martin Luther King shooting. Even to this day I don't think white people realize the effect the shooting of Martin Luther King had on the community. He was beyond a racist movement leader he was a national figure that affected the life of so many people yet his death is just looked at as a fond memory. It's amazing that when you look back at these facts how true it is that white privilege exists. All the minorities are looked at as the criminal ones yet white people are the ones that commit more crimes. Not only does crime play a role in white privilege play a role, but the job application piece was proof too. When he said that white applicants or people with white sounding names were 50% more likely to get the job than others. I didn't want to believe it at first, but to be honest I wouldn't be surprised. I DONT want to believe this, however if he has proof of this fact than the facts are facts.

Another piece from this video that I truly enjoyed was the quote that he stated that people of color will not commit cultural suicide. This an extremely good point because why should people change who they are to please other people? That is so morally wrong and if you think about this, it's what we was ask minorities to do everyday which makes it even wronger. It's not like when we go to Mexico or Europe that people make us change who we are in some ways we adapt to their lifestyle, but we never commit culture suicide. White privilege needs to be stopped in this country, but it never will be.

Overall, again this short video was truly jaw-dropping. They way he spoke and what he spoke of truly makes you think about what goes on around you. It's amazing how cruel people can be, which relates back to the Johnson reading of WHY CAN'T WE ALL GET ALONG? A true embarrassment for everyone, yet there is no change in sight. I mean look how long slavery has been abolished yet still no change within society. It's so sad.

Talking Points 5

"Nel Noddings asserts, we try to consider the life and disposition of those for whom we are caring. We

attempt to "apprehend the reality of the other" and then to "struggle [for progress] together."

I chose this excerpt because the author makes a great point with this quote. We as humans tend to put ourselves in other peoples positions to try to understand what they go through. Sometimes this is a good thing and sometimes it's not because we tend to live in a fantasy world. We get jealous of others and what they have instead of being satisfied with our lives. However, it can be a good thing in the sense that we if we have a grasp of how much other's struggle we want to help them out. If every human could do this then we'd have a better world because we'd understand what others were struggling with and as a result would want to help one another out.

"Many agree with Sen. Kennedy, who writes that democracy "means . . . the responsibility to give something back to

America in return for all it has given us."

I don't know how I feel about this quote because yes America has given us a lot, but sometimes it screws us over as well. In any relationship there should be a give and take situation and we as Americans pay taxes and do other things that directly helps out the government. This is exact reason makes feel a little iffy because what does he exactly mean by giving back? A required military service? I mean, I bet some of the things that are assumed in this quote are unfair assessments of what we indeed have to give back. By working or even in teaching we help out others that live in America isn't that good enough? The last thing that I wondered when I read this was shouldn't we as humans want to give back? America shouldn't have to ask for it so it must go both ways I guess, but I definitely feel this quote could be worded differently.

"The thousand points of light through which the lucky serve the needy may help illuminate our humanity, but they cannot warm or nurture our common soul, nor create a sense of common responsibility connected to our liberty, nor provide integral solutions to structural problems. The model is compassion or charity; [service is optional, a personal choice,] and thus can never be the subject of political duties"

I was slightly confused when I read this from the piece of writing, but what from I think I understand this quote is saying that the government can't control whether or not e do the right thing or the caring thing. We as humans need to make the decisions ourselves out of the kindness of our hearts because thats the only way we are truly fulfilled. I totally agree with this too because not just the government, but no one can force you to do something nice, it has to be human nature to help one another out. Any normal human would get a fulfillment feeling by helping some one else out. Everyone knows it's the right thing to help someone out, it makes them happy and feel like they mean something in someone's life.

Overall this article made a lot of valid points, throughout relating to the themes or service and helping others out. I do agree with it making the argument that service can't be forced upon us especially be governing bodies, we as humans need to make the choice ourselves. Kennedy's quote that they used as an example, definitely raises some questions on what exactly we need to give back to America. The overall moral of everything is to want to do things because we want too and not others. We need to want to help others it can't be forced.

