1. "Within normalizing communities, some individuals and subject positions (i.e., white, middle class, male, heterosexual, etc.) get privileged and represented as 'normal' while other individuals and subject positions (i.e., black, working class, female, homosexual, etc.) are disempowered and represented as deviant, sick, neurotic, lazy, lacking in intelligence, and in other ways 'abnormal'."
When I read this, I was immediately reminded of Johnson's piece. Carlson is referring to the same exact concept that Johnson brought up, although his piece is centered on sexual identity rather than several different aspects.
2. "Nevertheless, normalizing texts systematically exclude and neglect the culture of those outside the norm for the purpose of ratifying or legitimating the dominant culture as the only significant culture worth studying."
This reminded me of both the Johnson and Delpit readings. The dominant culture that Carlson refers to, in my eyes, is similar to the "culture of power" brought up by Lisa Delpit in "The Silenced Dialogue." Carlson discusses how textbook writers generally stay away from "Others" and that gay men and women are often not included as a group of minorities in statistics.
3. "We cannot and should not attempt to impose 'politically correct' beliefs on students; but we have a responsibility as public educators in a democratic society to engage them in a dialogue in which all voices get heard or represented and in which gay students and teachers feel free to 'come out' and find their own voices."
The last sentence of Carlson's essay reminds us that teachers have the responsibility to take the time to talk to their students about homosexuality in order to create an accepting environment. If teachers avoid these topics, then their students will most likely not have the proper experience talking about it and will probably continue to see being gay as something that is wrong or abnormal.
Overall, I found this piece to be very interesting, especially the section on gayness in popular culture. I feel as though times are changing and gays are more accepted now than they were in the 1990's when this essay was written. Carlson describes the generalization that gay men are "flamboyant, emotionally unstable, and feminine," a generalization that is not always true. I believe that today, gay men are no longer represented only in this way. The appearance of movies dealing with homosexuality and popular television shows with gay characters along with many books and other forms of entertainment (i.e. musicals and plays) will make it easier to discuss the topic of homosexuality in schools and will encourage acceptance of Carlson's "Others" in our everyday lives. I feel that this isn't a topic that teachers should fear to discuss with their students. Should they neglect that it is an issue, it will only worsen the problem in the future.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Hunger Of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez
1. "What I needed to learn in school was that I had the right-and the obligation-to speak the public language of los gringos."
Rodriguez is explaining that it is necessary to learn English when living in America. This is becoming less necessary each day with more and more immigrants moving to the United States from Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries. These immigrants are able to move to an area in the US that is predominantly Spanish-speaking, so they never have the need to learn English, but it is their children who suffer as we see in Rodriguez's case. His parents spoke very little English, so he felt that he was betraying them by speaking in English.
2. "Supporters of bilingual education today imply that students like me miss a great deal by not being taught in their family's language."
This quote made me think of the article by Terry Meier on storybook reading in multilingual and multicultural classrooms. Meier cites the work of S.B. Heath who found that children from different background "learned to tell very different kinds of stories based on their community's cultural beliefs about what constituted an effective story." If this is true, then who's to say that teaching a child in their native language isn't beneficial to the child? Students who are taught in their native language might feel more comfortable participating in class and will probably understand the material better than if they were being taught in English.
3.. "That day, I moved very far from the disadvantaged child I had been only days earlier. The belief, the calming assurance that I belonged in public, had at last taken hold."
Although he was opposed to it in the beginning, Rodriguez did eventually learn English, and once he did, he felt as though he belonged. It's hard to succeed in a nation where English is the predominant language if you only speak Spanish or any other foreign language.
I found this article very interesting. I suppose I would consider myself a bilingualist. I believe that students should have the opportunity to be taught in their native language and that a teacher should be provided for them. Even though the major language of the United States is English, I don't think that children or their families should be forced to learn English and it is not necessary to succeed here. Today there are many opportunities for Spanish-speaking job hunters. I believe that if Rodriguez had been a child now, he and his family would have been able to do fine with just speaking Spanish.
