PK Presentation

Link to my PK

Social Justice Event

One on One with Chris Burns 

The event I attended was on campus and was called “One on One with Chris Burns”. Chris was the first collegiate coach to come out as gay. He coaches the D1 basketball at Bryant University. He stated that all through high school he was the basketball start dating the head cheerleader, but he knew it didn’t feel right. He felt like something was wrong but ignored that feeling because he wanted to fit the stereotype of star athlete dating the head cheerleader. Once he went off to college at Bryant he realized that he was gay but was too scared to tell anyone because he did not want to hear the remarks or lose any friends. He kept it to himself but was dating someone named Anthony while in college. He discussed how people were suspicious about them being together and started making remarks. Keeping himself “in the closet” was “detaching him from his family and friends” he had to hide his identity from everyone in order to be accepted. When he finally came out as gay and the news leaked out everywhere he lost many friends, but had a support group of friends and his family that stuck with him. When asked what his parents said when he came out, his response was “they suspected it, and cannot wait to meet my boyfriend.” He was asked how do you think it will affect your coaching career? and he responded with that he knows he may never get a head coach position and that is fine with him because if he can be at least an assistant coach and teach and watch others succeed in the sport he loves then that is the greatest accomplishment out there. At the closing of his talk he told us that everyone’s life is a journey, do not rush it. If you do not feel comfortable you don’t have to say anything yet, and don’t let your fears take you over. Throughout this whole event I could think of Gerri August and her safe spaces article. This is about someone considered to be LGBT and how they need a safe place to be themselves. For Chris before he came out there was no safe space for him, he had no one to talk to, no one to “protect” him, and he was afraid of what reality could bring. After coming out, he found his safe space with his team he coaches, family, and support group of friends. He felt he could now truly be Chris Burns. Another author that stuck out to me while listening to Chris speak was Johnson and “say the words”. If Chris never said the words that he was gay he would still be someone he is not. He knew that his problem growing up was he liked the same-sex but was not sure how to say it, when to say it, or if he should say it. Since he said the words like Johnson would of encouraged him to do he was able to take a moment and think “I am now me”. The last author that came to mind was Grinner and SCWAMMP, Chris fit every aspect of SCWAMMP besides the straightness. Listening to him talk I was thinking he was once considered what America values, but now he would be looked like as less. He wouldn’t have equal job opportunities, he would be looked at as different, and he would be seen as less than someone else. Thinking he is “different” is completely incorrect, he is no different than you and I, he is human and has every right to be just as successful as everyone else. 

A youtube video by USA today about the coverage story on Chris Burns 

An article that Chris wrote about himself and coming out as gay

This is an article about LGBT people and playing sports, it is a 2016 article

Empowering Education

Ira Shore 
Extended Comments 

This week I decided to use Carlene’s blog because I made the same connections to the quotes that she chose. The article by Shor mainly talks about education in school systems and how students should feel challenged in the classroom but also have the opportunity to question what they are being taught. 

The first quote Carlene used is “A curriculum that does not challenge the standard syllabus and conditions in society informs students that knowledge and the world are fixed and are fine the way they are, with no role for students to play in transforming them, and no need for change” (page 12).  This is where Shor makes the main point of students being challenged in order to learn and grow. If there is no creativity or thought behind the curriculum then children will not be able to express or create their own thoughts and opinions. I also believe this goes along with Johnson’s article and how people show acknowledge the problem and “say the words”. 

I also agree that this article related to Finn’s reading and Anyon’s study of the different social classes. The quote by Shor “Students learn that education is something to put up with, to tolerate as best they can, to obey, or to resist” (page 26) explains if there is no student participation with the teaching then education is seen as something to get through. Finn would say working class schools with no collaboration from the students, the dominant theme was resistance. Shor would argue that in order for students to get the most out of their education they need to be able to work with their teachers instead of rebelling against them. 

Points to share:

I really enjoyed this reading it brought up many great points and made a lot of connections to previous readings. I agree with what Carlene had to say while explaining the quotes. Just like Ariana I thought Shor was a woman until I googled the name as well and was surprised to see he was a 70 year old man.... 

Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome

Christopher Kliewer 
Connections

Grinner: Grinner is all about dominant ideology and it is demonstrated through SCWAAMP, which is what America values the most. Kliewer connects to the “abled-bodieness” that Grinner talks about. When it comes to being an able-body you are considered to be muscular, slim and a strong body, if you are thinner, larger, handicapped, or have a mental disability you are looked at as less able-bodied. In Kliewer’s article the people are not considered abled-bodiness and therefore do not fit the dominant ideology, he says "...legitimize discrimination and devaluation on the basis of the dominant society's preferences in matters of ability, gender, ethnicity, and race..." (73).

