Social Justice Event

Providence School System

 

   I attended an event on November 19th. The presentation was given by a handful of youth led groups. All of the groups were from providence and they are all advocating for better school systems and opportunities. One youth led group that presented is known as the Providence Student Union. The organization is made up of a large number of Providence students that are trying to voice their feelings and opinions in order to reform the schools in Providence. The problems that some of the students identified are things such as leaky ceilings, water issues, and overall building infrastructure. As far as the water issues, they had pictures of yellow water coming out of the water fountains. The Providence student union is a student led organizations that is essentially identifying the rights that students should have. They have created a student Bill of Rights that consists of a list of rights that students should have, not just Providence students but all students. The Bill of Rights rights such as clean water, transportation to and from school, school lunches, safe learning environment and many more. Their website can be visited at www.psu-rights.com where the full student bill of rights can be viewed.

   After I went to this event I learned that a lot of schools have it pretty rough. Kids aren't able to go to school because of the conditions, whether they be at home or at school, and then some students don't even want to go to school because they don't have any connections from teachers or feel like they are out of place. School should be somewhere where all kids should feel comfortable to go and learn. Providence has many issues with infrastructure, teacher to student relations, and many other things. All of the issues are addressed in depth in the John Hopkins report. I have never actually read the report personally but I know that there are many issues in the school system. I have witnessed some of the issues in Providence with my service learning. The presentation was very eye opening to all of the issues.

  

Shor

Reflection

   The school system is changes with each generation. I even see it now, at MLK the students have Chromebooks to help them learn. I never had a Chromebook in elementary school, or middle school for that matter. I help in the fourth grade and I see some of the methods that they are trying to teach kids multiplication and it's ridiculous. Even the teacher said to me "don't worry about that it's confusing". I never really enjoyed school to begin with to be honest. I always did well because I had to, society says that you have to do good in school and then go to college so you can get a good job and retire someday. That pretty much sums everything up. I was lucky to have vocational education at my school that gave me another path in life but not everyone has those opportunities. Schools, and parents, today seem to really have a push on the kids to go to college like that is the only path. When I was in high school when I wasn't in the carpentry class all I can remember is all of the college prep and getting ready to go to college like it was the only option in the world. The problem is, by doing this the school system has stripped the ability from the students to think for themselves and make their own decisions in life. The problem with school is that its so strict, if you don't follow the rubric word for word you get a bad grade, if you don't show up for class you are frowned upon. School needs to promote more critical thinking and decision making rather than having a constant push all of the time to prepare everybody for college. I know I've said it many times in this class but I am a huge advocate for vocational education in school. It can give students that reliable alternative if they don't want to go to college.

                             

 

   School shouldn't be all about getting to college. School should teach you basic skills early on and then it should be advocated to students that at the end of the day they are the ones that make their own decisions. They decide what they want to do. If that's the case, if we are the ones that make the decisions for ourselves, why are we going to let the adults push us in a directions we might not want to go in. The other problem about schools is that students get way too worked up about the grades they get. Part of this is because they have been convinced that if they do poorly in school they are going to go nowhere in life. There is some societal issue where kids are being taught that if they don't go to school they are going to be bums which isn't true. If you get a C on a paper I highly doubt that that is going to ruin your life forever. Overall, kids need to learn to not get so stressed out about school and that grades aren't everything. At the end of the day its what we do as an individual that determines where we go in life. Teach kids to think for themselves and make their own decisions because that's what life is. Life isn't college.

Brown vs. Board

  

Quotes

 "Standardized reading tests in 1971, black 13 year olds tested 39 points worse than white kids. That dropped to just 18 points by 1988 at the height of desegregation."

