For my final Portfolio Assignment, I wanted to write a poem that follows my journey through this class. I summarize my most important feelings at different points and what lessons I was learning along the way. I then conclude with how I'm feeling now. Enjoy:
Ah, multicultural, so we meet again
It seems so soon for this to end
I started out the semester mad and annoyed
Due to the problems I tried to avoid.
I wanted to focus on solutions, not disruptions
Somehow I just didn't see the connection
Between identifying my biases and become better
(Maybe I just wanted the letter)
However, I've since realized my logical fault
Jumping to conclusions will only halt
My process of becoming a teacher
I need to step back and start looking deeper.
I started out with a goal, quite non-specific
"Make my classroom simply terrific!
Safe, open, full of trust
Surely there's nothing else unjust!"
Little did I realize quite the extent
to which I humbly needed to repent.
My own discrimination prevented me
From being the best that I could be.
Little by little as we unpacked
each topic, each lesson, I was taken back
at how much I didn't understand
at how much I never considered beforehand
Being "non" isn't the same as "anti"
I need to be an advocate, not an ally
Passively standing by won't cut it
which I definitely didn't want to admit
Regardless of my spiritual beliefs,
for my students, I'm a source of relief
I may not agree with their choices,
But I can stand up with their voices.
It takes a lot to put aside one's pride
But that's expected, I'm on their side.
There isn't a doubt, the list can go on,
There's just one question to ask before we're gone
While pondering what I learned this year,
I thought I'd get some help from my peers.
So I sent out a link, with just one question
"What was this year's biggest lesson?"
The responses soon came pouring in
And as I read them, I began to grin
We're all very different as you can see
But something in this class touched us deeply
One student exclaimed all hunky dory
"There's more to people than a single story!"
Another pointed out, completely joking
"We're all racists!" (I'm simply quoting)
In all seriousness, we've learned a lot
And have Dr. Draper to thank for our thoughts
"Celebrate differences", "Fight for social justice"
"Do what we need, so our students trust us"
As future teachers, overall, we recognize
we're all still just a bit unwise
As sometimes we hurt or offend,
But it's all about love in the end
So no matter where we end up teaching
Remember, it's about the students we're reaching
So don't get discourage or mope around
And don't let life get you down
Even if there's much to fix, the world is a dump
(I mean, come on, we just elected Trump)
You might begin to think, that's it, we're doomed,
But the best place to start is in our classrooms.
As I now go on to student teaching,
My extend is now far-reaching.
I'm excited, determined, to make a difference
I put aside my own self-interests.
I may not get it right my very first try,
But no way will I idly standby
My passive ways are in the past
I'm ready, driven, and steadfast.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Re-Imagined Classroom
As I edit my "Imagined Classroom" text that is added in red (Like this) is how I would now envision my classroom. Text that is white is what I had already previously written. Text/ideas I want to completely get rid of now will be crossed out. (Like this)
As I begin imagining my future classroom, the first thing that comes to mind is the physical aspect. As far as lay-out goes, I would like my desks to me arranged in groups, allowing for sufficient classroom discussion. Something like the following:
However, I'm also a strong proponent that all students should personally get to know each of their classmates. I plan to accomplish this is a couple of different ways. First, on the first day of school, I would have each student introduce themselves to the class, say what they did that summer, and that whole bit. Then, the students would shuffle themselves and try to remember each other's names. And again... and again... and possibly again just for good measure. Assuming they're semi-familiar with each other due to attending the same school, I don't think it's unrealistic to have every student know every other student's name by the end of the first day.
As far as the getting to know each other part goes, that's a little more tricky. I once had a math teacher who used a deck of cards to "shuffle" her students' seating arrangement each day and I've grown very fond of that idea.
For example, on the second day of class, I would stand at the door and greet each student, handing them a random card from my deck. Then, another card of the same number would be taped to the pod of desks. So, for example, all students who receive a card with a number "3" on it, would sit at pod 3. Not actually as complex as it sounds, but it's a great way to "force" students to sit together without having to make a physical seating chart every day.
http://itembrowser.com/item.php?id=353
(These are the types of cards I would use each day to assign my students their seats. By doing it this way, I don't have to come up with a new seating chart all the time, and yet, they get to meet new people)
I decided to change the way I did my seating chart because I didn't want it to be random anymore. Before, I didn't consider that my students may speak different languages or may not feel comfortable not sitting with strangers. With my new seating chart, I can put students near others who I know can help/uplift them or with students with whom they can communicate clearly.
