Empowering Education

“Empowering Education” by Ira Shor                                                       By: Ruby Lazo

1. “Piaget urged a reciprocal relationship between teachers and students, where respect for the teacher coexisted with cooperative and student-centered pedagogy.”

It is crucial to students that they are able to develop a fair, equal, respectful relationship with their teachers. For a student to reach optimal learning, teachers must first be able to focus in on their students learning styles, interest, weaknesses and strengths.

2. “The teacher leads and directs this curriculum, but does so democratically with the participation of the students, balancing the need for structure with the need for openness.”

In this article students had a voice when it came to their education. Rather than the teacher taking over the classroom, students incessantly participated in their education.

3. “What students bring to class is where learning begins. It starts there and goes places" Learning first begins from outside the classroom. It is important to a students learning that they are able to relate to the material. Students are interested and care about what’s going on around them. Change starts with education.

This article focused deeply on classroom structure as well as inquiry-based learning. In this article, the classroom environment allowed children to feel safe to ask questions, learn from one another and explore different ideas and opinions.

I could really relate to this article because I went to The Met high school. The Met high school really focuses on empowering students to ask questions, share ideas and advocate for themselves and their education.

I was recently talking to someone from AmeriCorp who worked with students in an after-school program. We began discussing how classrooms are producing people without thoughts. I know this sounds silly but its true. 

In classrooms today, students are taught through test-based curriculums, where they quickly learn that the only thing that matters is the right answer. Through this style of teaching, students’ ideas and thoughts aren’t challenged. They begin to stop questioning, to stop critically thinking, to stop analyzing and to stop thinking. 

Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrom

“Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome.”          By: Ruby Lazo

by Christopher Kliewer

1. “The challenge is to erase negative attitudes about people with developmental disabilities, get rid of the stereotypes and break the barriers for people with disabilities”.

Throughout history society has held many misconceptions when it comes to people with either physical or mental disabilities. Because of these misconceptions we have allowed ourselves to disvalue and shun, truly capable, bright and gifted people.                    

2. “Dialogue cannot occur… between those who deny others the right to speak their word and those who’s right to speak has been denied.”

This quote pertains to the significance of having a voice in society. Those who have been oppressed and deprived of their right to have a say in their communities must reclaim their natural rights as citizens and individuals. For there to be true change in society, it is essential that everyone’s voice is heard and represented.

3. “[Community] requires a willingness to see people as they are – different perhaps in their minds and in their bodies, but not different in their spirits or in their willingness and ability to contribute to the mosaic of society.”

A true society entails for everyone to be equal. Communities are made up of many different people and we must learn how to accept and value differences to create an idyllic community.                     

The article “Citizenship in School” really reminded me about the harsh inequalities people with disabilities have to deal with. I am always reading or discussing the social inequalities that come with class, race and gender but a lot of times I forget about all the other isms that live within our society.

I think a lot of us forget just how able people with disabilities are. We fall into the traps of ignorance once we believe the stereotypes and derogatory names that are the foundation to discrimination and hate. We must not judge people based on the labels we give them or even their inabilities, but rather on their talents and who they are as a person. 

J. Crew Ad With Boy Painting Toenails Pink Stirs Up Transgender Debate - ABC News

J. Crew Ad With Boy Painting Toenails Pink Stirs Up Transgender Debate - ABC News

Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work

“Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work.”                         By: Ruby Lazo 

by Jean Anyon

1. “Simple punctuation is all they’ll ever use”

An observer at the “working class” school quoted a teacher saying this. How are students supposed to succeed when their teachers don’t believe in them enough to teach them anything beyond “simple punctuation”?

2. “”Shut up, “Shut your mouth,” “Open your books,” “Throw your gum away – if you want to rot your teeth, do it on your own time.””

These were disciplinary examples noted by observers in the “working class” schools. As future educators were supposed to create a safe learning environment for students, by respecting and empowering them, not by belittling them. Statements like these turn once determined, talented students into discouraged, broken young adults. 

3. “These children’s opinions are important – it’s important that they learn to reason things through”

This is a quote from one of the teachers from the “executive elite school”. It is great that a teacher validates his or her students, but why are these students’ opinions valued while others continue to be disregarded?                        