Integrating schools so that both black and white students can learn in the same environment is something that has positively impacted scores for young African American adults. The idea is great yet it still seems that it has been tough to do. I think back to my high school career, even my elementary school experience and when I think about it there wasn't many black students that I was working with. Even when I think to my current experience at my service learning project there aren't a lot of students that are white. At Martin Luther King Jr elementary the majority of the students are black and Hispanic and there are probably a handful of white students at the school. I understand that this can be tough to combat because schools are separated by districts and if one district is the majority of black people or Hispanic people, or white on the other hand, that is going to be the majority at that school district. The evidence is clear that integration in schools benefits the students the next major step is to try and make schools more diverse.

"What integration does is it gets black kids in the same facilities as white kids, and therefore it gets them access to the same things that those kids get-- quality teachers and quality instruction."

   This quote couldn't have summed it up any better. I always wondered why black students would perform better in a more diverse environment and now its pretty clear. If black students populate the majority of schools that you would consider poor, or schools that do not have that many resources it is only safe to assume that they wouldn't be able to acquire the same quality of education. The reason the students do better is because they are given the same opportunity as white students in a school setting. The students may have better teachers, better resources, better technology better everything. If a students is able to take advantage of these things then it is only save to assume that the students would be able to have much more successful time during school.

"The US Department of Education put out data in 2014 showing that black and Latino kids in segregated schools have the least qualified teachers, the least experienced teachers. They also get the worst course offerings, the least access to AP and upper level courses, the worst facilities."

   This goes back to what I just said. In 2014 it was basically said that students in segregated schools have the worst schools essentially. In order for all students to succeed in schools all students need a good school to actually go to and accomplish work and goals to gain knowledge. Black students do better in a environment with white students because white students seem to have better schools and resources. Black people do well working with them because they are given the same environment, the same resources to actually work and gain a good education. This quote ties everything together. It explains why the minority don't get a good education and also explains why they do better with white people in a school environment. In order for more students to excel in school they have to be given the same base to work off of. That's the bottom line. If students have more opportunity and resources then it is quite clear more students would do well in school regardless of their race. If students in general are given a good environment to learn, said students will do well.

In the Service of What?

 

     Connections

   Service learning has been a great experience so far. I am in school so I can teach kids some day how to build houses. I thought that the service learning experience was going to be a drag. I never thought that this would be something I would actually enjoy. The kindergartners can be difficult and sometimes it can be difficult to have a conversation with them and teach them things. However, they are quite developed for their age and are much more aware of the world then we anticipate. The service learning experience gave me, and many others, the opportunity to go into schools and work with students and help teach them concepts. It is a win for everybody. The students get to come in and help the teacher, as well as work with kids and get a better understanding of obstacles that may be encountered throughout a career of teaching. The students that I get to help out during my service learning experience are just excited to have you there to help them out and learn.

   I have had the opportunity to work with some great kids so far this semester during my service learning. I really enjoy getting to work with the fourth grade students especially. I enjoy helping the out with their math work and trying different methods to get them to understand the content. It is important to be given the opportunity to work with kids one on one. As a teacher, you are usually working with a large number of students and you aren't going to be able to ensure that everyone knows what is going on throughout the entirety of the lesson. As service learning workers, we are able to give that teacher the little bit of the break that they might need. And at the same time, we get to gain some experience working with kids and helping students in a classroom environment. I think the service learning opportunity is great for aspiring teachers, as well as beneficial for the students that are receiving the extra attentions that they might need.

August

   Reflection

   The topic of the LGBT community is something that seems to be a very touchy topic in society. The way that I look at it is people should be able to be with whomever they choose. The main issue with people today is their morals and ability to refrain themselves from saying things that they probably shouldn't. Everyone has a right to their own opinion. However, people don't have the right to just go out and make people feel badly about themselves intentionally. People need to learn that the times are changing. Homosexuality is something that has been around a long time and only now is it starting to be more socially acceptable. Even though it's becoming more acceptable, there are many people who still don't accept it. On the other hand, people can think and believe whatever they like. It's alright to be a homosexual just the same as it is alright to not totally accept that people are homosexual. What is not alright is people going out their way to embarrass people who are just trying to be themselves publicly and making them feel badly about themselves. A large majority of the problem seems to be related with bullying in schools. Rather than teaching kids a class on LGBT history it may be more beneficial to have a class on morality. Unfortunately it will be a long time and a tremendous challenge to create an environment where everyone will feel safe. An environment where people can act as they please without being judged or bullied for it. I'm not saying that everyone should absolutely have to agree with one another but people should have more consideration for what they say and how others feel.

