Making Moves

The one thing I've started to do but I feel is kind of selfish is talk to my younger cousins about the different choices there are to go to high school. It's hard because I'm upstate and trying to graduate but whenever we're on the phone I'll always ask them about classes, how they like the school, etc... What I've learnt in class about different high schools such as Bard and Bronx Science, and different opportunities like after school programs, Head Start, and summer programs. I have cousins of all different ages from 2-18 and I'm just trying to tell them about things I was never told.
The second thing I'm considering doing is applying for an internship at the Department of Education so I can gain a better understanding of the workings within the system itself.
The last thing I'm doing this winter break is working at center where they tutor and mentor students. It's pretty much an after school program where kids can hang out and have fun but I will be trying to slip in little comments about the different opportunities that I've learnt from this class.
I don't plan on changing the world but as long as I can help or influence or even open the eyes of one person I think that's pretty good. Thank you everyone for teaching me this semester and good luck =-)

You can't say that

Censorship from the Right and Censorship from the Left both introduced me to ideas that I really didn't know that much about. I didn't really understand what people hoped to achieve by censoring certain material and not allowing students to be exposed to different ideas that were deemed dangerous. The Right believes that, "children will be shaped by what they read and will model their behavior on what they read" while the Left believes that they can create a Utopian society by limiting what children read. My main problem with these views is that where did the first idea of violence come from? Many original ideas come from a person's mind and aren't always influenced by what they read or see. Sometimes it's just their own imagination and how can you censor some one's imagination?
These readings reminded me of a book I read in high school titled "Fahrenheit 451" which described a world where the firefighters set fires instead of putting them out. The main idea in this book was a certain group of people deemed what books were acceptable to be read and all other books were to be burnt but no one knew why these books were deemed dangerous. Everyone just followed the directions they were given with out questions until the protagonist becomes curious and begins to read one of the books that were labeled dangerous. I don't remember most of the details but the point is that the books that were seen as dangerous were books that expressed ideas that the people in power did not agree with and this was the only reason they were burnt. This way of life doesn't leave room for someone to think for them self and creates a population with only one way of thinking that are controllable.

The solution that I can suggest to deal with the type of information students are being exposed to and censorship is to allow teachers to teach what they view as important to their class. Allow open class discussions by ensuring a safe and accepting atmosphere. Fully explain the topic and allow students to question or argue with the ideals. By banning books and not allowing certain material to be taught this only makes the students want to seek out this information even more. There is no guarantee that the student will understand what they are reading if someone isn't there to help them. For example, on page 81 in Censorship from the Left it says, "Twain's use of the word nigger will ensure that Huckleberry Finn remains controversial long into the future." If we attempt to erase this word in a few decades we will forget it ever existed and with it will go the history of slavery. When we try to erase or forget things it increases the possibility of repeating the same mistakes but if we explain these events and show why they should never occur again it helps our future.

This link breaks down censorship, the First Amendment, and how it effects teachers, their teaching styles, and the students. It defines things such as age appropriate, roles, and responsibilities. It ties into my suggestion of what we can do about censorship and how we can ensure that students are appropriately exposed to different ideas.
http://www.ncac.org/education/schools/

Your test is to create a new test

I never knew there were so many different ways that people could learn and it was interesting to take the test and be told what type of a learner I was. However, by telling me what type of a learner I am doesn't that in one sense restrict me into learning one way. I may begin to believe that the only way I can learn is if I can practice it with my hands but when it comes to a lesson where I just have to think about it am I going to lose out? Otherwise, I thought all the different sections were very interesting.

It's a lot harder then I thought it was going to be to create solutions to help the education system but I still believe that there is one way that we can at least make the system better. On page 35, England writes "Standardized assessments give only a snapshot of what a student knows (or does not know) on a given day. This snapshot is not panoramic. It does not give an expansive view of all a student has achieved. Instead, it a singular glimpse of an isolated skill or set of skills."For years I've very rarely had a problem with taking test because I felt like I know how it works. You go to class, zone out after 15-45 minutes depending on the class, and when the test comes around you try to memorize as much information as possible to take the test and hope you pass. This mentality has made me feel as if I was wasting my time and that I learn more on my block from my friends and elders than I do when in class (where I pay a certain amount to have someone tell me exactly the same thing I read in my textbook the night before). If all I need to do to pass is memorize a certain amount of information before the test, going to class is a waste when I could be sleeping. But that's not the way it should be but this is how taking tests like multiple choice make me feel.

