Talking Point #10

What Can We Do?

By: Allan Johnson

Premises:

• changes
• privilege
• oppression
• trouble
• alternatives

Argument:

Allan Johnson argues that we need to be more aware of the troubles or problems that are surrounding us in society. Being more aware of these troubles will help us find solutions for these problems.

Evidences:

"We need to begin by thinking about the trouble and the challenge in new and more productive ways..." (Page 125)

"think about the trouble as eveyone's responsibility-everybody's hook-and nobody's fault" (Page 127).

"...we have to alter how we see ourselves in relation to a long term, complex process of change." (Page 131).

"If we're going to see ourselves as part of that kind of change, we cant use the human life span as a significant standard against which to measure progress." (Page 131)

"...we need to clarify for ourselves how our choices matter and how they don't" (Page 132)

"...changing the world had to involve [individuals and social systems]." (Page 142)

"...one of the most important principles of participating in change." (Page 150)

"...taking responsibility...means acknowledging an obligation to make a contribution structure ways to act on that obligation...beginning with the simplest act of naming the system out loud" (Page 153)

Comments:

I love reading Johnson because he is sooooooo real. He talks directly not like other author who are wordy and it seem like a drag when reading. I agree with his argument about how we need each other to start seeing the troubles we are facing in a different way so that we can come up with better solutions to those problems. I like the way he keeps mentioning in this chapter that we need each other to work together. It is better to work together than working alone because you get more work done and I feel like you are heard more. What I learn is that for us to make that change we have to make that first move, however we shouldn't expect to be the ones to end the problems. I so agree with him when he said that when we start making these changing we shouldn't expect changes to appear during our life span because in reality it takes more than a life span to see a progression. Now I can say why people give up on changing the way the society is. Making changes to help this society is difficult when you don't see an instant progression. Johnson gives out really good methods for us to use in order to participate in this change. The one that I think I can do and see changes a little sooner is not participating into jokes that are racial and homophobic. By me not laughing or say "THAT'S NOT FUNNY" is a good start for me. Another way I can participate is by reading more books like Johnson's book. Having that knowledge is a great way for me to share with other. For instance, my boyfriend is younger than me and he is thinking about majoring in education. Since I know that teaching is his future goal I always try to have conversation about the society we are in and the way our school system is ran. I try to inform him with the knowledge I have so that he can keep passing that on to others. By me reading more books like this one will help me gain more knowledge on the troubles that are surrounding us. The one method that I think I wouldn't be able to accomplish is joining an organization that concentrates on the system changes. It is not that I don't want to join is that I know that I am too busy with school and work that I don't even have time for myself. So that I wouldn't look bad I rather work on the two methods that I know I will enjoy doing. Like Johnson stated in his book "start where you are and work from there" (Page 153).

Talking Point #9

School Girls

Peggy Orenstein

Premise:

• 
  
  Sexism


• 
  
  Female


• 
  
  Male


• 
  
  Roles


• 
  
  Society


• 
  
  School


• 
  
  Curriculum


• 
  
  African America


• 
  
  Education


• 
  
  Sexual Harassment

Author's Argument

Peggy Orenstein argues that there is a hidden curriculum where there is huge gap between women and men. She argues that schools should develop a curriculum that is fair for every gender in every subject and that this change should be taught in their early childhood. She also mentions that this "ideal curriculum" is helpful for students to see and try to make changes on issues like sexual harassment and gender inequality that surrounds them.

Evidence

• "The hidden curriculum is all the things teachers don't say, but that you learn in class anyway...the hidden curriculum is what you learn the most. Sexual harassment is part of the hidden curriculum for girls...boys...because they learn whether is has anything to do with them or not."
• Because it's not just a female job to change it, but a male job as well...maybe people need more education and we can provide some of that..."
• "...if you start a course...with something that connects to the student's experience...they can relate it to their own experience."

