All of the theorists that we have studied have the following commonalities:
They all believe in a child centered approach to teaching.
Education must be both active and interactive.
Community is an important component of a child’s education. The classroom community, school community, neighborhood, family, etc.
They all believe that children need to be appropriately challenged.
It is important to know the children well, plan well, be organized and build on past learning and experiences.
Observation is key to understanding.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
White Privilege 7/27 assign.
Give a quick summary of the thesis of your chosen text so we can be "with you" as we read your reflection.
Please write one statement you can "agree" with and why.
One statement you would "argue" with and why and
One statement that spurs you to "action" in some way.
This article focuses on white privilege. The advantages of being white- some that are commonly thought of, most of which are not. Peggy McIntosh compares white privilege with male privilege. This quote sums up some of what the article focuses on, “As a white person I had been taught about racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage.”
“My schooling gave me no training in seeing myself as an oppressor, as an unfairly advantaged person, or as a participant in a damaged culture. I was taught to see myself as an individual whose moral state depended on her individual moral will. My schooling followed the pattern my colleague Elizabeth Minnich has pointed out: whites are taught to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative and average, and also ideal, so that when we work to benefit others, this is seen as work that will allow “them” to be more like “us.”
In my elementary school in Salem, Oregon there were no African American students, but there were some Hispanic students. However, my school was predominantly white. We learned about treating all people with love and respect regardless of our physical differences. But, children with disabilities were not present, nor were there many children who were not white and born in the United States. We learned about our past- about slavery, Civil War, civil rights movement, etc. etc. But we learned about it as if this was the past, and I was under the assumption for some time that an era of unfair treatment toward people based on the color of their skin was largely over. I sometimes thought about, and was upset by, a few of the 26 statements listed by Peggy McIntosh regarding white privilege, but there were many that I did not know about and did not acknowledge. I admit that during President Obama’s bid for presidency I was shocked at the amount of blatant racism that I saw and heard. And even now I am often surprised that there is so much racism. I often feel that it has taken a new form, instead of blatant racism, which is frowned upon, there is this underlying and more quiet racism. It may not be spoken aloud but it is prevalent nonetheless. This article brings up many of the privileges that I encounter and often do not think about.
There is not much in this article that I would disagree with. I do, however, find the following statement difficult to grapple with, “I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth.” I agree with this sentiment, and can relate to it. However, I do wonder if you are taught about these issues from an early age and you strive to bring about change by giving up your power then are you still a racist? And, how can we use the label of racist for some people regardless of the work that they are doing to bring about change, while simultaneously using this label for those who are “truly racist?”
The first statement (the one that I agree with) is also the one that most spurs me to action. I want children to see the repercussions of a racist culture, and not the type of racism that is largely seen as no longer pervasive within our society. But to look critically at systemic oppression. To see a series of factors which put those who are identified as white at a profound advantage to those who are not.
Please write one statement you can "agree" with and why.
One statement you would "argue" with and why and
One statement that spurs you to "action" in some way.
This article focuses on white privilege. The advantages of being white- some that are commonly thought of, most of which are not. Peggy McIntosh compares white privilege with male privilege. This quote sums up some of what the article focuses on, “As a white person I had been taught about racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege, which puts me at an advantage.”
“My schooling gave me no training in seeing myself as an oppressor, as an unfairly advantaged person, or as a participant in a damaged culture. I was taught to see myself as an individual whose moral state depended on her individual moral will. My schooling followed the pattern my colleague Elizabeth Minnich has pointed out: whites are taught to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative and average, and also ideal, so that when we work to benefit others, this is seen as work that will allow “them” to be more like “us.”
