Reflection:
Bullying is one of my biggest pet peeves, so reading this article was really upsetting to me. To know that kids as young as kindergarden are showing signs of bullying and name calling just disgusts me. As teachers, we like to think that kids are all pure and they're like minds to mold. Clearly that is not the case and I have experienced this first hand.
I volunteered at my dance school to be a teacher's aid and I loved it. The kids were great to me and they were a lot of fun. However, they weren't always great to each other. There were these two girls who always picked on and made fun of this one girl. I don't know if her race had anything to do with the bullying, but she was in fact Middle Eastern. Watching this made me flashback to when there were two girls who did the exact thing to me in my dance class. However, I was the kind of kid who never let bullies bother me and I always gave it back to them. Unfortunately, this young girl was just so shy that she never really said anything to them because she didn't want to cause trouble. The instructor never said anything about it either and I don't know if it was because she didn't know it was happening or if she didn't want to get involved.
I know there are teachers who will completely ignore the fact that bullying is happening and this makes me so upset. I always promised myself that I would never be that teacher and I would always be the kind of teacher who kids can come and talk to with any problems they are having. If kids can't trust you, then how do you expect them to learn from and respect you?
The other problem with this is the fact that teachers are using the kind of language that we don't our students to use. We have to teach our students the problems with using these kinds of words because these words can really hurt people. They're the next generation and we want them to live in a society where everyone can respect each other andnot feel alone and isolated.
The whole bullying thing is just a sensitive subject for me. I was glad I was able to read this article and able to talk about my experiences with bullying. I can promise you I will never be that teacher who pretends that bullying doesn't really happen and it's not our main concern. It affects our students in so many ways that we don't even know and if we don't stop it now, things are never going to get better.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Aria
Quotes
Quote #1: "With great tact the visitors continued, 'Is it possible for you and your husband to encourage your children to practice their English when they are home?' Of course my parents complied" (Rodriguez 35).
In this quote the nuns from Richard's school come to tell his parents they would prefer them to speak English at home so Richard can speak better and more often in class. In my opinion, I find this to be ridiculous. I understand it would be helpful for Richard if he heard his parents in the national language. On the other hand, it's like having their family change their entire culture and who they really are.
Quote #2: "One day in school I raised my hand to volunteer an answer. I spoke out in a loud voice. And I did not think it remarkable when the entire class understood. That day, I moved very far from the disadvantaged child I had been only days earlier" (Rodriguez 36).
This quote is Richard talking about how much more confident he is in class now that he can understand the English spoken. Here, I can see why it is important for Richard to be hearing English as his main language at home. He will understand the lessons and be able to answer and contribute to the class.
Quote #3: "By contrast, my father seemed reconciled to the new quiet. Though his English improved somewhat, he retired into silence" (Rodriguez 37).
This quote is saying that now that Richard's family has resorted to speaking in English, his father can no longer follow what they are saying and now just sits in silence. This is obviously a con of changing the language at home. Now it's harder for Richard to communicate with his own father.
Comments: This whole article is a touchy subject because having a student's family change their native language has its pros and cons. Like I said before it gives the child the confidence to be able to speak in class, but on the other hand, it can cause friction at home like when Richard's father could no longer speak because he didn't know English very well. Reading this article, made me realize that things like this happen all the time in this country. Immigrants move from other countries and have to learn the native language to become "Americanized". In my opinion, it's all pretty ridiculous. We should be trying to help the students inside the classroom rather than trying to change their whole home life.
Quote #1: "With great tact the visitors continued, 'Is it possible for you and your husband to encourage your children to practice their English when they are home?' Of course my parents complied" (Rodriguez 35).
In this quote the nuns from Richard's school come to tell his parents they would prefer them to speak English at home so Richard can speak better and more often in class. In my opinion, I find this to be ridiculous. I understand it would be helpful for Richard if he heard his parents in the national language. On the other hand, it's like having their family change their entire culture and who they really are.
Quote #2: "One day in school I raised my hand to volunteer an answer. I spoke out in a loud voice. And I did not think it remarkable when the entire class understood. That day, I moved very far from the disadvantaged child I had been only days earlier" (Rodriguez 36).
This quote is Richard talking about how much more confident he is in class now that he can understand the English spoken. Here, I can see why it is important for Richard to be hearing English as his main language at home. He will understand the lessons and be able to answer and contribute to the class.
Quote #3: "By contrast, my father seemed reconciled to the new quiet. Though his English improved somewhat, he retired into silence" (Rodriguez 37).