Comments

I really enjoyed reading this article because I felt that I was able to relate to it. I agree with Peggy's argument because in order to make everything work in this society we need both sexes. If we need both sexes then we need to make an equality curriculum where both boys and girls can feel comfortable with. There were girls' quote where they stated that they were glad that Mrs Logan did these women studies where girls were not discriminated. I even understood the reason why some of the girls in the classroom felt that they were not learning because they weren't talking about men and they felt that it wasn't right. These girls felt this way because they were not use to being in classroom where women are the dominate. I felt this way when I was in school because my teachers concentrated more on famous men rather than women. I also like the way Mrs. Logan had all of her students come up with monologue on famous women. The way she manage to get the boys to act out a women role was an effective way to get the boys to feel the discrimination that women fell in their everyday life.

Talking Point #8

Citizenship in School: "Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome"

PREMISE:

• Students


• Disable


• Stereotype


• Opportunities


• Democratic


• Social Place


• Citizenship


• Community


• Integration


• Participation


• Teachers

Author's Argument:

Kilewer argues that in the American schools there is this barrier that prevents children with disabilities to interact with others by placing them in a special educational classroom. Kilewer believes that this barrier must be broken to make school a better place to learn. He thinks that by integration disable and able students will create this social environment that will not discriminate the disable students. Each students should be looked individuality so that they can be able to participate in the classroom.

Evidence:

"...like a lot of people in Mendocino he's accepted for what he is, not what he isn't..."(pg 208).

Kilewer tells this story about a boy who's life changed when he moved to Mendicino, California. When he moved there he felt that people accepted his disable condition. He knew that he could concentrate on what he was able to do without worrying about what others will say or criticize what he cant do. He felt like an individual who was accepted to be part of the community..

"School citizenship requires that students not be categorized and separated based on presumed defect" (pg 207).

Kilewer is referring that teachers should see their students as individual in order to show them how much they valued them. Students shouldn't be judged by any health problems they might have. Teachers should see past that and focus more on the ability of every child. They shouldn't separate students based on their health problems also because that is like taking them out of the community they are living in.

"The challenge is to erase negative attitudes [and] get rid of the stereotypes and break the barriers for people with disabilities" (pg 200).

This statement pretty much supports his argument. He knows that getting rid of stereotype, braking any barriers and erasing negative attitudes towards disable people is challenge in this society where "able people" are dominate. Even though it is a challenge schools across America should find solutions because every citizen has a right to learn and speak even if they are disabled.

Comments:

I think that this article was a strong article. When reading this I felt anger because it is not fair that people who are disabled should be treated the way they are being treated in this society. Not letting them be part of the community is a tremendous error that a school can do. Not integrating them with other "able students" is like making them feel that they are not part of the community. It creates this silence that as years progress will keep growing. Stereotyping them is ignorant because they don't choose to be like that.

Talking Point #6

Tracking: Why schools need to take another Route

By: Jeannie Oakes

About:

• tracking
• stereotype
• low-class students
• high-class students
• differences
• classes
• uneven opportunities
• alternatives to tracking
• students left behind
• curriculum
• discipline
• behavior


• evaluation

Argument:

Jeannie Oakes argues that schools should find an alternative method of teaching instead of the tracking method that most school follow. She believes that tracking is not the best way to teach because it creates a separation between students. They should find an alternative method that brings all the students together.

Evidences:

"...tracking can and often does work well for top students. Start by providing the best teachers, a concentration of the most successful students and sometimes even the lowest class size...parent support group..." (Page 179)

This quote simply states top students do well in tracking rather then low students. It is an example of how not every students do well. Also it states the reason why these students do well in tracking and the example that is given I can conclude that they are barely or not found in a school where there is diversity.

"...school professionals and parents oppose tracking because they believe it locks most students into classes where they are stereotyped as less able, and where they have fewer opportunities." (page. 178).

Yet another reason why tracking should be taken out of school system. Even parents and teachers know that tracking creates a separation between students and it creates a lot of stereotypes in school. Another reason why an alternative method needs to be use so that every child have an opportunity in learning.