I've also thought a lot about how I can help my students feel represented and express themselves in the classroom. I've decided to leave one of the walls in my classroom completely blank. Instead, I would simply have a long, white sheet of butcher paper. My students are allowed to come in (during lunch, before/after school, or during passing periods) and doodle or write anything they'd like. I'll call it my "graffiti wall." Obviously this "graffiti" needs to be school appropriate, but I think it will help my students feel like they're part of the classroom community.
Now that my students have sufficiently awkwardly introduced themselves, we would dive into the classroom policies. In my opinion, the first day of school is by far the most important. It sets the tone for the entire rest of the year. I want them to know a couple of things but mainly I want to create an open, safe environment. I have no idea where I'll end up teaching (due to my husband attending medical school in the near future), but wherever I end up, I can almost guarantee that I will have students from multiple backgrounds (ethnically, financially, geographically, intellectually...) and yet, I want them all to feel safe and comfortable making mistakes. Saying that now as a confident college student sounds easy, but making mistakes as a high schooler is practically the end of the world. Unfortunately, something as simple as that can tarnish a student's opinion of math (one of the already most hated subjects). This is why classroom policies are so important on the first day of school.
The first thing I would want to go over is the syllabus. This is because the syllabus (regardless of how the class itself is run) will contain important topics I want to cover on the first day of class. These topics include:
Inappropriate language. I imagine the conversation going like this: "In our classroom, we don't use any type of language that would offend anyone of any race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, culture, class/poverty, etc... If you are not sure if something is offensive or not, feel free toc come and ask me. But I'll tell you right now, if you're unsure, it's probably best to not say it. I understand that some of you may be used to this language already and not think much of it. I just want you to know, though, if I hear it, I will address it immediately. I may address it privately or to the class as a whole, but it's that important that I won't let even one instance slide."
Homework policy: I'm pretty lenient when it comes to grades. Here's how I imagine the discussion about homework going. "In my class, homework is graded by you based on your participation, completion, and effort. So, if you feel like you did your best work and attempted each problem, you should give yourself a 10/10. Homework should be used as an assessment for me and for you to know how well you understand each concept. If I looks at the homework and realize every student missed #2, this means I didn't do my job as a teacher. I expect you and me to both adjust our efforts as needed."
I wanted to include these two additional discussions of language and homework for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted my students to expect how I would react when I hear inappropriate language. I also want them to begin becoming aware of the impact their words can have on others. I also was worried about how to teach tolerance in a math classroom where we don't usually have discussions about things like this and realized that bringing it up directly on the first day of school would be the best way.
As for the homework discussion, I wanted to focus on the idea that my students are responsible for their own work and that I'm going to treat them as adults. I don't need to be on their backs about every little assignment. I want to change the way they view their education - the burden of learning should be shared between the teacher and them. It's not just the teacher's fault if they don't succeed. My class requires effort, but as I'll talk about later, the learning is much deeper and will last a lifetime.
After looking online on google, pinterest, etc... I came up with some policies of my own. Ideally, we would review/update these often and have them posted on the classroom wall.
Be Present: Physically and mentally be present in class. No cell phones or other electronics (besides calculators of course). Participation is Key.
Take Responsibility: Your work is your work. Your actions are your actions. You choose how to act and how to respond and no other option will be accepted.
Learn how to fail: There is a difference between failing repeatedly and being a failure. There are no failures in my classroom. We learn only by experience and that's okay.
A couple of other thoughts about these classroom policies. For the "participation is key" part, I've realized that high schoolers aren't super motivated to participate without some type of reward. However, I also don't want to punish those students who are introverts or have anxiety about sharing answers. But, after all, this is a safe zone so hopefully that wouldn't happen. I would definitely be willing to bump up a student's grade who actively participates in class and simply didn't do well on a couple of assignments. I believe by making this known to the students early on would encourage classroom discussion/participation.
Honestly, I don't care about grades. Having been someone who learned and attended class only to maintain my gpa, I now believe they're worthless. The student cares plenty enough about their own grade for the both of us. That being said, I am very very passionate about understanding. If a student can on their own accord demonstrate understanding to me, I would be very flexible regarding their physical grade.
