June 21 2018

"Note to Educators: Hope Required When Growing Roses in Concrete"
J.M.R. Duncan- Andrade


Argument:

Duncan-Andrade explores the concept of three different types of hope; hokey, mythical, and hope deferred. These three kinds of hope are not helpful according to him, and he say that "critical hope" is necessary for teachers to help their underprivileged, urban, students.

Talking Points:
1. Hokey hope, "adopts the role of the spectator who surveys the evidence in order to infer that things are going to get better

2. Mythical hope is best explained through the example of Obama being elected as the first African American president. Mythical hope would suggest that this historical event in American history signifies the end of racism. We know that unfortunately that is not true.

June 18, 2018

"Stay Woke"

This 40 minute documentary focuses on the the Black Lives Matter Movement and how it came to to be. The series of events showcased in the film, that spurred the movement to get where it is today, where not new to me. I believe that we are all very familiar with these stories.

In this film, the founders and members want to drive home the point that the Black Lives Matters is not a hate group, but a movement. A movement similar to the Civil Rights movement in America in the 60s. They also aired the clips from the former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly, who like so many like him, rather than focusing on the injustices black people face in our society- focused on the semantics. "Well don't Cop's/White's lives matter?" (And I DO believe they do, even my cat's life matters to me!), but that is an attempt at distracting from the real problem. The real problem is the way that blacks in America have been treated.

"The Children's March"

This documentary was more of a history lesson for me. I had never known of the Children's March that took place in Birmingham during the Civil Rights Movement.  It was amazing to see that thousands of children were able to band together to fight for justice. The story of the school children walking out and convening at the church with Rev. Bevel made me wonder if I would have been as brave at that age. Even when being hauled into the paddy wagons they did not show fear. It was when the protesters began recalling the time when firefighter turned their hoses on them made me angry. How could anyone shoot a hose with that much pressure at a group of children? It was sickening to say the least, but the children once again showed their strength and determination by showing up days later in their bathing suits to mock the firemen and their pressurized water hoses.

The major connection I made between these two films is that it is the youth that have been responsible for there own social movements. The Black Lives Matter movement is not interested in Al Sharpton's support, they want to take control of their own futures and destiny. The youth of Birmingham's Children March took action because their parents couldn't or were afraid of losing their jobs. As a teacher I need to continue to remind my students of their power and they are certainly not too young to fight for social justice.

How to Become Batman-NPR

How to Become Batman- NPR

This podcast begins with a discussion of expectations and rats. During an experiment rats who were thought of as smart were able to navigate a maze quicker than the rats who weren't thought of as dumb. In other words, the rats' performance had a direct correlation to others' expectations of them. I obviously made the connection right away to the expectations we place on our students.  If we don't challenge or expect great things of a students, then why should they? 


After all the talk about rats the podcast moves on to discuss bats and Batman. Daniel Kish, is blind and has been blind since he was very young, but his mother's expectations of him were as if he had 20/20 vision. She encouraged him to explore his community, venture out alone, and even ride a bike. These adventures weren't without mishaps though, Daniel would have accidents while learning to ride a bike, but just like my father would always tell me to do when I first learned to ride a bike, he just got up and tried again. During his school years Daniel came to know another blind young man, but it was quite obvious that this young man had a very different, much lower set of expectations place upon him. Daniel was able to get along just find without assistance, while his classmate had assistance. I have to say I am not surprised by this story and I readily make the connections to the classroom. I see it everyday- students who have high expectations tend to work to meet them. Meanwhile, the student who has been deemed "low" or "incapable" will fit those labels. 

This story reminds me of the Noguera article we read last week, "Schools, Prison, and Social Implications of Punishment: Rethinking Disciplinary Practices" In that article Noguera argues that in too many cases students aren't challenged enough in the classroom and he witnessed that student expectations were lowered for particular students ( students of color).

When we lower student expectations were are not protecting them or doing them any favors, but hindering them. As teachers we need to consciously remind our students of their individual talents, strengths, and skills. We need to challenge them, even when they resist because hopefully along the way they realize they really are capable of overcoming anything. 

Tatum & Noguera

"Schools, Prison, and Social Implications of Punishment: Rethinking Disciplinary Practices" - Pedro Noguera

Argument:
Noguera argues that the students who are the most likely to be suspended or expelled from school are in fact the neediest. These overrepresented students include Black and Latino males, and under achievers.

Talking Points:

-In the beginning of the article Noguera promised that he would put forth an alternative discipline approach to the zero tolerance approach implemented at many of the schools he has encounter as a researcher. (Spoiler Alert: be an advocate, get to know your students, find out the reason WHY they may be acting out- in other words make legitimate connections).

-At first he emphasized that these zero tolerance schools are too caught up with controlling the students. As an educator in a high school setting I see the importance of controlling a classroom, hallways and common areas. I emphasize respect from day one, treat my students with respect, and in turn expect them to exemplify respect both in and outside my classroom.

- "Many students have weak and even antagonistic relationships with the adults that serve them, and report that they have very few teachers who they believe care about them" (347)
This quote brought me back to the reading about 'authentic carer' vs 'aesthetic carer'. Students, especially high schoolers, are incredibly intuitive (I believe more so than I would give them credit for) and can tell when a teacher is an 'authentic carer' or not. Many times bad behavior is simply disciplined without a question or conversation about the root of the behavior.