If we could use the examples that the group and Kerri-Ann brought out in class (I couldn't think of anything else because I'm not that creative) by offering the students a variety of choices on how to express their understanding of a specific topic maybe our students would gaining knowledge instead of memorizing facts. When dealing with Math, English, Science, or any other subject a teacher could teach them the method and take the time to make sure they understand how to apply it. Then they can present a question such as apply the Pythagorean Theorem to figure out what the answer is for 3+b=25. The students can either use diagrams, models, a play, or pictures and they have a choice of working alone or in a group. Working in a group will help to expose them to other students with different learning styles and they can hopefully learn from each other. This will all be done in class and then when everyone is finished or enough time has passed they can present their answer to the class. The class can ask questions and this will help everyone to further understand the topic and "test" them on how to use it. After this, if necessary a multiple choice test can be given the next day just for grades. This idea isn't completely flushed out yet but I think it's a start. Two negative effects that I can see are it will be a little time consuming and expensive depending on how much of the classroom supplies are used each time but in this circumstance I feel the ends will justify the means because I don't want to have to worry about who's running on the world when I'm playing Bingo and drinking lemonade on my front porch.

This is a link to a young girl's presentation of the milky way that she practiced at home and someone videotaped her. She's talking about the milky way and using a project she made from Lucky Charms to show what she's talking about. It's a little cheesy but it gets the point across.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quz0PJyAsFo

Who chooses?

The line that stood out in my mind from the Kozol reading and the presentation is "The neighborhood is ghetto, so the people are ghetto." The term "ghetto" is something I can't quite grasp because what does being ghetto or living in a ghetto have to do with education. I understand the dynamics of if the neighborhood is poor then there isn't as much money coming from the taxes for the school but this doesn't justify why in some schools the bathrooms are locked, there are bars on the windows, cracks in the floor, wholes in the walls, paint chipping, broken desks, broken air conditioners, shaky staircases, or any other kind of hazard that can cause a child harm. For Fortino to understand and be able to describe blatantly what's going on shows that the school system isn't fooling anyone. It doesn't make sense to allow a student to have the chance to choose whatever school they want to go to if 4 schools are really nice but the other 16 are shady and falling apart. 4 schools couldn't possibly hold all the students in one district so why are they trying to pull this veil over our eyes as if by choosing to go to the school closest to your home that is falling apart you chose to be punished. In order to have choice there must be options and the options must at least be plausible. On the topic of choice, I still feel that if a person runs for a position where they control over the school system they should have an idea of how to begin to fix the problems. Maybe if they didn't spend so much money campaigning and sat down with a group of students from these school or even students from our class they could actually stop pretending and make moves. If you run for the position and your stance is that you are going to help fix the system that means you've been planning from before what moves you were going to take. It's not easy, I understand but I'm not going to rub your back and say "I understand it's difficult, take your time". If you had enough faith in yourself to run for the position and make promises to make a difference make a freakin difference because I don't vote on how cute the candidate is. I vote on how believable his plans are so your excuses will fall on deaf ears because that not the tune you were crying when you ran for the position.

This article is about poor architecture of schools and how it affects a child's learning experiencing. It discusses how students have lower self-esteem and participation in older buildings because of the architecture. It also outlines a few different techniques such as natural light and pictures on the wall that can create a positive and healthier learning atmosphere for students.
http://www.designcommunity.com/discussion/26903.html