While reading this article it became very apparent just how easy it would be for a student who isn’t getting an “executive elite” education to just fall through the cracks. Students in the “working class” schools were continuously deprived of important opportunities while students in the “executive elite” schools were given invaluable tools and skills for their futures. What was most disheartening was the self-realization that the students in the “working class” schools were being set up for failure while the students in the “executive elite” schools were being set up to be future executive officers and politicians.

Why is it that we believe that every child has the potential to be successful, yet our education system continuously denies certain students their right to an equal education? Is there anything being done to change this?

Teaching Boys and Girls Separately

“Teaching Boys and Girls Separately.”
By Elizabeth Weil            By: Ruby Lazo               

1. “Researchers found girls’ drawings typically depict still life’s of people, pets or flowers, using 10 or more crayons, favoring warm colors like red, green, beige and brown; boys, on the other hand, draw action, using  6 or fewer colors, mostly cool hues like gray, blue, silver and black.”

I think we should begin analyzing research more in depth. This quote is trying to prove that there are fundamental academic differences between boy and girls. However, I feel that a lot of this research directly connects with our society and how we hold different expectations for girls and boys, and through those expectations we nurture them differently. While we give girls pink note books and crayons we give boys blue, red and black cars and action figures. Although there might be a direct biological difference between learning styles I believe that a lot of it has been influenced by us.   

2. “What kind of message does it give when you tell a group of kids that boys and girls need to be separated because they don’t even see or hear alike?"

I especially liked this quote. Separating children based upon a 50 year old study that states adult men and women see and hear different is completely shameful. Why would we want to separate children because of their seemingly insignificant differences?

3. “There are just too many exceptions to the rule”.

I very much agree with this quote. Gender is much more complicated than we make it out to be. Not everyone is going to neatly fit into a boy or girl category and a lot of us definitely do not fit neatly into our gender roles (masculine or feminine). There are many kids that fall somewhere between the socially constructed boxes that are biological sex, gender identity and gender expression. So what will then happen to those kids?

While reading this article, I found myself offended by some of the things that were said and written. For example: how the students were depicted in Michelle Gay’s fourth grade classroom during a “tide science experiment”. We live in a society where we should just stop separating each other by our differences; biological or not. We should be able learn how to interact and accept others differences weather they are spiritual, cultural or biological. One of the most powerful things about learning is to be able to see and learn things through multiple perspectives.    

A Particularly Cheap White Wine

“A Particularly Cheap White Wine: Racism, Scholarships and the Manufacturing of White Victimhood”.
By: Tim Wise                                                        By: Ruby Lazo

1. “It will mean that colleges will become increasingly populated with white students whose SAT scores might be mightily impressive, but whose moral and ethical compasses, to say nothing of their understanding of the real world, leave something just as mighty to be desired.”

College’s accepting their students based on just one aspect will leave them shamefully lacking in others. If colleges were to begin just accepting students with the highest SAT scores, they would be doing a disservice to their college. Yes, these students may have the highest SAT scores but who are they as a person, how much effort do they put into their work, how will they represent their college… Shouldn’t those qualities hold some importance to college admissions? 

2. “The manufacturing of white victimhood”.

I have never heard this term before but it fits this article perfectly: white men and women victimizing themselves.

3. “Race-based scholarships for people of color are the worst form of bigotry confronting America today.”

I was in shock reading this quote. I could not believe someone would ever think to say something like this. If we continue to allow remarks like that to be said then these statements will unfortunately become more and more common in our society and soon people will begin to think that they hold truth.

This was one of my favorites articles we have read so far. The author did a great job defending his arguments. I was extremely shocked by some of the facts and statements I read. I could not believe what ignorant things people will think, say and do.

I wonder how the President of the College of Republicans at Boston University would respond to this. 

In the Service of What?

In the Service of What?                                                                    By: Ruby Lazo

By: Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer  

1. “The service component may help us get the support needed for implementation, he argues, but its real impact is seen in its ability to promote powerful learning environment."

Service learning experiences provide opportunities for students to learn and grow in ways that just aren’t possible in a classroom.

2. “The distance between the one caring and the one cared for diminishes.”                        Once student volunteers immersed into their school assignments they began breaking down walls. Both sides began forming connections with one another. This is especially important if we (as a society) want to begin breaking down stereotypes and misconceptions about certain groups of people. 

3. “Citizenship requires that individuals work to create, evaluate, criticize and change public institutions and programs.”

In order for us to grow as a society we must all work together to create change in our public institutions and programs. As citizens we have the power to change social constructs.