In my elementary school in Salem, Oregon there were no African American students, but there were some Hispanic students. However, my school was predominantly white. We learned about treating all people with love and respect regardless of our physical differences. But, children with disabilities were not present, nor were there many children who were not white and born in the United States. We learned about our past- about slavery, Civil War, civil rights movement, etc. etc. But we learned about it as if this was the past, and I was under the assumption for some time that an era of unfair treatment toward people based on the color of their skin was largely over. I sometimes thought about, and was upset by, a few of the 26 statements listed by Peggy McIntosh regarding white privilege, but there were many that I did not know about and did not acknowledge. I admit that during President Obama’s bid for presidency I was shocked at the amount of blatant racism that I saw and heard. And even now I am often surprised that there is so much racism. I often feel that it has taken a new form, instead of blatant racism, which is frowned upon, there is this underlying and more quiet racism. It may not be spoken aloud but it is prevalent nonetheless. This article brings up many of the privileges that I encounter and often do not think about.
There is not much in this article that I would disagree with. I do, however, find the following statement difficult to grapple with, “I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth.” I agree with this sentiment, and can relate to it. However, I do wonder if you are taught about these issues from an early age and you strive to bring about change by giving up your power then are you still a racist? And, how can we use the label of racist for some people regardless of the work that they are doing to bring about change, while simultaneously using this label for those who are “truly racist?”
The first statement (the one that I agree with) is also the one that most spurs me to action. I want children to see the repercussions of a racist culture, and not the type of racism that is largely seen as no longer pervasive within our society. But to look critically at systemic oppression. To see a series of factors which put those who are identified as white at a profound advantage to those who are not.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Baraka School- Assign 7/29
The word that I chose is contrast. I was struck by the contrast between the neighborhood that the boys lived in, in Baltimore, Maryland and the rural area in Kenya to which they were sent to study and to live at the Baraka School. At Baraka School there were no televisions and the boys were only able to rely on technology for entertainment during their limited free time. In “Rethinking Early Childhood Education” there is a statistic about ABC, which states that in 2007, there were almost four (3.8) acts of violence per hour on average. At one point the boys were asked to talk about ways in which their current environment differed from their home environment and I was struck by the response from one of the boys about the Kenyans nearby who “talked low but still heard each other.” One of the boys, Montrey, had been suspended 8 times in 1 year at his public high school. Despite behavioral issues that he struggled with he had high aspirations. He wanted to get a degree and become a “chemologist.” At the Baraka school boys struggling with violence and anger issues are forced to work together. In one scene, after a classroom fight, the boys are sent to an isolated area where they must work together to set up a tent. Then they must spend the night together in seclusion.
The sparsely furnished “apartments,” the nature, the small class sizes, the positive adult attention and interactions, the lack of technology, violence, drugs, weapons and anger, are all in stark contrast to the reality of their home life. When, after one year in Kenya, the boys are sent home for summer vacation, I was again struck by the contrast. Violence, drugs, police, ambulances, gangs, concrete. Now these boys have seen and experienced a vastly different way of life. They have within them a piece of their Kenyan experience that will always remain. Then the unexpected twist comes, the boys are unable to return to Kenya, to the Baraka School, and must be re-enrolled in the Baltimore Public School system where 76% of African American boys will not graduate from high school. The parents and/or extended family are justifiably angry, scared; And determined for their boys to beat the odds which seem so stacked against them.
I was struck by Bill Cosby’s commentary at the end of the movie. He made the argument that it wasn’t about going to Africa, that wasn’t what helped these boys to beat the odds. The boys needed a “body on them,” they needed to know that there were adults in their life that cared about them and would push them to do their best. Bill Cosby mentioned the tent scene where the boys were forced to talk out their issues. He said that one thing missing in Baltimore is people just “enjoying the spirit of each other.” He compares the current school system which is failing our youth, particularly African American males, to a sidewalk where the cracks are purposely being widened so that the youth will fall through these cracks. Bill Cosby related to these youth because he could see himself as a child in them. He was a child who “needed to be watched” and to “not get away with anything.” He had a “body on him” and feels that this is an important part of what helped him to become successful.