"Low ability classes were likely to have little contact with the knowledge skills that would allow them to make it into high classes or to successful..." (Page 178)

Another fact that by tracking or dividing students into different groups limits a student's knowledge. This is important because if a student is being limited to an education then they are not going to be successful in the future.

Comment:

I strongly agree with the author because I went through tracking in middle and high school. In middle school we were all divided into different group. For instance I was in the DREAM team. We were the team known for having ESL classroom and mainstream. After reading this article and thinking back I think that we were labeled as Dreamers. There was also the ALPHA team and they were placed alone in the third floor. Alpha is referred as the first so that makes it seem like that team was the #1 team in the school and since that was the case they needed to have their own floor. In high school we also had tracking and I was placed into Honors classes. Many students in that school thought that those classes were ONLY FOR SMART STUDENTS and many of them thought that they were unable to attend those classes. With this life experiences I can say that we need to find ways to include everyone not just a group of students. I also believe that having a classroom with of mixture of all different types of students makes the classroom stronger because it makes a learning environment. EVERY students has the opportunity in learning as much as the "higher" students. The moral of this article is that EVERY STUDENT SHOULD HAVE AN EQUAL LEARING OPPORTUNITY.

Talking Point #5

Teaching to change the world

By: Jeannie Oakes and Martin Lipton

Premises

• Children
• Schools
• Myths
• Education
• Teaching
• Privileges
• ideologies
• diversity
• equal

Argument:

Oakes and Lipton both argue that the American Schooling system have this myth of how the system needs to look like in order for children to be successful. However, that myth doesn't apply to every child especially for students who's second language is English. We need to find alternative to change the school curriculum so that every child is included and beneficial for every students. The solution for that problem is a more democratic society.

Evidence:

"...those students who have the resources, opportunities, and connections that come with privilege, the more ambitious and hardworking may well go farther than those who simply do okay in school." (page 19)

This quote just shows how privilege student are the only ones that apply to the educational myths.

"Family background seemed to determine how well students do at school" (page 24)

Since family is very important for the success of a child the myth of the school curriculum is not going to work with every child. This quote makes is clear that since every student comes from different background the American school system doesn't apply for every students and for that reason the curriculum should be change so that every child is included.

"We must be sure the conditions exist so that everyone can participate fully. Democratic schooling is one of these conditions because of its unique capacity to keep track, solicit, channel, alleviate, and project a future." (Page 33)

Comments:

This article was okay in my opinion. I mean it does gives a reader good information about how a democratic school helps every students. I can relate to this article because when I go to my service learning project I attend a classroom where not every student speak English or understand English. However, these students shouldn't be left out just because they don't understand the dominate society. In fact the teacher always try methods to include every child because she knows that most of her students don't understand the American curriculum. The first evidence that I found in the article I can say that the students in my SLP they don't have the advantages then those student who are considered as the privilege students in this school society.

Talking Point #7

"One More River to Cross"-Recognizing the Real Injury in Brown: A Prerequisite to Shaping New Remedies

by Charles Lawrence

Premises:

• Brown v. Board of Education
• Segregation
• Desegregation
• Race
• School system
• Power
• Privileges

Argument:

Charles Lawrence argues that the Brown v. Board of Education was not the ending to segregation in America. Even there was a law passed stating that all school had to integrated, there are still schools in America who are segregated. He also argues that Brown v. Board of Education was based more towards the south not north as much.

Evidence:

"...where Brown has left us...where we stand so that we may better chart the course to our ultimate goal." (Page 53)

Where Brown has left us is what we have to be thinking about. Instead of just saying "oh Brown v. board of education was successful because now EVERYONE CAN GO TO ANY SCHOOL THEY WANT", We have to think is it REALLY TRUE??????? Of course not because even though schools are required to integrate many schools are not because

"It could be argued that the Northern and Southern cases are distinguishable on the basis of state action; in the South, state action is present because state laws required the operation of dual school systems, while in the North, state action is absent because segregated schools occurred as the result of segregated housing patterns." (Page 57).