May of 2011, my class and I went on a service-learning trip to the Dominican Republic. While there, in the morning we taught students at local schools English and during the afternoon we ran activities for the children who stayed at the orphanage. During my stay I learned about Dominicans Republics history, their schooling system, politics and the people. I received a lot more out of it than expected. It was amazing.

While reading about both Mr. Johnson and Ms. Adam’s stories I wondered how great it would be if they combined both of their projects into one, creating more of a balance.

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us. by Linda Christensen                        By: Ruby Lazo

1. “We are taught, more than anything else, how not to rebel.”

Beginning at a young age all of us are taught rules in our society. We are taught to live by those rules rather than to ask questions.

2. “Our self-images have been formed by others, but if we don’t dissect them, we will continue to be influenced by them.” 
Others construct our thoughts and beliefs; without questioning or education we are doomed to only think and believe what others have taught us.

3. “Because we can never look like Cinderella, we begin to hate ourselves. The Barbie syndrome starts as we begin a lifelong search for the perfect body. Crash diets, fat phobias, and an obsession with the mate-realistic become commonplace”.
Our obsession to be something that we aren’t corners us into a world of self-hatred. A world where we will never be pretty enough or good enough. We look up to Barbie as the perfect all American girl. We all want to be her, yet it is impossible to be her. If Barbie were to be a real person, she wouldn’t be able to stand on her two feet! Why? Because her boobs are too big, her hips too wide, feet to small and she is just too tall. We look up to a doll as a representation of what all women in our society should look like.

“Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us” was an extremely thought provoking article. I couldn’t help but reflect on my own childhood and some of the cartoons I used to watch. As a kid it is hard to ask questions like, why was it okay for Cinderella to marry a man whom she only knew for a day. However, today it seems as though many adults choose to not ask those same questions.                                       

Disney Princess’s seem to be especially destructive. They begin teaching girls at a young age the value that beauty holds, the insignificance of their intelligence, how one man (along with his money) can provide their “happily ever after”.             

As a kid, I always wondered why Cinderella never once stood up for herself - never once said she had enough. Can you imagine how much more significant and empowering it would have been if Cinderella had told her stepmother she was not waiting around for a man to save her but instead decided to pack her things and get a job! 

Are their any cartoons out there that give out similar messages?                    

Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community

Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community                                       Ruby Lazo

by Dennis Carlson 

1. “Public schools play an important role in helping build new democratic, multicultural communities.”                                                                                                   

Kids spend a great deal of time in schools; therefore the school, administrators and teachers (weather they know it or not) hold a lot of influence on the kids they work with, both academically and personally. Due to this fact, schools hold a lot of responsibility building tomorrows future and constructing future upcoming communities.

2. “Silence = Death”.                                                                                                           

This quote signifies the importance there is in visibility. People being silenced consequently result in people becoming invisible to society; becoming invisible to society discontinues a person’s existence in society. We must create a society in which people are not scared or forced into silencing themselves or others.                                                    

3. “A democratic multicultural education must become a dialogue in which all “voices” are heard and all “truths” are understood as partial and positioned.”          

Education wise, everyone should hold a voice in order to form a true community.  No matter the position on an issue, a persons voice holds importance and we must let their voices be represented and validated weather we are in agreement or not, thus learning from each other’s personal stories and continuing to grow as people.

Many people today think that people that being out as gay is okay, weather it is in school, work or public, but that is just not the case at all. Yes we made some progress but we as a country and as people continuously treat people who are gay as though they were second-class citizens, through laws and prejudicial actions. In fact some of the things that went on 50 years ago are still going on today. Bullying, harassment and hate crimes against people who are gay happen single everyday. We might not physically see it but if we continue to blind ourselves we are letting our kids, our neighbors, our friends, our family members and the principals that this country was founded on down.

“Diversity must not just being tolerated but celebrated” (Carlson). As teachers we should celebrate all of our students differences as well as teach our students to be proud of whom they are as well as the value of a diverse community. To maximize learning in a classroom, every student must feel safe, to be themselves. Schools can no longer continue to avoid or ignore this issue.  

I wonder how much power administrator’s hold over this issue. What would happen if you, as a teacher, attempted to include gay history or pride day into your class curriculum or lesson plan but your administration did not back you up? Would you face consequences? Would you be forced or scared into silence?

Michigan student defends suspended teacher

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20101115/us_yblog_thelookout/gay-michigan-student-defends-suspended-teacher

Why Can't She Remember That.