I'm imagining a "C" student coming to me and saying "Mrs. Garland, look. I can conceptually demonstrate to you what slope means...." And I will adamantly argue against anyway who says that doesn't deserve an A but claiming that being able to regurgitate "rise over run" does.
(If a student can come to me and present this type of graph with a conceptual understanding, why shouldn't they get an A?)
https://www.montereyinstitute.org/courses/Algebra1/COURSE_TEXT_RESOURCE/U04_L1_T1_text_final.html
This idea also connects to my homework policy. I like to follow the 4-2-2 rule. There will be 8 problems assigned each night. Four of them will be on what we learned that day in class, two will be review, and two will be foreshadowing, exploratory, challenging questions on what we will learn the next day. Homework will be a formative assessment around which I will need to adjust the next day's lessons. By making both of these standpoints known to the class on the first day of school I can hopefully encourage students to learn conceptually and not procedurally.
Which brings me to my other probably debateable philosophy of teaching mathematics. This idea comes mainly from Dr. Teuscher, but I refuse to teach procedures. They're not needed. I will never say to my class "The formula to find the area of a rectangle is length time width." Like, what is the point of that? That demonstrates the thinking of a robot. Instead, I will ask my students to see how many unit squares can fit into this rectangular shape and to then find a way to generalize that to any size of rectangle. THE FORMULA WILL COME UP ON ITS OWN I PROMISE. After that point, I can guarantee you that none of my students will forget or use the wrong formula. That's not what happens when concepts are understood. Obviously this is more easily said than done, but I'm working towards zero procedures and I'm sure I'll get there eventually.
One other aspect I decided to implement on the first day of school was "Get to Know You" forms. I talked about the fact that I wanted to have good relationships with my students, but never really was specific about how to do that (probably because I was unsure myself). However, I realized that in order for my students to trust me and vice versa, I need to better get to know them. Because of this, I want to have them fill out "Get to Know You" forms. Some questions on this form may include:
What do you want to learn in this class besides math?
What are you interested in?
Are you involved in any extracurricular activities at school?
What is your home language?
Do you have access to a computer?
What is your parent/guardian's contact information and the best way to reach them?
What is something you want me to know about you?
Are you comfortable answering questions on the board/presenting in front of the class?
This form now serves two purposes. 1) It helps me get to know what my students are interested/involved in. By knowing this I can apply math to things they care about as well as attend any of their activities to show I care about them. 2) It also helps me understand what kind of background the students are coming from. I can learn what their home life is like and if there are any concerns I should be aware of.
I also wanted to make sure my students feel comfortable in my classroom which includes realizing that they may come from a culture where working as a group or presenting in front of the class isn't widely accepted. If this is the case, I, as the teacher, would want to be aware of it.
With this form I hope my students realize that I care about their lives, not just about their learning of math. I think I had left this important fact out of my original imagined classroom and I'm feeling better about how I can create this open, safe environment in my classroom.
Now, as I imagine the physical layout of my classroom, I'm reminded of the countless mathematics classrooms I've stepped foot in. They're usually covered with symbols, equations, formula, or anything numbers related really. I'm a big believe of surrounding yourself with goodness. So, that is exactly what I will do. I plan on having motivational posters, quotes, sayings, etc. all over my classroom; sayings that truly make my students think and want to become better. I previously had imagined quotes (all in English) and math posters, but realized that I'm assuming everyone speaks English and has an interest in math. Because of this, I now plan to have inspirational quotes in different languages as well as quotes from inspirational people from all different cultures. In my brain, my posters were all going to be from white males which isn't the type of model I want to set for my students. I want them to have positive role models from their own culture/gender/ethnicity/sexual orientation which means I need to incorporate these role models into my classroom. Basically I've now changed my imagined classroom to include all of these.
I imagine having this poster up on my wall and hoping the students see me as a mentor and not a judge when it comes to grades and tests
Next, I would review the homework. Once again, having them only check their answers for the first 4 problems and then share their strategies and attempts for the last two problems. Those two problems are key. They're my segue into the day's lesson. I'm not expecting the students to fully be able to answer these questions. They will be pretty open-ended and are intended to push the students to explore more concepts.
In summary, My classroom is open, safe, comfortable. Lots of sharing and lots of mistakes. Students participate in the teaching while the teacher facilitates, monitors, and directs. Students are motivated by a desire to learn because they understand the benefit it is to them.
