Wise, Extended Quotes

Ted Wise, "Between Barack and a Hard Place"

Extended Comments/ Janelle Marie

I will be using Janelle’s Quotes blog as my “Extended Comments.”  Tim Wise ia an American anti-racist activist and writer.  He is known for his participation in anti-apartheid movement on the campus of Tulane.  He also was known for campaigning against David Duke, on issues of Racism and Nazism.  He worked for a number of community groups consisting of Louisiana Coalition for Tax Justice, the Louisiana Injured Worker's Union and Agenda for Children, where he worked as a policy analyst and community organizer in New Orleans public housing.

With Janelle’s first quote, I wanted to agree with her on the fact that whites do get the majority of scholarships and they SEEM to complain when they don’t receive a scholarship at all.  Some are quick to blame the minority race and sometimes hatred or blasphemy may be the result of it, leading to more racism and oppression.  It’s like taking three steps forward and two steps back.  One little action can cause several generations of work and rehab to turn into dust.  Racism will always be around but reverting back to it is where the problem lies.  Just because you don’t get your way doesn’t mean you need to take it out on a minority.  I’ve witnessed Caucasians get mad because they didn’t receive a certain scholarship and then when they find out that a minority had won it they get furious.  Saying impolite things and thinking rude thoughts.  Society shouldn’t be like that but it’s up to us to make a change, even though we didn’t cause it.  Like Wise had stated we can do something about it.  We definitely shouldn’t let it continue and destruct our society.

In the second quote, they state minorities only get a fraction of financial aid money for college.  Regardless of the financial aid, we should all be accepted into college due to transcripts, test scores, extracurricular activities.  It shouldn’t matter on race or socio-economic class.  It also shouldn’t matter who your parents are and where you were born, we are all equal and human beings.

I’m speaking on behalf of a minority, I disagree with affirmative action because it has flaws.  For example, you can have ten people in a room where nine of them have the brilliance of Steve Jobs and the one minority with an IQ of Forrest Gump.  And due to affirmative action the lone minority will get accepted.  Does anybody else see a problem with this?  When you start accepting individuals based on skin color you promote inequality.  Everyone should be judged on the same criteria, not where they came from or who their parents are.

I would like to know what other people think of Affirmative Action.  I know it is a sensitive subject but it’s also something we face every single day in related topics in class.  Also all of my comments on the quotes are what I’ve witnessed and not assumed.  I’ve heard people say these things and it does hurt but the best feeling is when I confront the negative perceptions with factual information.  I know racism and oppression can’t be changed overnight but we can start one person at a time.

Gender and Education

Gender and Education in 2012

What is Title IX?  I didn't know what Title IX was until I came across several education websites and noticed it on the bottom right of every page.  So after seeing it a couple of times I decided to click on it and see what it was about.  And I feel I had come across something very valuable and precious to me.  Why did it take so long for this Title to be passed and why are thousands of schools noncompliant?  This is so beneficial to our children and just think THOUSANDS of schools are abusing Title IX by not using it.
Title IX is a law passed in 1972 that requires gender equity for boys and girls in every educational program that receives federal funding.
10 Key Areas are:

• Access to Higher Education
• Athletics
• Career Education
• Education for Pregnant and Parenting Students
• Employment
• Learning Environment
• Math and Science
• Sexual Harassment
• Standardized Testing
• Technology

University of North Texas on Gender Equity.

Things to remember in Gender Equity Schools. 
"Short-changed" girls.

How many of you knew about this law?  What do you think about these revelations and about the schools who don't follow this law?  I truly believe every school should enact this law to the fullest potential.  That every child should attain the most educational opportunities and possibilities that a school can offer.  Nobody should be ruled out due to gender.

Some issues that have ocurred in the past two weeks.

  Current Events

 This article deals with out of control parents at youth sports.  I thought biting the ear off of someone was in the past.  Hmmmmm. Is there a Mike Tyson sighting?  I mean who has the nerve to embarass friends and family by attacking the opposing teams head coach.  That takes some guts and ignorance.  There is obviously something mentally wrong with this guy.  What happened to just going to your son or daughters sporting event and enjoying the game.  Just imagine what the child is feeling and going through.  He or she is going to be the one known as having the "crazy" dad.  Wow!
   This next article deals with a woman who suffocated her two sons, 18 months and 2 years old, before driving her car in a lake in 2010, all because of her mom raising the children differently.  Who are you to take two innocent lives away?  She has got some serious mental issues that should of been addressed earlier.  I mean look at these two different parents, no wonder children are facing negative human development, emotionally and physically.  The parents are more like burdens to their children than vice versa.  And the thing is, this is only the tip of the iceberg.  We hear far more serious and deadly accusations from these mentally unstable parents.
   This next article deals with a white community watch volunteer killed an innocent, black 17 year old.  As the volunteer was chasing Trayvon through the neighborhood while on the phone with the dispatcher, he was told to not chase him and wait for authorities.  But yet he didn't listen and ended up killing the child because of racial profiling.  When in the end the child was running because he was scared that somebody was chasing him.  What really made an impression for me was James Martins blog post near the bottom when he states "but I really think the problem here is that those of us living in mixed-culture neighborhoods fail to get to know our neighbors, and unnecessary fear follows.  Chances are this wouldn't of lead to death had he known who Trayvon was.  It would of maybe lead to questioning Trayvon as to what he was doing rather than killing him in "self-defense."
   This article deals with students performance and linking it with teachers pay.  The overall survey shows that less and less teachers are accepting the fact that students test scores are a reflection of their worth.  I believe tests show one side of a student's ability and it doesn't allow for creativity while the tests prove what you "need" to know for the test.  What do you think about this?
   Is this really what we're feeding children in school?  Pink Slime=Mystery Meat.  This article states that many parents and programs are outraged by this "byproduct" because of the lack of knowledge of what's in the beef and is it harmful.  The National Lunch Program states is cheap and they have been using it for a number of years without any known instances.  Even though it's cheap, shouldn't our children deserve better food but I do understand that it is probably better than some of the food that is served at home.
   This article really stood out to me because while talking about the GLBT community, we as a class collectively agreed that there need to be more services in school to help children with situations like this one and GLBT, and bullying.  This woman did receive some type of support but it was a little too late.  She is only a fraction of the children who go through this.  Alot of children do not reach out to others or have a hard time finding someone and this often leads to tumultuous times.  I also agree that teachers not only are suppossed to teach academics but life lessons as well.  We as teachers also need to be able to spot any hint of emotional distress from our students and be aware of what's going on too.
   SEO Scholars education program.  This was by far my favorite article showing how different programs are taking the initiative and actually are making a difference while showing improving results.  I never heard about this where they take highschool low-income, minority students and place them in a college setting where the basics of academics are revisited with a more one on one interaction.  They spend time on fundamental areas where in highschool they don't have time to.  This program is free to the students but is very expensive costing $5000 per student.  This gives the children a chance to make the best out of the situation and create their own destiny.  I know there are people asking but what about low-income white students?  Where are there opportunities and programs?  What do you think?
   Homeless Hotspots.  This article was interesting and so were the blogs that followed it.  Especially from the ignorant John Black.  He states that the homeless people he refers to are drunks and crackheads.  Then Michael Abbott calls him out and tells him not all homeless people are drunks and crackheads and there are some indeed who have lost there job due to the economy.  Just another person profiling and not thinking with his head.