I agree with Bill Cosby on the majority of what he said in his post video commentary. However, I would argue that traveling to, and living in Kenya for a year did provide these boys with a rich experience that helped to change their lives in positive ways. When people are able to travel and experience a different culture and way of life their minds will be opened and their lives transformed. The contrast between the two locations, rural Kenya and Baltimore, Maryland, was astonishing and I believe this helped the boys to grow in positive ways. I would agree with Bill Cosby’s statement that what these boys really needed was “a body on them.” At Baraka School the boys had adults helping them to be successful, there were small class sizes and individualized attention for each student. In Baltimore, there is a lot that is missing, particularly in regards to the education of our youth. One important thing that is missing is individuals who really care about, and have high aspirations for, all children. “Good teachers care whether students learn. They challenge all students, even those who are less capable, and then help them to meet the challenge (Delpit).” Of course this is not limited to Baltimore, it encompasses many inner city school districts. “We can not pretend that we do not know what is going on. We must get up and save children.”
The sparsely furnished “apartments,” the nature, the small class sizes, the positive adult attention and interactions, the lack of technology, violence, drugs, weapons and anger, are all in stark contrast to the reality of their home life. When, after one year in Kenya, the boys are sent home for summer vacation, I was again struck by the contrast. Violence, drugs, police, ambulances, gangs, concrete. Now these boys have seen and experienced a vastly different way of life. They have within them a piece of their Kenyan experience that will always remain. Then the unexpected twist comes, the boys are unable to return to Kenya, to the Baraka School, and must be re-enrolled in the Baltimore Public School system where 76% of African American boys will not graduate from high school. The parents and/or extended family are justifiably angry, scared; And determined for their boys to beat the odds which seem so stacked against them.
I was struck by Bill Cosby’s commentary at the end of the movie. He made the argument that it wasn’t about going to Africa, that wasn’t what helped these boys to beat the odds. The boys needed a “body on them,” they needed to know that there were adults in their life that cared about them and would push them to do their best. Bill Cosby mentioned the tent scene where the boys were forced to talk out their issues. He said that one thing missing in Baltimore is people just “enjoying the spirit of each other.” He compares the current school system which is failing our youth, particularly African American males, to a sidewalk where the cracks are purposely being widened so that the youth will fall through these cracks. Bill Cosby related to these youth because he could see himself as a child in them. He was a child who “needed to be watched” and to “not get away with anything.” He had a “body on him” and feels that this is an important part of what helped him to become successful.
I agree with Bill Cosby on the majority of what he said in his post video commentary. However, I would argue that traveling to, and living in Kenya for a year did provide these boys with a rich experience that helped to change their lives in positive ways. When people are able to travel and experience a different culture and way of life their minds will be opened and their lives transformed. The contrast between the two locations, rural Kenya and Baltimore, Maryland, was astonishing and I believe this helped the boys to grow in positive ways. I would agree with Bill Cosby’s statement that what these boys really needed was “a body on them.” At Baraka School the boys had adults helping them to be successful, there were small class sizes and individualized attention for each student. In Baltimore, there is a lot that is missing, particularly in regards to the education of our youth. One important thing that is missing is individuals who really care about, and have high aspirations for, all children. “Good teachers care whether students learn. They challenge all students, even those who are less capable, and then help them to meet the challenge (Delpit).” Of course this is not limited to Baltimore, it encompasses many inner city school districts. “We can not pretend that we do not know what is going on. We must get up and save children.”