"The court's refusal to recognize and articulate the real nature of segregation in Brown and its progeny has fostered an attitude approach to the elimination of segregation that necessarily be unsuccessful." (Page 58)

Comments:

Where Brown has left us is what we have to be thinking about. Instead of saying that Brown was so successful we have to think WAS IT REALLY SUCCESSFUL? If it was really that successful WHY ARE THERE STILL SEGREGATED SCHOOLS IN AMERICA? For instance, the city that I am from has a high poverty rate. Most of the schools in the city are very diverse however, the percentage of white people is very low. Now if I was to compare the school in my city to the schools in Barrington we can pretty much predict that the majority of students in Barrignton are white and the majority of students in Central Falls School District are Hispanics. See there is no 50-50 in the race population in school. So whenever this situation changes so that all of the schools are 50-50 that's when I can say that the Brown V. Board of Education was successful. Until then, we can only see it as a step. I also want to conclude that in order to make a change in this world we all need to keep on working on it every minute of our lifes. I do not believe that one event like this one will completely end the problem. The problems are never going to be resolved completely if we stop working on it. Problems like this one we all need to think of it as "there would always be one more river to cross".

Talking Point #4

Underlearning the Myths That Blind Us

By: Linda Christensen

Premises:

• Culture
• Society
• Media
• "Secret Education"
• Sex
• Race
• Class
• Myths
• Stereotypes
• Disney's movies

Argument:

Christense argues that the media, especially children's movies, old cartoons and books, shapes a child's self image. The stereotypes that are found in the media gives children the wrong message of the society in which they are living in.

Evidences:

1. When Christense talks about how she proved to her students about the stereotyping in children's cartoons by letting her students watch several cartoon episode. After the students finished watching each episode many stereotypes were easily seen and the class came into a conclusion.

"People of color and poor people are either absent or servants to the rich, white, pretty people" (pg. 130)

"Men must be virtle and wiled power or be old and the objects of good natured humor" (pg. 131)

"...overweight people were portrayed as buffons..." (pg. 131)

"...absence of mothers, the wickedness of stepparents" (pg. 131)

These are several stereotypes that Christensen and her class found when they were watching several cartoon. The first stereotypes simply tells a child that poor people and people of color are inferior to rich, white and pretty people in this society. The second stereotype introduces sexism to the children by telling a child that a man is masculine and they have all of the power in this world. The third quote is a stereotype in which overweight people in movies are always seen as the joker of the story. The absence of mothers in many of the movies gives a child mix messages about mothers' being there for their children. The wickedness of stepparents gives a child a negative message that all stepparents are mean.

2. "Happiness means getting a man, and transformation from wretched conditions can be achieved through consumption..."(pg. 133).

Linda's quote refers to the Cinderella's story, where Cinderella has to compete for her man against her stepsisters and all the other ladies from the town. Christensen uses this quote to relate to the Cinderella story because she feels that a transformation does not mean that you have to go on a shopping spree and get the latest styles to look beautiful. She wants girls to know that in order for them to be happy they do not have to get married with their "prince". She also doesn't want to see sisters fighting over a man. All she wants is to deliver the correct messages to the children, not a "fairy tale" where children are not going to be exposed to the reality.

3. " ...Tinker Bell's obsessive vanity in Peter Pan...Thinker Bell inspects her tiny body in a mirror only find that her minute hips are simply too huge..." (pg. 136)

Linda put this quote for reasons, to show the readers that by girls watching it creates an insecurity. It actually makes girls think that the mirror is their enemy. It makes girls belief that they have to be skinny in order to be pretty and feel secure about themselves. That is why we have so many young girls with health problems and low self esteem.