Once again, obviously this is in a super ideal situation, but if I can even focus on one thing each year I teach and improve from there, I'm making a difference and that's what really counts.
As I begin imagining my future classroom, the first thing that comes to mind is the physical aspect. As far as lay-out goes, I would like my desks to me arranged in groups, allowing for sufficient classroom discussion. Something like the following:
(This is how I'd like my classroom to be set up. With bright colors and the students in groups of 4)
Source: http://blog.edmentum.com/what-your-room-setup-says-about-youAs far as the getting to know each other part goes, that's a little more tricky. I once had a math teacher who used a deck of cards to "shuffle" her students' seating arrangement each day and I've grown very fond of that idea.
For example, on the second day of class, I would stand at the door and greet each student, handing them a random card from my deck. Then, another card of the same number would be taped to the pod of desks. So, for example, all students who receive a card with a number "3" on it, would sit at pod 3. Not actually as complex as it sounds, but it's a great way to "force" students to sit together without having to make a physical seating chart every day.
http://itembrowser.com/item.php?id=353
(These are the types of cards I would use each day to assign my students their seats. By doing it this way, I don't have to come up with a new seating chart all the time, and yet, they get to meet new people)
I decided to change the way I did my seating chart because I didn't want it to be random anymore. Before, I didn't consider that my students may speak different languages or may not feel comfortable not sitting with strangers. With my new seating chart, I can put students near others who I know can help/uplift them or with students with whom they can communicate clearly.
I've also thought a lot about how I can help my students feel represented and express themselves in the classroom. I've decided to leave one of the walls in my classroom completely blank. Instead, I would simply have a long, white sheet of butcher paper. My students are allowed to come in (during lunch, before/after school, or during passing periods) and doodle or write anything they'd like. I'll call it my "graffiti wall." Obviously this "graffiti" needs to be school appropriate, but I think it will help my students feel like they're part of the classroom community.
Now that my students have sufficiently awkwardly introduced themselves, we would dive into the classroom policies. In my opinion, the first day of school is by far the most important. It sets the tone for the entire rest of the year. I want them to know a couple of things but mainly I want to create an open, safe environment. I have no idea where I'll end up teaching (due to my husband attending medical school in the near future), but wherever I end up, I can almost guarantee that I will have students from multiple backgrounds (ethnically, financially, geographically, intellectually...) and yet, I want them all to feel safe and comfortable making mistakes. Saying that now as a confident college student sounds easy, but making mistakes as a high schooler is practically the end of the world. Unfortunately, something as simple as that can tarnish a student's opinion of math (one of the already most hated subjects). This is why classroom policies are so important on the first day of school.
The first thing I would want to go over is the syllabus. This is because the syllabus (regardless of how the class itself is run) will contain important topics I want to cover on the first day of class. These topics include:
Inappropriate language. I imagine the conversation going like this: "In our classroom, we don't use any type of language that would offend anyone of any race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, culture, class/poverty, etc... If you are not sure if something is offensive or not, feel free toc come and ask me. But I'll tell you right now, if you're unsure, it's probably best to not say it. I understand that some of you may be used to this language already and not think much of it. I just want you to know, though, if I hear it, I will address it immediately. I may address it privately or to the class as a whole, but it's that important that I won't let even one instance slide."
Homework policy: I'm pretty lenient when it comes to grades. Here's how I imagine the discussion about homework going. "In my class, homework is graded by you based on your participation, completion, and effort. So, if you feel like you did your best work and attempted each problem, you should give yourself a 10/10. Homework should be used as an assessment for me and for you to know how well you understand each concept. If I looks at the homework and realize every student missed #2, this means I didn't do my job as a teacher. I expect you and me to both adjust our efforts as needed."
I wanted to include these two additional discussions of language and homework for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted my students to expect how I would react when I hear inappropriate language. I also want them to begin becoming aware of the impact their words can have on others. I also was worried about how to teach tolerance in a math classroom where we don't usually have discussions about things like this and realized that bringing it up directly on the first day of school would be the best way.
As for the homework discussion, I wanted to focus on the idea that my students are responsible for their own work and that I'm going to treat them as adults. I don't need to be on their backs about every little assignment. I want to change the way they view their education - the burden of learning should be shared between the teacher and them. It's not just the teacher's fault if they don't succeed. My class requires effort, but as I'll talk about later, the learning is much deeper and will last a lifetime.