Christensen

Connections

   I must admit I spent the majority of my childhood watching cartoons and playing video games. I must say though things have changed over the years. When I was younger I can recall watching all different kinds of shows. SpongeBob, Ben Ten, iCarly, Zoey 101, Sweet life of Zach and Cody and the list goes on. I am willing to bet the majority of the people in my class grew up watching these same shows. I gained a lot of enjoyment in my younger years and I never noticed all of the messages that were sent across throughout the various episodes. I have never considered myself to be effected in any way by watching these shows other than gaining enjoyment and burning time. Maybe I have been changed who knows. The only cartoon you could catch me watching now would be South Park. South Park is a very interesting cartoon because it is meant for adults. The show tackles all types of stereotypes on purpose for entertainment. The creators of South Park talk about all of the things that people do not want to talk about. The reason South Park in particular is so interesting is not only because of the controversies brought fourth in every episode but because it is told from the perspective of kids in elementary school. I saw an episode the other day where there were "aliens" coming from the future and started taking jobs from the people of South Park and working for much less money. This could not be any more clear that they a hinting towards illegal immigration and then white people getting pissed that they are taking jobs and working for less. Christensen talks a lot about cartoons bringing ideas to kids that they do not even realize they are being influenced by. South Park is the complete opposite. The show is about kids talking about extremely touchy topics very clearly meant for a more mature audience. All of this is great and all but what is the actual purpose? I believe that all of these issues that are brought up and important to discuss. People should be willing to share their opinion and there shouldn't be so much backlash. The problem today is that you cannot say, talk, or think anything without offending somebody. Cartoons can be a very innocent way of getting messages across and who is a better audience than a bunch of developing kids who like to act the way that they are exposed to? 

Aria

This week I read Aria by Richard Rodriguez

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-JcBFAuLc-0MW5DdnZyVnpGSHc/view?usp=sharing

Quotes

   Language in general is something that can be difficult to learn. The best time to learn a new language is when you are young. Coming from a different counrty trying to learn the language used there can prove to be quite a challenge.

  "Without question, it would have pleased me to hear my teachers address me  in Spanish when I entered the classroom. I would have felt much less afraid" (Rodriguez 1). A student coming into a new environment may not be quite ready to learn something such as a new language. They might feel out of place and fear talking out loud in the class because they speak differently than everyone else are maybe they don't know how to say what they are thinking in English at all. It is difficult to accomadate for students in this postion and this I why today there are ESL classrooms that try and teach kids English while incorporating their language to help them learn.

   "I overheard one voice gently wondering, 'Do your children speak only Spanish at home'" (Rodriguez 2)? If a family legally migrates from one country to another it is clear that they would have to comply to how school is run in that country. The nuns that enter the Rodriguez household never had to. Families should be allowed to speak in whatever language they wish in their own household. The nuns wanted Richard's parents to start speaking Spanish in their home, the agreed in the article. Richard's parents should not have had to agree to such terms. They should be allowed to talk however they would like at home but obviously when they go out they would have to converse with people that most likely did not speak that language. Richard might have to speak English at school and do his work in English to satisfy the school conditions but he should not have to speak English in the comfort of his own home is the language at home is Spanish.

   Throughout Richard's article he states the struggles of learning a new language when that isn't the language his family speaks at home. I do believe that people should learn the commonly used language wherever they moved to but they should not be forced to speak it. People have the right to speak whatever language they would like. Schools should be trying ways to incorporate different languages into the curriculum to help out the students who are not familiar with English. Schools are started to incorporate these methods with ESL classrooms and classrooms that involve multiple languages, the majority of the time Spanish.