Blog Post #7

 Literacy with an Attitude by Patrick J. Finn

Quotes 

1. In the Preface, Finn states, "Today we see illiteracy among the have-nots as the source of many social ills." This emphasizes the educational differences seen in the different class types in the United States. This truly affects the students' future in these matters by providing fewer educational opportunities. These educational opportunities not found in the less fortunate facilities provide low test scores, fewer scholarships, and less enrollment in higher education. Not only are there fewer opportunities, but there is also a difference in lessons that emphasize completely different aspects. 

2. Later in the Preface, Finn states, "Progressive methods, empowering education, and powerful literacy tend to go together. Traditional methods, domesticating education, and functional literacy tend to go together. Progressive methods are nearly impossible unless children want school knowledge and cooperation." This shares the different types of education students get based on their social class. Higher fortunate students tend to learn critical thinking skills and leading positions while working, and lower-class students tend to emphasize obedience in education. This proves the direct disconnect the country has overall between classes, but more specifically, how it affects our education system, which inevitably affects the country's future. 

3. In the second chapter, Finn states, "After all, America is supposedly the "land of opportunity" where you can achieve whatever career goals to which you aspire...However, the more I remembered various teaching situations I've been in, the more clear class culture perpetuation became." This quote truly emphasizes the irony the United States has with preaching freedom, yet teaching the complete opposite in their public education systems. 

Reflection:

After reading, I saw a lot of similarities between this reading and the reading from last week. There were a lot of common themes of irony between the readings, but having different true meanings. This reading truly emphasized the difference in education between classes. If you were born rich, you would have a higher chance of getting a better education, which overall opens countless opportunities for higher education, leading to a more successful future. On the other hand, though, if you were born less fortunate in the United States, you will be taught how to stay less fortunate. This shows that truly the United States is not as free as it thinks it is and it is important to acknowledge in education systems as future teaching, having the future of the country in our hands. 

Blog Post #6

 Troublemakers by Carla Shalaby

Quotes:

1. In Troublemakers Preface, Shalaby states, "When I speak on a child's right to freedom, I mean that by virtue of being human, she is endowed with the unassailable right not to have any part of her personhood assaulted or stolen... A free person retains her power, her right to self-determination, her opportunity to flourish, her ability to love and to be loved, and her capacity of hope." I find these statements interesting because of Carla Shalaby's use of the pronoun "she" when referring to students, children, and freedom. Shalaby relates to students at human beings, but constantly uses "she" and "her" pronouns, which make it seem she is only talking and including female students and a female audience. Though I do not know Shalaby's background, I find these word choices ironic due to the point being made. By using these pronouns it seems that the writing excludes males and other genders in educational settings. Shalaby claims that freedom is a personal right, but does not include everyone in the United States educational system. 

2. Later in the Preface, Shalaby states, "For the most part, schools value quiet children over loud ones and operate as though adults are the only teachers in the room. The adults get to speak while the young people listen." This statement evaluates the irony of freedom in the United States and how freedom is rarely seen in American classroom environments. I find this important for educators and students both to acknowledge because it shows the true way the country is. The statement highlights the flaws this country has and the importance of acknowledging them as citizens and the future. 

3. In the introduction of Troublemakers, Shalaby shares her experience with a certain student. She states, "He loved the freedom of learning just enough to hate the constraints of schooling, and he did what I asked only if it happened to coincide with what he wanted to do." I find this important because it shows the student's perspective of the irony between freedom in the country and within the education system. It shows that students are aware of the irony, which can make it harder to teach in the circumstances the country wants to teach. 

Reflection:

All in all, Troublemakers highlights the irony of freedom in the United States and the difficulties and challenges that happen when teaching students who know the irony. Not only are the constant reminders of freedom in the country and the completely opposite experiences that happen in the classrooms ironic, but Shalaby's exclusive use of she and her pronouns when talking about freedom among students and citizenship is ironic as well. 

