Some videos

I was surfing around youtube today and I found some interesting videos...


The first one has to do with racism in elevators. I laughed, but I have definitely noticed someone do this when a black man entered an elevator that I was in!



Here's one about sexism that I've seen like a hundred times...



And this one is about soccer haha


This last one is what Dr Bogad was saying in class a little while back, focus on ability!

Talking Points #10

Article 1

Allan Johnson

Priveledge, Power, and Difference

Johnson argues that topics such as rascism and sexism should not be put on a back burner in the back of everyones minds but should be addressed especially in opressive social areas. He also makes note to say that people can change this thought if they are only willingto try to face the problem

1. "The problem of privilege and oppression is deep and wide, and to work with it we have to be able to see it clearly so that we can talk about it in useful ways."

This quote just proves that Johnson argues that people should not ignore the problems of priviledge and oppression but take charge and be able to change the way things are by talking with other people about the problems.

2. "This means we can be involved in a society's or organization's troubles without doing anything wrong and without being bad people."

If communities could talk freely and openly about rascism and sexism without feeling liek they are offending someone else, these problems would not exist. This quote again justifies what Johnson was arguing throughout this piece.

3. "This reluctance to acknowledge and use power comes up in the simplest everyday situations, as when a group of friends starts laughing at a racist, sexist, or homophobic joke and we have to decide whether to go along. "

I think this quote means that when people start "growing up" and finding that these jokes are not funny, then will those people start to help in the cause and take charge in front of their friends and say, "No, this is wrong to laugh at."

Overall I liked this article. I found it was pretty easy to read surprisingly. I like the points that Johnson makes about people taking charge and changing the way other think about sexism and racism as well.

Talking Points #8

Article #1

Christopher Kliewer

Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome

Kliewer argues that people, especially students with down syndrome should not be seperated from the "normal" people because it can alter their learning experiences. Down syndrome is only a title given to people with a disability but it should not limit their learning experiences.

1. "Success in life requires an ability to form relationships with others who make up the web of community."
This is a perfect quote to back up what Kleiwer argues. People with disabilities, like Down Syndrome, need to have the ability to form relationships with people in their communities. Keeping them seperated from their communities will not allow them to form these relationships that make up a solid community.

2. "She did not dismiss the linear developmental progression laid out for children by developmental theorists (as translated by educational researchers and publishing companies).
Teachers need to not be concened with students disabilities and just teach. Students with disabilities and especially Down Syndrome should be seen as equals in the classroom setting to allow them to make friends in their communities.

3. "School citizenship requires that students not be categorized and separated based on presumed defect."

Basically, you can't keep people seperated because of a disability. All students need to have the ability to make friends in their communities. They need to be able to have interactions with others to help themselves learn and grow.

I did not like this article at. It was hard to read and understand. I found myself having to reread paragraphs over and over again. Kleiwer makes a couple of good points, but I felt like I had to dig through a lot of other information to find those points.

Talking Points #7

Article #1

Charles Lawrence

"One More River to Cross"

Lawrence argues that because of segregation in schools, African American students felt inferior to the white students. The Africa America students also were emotionally and physically abused due to the segregation of schools and other public places. Due to the segregation of African American students they recieved a lesser education than that of the white students.

1. "The first is that segregation's only purpose is to label or define blacks as inferior and thus exclude them from full and equal participation in society."

This explains one of the points that Lawrence argues. He argues that because of segregation in society African Americans are defined as inferior to the white man and because of this inferiority they should not be able to participate in regular society with the common white man.

2. "Segregation violates the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment not because there is no rational relationship between the classification and the purpose-it is a supremely rational system-but because its purpose is illegitimate."

Lawrence is arguing here that the segregation of anybody not only African Americans, it completely irrelevant because there is no rationality behind it. African Americans are humans just like any other human in the world.

3. "The exclusion or segregation of blacks in public facilities was settled policy and reached considerable maturity in the North before moving South in full force."

I think it's still semi-segregated today in North vs South. For example, take a look at which states voted for Obama vs McCain. Obama, a black man, recieved the votes of more of the Northern states where as McCain, a white man, recieved votes from the Southern states. Maybe it has nothing to do with color but it can deffinitely come across as it.

Overall this article was okay. It was kind of long but it made its point. Again I state that there is still a hint of segregation in the Southern states and even if people choose to ignore it, it still exists. The world will not be able to move on until everyone can see that people are people and that all people, OF ALL COLORS, RACES, GENDERS, etc are PEOPLE!

Talking Points #6

Article #1

Jeannie Oakes

Tracking: Why Schools Need to Take Another Route

Oakes argues that schools should not group students together who share similar abilities because it will affect students from reaching their full potential. By having students of different abilities in the same classroom it will allow all students to grow and be will allow them to reach their full learning potential.

1. "Moreover, the nature of these differences suggests that students who are placed in high-ability groups bave access to far richer schooling experiences than other students."

I believe that this is one of the main thing Oakes argues about. By grouping students according to skill level will not allow the students to reach full potential in a learning enviornment.

2. "Higher-ability students are expected spend more time doing homework."

I agree with this statement from one standpoint because typically students who get really good grades are the students who take harder classes and get more homework. From another standpoint I think this statement is ridiculous because students do need a break from being overworked in very difficult classes.

3. "No wonder we find a 'rich get richer and poor get poorer' pattern of outcomes from tracking."

I agree with this statement because if we seperate students into higher and lower ability classes, students in the higher ability classes will be more geared to make them succeed in life. Therefore making jobs more accessable for them in the future.

Overall this article was pretty good. It was an easy and very short read. I agreed with just about everything Oakes talked about. By seperating students into ability classrooms it will definitely make the rich richer and the poor poorer. She speaks the truth about the world.

Tattoos..

Well here are the pictures that I promised from a couple posts ago.

They go in order, hopefully from the first one I got to the most recent one I got.

The only thing I ask though, is if you don't know me that well, don't judge me by my tattoos. Get to know me, because if you pass judgement on me without getting to know me or the reasons behind any of the tattoos that I have, you are just being ignorant. So if anyone has questions about any of them feel free to leave me a comment and I'll explain everything :)

Talking Points #5

Article #1
Kahne and Westheimer
In Service of What

Kahne and Westheimer argue that teachers should encourage their students to use what they have learned in their service learning projects to help and change their communities.

1. "Service learning makes students active participants in service projects that aim to respond to the needs of the community while furthering the academic goals of students."
Kahne and Westheimer are saying that it is important for students to get out into their community and make themselves known. By using community service projects, students are able to know their community as well as make themselves known for helping out their community whether it is mandatory or not.

2. "By engaging in meaningful service--whether tutoring children for whom English is a second language, helping patients in a hospital, doing difficult chores for the elderly, or supervising younger children's recreational activities--students will have opportunities to experience what David Hornbeck, former Maryland state superintendent. referred to as 'the joy of reaching out to others.'"
The main purpose in giving students community service projects is so hopefully let them see the joy in helping other people. If people can experience joy by helping one another maybe they will be more apt to help others on another occasion.

3. "This experience and others like it, quite common in the literature of service learning, emphasize charity more than change."
I think what they are saying here is that service learning is not all about trying to change the world but rather being able to give to a person in need.

I thought the article was informative. I thought it was clever how we have to read this article in particular while we are doing our service learning projects. I now understand why we have to bring our journals to class tomorrow. We will obviously be doing somehting about what we have learned so far during out service learning project.