Be Present: Physically and mentally be present in class. No cell phones or other electronics (besides calculators of course). Participation is Key.
Take Responsibility: Your work is your work. Your actions are your actions. You choose how to act and how to respond and no other option will be accepted.
Learn how to fail: There is a difference between failing repeatedly and being a failure. There are no failures in my classroom. We learn only by experience and that's okay.
A couple of other thoughts about these classroom policies. For the "participation is key" part, I've realized that high schoolers aren't super motivated to participate without some type of reward. However, I also don't want to punish those students who are introverts or have anxiety about sharing answers. But, after all, this is a safe zone so hopefully that wouldn't happen. I would definitely be willing to bump up a student's grade who actively participates in class and simply didn't do well on a couple of assignments. I believe by making this known to the students early on would encourage classroom discussion/participation.
Honestly, I don't care about grades. Having been someone who learned and attended class only to maintain my gpa, I now believe they're worthless. The student cares plenty enough about their own grade for the both of us. That being said, I am very very passionate about understanding. If a student can on their own accord demonstrate understanding to me, I would be very flexible regarding their physical grade.
I'm imagining a "C" student coming to me and saying "Mrs. Garland, look. I can conceptually demonstrate to you what slope means...." And I will adamantly argue against anyway who says that doesn't deserve an A but claiming that being able to regurgitate "rise over run" does.
(If a student can come to me and present this type of graph with a conceptual understanding, why shouldn't they get an A?)
Which brings me to my other probably debateable philosophy of teaching mathematics. This idea comes mainly from Dr. Teuscher, but I refuse to teach procedures. They're not needed. I will never say to my class "The formula to find the area of a rectangle is length time width." Like, what is the point of that? That demonstrates the thinking of a robot. Instead, I will ask my students to see how many unit squares can fit into this rectangular shape and to then find a way to generalize that to any size of rectangle. THE FORMULA WILL COME UP ON ITS OWN I PROMISE. After that point, I can guarantee you that none of my students will forget or use the wrong formula. That's not what happens when concepts are understood. Obviously this is more easily said than done, but I'm working towards zero procedures and I'm sure I'll get there eventually.
One other aspect I decided to implement on the first day of school was "Get to Know You" forms. I talked about the fact that I wanted to have good relationships with my students, but never really was specific about how to do that (probably because I was unsure myself). However, I realized that in order for my students to trust me and vice versa, I need to better get to know them. Because of this, I want to have them fill out "Get to Know You" forms. Some questions on this form may include:
What do you want to learn in this class besides math?
What are you interested in?
Are you involved in any extracurricular activities at school?
What is your home language?
Do you have access to a computer?
What is your parent/guardian's contact information and the best way to reach them?
What is something you want me to know about you?
Are you comfortable answering questions on the board/presenting in front of the class?
This form now serves two purposes. 1) It helps me get to know what my students are interested/involved in. By knowing this I can apply math to things they care about as well as attend any of their activities to show I care about them. 2) It also helps me understand what kind of background the students are coming from. I can learn what their home life is like and if there are any concerns I should be aware of.
I also wanted to make sure my students feel comfortable in my classroom which includes realizing that they may come from a culture where working as a group or presenting in front of the class isn't widely accepted. If this is the case, I, as the teacher, would want to be aware of it.
With this form I hope my students realize that I care about their lives, not just about their learning of math. I think I had left this important fact out of my original imagined classroom and I'm feeling better about how I can create this open, safe environment in my classroom.
Now, as I imagine the physical layout of my classroom, I'm reminded of the countless mathematics classrooms I've stepped foot in. They're usually covered with symbols, equations, formula, or anything numbers related really. I'm a big believe of surrounding yourself with goodness. So, that is exactly what I will do. I plan on having motivational posters, quotes, sayings, etc. all over my classroom; sayings that truly make my students think and want to become better. I previously had imagined quotes (all in English) and math posters, but realized that I'm assuming everyone speaks English and has an interest in math. Because of this, I now plan to have inspirational quotes in different languages as well as quotes from inspirational people from all different cultures. In my brain, my posters were all going to be from white males which isn't the type of model I want to set for my students. I want them to have positive role models from their own culture/gender/ethnicity/sexual orientation which means I need to incorporate these role models into my classroom. Basically I've now changed my imagined classroom to include all of these.