Video Analysis Notes

 

Blog Post #5

 What to Look for in a Classroom: Alfie Kohn

Introduction to Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: Teaching Diverse Students Initiative

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGTVjJuRaZ8

Quotes: 

    When a visitor enters a classroom, looking at how the students react is important. Kohn shares that it is a "good sign" if students are "eager to explain to demonstrate what they're doing or to use the visitor as a resource." Kohn also shares that it is a "possible sign to worry" if students use the visitor in hopes of being distracted from what they are doing. This is extremely true in school settings, specifically those of younger students. When students are fully engaged in a lesson, they seem to want to share their knowledge with others. So, if a visitor enters a fully engaged classroom, it is common for the students to want to see a different perspective. But, if the students are unengaged in the topic at hand, it is common to see students use a visitor to get away from the activity at hand. 

    Another interesting factor from the chart is the location of the teacher. Kohn says that it is a "good sign" if it takes a couple extra seconds to find the teacher and a "possible sign to worry" if one can always find the classroom's teacher front and center. Kohn shares that it is good to have to take the extra time to find the teacher because it is an indication of classroom engagement between teacher and students. It shows the true dedication the teacher has for their students to be engaged and understand the material. 

    In Introduction to Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Geneva Gay states, "Culture can be grouped into two different kinds of categories. You can talk about visible culture and invisible culture or tangible and intangible." This factor is important to acknowledge in a classroom because students with different backgrounds come from different cultures or understandings. The visible culture relates to the culture of the classroom itself. What is happening in the classroom? Are the students engaged in the lessons? Does the teacher seem to highlight the importance of student understanding? The invisible culture is where the students and teachers come from. The prior knowledge the students have is just as important as what is being taught and learned in the classroom itself. The culture of the students and teacher is important to acknowledge because of the melting pot the United States is and the many different values and importance different cultures have. 

Reflection:

After reading Kohn's chart, I can relate to my time as a student and the differences between classrooms as a younger student in elementary and middle school and being an older student in high school and college. Classrooms for younger students seem to have the most decorations, with student artwork and collaborative works posted. As a child, I was a more engaged student, and the classroom environment was definitely a factor because as I got older, the classrooms became more and more dull, with fewer decorations and less collaborative work. Classrooms in my high school were mostly decorated with store-bought posters and simple "classroom rules" being posted. During this time, I found myself struggling to fully pay attention. Though growing up is definitely a factor in my classroom engagement declining over the years, Kohn's chart is very interesting to relate to now as a college student. 

Blog Post #4

 The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People's Children

Author: Lisa Delpit

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eYjABUSaafTIXox9MTJCsIP1-cfVF-3j/view

Important Quotes:  

    In this writing, Lisa Delpit goes into detail about the different experiences people of different races face in educational settings. Delpit describes the issues specifically teachers of color go through with their white colleagues and the difficulties they face while trying to push through. 

    Delpit states, "The saddest element is that the individuals that the black and Native Alaskan educators speak of in these statements are seldom aware that the dialogue has been silenced. Most likely the white educators believe that their colleagues of color did, in the end, agree with their logic. After all, they stopped disagreeing, didn't they?" Delpit acknowledges as a black educator herself that though educators of color try to speak up for their issues they face in their workplace, no change happens because their issues have been silenced. Her second sentence goes into detail about how the white educators struggle to see these issues because of the hault of the vocalization of disagreements. But in the end, this is because the black and Native educators stopped vocalizing their issues because the white educators were simply not listening. 

   When referring to the differences between teaching white and nonwhite students, Delpit states, "On the other hand, all of the nonwhite respondents have spoken passionately on being left out of the dialogue about how best to educate children of color." This statement describes the struggles people of color face everyday, especially in their workplace. Earlier in the writing Delpit shares a woman's story about how her white colleagues listen, but don't actually hear the issues at hand. This is a direct relationship of the true struggles people of color face with white people in educative workplaces because white people are declaring what is and what isn't best for the future generations of nonwhite children. This is clearly a flawed system because if white educators cannot listen to their nonwhite colleagues, what makes them fit to understand what is and isn't best for children of color?