"Why Are All the Black Children Sitting Together in the Cafeteria"- B. Tatum

Argument: 

Tatum argues that racism in America is still present and that the same people who benefit from it do not even realize it. 

Talking Points:

- "There is still a great deal of social segregation in our communities. Consequently, most of the early information we receive about "others" ... does not come as the result of firsthand experience. The second hand information we do receive has often been distorted by cultural stereotypes, and left incomplete" (Tatum, 5)

I agree that social segregation exists today, I see it in my own city which is split between the west side and the east side with the west being predominately white and the east much more diverse. Furthermore, the west side has more single family homes and the east side having a mix of both single family as well as rental properties. 

- Another point Tatum brought up on page 5 was that many young children internalize social stereotypes through cartoons specifically Disney movies like Peter Pan. It's no secret that the beloved Disney movies I grew up on were filled with negative stereotypes. She also argues that three year old children aren't prejudice, but these films may act as a foundation of their views they will hold into their adult lives.

- If you grew up watching Disney movies, you aren't doomed to be a racist (Phew!) She argues that cultural racism is, "like smog in the air. Sometimes it is so thick is is visible, other times it is less apparent" (6) and while we may not be responsible for the pollution, we cannot ignore it. If we have a foundation of prejudice or racism through no fault of our own, we must as adults actively question our beliefs and expand our consciousness.  "It is not our fault, but it is our responsibility to interrupt this cycle" (7)

Race in America

I am Not Your Negro James Baldwin and Race in America

This documentary had so much good information and content that I struggle to decide how to start my response. After watching, rewinding, rewatching certain parts of the documentary I think I will just include three quotes and my individual reactions to each.

"Apathy and ignorance is a product of segregation" - Balwin

This quote comes from an interview with Baldwin. He begins by talking about the effects of segregating blacks and whites. Keeping the blacks and the whites separate doesn't fix the so-called "black problem", but makes it worse. In turn people living in the white suburban neighborhoods are ignorant and apathetic  towards the plight of Black American. These people hold on to the negative stereotypes that surround black people rather than understanding and realizing that this "problem" needs everyone to exist in order to fix it.

"I am one the people who built this country" - Baldwin

This quote reminds me of my middle school Social Studies teacher because he was the first person who made me realize why and how America was able to thrive and prosper during the formative years of our young country; free labor. Especially in the south, plantation owners wouldn't have been able to make such a profit if they actually had to pay labor costs. Once slavery was abolished and they no longer could exploit African Americans, some white people would just like them to disappear or at the very least stay away from their neighborhoods. Much like the Native Americans that came before, once they were of no use to the white settlers they were discarded like some sort of sub-human. This film does make connections between blacks and Native Americans regarding the unfair treatment they have received throughout history. I couldn't help but think of the readings from last week.

"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed unless it"

If we don't realize that there is a problem in our country, nothing will changes. Yes, things have gotten better since MLK, Malcom X and the Civil Rights Movement, but if you think that there still isn't racism, bigotry, and even dare I say segregation in the United States of America then you are not 'facing' the problem.

5/31/18

In the article A Critically Compassionate Pedagogy For Latino Youth by Cammarota and Romero, they argue that in oder for Latino youth to succeed and become active citizens they must feel comfortable. It is the teacher's responsibility to have "authentic care" which means the teacher makes strong emotional connections with students by sharing things about themselves. Authentic care allows students to feel part of the community and it helps them talk more freely in the classroom.

I can't argue with this article even when they point out that not enough teachers are "authentic" carers and because of standardized testing, must be "aesthetic" carers. Many educators feel the pressure of the tests and evaluations so they pretend to care or make shallow connections because they simply don't have the time to focus on social justice. But I believe that there is always time for community building activities. When students feel comfortable, learning is just easier.

I love the I am From poems and do them with my own ELL students. They seem to like writing them and also sharing them with myself and their peers. Last year I started framing their final drafts and displaying them in the library. The library is a very busy part of our school, hundreds of students visit  daily and for an entire month their work was seen by thousands of students and staff members. The positive reaction they received from their work was shocking for one student. She told me that she never even thought people would care about where she was from. It was in that moment that I hope she realized that her voice is important and that she is certainly an important member of our school community.

Bollinger and Spring Articles

Both of these articles discuss the issues of eradicating the culture and language of people of color by Anglo-Saxons.  Both articles claim that one way of suppressing one's culture and language is through education. These acts of subversion took place through American history and were deliberate (not some 'happy' accident).


In this article Bollinger argues that the Indian Boarding School were barbaric, ineffective  and simply a means of eradicating the indigenous people's culture, language, and traditions. This isn't the first time I have heard of these "schools", I knew that Native children where forced to go to these schools, cut their hair, and Anglicize their names.  What I did learn, and was happy to hear that, "many parents refused to enroll students in schools". I do not blame those parents for rebelling. These schools were supposedly set in place to educate young children and prepare them for industrial America. But there is very little evidence that any real education took place. Many students spent the majority of there "school day" participating in military drills or some kind of child labor. These schools were very damaging to native children and there culture.

I'm not a history teacher, but I do talk about these boarding school with my ELLs when we do a Sherman Alexie unit. I think it is important for our current students to understand our country's history (even the shameful stuff!). 

VICELAND has a series called RISE that focuses on Native Americans. One episode in the  eight episode series  focuses on these Indian Boarding Schools.