I imagine having this poster up on my wall and hoping the students see me as a mentor and not a judge when it comes to grades and tests
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/c6/8d/16/c68d16845c4e062c3f3317ab431b1d85.jpg
(I want my students to realize that they're smart regardless or what they get on a test. I think teaching that to my kids and having this poster up to remind them would be a great thing in my classroom)
As well as these posters, I also want to include a safe space poster (or a couple) in my classroom. I want to emphasize though that this safe space goes broader than just gender and sexual orientation. I want my classroom to be a safe space for everyone. An example of one of these posters is:
https://dribbble.com/shots/2389989-Safe-Space-Poster-Typography
Although we would have already had an open discussion about safe spaces on the first day of school, I want this poster to serve as a reminder that I'm going to continue to enforce the inclusion of everyone.
One thing I realized I've left out of my imagined classroom is the physical needs of my students. So, on the first day of school, I would let my students know that they can come to me with any concerns, physical or otherwise. I would let them know that if they ever need a snack, tampon, bandaid, jacket (for ripped pants or period stains), or any general necessity like that, they could come ask me for them, no questions asked. I've realized that students can't focus or learn if they have other physical needs distracting them. I had left this out of my previous plan, but I think that having a desk full of supplies is a good way to address it.
After the first day is successfully over, here's what a normal lesson would go like. I would greet each student in the doorway and hand them a card (remember our seating arrangement).
After everyone has found their seat, our warm-up would begin. There would be one problem similar to the homework to ensure everyone is on the same page and a second problem a little more about what we're doing that day.
They would share and discuss answers and strategies in groups while I go around monitoring, selecting, and sequencing. I'm monitoring their work, selecting those I want to share, and sequencing the order they should share in. Then, I would have two students per problem come up and share on the board. This is my main opportunity to correct any misconceptions and ensure no one is falling behind before moving on to the next lesson. (I hope to teach in an A-day/B-day school so the class periods are long enough to accomplish all of this.)
Next, I would have the students give themselves a grade out of ten. Once again, the change in this homework policy is mainly to not punish students who don't graph concepts after seeing them only once (not punishing them on their ability) as well as to have them hold some responsibility for their own learning.
Today's lesson is on "system of equations". The two exploratory questions from the homework are the first two questions of the following worksheet: (Shown to me by Dr. Hendrickson)
(This is the worksheet I would hand out to the kids)
http://www.mathematicsvisionproject.org/secondary-mathematics-iii.html
We would then launch into a discussion of this problem. How is this possible to solve? We have two variables, have we ever done that before? What are the different ways of approaching and solving this problem? Is there more than one answer?
During this time, the students will be discussing with their groups and then sharing with the class as I go around monitoring, selecting, and sequencing again.
This lesson, as well as the majority of the lessons I will teach, have a lot of back and forth teaching. Ideally, the students would be teaching each other and answering each other's questions/misconceptions way more than I would ever be. This is how I would know if they've truly learned the concept. "While we teach, we learn" - Seneca
As I wrote this lesson, I didn't consider that some students may not speak the same language. Whether they don't speak English or don't speak "math", they will struggle completing this part of the assignment. Because of this, during the lesson I would emphasize that you can solve the problem ANY WAY YOU LIKE (Yes, even in Spanish or French or with pictures).
Throughout this entire process, the main thing I want my students to learn is that the x and y solution is the same in both equations. This seems to be an easily fixed, but common misconception. Assuming nothing weird happens at the store, a bag of dog food can't cost some amount for one person and a different amount for another. They need to understand conceptually what these numbers are we're solving for, where they come from, and how we can verify they're correct.
I would love to be able to quickly evaluate my students as I walk around peaking over shoulders at their work. In general, I believe in formative assessment. I want to see how my students are doing and not punish them along the way if they're not understanding. For example, If I send this "Shopping for Cats and Dogs" worksheet home with my students and they completely get the wrong answer, they don't all deserve a "C" or a "D" or whatever it may be. If this is the case, clearly I need to reteach the concept and reevaluate the lesson. When multiple students fail, the blame should be on the teacher. Because of this, homework/classwork isn't graded, but I can still use their correct answers to evaluate their learning.