August: August talks about “safe-spaces” and how people can learn better if they feel safe, and comfortable in their area. She also discusses how schools should make students feel more normalized and less of outcast. Kliewer connects to August when he says “It’s safe – what he calls a ‘safe space’. Like a lot of people in Mendocino, he’s accepted for what he is, not what he isn’t. And he can concentrate on what he can do, instead of being shown or being told what he can’t do” (Page 86). This demonstrates that John felt comfortable and accepted by people and he was able to succeed. Knowing he was in a safe space gave him the opportunity to do what he can do, he also was able to feel safe in this space because he knew he was not going to be told “no” or be shown a different way he wasn’t comfortable with. 

Points to Share: 

The quote “I have Down syndrome, but I am not handicapped” (page 93) really stood out to me because it shows someone may have a disability but it does not prevent them from doing things. This article made me feel more confident in my recent decision of having a concentration in Adaptive PE. I cannot wait to work with students with different disabilities and make them feel more comfortable and enjoy class. 

Author Map

My Author Map

Happy Opening Day! 

Go Sox!

Literacy with an Attitude

Patrick Finn
Quotes

"We all participate in this social system as if it were natural, the way things were meant to be." 

Here Finn is relating to Delpit and the rules and codes of power. He is saying that we all do something that is natural because we were taught that is the way they are supposed to be. We do not go against these social norms we have because we do not want to be looked at as a “rule breaker”. This is related to Delpit because she says that there is a set of rules that everyone knows and follows without questioning why we have them.

"When rich children get empowering education nothing changes.  But when working-class children get empowering education you get literacy with an attitude." 

Empowering education “leads to powerful literacy” which will then lead to power and authority. When rich children receive this education nothing changes because they are all ready in power with being higher in the social class. When working-class children get this education they take as much as they can in and explore it.  As Finn describes it “literacy with an attitude” is the working-class children taking this empowering education opportunity and learning what it truly is about. 

"Teachers made derogatory remarks regarding the students. A principal was reported to have said to a new teacher 'Just do your best. If they learn to add and subtract, that's a bonus. If not, don't worry about it.' A second grade teacher said the children were 'getting dumber every year'”. 

This quote is demonstrating how schools do not care for the students education and that they are just there for the money. To have a principal saying not to worry is unbelievable because they should be the ones aiding the teachers in the direction to get the students to learn. Instead the teachers are disrespecting the students and where they come from. If they are from a lower-class they deserve the same education has a higher class student. Every child has a dream they want to fulfill and teachers should be the guide to reaching it. 

Points to share:

In this read I feel like I could connect to Delipt and the “rules and codes of power” , along with McIntosh’s “white privilege”. I really struggled at first with the reading but when I looked at other post I could follow along better.

The American Life 562/563

THE AMERICAN LIFE EPISODES 562 AND 563
"Separate and Unequal" by: Bob Herbert 
Extended comments

This week I chose to use Kate’s post as the center of my post.

Kate started her blog off with a few vocabulary words and their definitions, I believe that this is a great way to start off a blog because it showed that you learned some new words to use in conversations and that you had to do a little research on the topic and its meaning. 

The first quote she used was "One mother asked why residents did not get to vote on letting in Normandy kids..." -562 

I agree with her that when I heard this piece I was reminded of Kozol and his institution/individual acts. The example she uses about Mott have and comparing it to the radio broadcast I agree have the same issue, the lower class did not have a say in if they wanted something or not. The idea of segregation is still around, there are people who think they have the more rights and power than someone else. 

The next quote she used was "...how crazy white kids are or how much freedom they get to be crazy." -563

This quote reminded me of SCHWAAMP, and how in today’s culture we value whiteness. Like Kate said, we associate having a good time to being white such as “white wasted”. The example of how the students of the college flashed their butts at the opposing team to taunt the is a perfect fit for how being white is valued. No one questioned the act because they were white, if they were of a different race there would of been a fight. 

Points to share:

I agree with Kate about how the two radio shows and the article by Bob Herbert having a lot of great connections to the text we have done in class. I can also relate to there being a lot of Johnson in the radio shows, such as how “we wont talk about it (race)”, and how Kiana wasn’t afraid to question the white privilege and say the words. She stepped up and asked questions along to admitting to feelings and talking about things.

In The Service Of What?

Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer
Reflection

While reading Kahne and Westheimer’s piece I was able to connect it to Kristof’s article and when he talks about Rick Goff. The quote “educators and legislators alike maintain that service learning can improve the community and invigorate the classroom, providing educational experiences for students at all levels of schooling.” demonstrates what we as students participating in service learning projects should be doing while we take part in this. When it comes to the different types of help the article did a great job of giving examples to demonstrate the two types. I believe each type of help had its benefits, but I think Mr. Johnson’s class had more of a benefit over Ms. Adam’s class. Mr. Johnson’s class was able to pick where they wanted to do their service learning and be able to explore the different lifestyles than they are accustomed to. 
Service learning is a way for students or an individual to give back and help their community. This is an opportunity where someone gets to explore outside of what they are used to, figure more out about themselves, and learn about those who are less fortunate than themselves. This opportunity can be an eye opener for many people if they are unaware of what is going on around them. 
What really caught my attention is when Kahne and Westheimer talk about how doing service learning we can “promote students' self-esteem,...develop higher-order thinking skills,...make use of multiple abilities, and...provide authentic learning experiences.” This was an attention grabber because I never really took a second to think about how the service learning I am doing can truly impact a student. 