Can't think of a witty title

England brings up some great points in Chapter One about the inequalities in our education system and a plausible solution or starting point to help our society. On page 7 she quotes Julie Landsman saying, "I always come back to the necessity for white men and women who are the leaders in this country to recognize the deep-seated inequality in our school system and in our economic structure." The solution she presents is on the same page and says, "First, we must understand that we are already dealing with the proceeds of disparity. Second, we must look at the cycle that creates ongoing inequality, and third, real teaching, infused with multicultural education, must begin." If so many people see that there are drastic differences and inequalities in our education system why aren't we seeing any serious changes and why is it that other people still think it's just a "coincidence" that there are more minorities in poorer schools?On page 8 Englands continues to explain that we must change our long held attitudes and perceptions of each other and I agree with this completely which is why it makes me wonder why people can't grasp the concept that there are very few coincidences in the world and that many things happen for a reason. If we could take these blindfolds off that we insist on using to make our worlds look pretty in pink maybe we could begin to truly make a change. Accept what's going on and take a step towards changing it but stop doubting that there is wrong in the world.

England also addresses the idea of "them and us" which I thought was amazing. We (including myself) see terrible events on television but we can't really emphatize because we've become so detatched from those around us that don't matter. When I say don't matter I mean those that don't directly affect us. Some of us care about our families, partners, friends, and others that we have some sort of daily contact with but everyone else is outside of our bubble so we can't let their negative experiences burst our perfect world. This is why it's so hard to start working towards an actual solution because those that truly have a say in this situation don't have direct contact with those that need help. I'm not saying this is everyone but how many of us can really relate to the stories that England presents in Chapter One? When I say relate I don't mean we have a friend that has a friend that has a friend who knew someone that the same thing happen to. I mean you know how it feels to experience these situations or you have a friend that's been through this. You don't need to be able to relate to make a difference but at least make a difference so that we can all begin to relate to each other. At the end of the day, wasn't that the point of integration or was it all about the resources?

England's solutions were different and a breath of fresh air because they had nothing to do with tangable resources. The main resource that she sees needed for change was us and acceptance of different cultures. It's different but worth a try! =-)

This is a link to a radio program about segregation and education. You don't have to listen to the entire show but the first twenty minutes are very interesting about different students and their experiences in their schools, what type of friends they have; Charles Ogletree (Law Professor at Harvard) and Armstrong Williams (outspoken commentator) also comment on Brown vs. Board of Education and the effects its had on not only education but also on segregation in general.
http://www.justicetalking.org/viewprogram.asp?progID=436

Pretty Cutrains

Just to start off I'm going to answer Kerri Ann's question of what should we do with the No Child Left behind Act. Burn it point blank. The point has been brought up time and time again that this policy is a pair of "one size fits all" stockings. I feel that these policies are being made blindly because how can someone present a solution to a situation that they've never been involved in. Yes you provide an objective point of view but you don't really understand the problem until you've become emersed in it.

One solution that may seem out of the ball park is to give control back to the schools themselves (the teachers, prinicpals, and parents), the people that are actually in the forefront, the true stakeholders. They can identify or try to identify the problems and come up with solutions within themselves. If they only have one school to deal with they can focus on the problems and put 100% of their energy into reaching a common goal because this is something that directly affects them and something they can change. Pouring money into the system, treating every school like they have the same problems, blaming teachers, testing students to tears, and the other paths that have been taken have not worked so how about the people on top try to let the schools try it their way. Instead of treating schools like working calss students give them a chance to think for themselves, analyze the situations, and create solutions. What harm can be done to these students that hasn't occurred already. It's scary when videos like "Read A Book" are being created in order to address social problems like education.

One question that troubles me is have we reached a state within our state where trust means nothing? We need test to prove that students are learning and to prove that teachers are doing their jobs? We as a society have to check on everyone else to make sure they're doing their job but are we doing ours? Why do we need policies like NCLB to tell teachers to make sure they do their job? Where did all that passion to teach go? we should test students to make sure they are learning in class but has it gone too far? (More questions than answers. sorry Kerri-Ann)

Here's a link to an article about a voucher system where public funds are used to pay for private education. http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=603

Different Curriculum

The one comment that continued to resurface in class on Wednesday is if we had the same curriculum within the public school system then it would help level the playing field or no one would have a head up on anyone else. But it's not only the curriculum. It also depends on who is teaching it and how they present the info. If everyone had the same curriculum wouldn't it be cheaper to just make photocopies of all the assignments and send them home with the children so that the parents that don't attend these ever so necessary PTA meetings can teach it to them. It's not just about the curriculum even though this is a very important aspect within the problem but it's also the supplies and the teachers. If a teacher is just going to read word for word from a textbook in comparison to a teacher that has us re-enact the event or encourages us to question what we read who do you think is going to learn more?

