Blog #7 Literacy with an Attitude by Patrick Finn

    In his eye-opening book "Literacy with an Attitude: Patrick Finn explores educational disparities by showing how the method of teaching literacy determines whether students gain empowerment or face suppression. Finn presses readers to reconsider educational aims and methods for working-class learners because he believes schools usually strengthen rather than dismantle social inequalities. 

    Finn expands upon Jean Anyon's foundational research which demonstrated the substantial differences in educational experiences between schools situated in varying socio-economic environments. In middle-class and affluent schools students learn critical thinking and leadership skills which enable them to gain power and influence. The educational approach in working-class schools emphasizes memorization and basic skills development while teaching students to follow orders which prepares them primarily for low-paying occupations instead of enabling them to engage actively in societal roles. Literacy with an attitude describes a method of critical literacy which enables students to examine and confront societal structures that affect them. Finn believes education should teach students reading and writing skills while also developing their ability to critically analyze social issues and promote reform.

    To conclude, Finn makes a compelling statement essential to this conversation and he is clearly invested in creating a more equitable education system. 

Troublemakers by Shalaby

     Hi and welcome back to my blog! In this blog I’ll be taking apart “Troublemakers” by Carla Shalaby 

    After reading the troublemakers I could pick apart some major takeaways from this reading. Shalaby discusses some first and second graders’ behaviors’ in their classrooms. She stresses that the reader understand children are to not be punished in such a way, but to recognize each child’s individuality and internal struggles they could be going through. 

    While reading Carla Shalaby’s introduction I read a line that stated “As Philip Jackson, a researcher of schools, Long ago reminded us, there are only three institutions from which Americans are allowed no escape: prisons, mental hospitals, and schools.” (Shalaby 27) I understood this quote as framing our education system as an institution to escape from/ something that contains our body movements and thoughts. It related to the rest of the reading because Shalaby talked about a student named Anthony who knew a lot about certain topics, even more than she would know about and when it came to sitting still and being polite with his body language, he struggled. A statistic I read stated, “46 percent of kindergarten teachers report that more than half their class has trouble following directions; 34 percent report that children struggle who work independently; 20 percent report that their kindergarteners have poor social skills and are “immature”” (Shalaby 27). These statistics astonished me because I became curious as to what the cause for this could be, such as disinterest or other outside factors. I re-read the last part of that statistic and how kindergarteners are “immature” but we have to remember they are literally ages 4 and 5. We can’t simply call any kid who struggles to pay attention a troublemaker 

     To conclude, I believe this writing was influential and opened my eyes to these stereotypes and to not be quick to judge in my future classroom. I hope to never be THAT teacher who talks about her “problem students” in such a way and make any student feel disapproved of. Shalaby did an excellent job writing this book. 

Classroom Observation -Troublemakers

     Today I’ll be talking about one student perceived as a “troublemaker” in my placement classroom. 

    Last week at my placement I visited the school ready at 9:00 am. One student in particular gives me no issues, but on my first day walking into my placement the students were quick to describe him as “bad”, or “ he’s really bad, he gets in trouble all the time”. I took note of that, but explained to the students that we should not be dragging each other down, and to remind them that he could have other things going on at home that affects his morning which influences his behaviors in class. I am in a second grade classroom with a white presenting teacher, and I did not see any teachers of color in the grade. 

    My student that I thought about is not necessarily a “troublemaker” in my eyes. I say this because this student will simply stand at his desk every once in a while and my teacher will exclaim he needs to sit down. Apparently this student in the past has physically put his hands on other students, but I have worked with him in small groups and I think he is ready to learn, he just needs more reminders and more structure. 

    It’s true that my student has been moved around the classroom about 2-3 different times because of altercations with other students in groups. My student sits alone currently and is starting to improve on his school work. I have yet to see my student display ignorance to other students in the classroom, just a kid who wants to have conversations with his peers and not feel isolated. My student is shorter than most other students but has a nice personality, I believe he is slightly misunderstood.My student is African American presenting and has vitiligo. Overall, I enjoy my time in my placement and try not to focus on the “troublemaker” title, he is just another student in my eyes. 

The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies

     Hi everyone and thank you for tuning into this week’s blog! This week I’ll be discussing The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies by Christine E. Sleeter.

 While reading this article this week I realized the importance of ethnic studies among Chicano students. Most students enjoy learning about a topic that is relevant to them or their daily lives, and creating ethnic study groups helped the students gain a sense of love for learning. Sleeter emphasizes that ethnic studies can significantly boost students' academic success. When students see their own cultures and histories reflected in the curriculum, they are more engaged in learning. This increases motivation, improves academic performance, and enhances critical thinking skills. Research has shown that students enrolled in ethnic studies courses often perform better in other subjects as well, demonstrating the broad educational benefits of these programs. 

I believe these ethnic studies are perfect for students with different cultural backgrounds to explore more of where they came from, this reading inspired me to learn more about other cultural backgrounds.