Points to share: 

I think it is a great idea for students to have to do a service learning project in high school. This is the time when students will be able to understand what is going on and be more mature to walk into different settings. Yes, it can be a huge pain and another added task but it can really open someones eyes and make them see the bigger issues out there. 

Safe Spaces- Gerri August

Gerri August
Hyperlinks 

Gerri August has strong feelings about those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. He strongly feels that they should be accepted b everyone no matter where they are. He talks about how schools should be the safe place for  students of LGBT but the classrooms do not have much exposure to it and this makes students not feel safe. August says “Even teachers who describe themselves as social justice advocates fail to challenge homophobic or transphobic language and images in many early childhood settings” (p. 86). With this being said we set the image of an “ideal” family in young children’s minds, we neglect to show the importance of transgender or homosexual parents. 

Ellen DeGeneres
In this article Ellen talks about how it was a scary thing to say the words “I’m gay” on her show. She talks about the emotions she has and makes the connection to how it is difficult for anyone to say those words. This article fits into what August says because Ellen then says that the public opinion about being gay makes people feel ashamed. August raises the issue of those who are LGBT are not accepted and this is a perfect example of how society does not accept it. 

Stats
This article is about the statistics of LGBT students. All the stats in this article really shocked me, they showed the physical and verbal abuse students got, missing class, how they do not feel safe in school all because of their sexual orientation. This article relates to August’s issue of students not feeling safe in the classroom and how they are not accepted by their surrounding peers. It is upsetting to me to see such high percentages because it shows that nothing is changing for LGBT students and some are going to extremes such as suicide to escape the pain. 

Points to share:

I was able to connect August’s reading to Grinner’s SCWAAMP. I was able to us the straightness aspect here. This is because in America we only value those who are straight. Those who are LGBT are not accepted in our society, although the issue is not as bad as it once was it is still there. I believe this will always be an issue because not everyone will be accepting of those with a different sexual orientation. I think August’s article is a must read and after reading it I feel some research on LGBT issues should be done to see the reality of how we treat those who are either lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. 

Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us

Linda Christensen

Reflection

Reading Christensen’s piece was an eye opener to me. Before reading I know cartoons and movies had stereotypes and hidden messages, but I was unaware of how much each cartoon or movie portrayed it. Young children look at these films or cartoons and see a women needing a man to save her, or the only way to be liked it to have the “perfect” body image. Reading this article showed how much of a negative impact media has on people of young ages. When they see what is going on they think they have to be that way and go about making themselves that way to fit in. 

In this article I made the connection to Grinner’s SCWAAMP. I mostly connected it to straightness and whiteness. Straightness comes from every relationship in fairy tales being heterosexual. Not one is a homosexual relationship. This demonstrates that everyone has a happy ending when they are attracted to the opposite sex (which we know isn’t true). The connection to whiteness is every character with a major role is white and not of color. Other races were mixed into the princess role but it wasn’t until 2009 when the “Princess and the Frog” came out and changed the “white princess” aspect when they introduced a princess of color. 

Girls who watch the Disney princess films always see the princess in trouble and looking for a prince’s help or how they need to change to get their prince's attention. They show that a man must be the one who is strong and to be the hero at the end of the. When a young girl sees this message they get the idea that the only way they can be saved is by a man. This message was changed slightly in 2013 when the film “Frozen” came out. Yes, it showed a man trying to be the hero and save the day, but in the end it is the sister love that saves everything. 

Points to share:

I believe media has a major role in all our lives when it comes to we should fit into society and how we should act as both male and females. Disney has positive and negative impacts on children’s lives. It positively shows motivation and determination, but negatively shows body image and heroism is just being males. Knowing what I know now about the “secret education” that Christensen talks about changes my out look on children films and cartoons. 

"Aria"

Richard Rodriguez: "Aria"
Reflection 

While reading Rodriguez’s story I instantly thought of Johnson and his “just saying the words”. The issue being ignored is a language barrier, in America we believe that everyone should speak English and neglect to think that people come from different backgrounds and cultures with their own language. I thought Rodriguez did a great job telling his story, it made it a much easier read for me. This article also reminded me of Delpit and the “culture of power”. He had to give up his primary language and lose a connection with his Spanish speaking family to be accepted into society. 