Thursday, August 4, 2011
My Place
The one place that I consider the most constant in my life is Camp Magruder. Having moved several times, I was having trouble thinking of where I really felt a connection. Camp Magruder is a camp in Rockaway Beach, OR and I went there a couple times as a middle schooler for week-long camps. This isn't why it's special to me though. Camp Magruder is also home to "Grand Camp" which involves spending a weekend at camp with your grandparents. We stay in cabins together, go to meals together, explore, play, and just be together. My grandma would take my two sisters and me out there every year since 1996. We went to Grand Camp for 13 consecutive years. It feels like my whole life. I know the ins and outs of that camp. I know all the paths, where my favorite areas are, where the good beach views are, where to go when the tsunami bell sounds, where the lake becomes the deep end, where the bathrooms are and which cabins actually have bathrooms in them (these were the cabins my sisters and I would hope for). I know literally every part of that camp. Although sometimes my grandma would make me nuts, it was really nice to just spend time with her doing crafts, walking on the beach, and singing campfire songs. I also liked that I got no cell phone reception which made it really peaceful. There is one part of a forested area at Camp Magruder where I would sometimes go and sit. The average Camp Magruder visitor would not know how to get to this spot. There was a log that was perfect for just sitting and being alone. It's been a few years now since I was last at Camp Magruder and as I write this, I am realizing how I miss it and its familiarity. I guess that means I'll need to go back soon. :)
Home away from home
During our amazing opening activity (thank you Elisabeth and Anna) I wrote that I am thankful for feeling "at home" in many different areas of my life. I feel blessed with a strong sense of belonging that is linked to different people and places. While certain physical places hold a deep connection for me, it is the people who I am surrounded by that offer the deepest sense of belonging. I feel grounded at my condo with my wonderful fiance and my little puppy Leila (even if she does cause havoc every second of the day... I am talking about my puppy, just to be clear!) I feel grounded at my parents house, even though I do not have a bedroom there. I feel grounded in the ocean, as I surf with my closest friends. I feel grounded at my Grandma's house among the beautiful gardens my family has toiled over for years to create. Finally, I feel grounded in the many classrooms of Lewis & Clark, as long as I have my cohort with me!
I truly feel it is not what you surround yourself with, or where you are, it is the people you choose to spend your time with that offer the strongest feeling of belonging.
I truly feel it is not what you surround yourself with, or where you are, it is the people you choose to spend your time with that offer the strongest feeling of belonging.
Silver Creek Falls/Honeyman State Park
There are two places that I would equally love to be. Either Silver Creek Falls Campground or Honeyman State Park. Both of these places are campgrounds that my family would go to every summer when I was growing up. Through this these places have become some of my favorites to be. Whether I'm hiking around the beautiful falls or climbing the big sand dunes, I'm away from the city and with my family. As I said in an earlier post, I'm a food person, camping food is some of my favorite. My mom somehow always came up with the best things to eat, and when were outdoors, it seems to only taste better. The tradition of camping together still continues today with my family, at the end of August we'll be getting together again, and I can't wait. Walking up and down the beach spending time with my parents, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews sounds like one of the best things in the world to me right now, I'm so excited.
The Cove at Milk Creek
I've always loved nature but I can't really say that I felt connected to nature until I was in my Junior year of high school. It was then I started volunteering at Outdoor School. I taught on water field study and spent many hours sitting by Milk Creek. There is a special place at milk creek that isn't always reachable because of the height of the creek. It's called the Cove... while at the cove - I am able to truly reflect on my day, my students, and my life. It was the first place I closed my eyes and connected with nature through sound, it was an amazing experience that really allowed me to experience a sort of peace I didn't know was possible.
The Cove isn't just powerful for me - the 6th grade students lived it as well... it was a place of reflection for them too. Like Miriam said - have your students pick a place that they can 'own' a place that becomes theirs, where they can check in, take care of, and connect to. While I haven't been to the Cove in awhile (the site is shutting down) I will never forget how it changed the way I connected with nature.
Milk Creek at the Cove: "Go with the flow, like a twig on the shoulders of a mighty stream."
The Cove isn't just powerful for me - the 6th grade students lived it as well... it was a place of reflection for them too. Like Miriam said - have your students pick a place that they can 'own' a place that becomes theirs, where they can check in, take care of, and connect to. While I haven't been to the Cove in awhile (the site is shutting down) I will never forget how it changed the way I connected with nature.
Milk Creek at the Cove: "Go with the flow, like a twig on the shoulders of a mighty stream."
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