The four I’s of Oppression Blog 3

     This week in FNED 246, my class had to read about the Four I’s of Oppression by Luna Malbroux which further described the four main aspects of oppression. First Luna talked about ideological oppression which ultimately is the belief and ideas that promote inequality. I thought of an example of what makes a “real girl” or a “real boy” and how there are certain beliefs as to what makes a guy or a girl. Next, she introduced interpersonal oppression. Interpersonal oppression includes micro aggressions which happens between people and includes words that hurt others. Micro aggressions are small, often unintentional actions or comments that convey disrespect or bias. For example, asking a person of color, "Where are you really from?" implies they are not fully accepted. Then she discussed institutional oppression. This type of oppression is imbedded in organizations, laws and systems. One prime example would be schools in wealthier areas often receiving more funding than those in poorer areas. Last, she discussed internalized oppression. Internalized oppression is when people internalize negative stereotypes about their own identity, leading to self doubt and low self esteem. By understanding these forms we can better recognize and address systematic oppression to create a more inclusive society. All of these levels are interconnected, leaving the oppressed group feeling vulnerable to judgement and ridicule. After reading this I realized the system of oppression is not recognized so much that I know I would like to avoid it in my classroom at all costs.

Blog 2- Other people’s Children-The Silenced Dialogue

      This week we read “Other people’s children-The Silenced Dialogue” by Lisa Delpit, a reading that focused on issues with power in the education system. Students come from all sorts of different backgrounds, and speak different languages and Lisa brought attention to the “culture of power” which benefits the typical white, middle-class students. “Those with power are frequently least aware- or least willing to acknowledge- its existence. Those with less power are often most aware of its existence.” (Delpit 26.) Lisa stated this and it is in relation to Alan Johnson’s speech and short novel which also touched on the obliviousness from white people and their privilege. Delpit has 5 main aspects of “the culture of power” that she brought up and the first stated, issues of power are enacted in the classroom. The way I interpreted this was different ways another group could have a higher4 level of power over the other such as the power of teachers over their students. The first three of the aspects are used in the sociology of education and they focus on the power between liberal educational movements and that of non-white, non middle class teachers and communities. I do believe as a white person I understand my privilege as I see oppression towards other groups, and especially when I visited and observed other classrooms here in Providence I even had better opportunities with my education as I was growing up. Some students come from low-income families which doesn’t make them any less than the other students from the middle of upper class and knowing that Distar was being used to question the ability of non- white students while learning was disappointing. The approach that Distar was using was described as “The teacher is supposed to use continuous eye contact, finger snaps,, hand claps and other gestures…”(Delpit 27). Distar had discouraged students and had them lose motivation to continue a lesson although it was not because of their instructional efficacy, but because of the “expression of explicit power in the classroom” (Delpit 28).

    While reading this I understood the power behind her message and no, race is not the only deciding factor of power in the classroom, but I would not have portrayed that as her message. Lisa Delpit expressed how marginalized student of color are taught in the classroom and how language and power both play a factor in how they are taught. Another scenario that caught my eye was when one East Indian man went in for a interview for an all white committee and it quickly turned to a fail because the interviewees became more and more indirect with their questions and made them nearly unanswerable which tripped up the applicant and he did not get the job. This was a prime example of abusing their power as an all white committee and therefore added to the culture of power. After reading this article I really feel knowledgeable about the culture of power, and intend to stop the cycle rather than continuing it on. 

Allan Johnson Power, Privilege, and Difference Blog 1

     After reading Privilege,Power and Difference by Alan Johnson I realized the impact he was trying to portray to the reader. Alan Johnson gave a presentation on privilege and difference between races and the oppression that people face. He brings attention to inequality and how people struggle talking about or feel uncomfortable talking about it. Why do we feel uncomfortable talking about racism? According to Dr Alan Johnson’s presentation he believes silence is perpetuating racism because it’s racist to think of any other race as an uncomfortable topic. Alan emphasized that it is systematic but not to individuals and becoming uncomfortable or defensive to these topics was embedded in social normals. Why is it that we as humans in this systematic society find it hard to break the cycle of racism? 

    As Alan Johnson stated, “I’m a human being, not a part of the white people”(Johnson), this statement was meant to make a lasting impact on the audience and have them realize the way we talk about communities we are associated as a white person. If you were a person of color, would you like to be known as ‘the black person’? Probably not, that’s because we put the idea in our heads that it’s okay to classify someone by their skin color. The acronym ‘SCWAAMP’ stands for straightness, Christianity, whiteness, Americanness, able-bodieness, maleness, and property ownership.While reading through the article about SCWAAMP I realized a theme of ideology, “The Christian, white, straight, male, able-bodied, property owner, and American”. My ideology is different than what this article talked about and this ideology was imperfect. When I become an educator in the near future, I want my students to feel safe and welcomed in the classroom, I do not want them to have their eyes opened to an ideology where they think they are not good enough for everyone around them. 

    While listening to the presentation by Dr. Alan Johnson I quickly made the assumption that he might not know what he’s talking about, and I realized I can be part of the issue with early judgments. Although, I am pretty good at avoiding the typically ideology standards I do think Alan Johnson made a good point in white identification and how we are part of a dominant group of people. To break the white identification cycle is to really show improvement and not be quick with judgments. To wrap up this blog, Alan Johnson wrote a great book overlooking privilege and power of one certain group and with his words of empowerment to break the cycle I believe we as humans can change the standard ideology, and overlook one’s race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religious stand points.