Then, as a class, we would discuss the problem. During this discussion, I would have my students "translate" their work from whatever they originally wrote into the language of math. In this case, that means representing the word problem as a system of equations with numbers and symbols. So whatever "language" you started out solving the problem in, we would all end up on the same page. Hopefully this discussing and solving together would solve the problem of students coming from different language background literally (like not speaking a lot of English) or simply a different language background since they're not used to expressing words with numbers. This enables me to teach to the entire class and not exclude anyone due to their lack of knowledge or language experience.
I also am a strong believer of personal feedback and would have the students self-evaluate themselves for each major topic. For example, this could be a possible rubric for the formative self-assessment:
(This is the type of self-evaluation I would have the students do at the end of each concept taught.)
http://teachingaheadofthecurve.blogspot.com/2012/10/formative-assessment-ideas-for-math.html
At the end of the unit/chapter when there has been plenty of time to correct misconceptions, I will give a summative assessment. On the unlikely chance that the majority of the students fail the summative assessment, I once again would need to evaluate my teaching.
In summary, I've changed a lot about my now imagined classroom from what I wrote about at the beginning of the year. I had stated that my students might not all come from the same background, but the physical layout of my classroom and my lesson plan didn't reflect that. Now I've actually taken my students' differences into consideration. Also, previously I had spoken a lot about how I wanted to create an "open, trusting environment" without actually giving specifics on how I would do that. I've now included some new aspects such as attending my students extracurricular activities, applying math to their interests, having quotes/posters from different languages/religions/cultures, as well as allowing the students to solve the problem in whatever "language" they want before translating it together as a class. These changes as well as the others discussed in the rest of my post actually create an open environment in which my students feel safe instead of just talking about it.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
HONKY
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/88754.Honky
"But when I add up all these particular experiences - as I have done in this book - the invisible contours of inequality start to take form, like the clogged traffic arteries of I-95." (Page 204)
This quote, which occurs on the very last page of the epilogue, summarizes Dalton's experience at the conclusion of writing this book. Throughout this book, we see different instances in which Dalton reflects on many instances in his life which may or may not have played out the way they did due to his race/class/gender/etc...
Throughout the book there were many different themes, stories and disturbances I came across. I will sort these themes/stories/disturbances more or less into the lessons that we've discussed and researched in class, starting with the less common/less important themes and ending with the biggest disturbances.
Gender:
"Back in the projects gender differences were accentuated..." "Here, by contrast, gender ebbed and flower like the Brownian movement of bacteria in a puddle." (Page 83)Here, Dalton realizes that he lives in a much more rigid place when it comes to gender. I'm glad that he was able to travel a little bit and see that gender can be more fluid than he assumed. I hope that more children/people get the experience to see this, but I'm worried that people are too focused on what they're used to and they won't accept something new or different. This can apply to gender or really any of the following topics. Because of this, I'm determined to expose my students to as many different ideas as I can. Even though I'm teaching a math class, I can still hold a discussion with my students about proper pronouns or that they can wear whatever they want gender stereotypes aside. This is something simple I can do as a teacher regardless of a student's home life or exposure.
Sexual Orientation:
While describing his mother, Ellen, Dalton states that "She was as oblivious to sexual orientation as she was to class and status; these concepts simply didn't register with her." (Page 30)From this simple sentence we learn that sexual orientation wasn't a big discussion in their household. His mom didn't see it, so why would she bring it up? To me, this is both a positive and a negative outlook. It's good not to judge someone based on their sexual orientation but because Dalton mentions this fact about his mother shows that it's different than his own view. I'm worried that this is the case in most households. That parents may simply not "see" sexual orientation which means they never discuss it with their kids. This leaves their children subject to the influences of the media and society which can both be very harsh regarding this topic. Because of this disturbance, I'm going to do whatever I (legally) can as a teacher to teach this idea. Whether that is hanging a "safe space" poster in my classroom, having a discussion with my class as to what words are inappropriate, or heading the gay-straight alliance club (led by the student of course) I can bring up these topics of discussion even if parents don't/won't.