Rodriguez and his family are part of a minority, the story reflected on how someone in a minority is at a disadvantage in the society due to not being “one with the society”. What I do not understand is why do schools stress learning another language for those who speak English. If they are telling those who do not speak English that they have to learn it and make it their primary language, then English speaking people are wasting their time learning another language. 

As a future educator I feel we should not push students away from speaking their native language. When Rodriguez said “The family’s quiet was partly due to the fact that as we children learned more and more English” (37) made me realize that we are corrupting other backgrounds and cultures to make everyone fit our “norms”. We as future educators should diminish this issue and do what Johnson says “say the words”. 

Points to share: 

Just like Carlene said, we should incorporate other cultures into the classroom so all students know they are important and where they come from is as well. We need to find a way to allow students who do not speak English be able to fit into society but not lose that family connection they have at home with their native language.

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack 
By: Peggy McIntosh
Quotes

1. "I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group"

Peggy McIntosh starts by saying this, she is implying that every one is taught racism at some point and its meaning. She brings up “white privilege” and how there is power that exist for white males, they have an advantage over everyone. Many whites are unaware that they discriminate those of a different race they grew up around isolation of those who are not “the same”, therefore they do not see themselves and racist. 

2. “We usually think of privilege as being a favored state, whether earned or conferred by birth or luck.”

Privilege is something we favor no matter how we received it. Living in the United States and being white we are privileged with jobs, homes, water, and so much more. We earned this privilege by being born into it. Without our family history we may have never been blessed to have this privilege. Privilege can be used in countless ways and some neglect to think that they are privileged in some way. McIntosh uses the term privilege throughout her article, she talks about the “Daily effects of white privilege” that she experiences throughout her life.

3. "I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege."

Whites are taught not to see that they are privileged, to see what they have and do as the normal ideal life that anyone would want. The see that having a job and being served first as ideal and that they are not privileged. Males are taught to not see they have a privilege over women. For each dollar a man makes a woman non-hispanic or black will make $0.78 but hispanic black will make less than them but a hispanic will make the least. The two privileges are not that far off from one another.

Questions-Comments-Points to share:

While reading this article I made the connection to the activity we did by Grinner. Grinner talks about how the United States is symbolized by “Whiteness” and “Male-ness” which is also demonstrated throughout McIntosh’s article. I feel as a future educator I should teach my students that everyone is the same and should be treated with the same “privileges” as everyone else. If this was to be taught would it be carried to the generations after and considered the new “norm”? 

Kristof

U.S.A., Land of Limitations?
Nicholas Kristof

Argument

In his article, Nicholas Kristof argues that where you are born and how you live will affect you all your life. 

While reading his article you will notice how Kristof reflects on this argument throughout the entire thing. He talks about how people who come from higher income families will have high income later on and be more successful due to their wealthier background. But in comparison those who come from a low come family will have low come later on in life and have less success due to their background. 

He talks about Rick Goff who was born into a low income family with multiple issues. His mother had passed when he was young and his father was an alcoholic and absent from the family, and went to a school that did not recognize the attention deficit disorder and did nothing to stop him from dropping out. This man grew up poor and worked as hard as he could to make a living and be as successful as he could be. 

The way people are brought up to live will be what they carry their entire life. If someone is born into a wealthier family they will only know the customs to that and not what those who are from poorer families. He states “That’s a poverty that is far harder to escape.” to show that when people are in poverty they will always be looked at like that there is no escaping that view. 

Questions/Comments/Point To Share:

What really gets me is that this article is only a year old and it still accurate today. The claims Nicholas Kristof was making I agree with. People who come from low income families are still looked at as being unsuccessful and won’t get a good education or job and will struggle all their life. His friend Rick Goff is a perfect example of this because Goff  struggled his life to be successful like society portrays success to be. He was a single dad trying to manage everyday life, and his low income background stood out here. 

A Little About Me!

I am the eldest of three. On the left is my brother Nick (18) who is attends MCPHS and on the right is my brother Tom (16) who is a junior in high school. We don't always get along but we support each other 100%. 

I have been coaching cheerleading for girls with special needs & disabilities for 7 years and love every minute of it. When I am not coaching them I am on the field playing softball either for my summer team or RIC. I have been playing every since I would walk basically. 

These two are my best friends. Kendra (right) and Brittany (middle) have been there for me through every break down and heartbreak. They push me to do my best and become successful. It is stressful being a full-time student, playing softball and working but they keep me sane. I am blessed to have them in my life.

I absolutely love country concerts. This is how I spend majority of my summer with friends. 

June 2015

July 2015

I work three jobs due to my car being totaled in my drive way and having to pay for my one. I am a baby-sitter and do sales at Work Out World, I work at Gillette Stadium in the Optum Field Lounge, and I am also a substitute teacher for the Dighton-Rehoboth school systems.