Blog Post #7

 Post #7

Richard Rodriguez, “Aria”

Argument 

This author Rodriguez argues about the transformation through Education, how it can make one feel lost and distant but it can also transform the person from a shy child into a confident, outgoing student. Other main points of his short reading is on the personal journey of self discovery and identity formation through language.

A quote I took from the reading that I thought fit with him trying to find his identity says  “Because I wrongly imagined that English was intrinsically a public language and Spanish an intrinsically private one, I easily noted the difference between classroom language and the language of home.” It made me think about how towards the end of the short reading he reflects on the deep emotional connection he has to bilingualism and his identity , acknowledging the unique perspective and cultural understanding it provides. He highlights that bilingualism is an important part of his identity. Compared to the beginning when he never thought he could speak a single public language. How he talked about it would've made him feel less afraid and would have pleased him to hear his teachers address him in Spanish when he entered the classroom. How he Would have trusted them and responded with ease. I saw that he wanted to learn English because he talked about how if his teachers only addressed him in Spanish it would have delayed him, evaded and he talked about how long he could have afforded to wait.

A theme that I saw was the Loss of Spanish. As Rodriguez became more proficient in English, he began to lose his fluency in Spanish. He expresses a sense of loss and distance from his family and cultural heritage as he embraced English. A quote that I found that goes perfectly with this is “My mother! My Father! After English became my primary language, I no longer knew what words to use in addressing my parents. The old Spanish words I had used earlier “mama and papa” I couldn't use anymore”.

Video Analysis

 

Blog post #6

 Post #6

Literacy with anAttitude by Patrick J. Finn

Extended Comments

For this week I am doing extended comments. I am doing it on Mason’s blog. He made some really good points on his blog. One main thing he talked about from chapter 1 was how the working class and poor kids relate to authority. Authority is so important in the classroom because it is a crucial part of maintaining discipline. I want to add onto that and say that Finn talks a lot about the teachers who see themselves as allies of their working class students and how teachers can help their students see that literacy and school knowl-edge could be a potent weapons in their struggle for a better deal by connecting school knowledge with the reality of working class students' lives. How literacy can be used to challenge and change societal norms and power structures. 

In Chapter 2 Mason talks about how the schools that have top earning families are predominately all white schools. He talks about the roles of a teacher, that As a teacher you should be eager to help the students reach their goals. The mentioning of personal development and creativity are crucial to understand. As a developing teacher, Mason finds that creativity is something that is lacking in the developing youth. Chapter 2 covers teaching strategies, activities, and resources for educators to use when promoting critical literacy skills among students. This reading is helping educators be more aware of the Importance of Literacy. 

One big thing that Finn talks about is the respect for Students' Voices, that teachers should respect and value the voices and experiences of their students. Acknowledging the unique knowledge and perspectives that working-class students bring to the classroom. Reading about this shows everyone what is going on and how students are being treated, that there needs to be a change. For example the role of teachers, teacher's should advocate for working-class students. He talks about how teachers should encourage and be allies in the struggle of fair education.

Post #5

  Blog post #5

Defining Racism Can We Talk ? by Beverly Daniel Tatum  

Argument 

This author Tatum argues that there are still individuals that think racism is of the past. She also argues that by defining racism we can have more productive conversations about racial issues and work towards repairing racial inequalities. She emphasizes that acknowledging racism as a system is crucial for creating a more equitable society. She talks about how important it is to engage in open and honest conversations about race, both in personal and educational settings, to promote understanding.

In the text Tatum talks about how the legacy of racism is not hard to see and we are all affected by it. She highlights the importance of understanding racism as a system of advantage and disadvantage based on race. She talks about that in the context of the United States the System operates to the advantages of whites and Disadvantages of people of color. How many of her White students do not feel powerful. How for some their response would be “I’m not really prejudiced, and I have no power, so racism has nothing to do with me” If they are really honest most White people can see that there are advantages to being white. There was a quote and it  said “However all white people benefit from racism intentionally or unintentionally, but they do not benefit equally.” most don't do it intentionally but it just happens and they benefit whether they want to or not. Disadvantages and benefits may differ from factors like status, age, and gender.

 The author also talks about how the impact of racism begins early. Some are even affected in preschool where we are exposed to misinformations about people that are different from us. She makes an argument about how most of the stereotypes we make don't come from what we have been told, but from what we have not been told. “People of color are equally targeted by racism”.  They will have disadvantages in categories of race, and gender and another will have a disadvantage or advantage in a different category. Tatum emphasizes that racism limits opportunities for people of color in various aspects of life, including education, employment, and housing. The stress, anxiety, and feelings of not being as good as someone else  that racism can generate in people of color.

Post #4

 Blog post #4

Intersectionality by Kimberle Crenshaw 

Extended comments

I am doing extended comments on Nate’s blog post. He made some really good points on his blog. He talks about black how women face an extreme measure of bias in not just the workplace but different areas of life compared to all other genders and races. Another point he made that Crenshaw uses as an example of intersectionality is when General Motors was sued for giving any race of men the same jobs and giving other jobs specifically to only white women and men of any race, but wouldn’t have a chance at that job if she were black.

 I agree with what he has said and the points he made. Kimberele talks about invincibility and I also want to say that it makes black Women feel like they're invincible or don't exist and they face discrimination on multiple fronts like in workplaces and daily aspects of life. The discrimination that happened to black women was paid no attention. I feel like they knew it wasn't right but having that power and control made them feel strong and invincible. I like how Kimberle said “invisibility of many constituents within groups that claim them as members, but often fail to represent them”. Lots of people within groups claim them as equal and as members  but when black women were clearly being discriminated against, only a little number of people stood up to advocate for them. Intersectionality has given many advocates a way to frame their circumstances and to fight for their visibility and being included and treated equally. From this reading Kimberle is saying that by understanding each other's experiences and by advocating together as a group, communities can work towards greater change. Try to put yourself in someone else's shoes and see how different it is, not getting a job and being treated differently because of your race, and gender is definitely an eye opener and your daily life activities are easily impacted.