Reading this article made me think a lot about how children movies make a huge impact in their lives. I am sure that the producers didn't do this with negative intentions however they should be a little bit more careful with what they put in their movies for children. When ever I use to see these movies I never thought about it the way Christensen interprets it. I never use to think that the movies had negatives impacts hiding. I think that this articles is good for people to read because it will leave them shock after they are done reading it.

Gayness, Multicultural, and Community

Premise:

• Gay
• Lesbian
• Invisible
• Silence
• Community
• Public Schools
• Roles
• Homosexual
• Heterosexual
• Privileges
• Straight teachers
• Gay teachers
• "Normal"
• "Abnormal"

Author's Arguments:

Dennis Carlson argues that public school play an important role in developing a democratic, multicultural community where the sexual identity is recognized. In the dominate normalizing community specific people have privileges and are seen as "normal" people, while Others (people who are not part of the dominate community) are characterized as "abnormal" and are described as crazy, lacking of education, sick, etc.

Evidences:

Page:236

"...we do not get very far if we look for what is said about gayness in educational texts...."

This lines simply states that what the school texts offer students is not enough for them to understand the gay community. Even though it is a hard subject to bring up in school, students should have more information on this community. Carlson finds it very important because everyone should be treated and get the same privileges equally. The homosexual society doesn't get the same recognition as the heterosexual society. This makes the homosexual community inferior to the heterosexual community, making them become "silence" in the dominate society. Carlson also stated that students' educational text only introduce "selective tradition". The problem with normalizing textbook is that students don't get to learn about other communities that are outside the norm community. Instead they are forced to learn the dominate culture because in it is seen as the only culture that is value in this society. Making a change in the textbook and allowing students to learn more about the Other communities will prevent that community from becoming "silence" and becoming more recognized in the dominate society.

Page: 237

"...dismissal of teachers who were found out to be homosexuals"

With the dismissal of homosexual teachers it is obvious to see that gayness is invisible in some public schools. Many of these homosexual teachers were dismiss from their jobs as a way to prevent young students to be expose to this community because they find that they are not role models to students. With examples like this particular one makes the gay community more invisible and harder to understand. It doesn't let the students see for themselves if they accept the community or deny the community because they are not expose to people from that community. This statement also brings up the argument that the gay community is often seen as the "abnormal" society rather then the "normal" community. Being seen as the "abnormal," homosexual teachers privileges are also being taken away by the dismissal of their jobs.

Page: 239

" ...abuses get tolerated because gay teachers and students operate in an environment where they feel afraid to stand up for themselves....the discussion on of gay people continues to be absent in the curriculum so that homophobia is not interrogated."

These people are often getting abuse from the dominate society. They do not feel that they have any sort of privileges to protect them from constant abuse. They don't stand up for themselves in the dominate communities because they are afraid of being put down more than what they are currently are. Not having the same privileges as the "normal" community prevents them to interact with the society in which they are forced to lived in. Carlson states that one of reason why this abuse is tolerated is because schools are not offering students with more education on they gay community. The greeting incident that a male substitute teacher had as he entered an English classroom had happened primarily because students are exposed to the community and not knowing much at all and keeping it invisible to students, they are not going to take any thing into consideration. Since they are not taught that homosexuality is another community that exist they will just see it as "abnormal" and will find ways to make fun of it because they do not see it as part of their community.

Comments:

I honestly didn't find this article interesting what so ever. It was full of facts not much with life experiences like the other articles we have read in class. What this article is trying to state that in order to make the gay community visible and acceptable, the starting level is to educate students more about the community so that the abuse and rejection is not tolerated. Based on my religious beliefs I don't see gay/lesbian as being right, however I respect them because they are human just like me. I agree with Carlson's argument about school playing an important role because as a students in public schools I wasn't expose to the gay community as much. They would of bring up the subject however, teacher wouldn't go into much details because they feared that a conflict was going to arise in class. I believe that since it is a community that does exist in the community, schools should put it in their curriculum because it feel as though they are no preparing students correctly by trying to hide that community.