Monday, August 1, 2011
The Odds
The word that really jumps out at me is the odds. To think of the odds that these boys have to overcome daily, just to make it to school, to make it home from school, are tremendous. When I think about it, it reminds me very much of White Privilege. The privilege of being able to go to school and to go home not having to worry about things that Montrey mentioned like getting your shoes stolen, or getting beat up. This word is once again just another reminder to being open in the classroom, to understanding that children go through things you can't see before and after school starts and ends, and that we need to be mindful of those things to have an open, inviting classroom. I also like self-reliance, I can only image how hard it would be in middle school to pick up and go to school in Africa for a full year. I see this as them being thrown into the thick of the zone of proximal development, in Africa, without parents, and only themselves to regulate how they ultimately act. That alone to me is a prime learning environment, but the fact they also go to school as well is just more respect to those boys. It showed me that tough learning environments truly can push, but ultimately reward those in them.
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Jonah, the words you picked (against the odds, and self-reliance) go hand in hand for me. For those who do beat the odds, it almost makes me wonder, can being at enormous disadvantages in the present benefit a person in the long run? These boys were incredibly self-reliant (I am thinking especially in terms of emotional stability, as in the example with Montrey and his mother, who kept ending up in jail). It makes me think about the power of those who somehow persevere against the roughest conditions and ultimately succeed, and the power of those who are privileged. Surely, someone who has worked hard for something appreciates it much more than someone who is handed the same thing..it just makes me wonder how this inequality in power manifests itself in different arenas of life. I am quite curious to see how these boys' experiences at Baraka and in high school affect them in their future endeavors.
ReplyDeleteAgainst the odds - relates so much to our classroom discussion on privilege and power as well as the Baraka Boys movie. It also ties into resiliency.
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