Rodriguez is explaining that it is necessary to learn English when living in America. This is becoming less necessary each day with more and more immigrants moving to the United States from Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries. These immigrants are able to move to an area in the US that is predominantly Spanish-speaking, so they never have the need to learn English, but it is their children who suffer as we see in Rodriguez's case. His parents spoke very little English, so he felt that he was betraying them by speaking in English.
2. "Supporters of bilingual education today imply that students like me miss a great deal by not being taught in their family's language."
This quote made me think of the article by Terry Meier on storybook reading in multilingual and multicultural classrooms. Meier cites the work of S.B. Heath who found that children from different background "learned to tell very different kinds of stories based on their community's cultural beliefs about what constituted an effective story." If this is true, then who's to say that teaching a child in their native language isn't beneficial to the child? Students who are taught in their native language might feel more comfortable participating in class and will probably understand the material better than if they were being taught in English.
3.. "That day, I moved very far from the disadvantaged child I had been only days earlier. The belief, the calming assurance that I belonged in public, had at last taken hold."
Although he was opposed to it in the beginning, Rodriguez did eventually learn English, and once he did, he felt as though he belonged. It's hard to succeed in a nation where English is the predominant language if you only speak Spanish or any other foreign language.
I found this article very interesting. I suppose I would consider myself a bilingualist. I believe that students should have the opportunity to be taught in their native language and that a teacher should be provided for them. Even though the major language of the United States is English, I don't think that children or their families should be forced to learn English and it is not necessary to succeed here. Today there are many opportunities for Spanish-speaking job hunters. I believe that if Rodriguez had been a child now, he and his family would have been able to do fine with just speaking Spanish.
Monday, February 15, 2010
"White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" by Peggy McIntosh
Quotes:
1. "I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets which i can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was 'meant' to remain oblivious."
When I read this sentence, I was immediately reminded of Allan Johnson's "Privilege, Power, and Difference." White privilege is innate, meaning that we are born with it. We are not meant to pay attention to this fact, and many of us don't give it a thought unless provoked by a writer such as Peggy McIntosh. Personally, I know that I don't think about how, just because I'm white, I have more privileges than an African American person until reading this piece and others like it.
2. "Individual acts can palliate, but cannot end, these problems."
Once again, I am reminded of Johnson's piece. In order for our society to change, everyone has to put forth an effort, not only those who are experiencing racism. As Johnson states, we must "feel obligated to make the problem of privilege [our] problem and do something about it." Those who have this so-called "power" are not likely candidates for trying to stop this problem. If you are in power, why would you want to give it up, even if it meant that EVERYONE would have completely equal opportunities?
3. "To redesign social systems we need first to acknowledge their colossal unseen dimensions."
This quote also reminds me of Johnson's piece. We have to be willing to accept that white privilege is out there and once we do, we need to be willing to do something about it. These problems are not talked about - the quote-unquote silenced dialogue, one of the main ideas Lisa Delpit explores in her book, Other People's Children. Since it is never talked about, many are unaware of the size of this problem. We tend to acknowledge that racism occurs today, but we don't know the half of it. Only after we talk about the injustices African Americans and other termed racial others face will we ever understand how great of a problem this is.
Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
As previously noted, I found this article to be very similar to Johnson's "Privilege, Power, and Difference." I liked that the author included a list of ways that white privilege effect her life. This is similar to the lists Johnson presents in his piece on white, gender, and heterosexual privilege. I never thought about the ways in which I experience white privilege in my daily life until I read these lists. Gender privilege is often discussed, but white privilege is hardly ever mentioned. I come from a small town that is primarily white. In my graduating class of 143, there was one African American student, one Chinese student, and one Arabic student. The other 140, including myself, were white. Because of this, I have not been exposed to racism and I have not been made aware of how big a problem white privilege is.
1. "I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets which i can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was 'meant' to remain oblivious."
When I read this sentence, I was immediately reminded of Allan Johnson's "Privilege, Power, and Difference." White privilege is innate, meaning that we are born with it. We are not meant to pay attention to this fact, and many of us don't give it a thought unless provoked by a writer such as Peggy McIntosh. Personally, I know that I don't think about how, just because I'm white, I have more privileges than an African American person until reading this piece and others like it.