“Why Can’t She Remember That?” by Terry Meier                             Ruby Lazo   

        

       1. "Choose books that relate to children’s lives”.

As a teacher it is important that you choose books that students can relate to and make connections with. When students were able to relate to a book that book soon became a favorite.

2. “Teach book reading behaviors explicitly”

Take the time to explain to students certain book behaviors - some students may not be aware or accustomed to such behaviors, however it will help them to better succeed in a classroom setting. Even though some students were unfamiliar and did not understand the reasoning to classroom “reading behaviors” they were able to participate once the behavior was clearly explained to them and made more interesting.

3. “Make books come alive”

Find different ways to make reading books more intellectually stimulating for students. Things such as puppets or books series can be very helpful when it comes to sparking an interest in students. When puppets or a book series was introduced to students during reading time children were more easily able to identify story elements and form connections with the story.

Meier raises an excellent point when it comes to making personal connections with the activity at hand. While student teaching last week, I noticed a few students that seemed uninterested during an activity I was facilitating. While some kids were reading “C” books, I was trying to go over letters and sounds with other students. I thought, they must have gone over this 50 times already – why aren’t they getting it. I began having a really hard time trying to get their attention so I thought maybe if I can have these letters relate more to them, they might find it much more interesting. So I asked the students in my group, “whose name starts with the letter A” and they named Angie. This became really effective as I went through the student's first letter in their names. Soon they became so excited and started naming other children in their classroom and what letter their name began with. Then they started naming animals and the first letter that their name began with. Clearly the students got it. Making a personal connection with them and the letters helped make the activity more exciting, which lead them to participate more and get more from the activity. I am really interested in learning others ways to make real-world connections with students when teaching other subjects that are not so easy to relate to, such as history and science. 

Amazing Grace

“Amazing Grace” by Jonathan Kozol                                                            Ruby Lazo

1. “Cliffie is referring to turns out to be a waste incinerator that was put in operation recently over the objections of the parents in the neighborhood. It was initially going to be built along the East Side of Manhattan, but the sitting of a burner there had been successfully resisted by the parents of the area because fears of cancer risks to (their) children.”          
After the East Side resisted the plan of an incinerator to be built in their neighborhood, the state decided to build it in a significantly poorer section in New York. Although parents of the small community had just as much valid concern and objections to the incinerator being built they were brushed to the side, ignored made to feel invisible and less than – which is how they have been treated their entire lives.

2. ”The truth is, you get used to the offense".                                                                           
Cliffie’s mother explains to Mr. Kozol that so much of her life, she and the people of her neighborhood have been ignored, stepped on and offended; that she and many others lost hope.  

3. “Somebody has power. Pretending that they don’t so they don’t need to use it to help people – that is my idea of evil".                                                                             

Ms. Washington’s son is having a conversation with Mr. Kozol and shares his idea of what evil is. Many people in his neighborhood, like himself, have spent their lives trying to overcome many adversities while experiencing many struggles and challenges, while the people who hold the power, who can help make a difference decided to turn their heads the other way.   

Out of all the articles we have read so far, this has been one of my favorites. Cliffie, a little boy who gave Mr. Kozol a tour of his neighborhood really stood out to me. Mr. Kozol described him like any other seven year old. He was sassy, playful and pure. However, Mr. Kozol mentions one thing that hit me. He said, “As confident and grown-up as he sounds, he has the round face of a baby and is scarcely more than three and a half feet”.  Which made me think that Cliffie, although seems like an average seven year old boy, he isn’t. He has had to see things and experience things that other boys his age will probably never have to. In a sense, because of his surroundings, Cliffie has had to grow-up way before his time. I wonder what effects that will have on him as an adult. Will it hinder him as a person or make him stronger? 

What things can we do to help out Cliffie and kids who are facing similar adversities. 

My first post.

Hi, my name is Ruby Lazo and so far this semester is going great. I really enjoy all my classes, especially my FNED 346 and PSYC 110 class. When I am not in class I usually work or spend time with my puppy! 
Early this year I had one of the best experiences of my life. I volunteered at an orphanage in Dominican Republic through an organization named Orphanage Outreach. During my stay, in the mornings I visited schools and taught basic English to students and during the afternoon and weekends I helped create and run activities with the children that were staying at the Orphanage. I learned so much and hope that I am able to do it again.