Just some crazy issues and crazy and ignorant people.  What do you think about this and where do you stand?  Is it just me or are there some sick and twisted people out there?
  
  
 

In the Service of What?

In the Service of What? The Politics of Service Learning. By Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer
Extended Quotes

   In my blog I will be focusing on extended quotes because there's a lot to say on this important topic.  I enjoyed this reading and found many flaws in which "community service" is perceived, which I do agree that there's a difference between just showing up and going through the motions compared to being emotionally and physically involved.  As well as being analytical and critical before, during AND after your experience.
   As Kahne and Westheimer state "A transformative educational experience requires that students engage in critical thinking in the "strong," not the "weak" sense."  This quote stood out to me was the fact that students in order to gain the full experience of a service project, they must be always thinking critically and analytical on every aspect.  For example, before you go to your service project, think of some reasons as to why the students are not achieving academically in school, or why is there such an influx of homeless people, or why is deforestation on the rise in your community?  In other words form a "hypothesis" before you engage in your project.  Try developing a course of action that you are going to take and do some research before you go.  This is definitely the opposite as to just going because your teacher tells you, you must perform such and such hours to graduate.  By being fully engaged emotionally and socially is different from just going through the motions.  While you are helping, get to know whoever it is you are helping and what's working and not working.  You should be asking questions and being very perceptive as to why these certain people are here and how they got here.  You have to be totally  into what you're doing and reflect afterwards.  By being reflective you look back on your "hypothesis", how did it feel, what info did you gather and what can you do in the long run for this cause?  You should be proactive not just happy that you completed your 75 hours for graduation!
   The next quote I wanted to state was the one about Mr. Johnson's class basically going through the motions of volunteering for charity and nothing else.  Kahne and Westheimer state, 'Mr. Johnson's curriculum included only minimal attention to any systematic analysis of the ills his students were helping to alleviate.  His high school seniors were not asked to articulate an understanding of the conditions and contexts that might have contributed to the loss of a family's home or to a pregnant mother's decision to turn to crack cocaine."  HELLO!  Where is the need to want to help down the road.  What strategies or methods did the class take or mention about helping after they did their charity work.  This is a perfect example of "going through the motions".  There's no initiative taken about what steps to take to help them in the long run.  Where is the critical and analytical reflection afterwards?  Are the students really understanding what problems led to these situations or how they could help?  I'm sorry but by definition, this isn't an example of a transformative educational experience.  Like Kahne and Westheimer will state later in the article, this case mirrors large-scale initiatives to promote community service around the country.
   Transformative educational experiences were clear in Ms. Adams seventh grade class on homeless-ness except the hands on experience when Kahne and Westenheimer stated "provides authentic learning experiences, reflection on matters of social concern, and opportunities for interdisciplinary study linked to curricular goals.  The goal of the project had broad base appeal.  It stressed the importance of compassion for those in need, and it encouraged children and young adults to find ways to help.  Every action led to a reaction and this is what leads to making an impact not only physically but socially and emotionally.  Interaction is key when helping and assisting in community projects and causes.  But what was missing was the hands on experience that Mr. Johnson's class had participated in.  Hands on experience has more of an impact than just reading about it.  Ms. Adams way of teaching and shedding light on the problem lacked the basis for learning, hands on experience.
   Questions and Comments
   Although I enjoyed this article, it shed light on the fact that service programs need to emphasize more on reflective and critical thinking.  Trying to get to the root of the problem rather than volunteering because you have to.  Having the will power to want to make a change and setting goals are prevalent in making a change for the people in need.  What do you think about the different views on service based learning?  Do you agree there's needs to be more of an emphasis on actually working for a change and not going through the emotions?  I believe and hope everyone who is enrolled in a FNED course is connected to the cause we are participating in.  I know along with my fellow classmates and Prof. Stevos that there is a sense of urgency, care and compassion in us and it reflects in and outside of the classroom.