2. "Individual acts can palliate, but cannot end, these problems."
Once again, I am reminded of Johnson's piece. In order for our society to change, everyone has to put forth an effort, not only those who are experiencing racism. As Johnson states, we must "feel obligated to make the problem of privilege [our] problem and do something about it." Those who have this so-called "power" are not likely candidates for trying to stop this problem. If you are in power, why would you want to give it up, even if it meant that EVERYONE would have completely equal opportunities?
3. "To redesign social systems we need first to acknowledge their colossal unseen dimensions."
This quote also reminds me of Johnson's piece. We have to be willing to accept that white privilege is out there and once we do, we need to be willing to do something about it. These problems are not talked about - the quote-unquote silenced dialogue, one of the main ideas Lisa Delpit explores in her book, Other People's Children. Since it is never talked about, many are unaware of the size of this problem. We tend to acknowledge that racism occurs today, but we don't know the half of it. Only after we talk about the injustices African Americans and other termed racial others face will we ever understand how great of a problem this is.
Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
As previously noted, I found this article to be very similar to Johnson's "Privilege, Power, and Difference." I liked that the author included a list of ways that white privilege effect her life. This is similar to the lists Johnson presents in his piece on white, gender, and heterosexual privilege. I never thought about the ways in which I experience white privilege in my daily life until I read these lists. Gender privilege is often discussed, but white privilege is hardly ever mentioned. I come from a small town that is primarily white. In my graduating class of 143, there was one African American student, one Chinese student, and one Arabic student. The other 140, including myself, were white. Because of this, I have not been exposed to racism and I have not been made aware of how big a problem white privilege is.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Who am I?
My life is anything but extraordinary, but I wouldn't change a thing. I'm in my first semester at Rhode Island College in Providence, Rhode Island. Last semester I went to Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts. For years I'd been dreaming of going to Stonehill. It was everything I wanted: a small, Catholic college in the suburbs. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my high expectations. Although I did love the campus, the people I had met, and my professors, their education program was lacking in classes I thought were necessary to become a well-rounded teacher and a second major was required. Since the school was so small (only about 2,000 students total), there weren't many options for a second major. After a lot of thinking, I decided to transfer this semester to RIC. So far, so good.
But who am I out of the classroom? I love the arts as well as the sciences. I know-it's a weird combination. I love the theater, whether musicals or traditional plays. I was involved in drama club in high school and I loved it. Many people assume that since I'm so shy that I don't like being up on a stage performing in front of people, but it's not true. Being up on a stage changes me. I become a different person.
Music is also a big part of my life. I listen to a wide variety of music-from metal to pop to showtunes. I find myself listening to whatever I find meaningful. I'm constantly looking for new artists on iTunes based on the recommendations I'm given.
When I'm not reading a play or listening to music you can usually find me with my camera. I love photography. I spend the summer out in my yard taking pictures of flowers, animals, and whatever else I can find. I'm always looking for new subjects to photograph.
As I already mentioned I love the sciences, especially biology. I'll admit it-I'm a HUGE science geek. I love genetics and human evolution. I've been known to record programs on pbs about these types of things. I find it to be incredibly interesting. That's why I am pursuing a concentration in general science.
But who am I out of the classroom? I love the arts as well as the sciences. I know-it's a weird combination. I love the theater, whether musicals or traditional plays. I was involved in drama club in high school and I loved it. Many people assume that since I'm so shy that I don't like being up on a stage performing in front of people, but it's not true. Being up on a stage changes me. I become a different person.
Music is also a big part of my life. I listen to a wide variety of music-from metal to pop to showtunes. I find myself listening to whatever I find meaningful. I'm constantly looking for new artists on iTunes based on the recommendations I'm given.
When I'm not reading a play or listening to music you can usually find me with my camera. I love photography. I spend the summer out in my yard taking pictures of flowers, animals, and whatever else I can find. I'm always looking for new subjects to photograph.
As I already mentioned I love the sciences, especially biology. I'll admit it-I'm a HUGE science geek. I love genetics and human evolution. I've been known to record programs on pbs about these types of things. I find it to be incredibly interesting. That's why I am pursuing a concentration in general science.
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