My second week

My Second Week

This week I was really excited to start working with my children at Cosgrove School because I already met them and they seemed really eager to learn. On top of this all of the kids I am a reading buddy for have the coolest personalities so it was shaping up to be a good situation. So when Tuesday came around I was all excited to go and at about 12 noon I received a phone call saying that Ms. Alice would be about because her father was extremely sick and to come in on Thursday. So unfortunately my excitement had to wait until Thursday, but when I got there I made up for it with the kids. First I walked into the school and talked to the secretary for a little bit then I walked upstairs into the teacher’s classroom to find out that it was the wrong one. Talk about embarrassing! Eventually I found the children I was supposed to be tutoring even though they were split up into the various classrooms due to the teacher being absent. Once I sat down with the children individually for about 20 minutes or so each going over syllables. During this time of the girls sounded out the syllable dy as the word die and she said thats what my grandmother did last year. It’s amazing how they relate a simple syllable to their everyday life along with how in tune they are with what goes on around them. It made me pause for a second to process what they just had told me, while doing this a rush of sadness fell over me because even though I had only interacted with these children twice I felt a special connection with every single one of them. So the first day pretty much consisted of the syllable activity and some students produced the words or syllables better than the other, but overall they did a nice job.

On the second day that I went to the school I walked into the office again and chit chatted with the secretaries along with another teacher. I guess from what I gathered today the school is expecting a new principal by Thursday. Eventually, I made it up my classroom and took out my children as a group this time and we worked as a group playing a variety of games that helped their recognition of words and syllables. I think the children preferred working in groups because they felt comfortable with their peers and enjoyed having fun with them instead of just one on one time with me going over the same things. We enjoyed a couple of laughs today over some silly words plus I promised them I’d bring them gummy worms on Wednesday since they performed so well today. It was truly a lot of fun to make them laugh and see the smiles on their faces as they got a word correct. One thing that did occur today was a teacher from another classroom was being extremely loud with her class. I couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but the shrieks of her voice were frighting. In addition to this she was being extremely sarcastic with her children and I don’t know why but I though who does she think she is to talk to them like that? But hey what do I know maybe I misunderstood something along the way. Overall it was a very nice experience, everyone is so nice in that school from the faculty to the staff and I love at the end of each session how the kids don’t want me to go. I truly feel like I’m apart of something important in someone else’s life and it’s a nice feeling. See ya next time!! :)

Carlson Thinking Points

1. "Within normalizing communities, some individuals and subject positions (i.e, white, middle class, male, heterosexual, etc.) get privileged and represented as "normal" while other individual and subject positions (i.e, black working class, female, homosexual, etc.) are disempowered and represented as deviant, sick, neurotic, criminal, lazy, lacking in intelligence, and in other ways "abnormal"."

Okay, throughout this whole FNED class we have read a variety of pieces including, some intense information that I can believe and agree with. However, this segment from Carlson's piece in my opinion is extremely wrong. First off in my experiences no-one has called any of the above groups lazy, lacking intelligence, or sick. Especially, homosexuals which is the main point of the article. I mean come on now lazy? These are some bold words for one person to say in a writing piece. For once I can truly say that I fully disagree with a statement written by an author that I have read in this class. If anything people look at homosexuals as more motivated than others and definitely don't view them as sick or unintelligent people. I disagree that this how Americans generally think.

2. " To some degree, all traditions of culture and knowledge must be selective, even multicultural traditions, for the productions of text always involves a selection process in which something must be left out."

When I first read this excerpt it didn't make any sense to me that school systems didn't allow some texts to be read. However, I then remember that when I was in public schools there was a list of books that children weren't allowed to read for various reasons including violence, content, language, sexuality, etc. I agree with the school systems for banishing some pieces due to intense language or sexuality to a certain age. On the other hand though, I don't believe that the school systems should banish any book due to culture views. If the book makes a good point or is a worthy book of reading than it should be allowed especially in an older educational setting like high school. Culture's or ways of life should not be discriminated against especially in an educational setting. It's amazing how our society tries to hide certain things especially culturally.

3. "A male substitute teacher was greeted by (one of the students) as she shouted across her English classroom: That man's a faggot, right? Look at how he talks! Arriving at her seat she yelled, Hey Mr. Faggot, I mean sir you got a pencil?"

Okay when I read this out of writing I was in shock that a student had the audacity to say that to another human being never mind a teacher. Like who do you think you are? After reading this I guess it makes my first argument untrue where I said discrimination that was listed in the text didn't exist. It blows my mind that a student would disrespect another human being to this extent, it's truly as low as you can go. Do they have any manners? What does this show about their parents as guidance in their lives? This is probably the saddest piece that I have read out of all the readings. I find it preposterous that our society can degrade one on another to this point. If it's occur between a student and teacher than where to next the work place, the government? We as people need to stop this non-sense because no one deserves to be made fun of especially someone of a different culture back round or gender preference.