    When discussing "the culture of power," Delpit describe five aspects of power. The first one, "The issues of power are enacted in classrooms," is quite interesting, but true. Delpit shares the power the publishers and curriculum creators have over the world overall. This statement being extremely true because they hold the power of what is being taught in schools, where the students are the future of the world. If what is being taught is corrupted, the future world is only bound to also be corrupt. 

Reflection: After reading this piece, I started to think of how I can be different as a white educator than those described in the writing. It gives me, a future educator something to look back on when these types of situations are brought up. I can relate back to the struggles I read nonwhite educators experience with their white colleagues and use that as motivation to be a better colleague to my potential nonwhite colleagues. I hope to be able to give them a place to really be able to communicate their issues and feel heard, rather than the ones described. 

Blog Post #2

 The Broken Model Chapter 2

Author: Salman Khan

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gg3vGumVOHrA4qisjBLU6Ces2yQUx00R/view

    In chapter two of The Broken Model, Salman Khan discusses the normality we feel when it comes to classrooms. This normality comes with the length of how long we have practiced the school system we have today. Khan discusses the parts of the schooling system we see as "sacred" by using examples of elementary, middle, and high schools and class periods. Khan talks about how the school system is not perfect and needs to be changed, but it is easier said than done. The school system has been the way it is for many years, causing a familiarity that public school students, families, and school staff feel within a school setting. This familiarity gives off a "cultural habit" that is overall harmful to the thought of a change in the school system. The school system in the United States is so large, including many parties like test companies, publishers, and institutions, which give more reasons for difficulty in this challenging task. All in all, to change the school system in this country, all parties involved would have to come to an agreement, which seems impossible in this already divided country. 

Timeline:

Blog Post #3

The Academic and Social Values of Ethnic Studies

Author: Christine E. Sleeter

 Author's Argument

Christine Sleeter's argument is that ethnic studies provides opportunities for minority students to overall succeed in a system that was built against them. Many systems in the United States have clearly been built corruptly. This corruption makes it extremely difficult for people of color, minorities, and others who face prejudices to become successful in America. This was made strategically and purposefully; we know this by simply looking at America's history. A country built on slavery, colonization, imperialism, and bribery obviously would not be fair to all of their citizens. We can see this by taking a history class and being American citizens. But today, we can see this almost crystal clear in school systems across the country.

    The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies: A Research Review goes into detail about the unfairness in lessons and textbooks public school in the United States teach. Through the seventies and eighties, where there was a change in societal views, there was a clear disconnect in changing curriculums to share histories of African American, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian American studies. This disconnect was between teachers and textbook makers. Teachers assumed textbooks would be free of biases, and textbook creators assumed teachers would avoid bias. This created clear biases in classrooms throughout the country, which overall contributes to the corruption in the United States. Euro-American studies continue to be taught throughout the country today, no matter the racial statistics of schools. This means that students of all racial backgrounds are being taught the histories of their oppressors. The text states, "Systematic analyses, however, consistently find the opposite. While content related to African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans have been added, deeper patterns and narratives that reflect Euro-American experiences and worldviews, and that have traditionally structured K–12 textbooks—particularly history and social studies texts—remain intact." Though slight histories have been added to these texts, the underlying message of Euro-American studies is extremely prominent and taught. This is the problem. 

    The system is built to make itself look better than it is. Because Euro-American studies are being taught in schools rather than other important studies for students of color to learn, the "white-savior" complex is seen. Euro-American studies have been seen with extreme bias, making it look better than what it is. We know that the United States was built on corruption, and with Euro-American studies being taught, it is seen that Euro-American history is the way to go. The United States is teaching its students to be like their oppressors. This only makes the country's corruption grow. All in all, it is extremely difficult to fix this because the system was built broken, and the miscommunication is clear between teachers and textbook creators, causing yet more corruption. 

Reflection:

After reading, I believe that ethnic studies does nothing but good for overall academic communities. Ethnic studies provide opportunities for different cultures and histories to be taught in a Euro-American based ciriculum. This country focuses mainly on the successes of people who have done a lot of harm throughout their careers. Ethnic studies keep students engaged which helps them overall achieve in academic careers.