One of the comments that annoyed me from the reading was on page 69, "I wonder why there are not months dedicated to the entirety of the melting pot." We are a not melting pot because when different elements are put into a melting pot they become one entity and are the same in my opinion. If we were a melting pot then we wouldn't need Black History month since we'd all be of the same culture we would all be able to relate to different lifestyles and ideas. I feel that by becoming a melting pot we all lose our identities and I would never want to be like certain other people. I am proud of who I am and where I came from. I feel like this ideal of a melting pot is being forced upon us in school in order to cause us to lose a sense of history and to adapt the American lifestyle completely. This idea of a melting pot never existed and I hope it never does.

Another thing that upset me is how little teachers are paid. These are the adults that are leading our youth and future by helping them learn. On page 73 it says, "There is shame, somehow, in having two master's degrees and yet still be struggling, on occasion to make ends meets." I think this is Crystal England talking about herself but if she is I think it is a shame to have a teacher making so little that she can barely give her child lunch money but we can all pour money into the entertainment business that isn't promoting many positive ideals. To have actors, atheletes, and singers making so much money is a damn shame but if that's where our head is at then our society should stop trying to act like they give two sticks about our education and train us at young ages to shake our ass and rap so that we can be successful like J.Lo and Britney Spears.

----Internet Thug =-)
Here's a link to a paper called the Local London about exams being dumbed down to help students:

http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/indepth/features/display.var.1736188.0.a_different_kind_of_learning.php

Different Curriculum

The one comment that continued to resurface in class on Wednesday is if we had the same curriculum within the public school system then it would help level the playing field or no one would have a head up on anyone else. But it's not only the curriculum. It also depends on who is teaching it and how they present the info. If everyone had the same curriculum wouldn't it be cheaper to just make photocopies of all the assignments and send them home with the children so that the parents that don't attend these ever so necessary PTA meetings can teach it to them. It's not just about the curriculum even though this is a very important aspect within the problem but it's also the supplies and the teachers. If a teacher is just going to read word for word from a textbook in comparison to a teacher that has us re-enact the event or encourages us to question what we read who do you think is going to learn more?
One of the comments that annoyed me from the reading was on page 69, "I wonder why there are not months dedicated to the entirety of the melting pot." We are a not melting pot because when different elements are put into a melting pot they become one entity and are the same in my opinion. If we were a melting pot then we wouldn't need Black History month since we'd all be of the same culture we would all be able to relate to different lifestyles and ideas. I feel that by becoming a melting pot we all lose our identities and I would never want to be like certain other people. I am proud of who I am and where I came from. I feel like this ideal of a melting pot is being forced upon us in school in order to cause us to lose a sense of history and to adapt the American lifestyle completely. This idea of a melting pot never existed and I hope it never does.
Another thing that upset me is how little teachers are paid. These are the adults that are leading our youth and future by helping them learn. On page 73 it says, "There is shame, somehow, in having two master's degrees and yet still be struggling, on occasion to make ends meets." I think this is Crystal England talking about herself but if she is I think it is a shame to have a teacher making so little that she can barely give her child lunch money but we can all pour money into the entertainment business that isn't promoting many positive ideals. To have actors, atheletes, and singers making so much money is a damn shame but if that's where our head is at then our society should stop trying to act like they give two sticks about our education and train us at young ages to shake our ass and rap so that we can be successful like J.Lo and Britney Spears.
----Internet Thug =-)

Here's an article from the Local London about exams being dumbed down in order to help students: http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/indepth/features/display.var.1736188.0.a_different_kind_of_learning.php

Why go to school?