Overall the piece by Carlson was truly another eye-opening piece, it amazes me on how much I learn from writing to writing about our society. I don't know why, but I always go back to that Johnson piece where he says why can't we all get along? We are suppose to be so capable as a species yet we call our teacher's faggots? Like am I missing something here? Who do we think we are as people never mind students to degrade a person because of their culture back round or gender preference or anyone of that matter? More research needs to presented to authorities or someone that can go in and speak to certain people. Every student should be made to read pieces just like this one by Carlson. Our minds and eyes need to be opened. I guess the big question I have after reading this piece is, how bad is it out there? How pathetic is our society?

Why Can't She Remember That?

1. "Despite such culturally influenced differences,however the findings of this body of research clearly underscore the fact that children from every linguistic community learn to use language in highly complex and that provide a strong linguistic foundation for teachers to build on in literacy instruction."

When, I first read this statement from this article I strongly disagreed with it. I disagreed with it because yes, they may of a good foundation for literacy, but it's in their own language so when this children try to learn English it just puts them back more. I say this because English is such a complex language that it's difficult to learn and if these kids already have mastered another language then it makes it almost impossible for a positive success rate. However, as I kept reading I saw what Meier meant by this statement. Children at home that learn from their parents or surroundings are extremely intelligent even at such a young age that instead of thinking they are so far behind, we should have a mind set that these kids are smart. People like me that come in with that wrong mindset make wrong assumptions about these children and maybe thats where the problem is or at least thats where it starts. It's truly unfortunate.

2. "From these book reading experiences, many children acquire an extensive book-based vocabulary and absorb important cultural lessons about things like gender roles, family relationships, and the nature of friendship."

You know it's amazing how true this excerpt from this article is. I remember as a little kid learning so many words or applying what happens in a book like "Where the Wild Things Are" to my everyday life. As a youngster the books that you read are your biggest influence aside from your parents. The books are your role models and by reading this article it looks as though that same mind set still takes place even today. I love how something so little such as a storybook has such a large impact on someone's life. I mean in a way that puts a lot of pressure on those children book authors because what they write can literally change a child's life. Yet at the same time it's awesome because these books can be a positive foundation for children. The books are their lives.

3. "The teacher's likely assumption in this case was that Gabriela did not know the answer to the question, possibly leading to the conclusion that she needed more simplified instruction, or perhaps more English-language vocabulary, rather than more interesting questions."

After reading about Gabriela and all of the other children that were used as examples, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head. These children most of the time are probably more intelligent than we expect and they are so intelligent to point that in their mind we look like the non-intelligent ones. In a way it sounds a little bizarre, but it makes complete sense. The examples that Meier provides after this piece is a great teaching strategy. If we make the books come to life or we as educators ask to our students more interesting rather than repetitive simple ones the truth will show. This quote is definitely one of the more eye-opening statements I've read. It leads back to the discussion by the various authors like Delpit that discuss discrimination in the classroom. It's not cool man..

Overall, this whole article was probably the best one that I'v read all semester. It didn't pick sides on race or try to display racism, it simply gave facts and backed up those facts. Meier did have a lot of great strategies in the classroom and I admire his willingness to take different outlooks on situation in the classroom. I was extremely interested with this reading because it's amazing how something as little as a storybook can have such a huge impact. One question that arose to me was how often do wrong assumptions take place in a classroom? We should seriously re-look how we teach certain things as educators. This reading reminded a lot of all the readings that we have read because each presents a piece on discrimination in the classroom and this article exploits that exact issue. Truly the best article so far.

My First Day :)