This quote is saying that now that Richard's family has resorted to speaking in English, his father can no longer follow what they are saying and now just sits in silence. This is obviously a con of changing the language at home. Now it's harder for Richard to communicate with his own father.
Comments: This whole article is a touchy subject because having a student's family change their native language has its pros and cons. Like I said before it gives the child the confidence to be able to speak in class, but on the other hand, it can cause friction at home like when Richard's father could no longer speak because he didn't know English very well. Reading this article, made me realize that things like this happen all the time in this country. Immigrants move from other countries and have to learn the native language to become "Americanized". In my opinion, it's all pretty ridiculous. We should be trying to help the students inside the classroom rather than trying to change their whole home life.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
White Privilege Knapsack
Quotes
Quote #1: "White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, code books, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks" (McIntosh 1).
In this text, Peggy McIntosh talks a lot about white privilege and the "white privilege knapsack." But what is the white privilege knapsack? To me it's an invisible bag that all white people are wearing at all times. Since they are white, they are lucky enough to have all the right tools to help them in any tough situation. On the other hand, black people also have a bag they carry around. However, they have about one-third of the tools that white people have. This has nothing to do with their skills or how much money that have. It has only to do with the color of their skin.
This bag that black people carry around is suppose to help them in any siuation wheather it be getting into college or getting a good job. The white people will be able to get the better jobs and get to college much easier than blacks because of all the tools they have in their bag to help them.
Quote #2: "Life is not what one makes of it; many doors open for certain people through no virtues of their own" (McIntosh 4).
I have always heard the quote "Life is what you make of it." Reading this part of the article made me re-think the meaning of the quote. The author is right about how life is not always your own take upon it. Privilege is what makes your life. You can be black, trying so hard to be successful and privilege just gets in the way. It's liked a locked door and you don't have the key to get in. You try so hard to get it open, but without the key, you'll never get through. For a white person, the privilege door isn't even locked. They still have to get it open but its much easier to open because of their privilege.
Quote #3: "I think whites are carfully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege" (McIntosh 1).
In this quote, the author is trying to say that people of a dominent or privileged group, are taught not to realize that privilege exists. They feel it does not affect them, so it's not really happening. Privilege and Racism usually are only noticed by the people it affects the most. I feel that if the privileged people don't take into consideration what is going on, then nothing will ever be solved.
Comments:
I never thought of bandages being part of white privilege. Now that I have read about it, I can see where the author is coming from. Bandages always come in "flesh colored." But who's to say that everyone's flesh color is the same? Many people are much darker than the color that bandages come in. It's just another way that white privilege is very powerful in this country.
Quote #1: "White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passports, code books, visas, clothes, tools and blank checks" (McIntosh 1).
In this text, Peggy McIntosh talks a lot about white privilege and the "white privilege knapsack." But what is the white privilege knapsack? To me it's an invisible bag that all white people are wearing at all times. Since they are white, they are lucky enough to have all the right tools to help them in any tough situation. On the other hand, black people also have a bag they carry around. However, they have about one-third of the tools that white people have. This has nothing to do with their skills or how much money that have. It has only to do with the color of their skin.
This bag that black people carry around is suppose to help them in any siuation wheather it be getting into college or getting a good job. The white people will be able to get the better jobs and get to college much easier than blacks because of all the tools they have in their bag to help them.
Quote #2: "Life is not what one makes of it; many doors open for certain people through no virtues of their own" (McIntosh 4).
I have always heard the quote "Life is what you make of it." Reading this part of the article made me re-think the meaning of the quote. The author is right about how life is not always your own take upon it. Privilege is what makes your life. You can be black, trying so hard to be successful and privilege just gets in the way. It's liked a locked door and you don't have the key to get in. You try so hard to get it open, but without the key, you'll never get through. For a white person, the privilege door isn't even locked. They still have to get it open but its much easier to open because of their privilege.
Quote #3: "I think whites are carfully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege" (McIntosh 1).
In this quote, the author is trying to say that people of a dominent or privileged group, are taught not to realize that privilege exists. They feel it does not affect them, so it's not really happening. Privilege and Racism usually are only noticed by the people it affects the most. I feel that if the privileged people don't take into consideration what is going on, then nothing will ever be solved.
Comments:
I never thought of bandages being part of white privilege. Now that I have read about it, I can see where the author is coming from. Bandages always come in "flesh colored." But who's to say that everyone's flesh color is the same? Many people are much darker than the color that bandages come in. It's just another way that white privilege is very powerful in this country.
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