The reading for this week was very interesting and helped introduce me to an idea that I never considered. The way that children are taught in schools starting from a young age predetermines the type of jobs they can apply for when they get older or excludes the wide range of opportunities that they can consider. The education system has turned into a business and I feel that many of these corporations feel very little shame for what they’re doing. On pages 97-98, Kozol comments on how the head of a Chicago school replies to the accusation that the instruction style was turning these children into robots. Instead of denying it he tried to rationalize the situation by stating, “Did you ever stop to think that these robots will never burglarize your home?” and “will never snatch your pocket books…These robots are going to be producing taxes…” The fact that he would actually continue to call these students robots shows that he is dehumanizing them and therefore they don’t deserve what a human child receives. They don’t need to understand what they are learning, they don’t need nutritious meals to fill their stomachs, they don’t each need a desk, they don’t need books that don’t have pages falling out of them, they don’t need to be respected, they don’t need affection, and they just need to learn the repetitive motions that are being engrained in their minds without questioning the system. School officials rationalize their behaviors and actions towards students that attend schools that lack a lot of resources by saying that they wouldn’t appreciate it anyway and don’t even give them the chance to experience something new or to gain any kind of hands on experience. If people truly believe that all children or the majority of students in working class schools are naturally going to steal your purse the moment they get the chance or burglarize your home when you turn your back then it shows how ignorant you really are. There are so many factors that lead to children having to turn onto this dangerous path in life. I’ve never heard a child say that they wanted to be a professional purse-snatcher or burglar. Here's a link to a youtube video of kids in a kindergarden class saying what they want to be when they grow up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZP7MiflWcY.
These children have goals, aspirations, and dreams. It’s not fair that they have strikes against them just because of the type of school they go to and I know life is not fair but that’s the point. If other countries can guarantee their population quality education why can’t we? The Anyon article was an eye opener because I never realized the exact differences between certain schools such as working class and affluent professional schools and how the teaching methods differed so drastically. The main point that hit home for me was that in affluent schools the students reached answers independently and understood the process. They were allowed to question the materials and were honing skills that are applicable to everyday life. They’re given the tools necessary to excel in their fields while the working class is taught to follow directions and be submissive. I think someone said in class that the purpose of education is to ensure that there will be people to perform tasks that no one else wants to because the skills they are taught only allow them this option while others are taught to run these companies. In our country a thousand people have to be at the bottom so that one can be on top. So in education is important to get the right answer or to understand the process of reaching that destination?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZP7MiflWcY

Is diversity all that counts?

It would be nice to have completely integrated and diverse schools but many times during our attempt to make everything diverse we lose sight of one very important aspect. The quality of education. A lot of times people have this image of a perfect school where there’s a variety of different students of all shades and colors and backgrounds with great teachers that are wise, all-knowing, and that encourage us. Kerri Ann made a comment about not wanting to end the class on such a hopeless note but it’s not hopeless we just have to be a little more realistic. I’m not a pessimist but the idea of having all or the majority of schools look like a great world salad is far from the reality of today. Would that be nice? Of course and I would love to go to a school like that but I feel that we have to focus on improving the quality of education because what you learn in school matters more than who’s sitting next to you. Don’t take my words out of context please and say that I am advocating for segregated schools with great curriculums but it would nice if the resources were distributed a little better. I agree with the fact that we need to strengthen our community. I don’t know how but I know we need to! And the business world in my opinion is not as diverse as everyone would like to think it is. Just because we have people like Russell Simmons, Tiger Woods, and Oprah Winfrey on TV once in a while doesn’t make it diverse. I’ve walked into numerous offices (including on this campus) and only seen Caucasians. I’ve walked into law firms, stores, libraries, and so many other places and only seen one type of people. Our schools reflect our world so if a child goes to a school where there are 3,76 white kids, seven black kids, 12 Spanish, 3 Indian, and 4 Asian in my opinion they’ll find a lot of places that they go to with the same kind of diversity. If we as a society really want diversity than why do we have to force it onto people, why do we have quotas (they are illegal but they exist), and why do people send their kids so far away when there are great schools in their neighborhoods (Martin Luther King High School). Do we want diversity or do we want to be seen as politically correct in the eyes of other countries? If we really want diversity then why do we still have HBCs (historically black colleges) and many colleges where majority of the students are white?
Here are two different links about schools.
This is about historically black colleges: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1RLF4LvGKQ
This is about the American school system: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIgo25wePss

Who cares?