My First Day

I left RIC on Friday with a lot of anxiety, I didn’t know if I was dressed all right or if the teacher and students would like me. I mean it was a nerve-wrecking time for me. I arrived to the school on time, and met right away with the reading coach about what we were going to do with our kids and how we were gonna go about it. She was very helpful and she had a lot of really good ideas especially reading fluency Candy Land which was my favorite board game as a kid, well the regular version. After we discussed some other procedures she told us who are teacher was and what kids we’d be working with. What was really funny for me was as she was walking me to my classroom I met a teacher who had heard that my last name was Haggerty and so was hers. As a result of this we spent a good 10 minutes trying to figure out if we had any relation to one another. She named her grandfather and we tried to put the piece’s together because she said the Haggerty family was so big. She left me with a homework assignment to figure out I had any relation to her grandfather so that’s what I plan to do and who knows maybe I found a long lost cousin. But anyways I eventually made it to the fourth grade classroom where I met the teacher Ms. Alice and she was an extremely nice lady. She didn’t have her regular class in there at the time because she was teaching other fourth graders science. So I mingled amongst my peers and helped them dissect a seed. There was girl that really loved to talk, right away she said what’s up dude? And I was like ummm hello haha, but other than everyone was very open and loved talking to me about anything really. This one kid asked me to help him draw a replica of the seed in his notebook so I helped him with that. After about 15 minutes the classes switched back into their regular classroom in a very orderly fashion and I got to hang with some of the kids I’d be partnered up with as a reading buddy. It was the Friday before vacation and Valentines day was on Sunday so they had a mini Valentines party. I helped pass out the cupcakes to the various kids and introduced myself along the way. One girl even gave me a Valentine and started to blush when her friend said that she liked me/ That made me smile haha I forgot what it was like to be in the fourth grade again. So after I finished passing out the cupcakes the kids took a quick spelling test and then we go to chat and get to know each other a little bit. I got to know my reading fluency kids and the whole class really. It was easy to see, which kids were trouble makes or the class-clowns. Who had a crush on who as far as what guy liked which girl. Another thing that really stood out to me was the kids that really kept to themselves, didn’t really talk much to anyone. It made me so sad to see this because I remember being an overweight child and neglected or made fun of by lots of people. It truly is the worse feeling to see that with your own eyes once again. Ms. Alice did a very nice job with her class keeping them organized and making sure they still had fun because everyone truly needs a break every once in a while. Right before the kids were going to start grabbing their coats I said my good-bye’s to everyone and told them that yes indeed I’d be coming back. I left Cosgrove school that day very excited about the opportunity to help these kids grow in areas that need improvement for them. The kids that I will be tutoring are very nice and polite kids that look like they want to improve and learn. well, I guess thats all for now I’ll keep you updated in a week or so on how my second visit goes, I’m sure it will be wonderful. :)

Talking Points 1 (Amazing Grace)

1. "At the elementary school that serves the neighborhood across the avenue, only seven of 800 children do not qualify for free school lunches. Five of those seven, says the principal, get reduced-price lunches, because they are classified as only poor, not destitute."

This excerpt from Amazing Grace honestly put me into shock. How can 793 kids be in that situation. How can we as people allow something like that? It's so unfortunate that in a way it's embarrassing for Americans, we are supposed to be a country that provides opportunity and a better life. By the statement above it's the complete opposite. There has to be something that can be done in order to help these people. In conclusion, this is honestly probably one of the most disturbing statistics I've ever read.

2. "A former cocaine addict who now helps addicted women and their children, she tells me that more than 3,000 homeless families have been relocated by the city in this neighborhood during the past few years."

When you sit back and examine this statement it takes a second for you to realize how ridiculous this really is. Not 3,000 people, but 3,000 families that is approx. 12,000 people that are homeless and relocated. That's the population of Syracuse University and imagine every student there being homeless and relocated. It's truly a sad situation, we as people have to make the extra effort to help people in need. This reminds of me relating back to article written by Johnson when he uses the dogs as an example of us being the most capable species on the planet yet we can;t even get along. Well, if we are the most capable species how do 3,000 families, homeless ones get relocated? We as people need to be better.

3. " Maybe five or six in 25, she says, have some legitimate employment. Another five or ten are selling drugs or doing prostitution."

If you do the ratio out it's about one out of every five people have a legitimate job. If thats a result of the poor economy than that is pathetic. If it's a result of people being lazy than as a person the need to take responsibility and get a job. Opportunities should be given to these people to improve their work status in order to help motivate them to get real jobs instead of resorting to the quick dollar with selling drugs or prostitution. We need to come together as people and help each other, motivate one another so that we can improve our living situations. These statistics are honestly depressing.

After reading Amazing Grace, all the information that was presented by Kozol was truly eye-opening and depressing. How can we let these problems get this bad? This reading really keeps bringing me back to that Johnson piece where he discusses how in-capable we are as humans. The statistics presented truly backs up that statement. This whole article proves how pathetic we are. I mean another example of this is the guy that got shot in the head outside of the club, like what makes us resort to that sort of thing? It's dumfounding to me. One question that is asked in the piece that needs to be thought about is how or what is like for children to grow up here? How can you raise a family in these situations? I really enjoyed this piece and I'm glad it really made me think about reality.

Me

The name is Mike Haggerty, I'm a freshman at Rhode Island College, my favorite hobby is playing basketball. My favorite teams are the Lakers and Syracuse. My intended major is Phys Ed and Health Ed. Any my favorite cousin is Meghan :)