In class today, at one point Keri Ann mentioned if only these PHD holders knew what we go through to get them their twenty page papers on time maybe they would understand. I was just wondering why would they care what our reason was. If they did care would they understand or could they relate to what we were going through that prevented us from completing the task to the best of our ability. I believe that there are a few teachers out there that would give us the benefit of the doubt and try to understand why our paper would be late but I’ve never taken a chance or given anyone the benefit of the doubt. Whether or not I pass doesn’t affect the professor, that’s a situation that I would have to deal with by myself. If I fail I would be the one put on academic probation but the professor would still wake up in their bed, get in their car, go to school, and will still have their job. If the other forty students in the class can hand in their papers on time what makes me so special. Believe you and me there have been times when my life (Hard to believe I have one outside of school and work, right?) has prevented me from completing an assignment on time and I wished that someone would take mercy on me for the sake of my sanity but I’ve never felt comfortable enough to go to any teacher and ask for an extension. I wish more professors would take into account that life happens outside of class but I’ve heard too many professors already say that if it’s an emergency (a death in the family) I need a copy of the death certificate and that is the only way that you will get an extension.
Something that pushes my buttons is America’s view of itself in relation to other countries. The way that history is written is through the eyes and opinions of the victor. Once in my seventh grade class my social studies teacher said to the that class in reference to slavery, “Why would a master beat his slaves so badly? If he really believed that it was his property wouldn’t he take care of them? That’s why he feed, clothed, and sheltered them. History has just been exaggerated over time. It’s like buying a new car and driving it until you ruin the engine or pop all the tires. If it’s your property you wouldn’t that to it.” This was the opinion that my teacher had about slavery and at the age of 12 this is what I was exposed to. I don’t remember much of what I learnt in the seventh grade but that’s something I’ve never forgotten. No one said anything to her about it, no one questioned her, and no one contradicted her. The teacher said it so it must be true. This is how I thought in the seventh grade because I didn’t really know any other way to learn. If you asked too many questions you were obviously a trouble maker and you had to be moved to another class or transferred out of the school. This brings me to my next point about teachers. What makes a good teacher? A dipolma, a Bachelors, a Masters? On page 3 Kozol writes, “I had not credentials as a teacher, but I quickly learned that this did not matter…” It would be nice to have teachers that have graduated from college and that are qualified teaching in schools but does it really always work out like that. I’ve had teachers that have been teaching for more than ten years and that have gotten their masters but does that mean that they were good? A piece of paper doesn’t mean that they’ve actually learnt anything. They may have been able to memorize a certain amount of enough for a short period of time but does that mean that they can teach me what they’ve learnt. The one teacher that affected my education the most was the English teacher I had in high school my senior year. She was young and still going to school but her method of teaching was great. She made us sit in a U (kind of a circle), give endless presentations, write a thesis paper, and she graded harshly. She wasn’t afraid to shut us down or call us out on silly mistakes or BS papers. She had a horrible reputation and I wanted to transfer out of class but after spending a year with her I understand why she was so bad. She was bad because she made us work for our grade, she opened our eyes to different theories and point of views. I loved her. She didn’t have a masters but in my opinion she was the best teacher I’ve ever had.

Not knowing closes doors

The Hardscrabble Childhood was an informative yet difficult video to watch. It made me appreciate the opportunities that I have available and question what I've been taught in school. For example, in one scene the students are saying the pledge of allegiance but I wondered if they knew what they were saying. Memorizing the words and actually understanding the meaning behind it are two different things. This ties into the discussion that we were having in class about how rich students should be taught about people that live in different economic statuses. What exactly are our students learning in school that they can apply to daily life or are they being taught how to memorize things such as the pledge of allegiance without being taught exactly what they saying. I also feel that the students in the video weren't giving a chance to get out of their situation. When the 12 year old boy was talking about going to college the only option he mentioned was joining the armed forces. He didn't mention trying financial aid, scholarships, or loans. That part could have been edited out of video but if it wasn't this kid has twice as many hurdles in front of him because no one is even giving him some kind of help or showing him different ways to pay for school besides the air force. The children in this movie aren't given some of the basic and essential tools to help them excel in life but instead are being told that they will never do anything in life.