Ability:
When Dalton attended a Boy Scout Camp about halfway through the book he was assigned to a troop of mentally disable kids and much to his surprise "had a great time with them" (Page 118). Dalton felt very comfortable around them and even stated that "No one snapped on anyone else, and I could feel tension fall off my shoulders like molted skin" (Page 118).While reading this passage, I was upset that more children with disabilities aren't portrayed this way. I was trying to think of a book in which children with disabilities were depicted solely in a positive light and I couldn't find one. This could be simply because I'm not reading the right books (which also disturbed me), but this shouldn't ever be the case. This realization affects my future teaching since I don't want any of my students to feel like children with disabilities are anything but a positive addition to the classroom. Instead, I want to make sure that I and the other students treat them just as everyone else. I don't want to assume that they need/want anything different and instead will simply ask them, just as I would anyone else. Dalton was able to learn at a very young age that ability doesn't make you more or less or a capable person and I hope my students understand this as well.
Education:
Dalton's view of education was made manifest fairly early on when he was on the playground at his new school. Some kids had started a debate between Ford and Carter. Although they couldn't vote, each student still picked a side and debated with each other about who was right. Dalton didn't know much about either of the candidates, but after not too long, he "told the group how Carter would fix a number of things ranging from inflation to Watergate, none of which [he] had even heard of until lunchtime that day" (Page 68). Dalton mentions that he "learned this technique through countless discussions of Happy Days back at [his] old school" (page 68).
Later on, also in Pennsylvania, Alexandra was invited to a sleepover. While there, her friends told scary stories which included the word "nigger." "Those friends used the term themselves, even called each other niggers, but they spoke the word with a sarcastic bite that negated its content. At any rate, the word never seemed dirty until we heard it used in the white Pennsylvania suburbs."
In both of these cases, Dalton and his sister were alienated from their neighborhood friends simply because they said the wrong words and didn't know the right words to use. Some of their language was inappropriate in Pennsylvania and vice versa.
Although the word "nigger" was very common back in their home neighborhood, and Dalton even wished people would call him that (page 187), it had a very different connotation. That connotation is what divided Dalton and his sister from everyone else.
As a teacher this is something that bothered me. I was left wondering about what words I may consider "fine", but that could be very offensive to some of my students. I realized that I need to stay far away from that line. Any sort of slang or curse word (even crap or shoot) may seem fine to me, but offensive to others. I'm also bothered that more people aren't aware of the impact their words have on those around them. If everyone was a little more careful about what they said, we might not have all the confusion and upset in the word as we do today.
Because of this, I plan on holding a discussion with my students on what words are appropriate. Cuss words aside, inappropriate language may include anything that offends someone due to gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, ethnicity, culture, etc... If I ever hear these words, I plan on addressing it directly (either in open or in private depending on the situation) and ending it immediately. Our language is one of the few things we have complete control over and I never want any of my students to feel alienated as Dalton did because of it.
"This is the privilege of the middle and upper classes in America - the right to make up the reasons things turn out the way they do, to construct our own narratives rather than having the media and society do it for us" (page 110).
“The fire taught me of the most subtle but powerful privileges of middle-class status: the chance to work problems out informally, without the interference of the authorities. Poor minorities get no such allowances. But we were lucky - Raphael's family represented the right class and I the right race" (181).
“I live there, in a booming real estate market, because as a white middle-class man, I have the choice to live where I want in America” (203).
Thus, Dalton became very self-aware of his privilege - something I'm still trying to do. Still torn between this. I hate that I have privilege over anyone. I hate that I benefit while someone else loses for no reason at all. I'm upset that this is bound to still be an issue in a year or two when I'm a teacher. And considering the fact that I plan on teaching math on the east coast, I'm sure it will be an issue in my own classroom.
Now, as I've sat back and pondered, I've tried to imagine how this may change my future teaching. First off, I can choose not to participate. Along with the other ways I've planned to counter racism and discrimination of class in my students, privilege falls right into that category. No student of mine will ever wonder if a certain punishment or reward was because of their race, class, gender, or any other reason. And hopefully with my fellow teachers on board, we can actually make a difference.
So we'll end this lengthy analysis where we began:
There is inequality in the world, 100%. But there's no better place to combat it than in the classroom.
In these cases, Dalton gives us an insight into his view of Education. He believes that as long as you can look like you fit in, it doesn't matter what you know. As long as you can give a compelling argument for your side, does it really matter where your facts came from? I like to speculate that this caused Dalton's lackadaisical attitude toward school in the future. He realized that he could get by just fine without much information, so why study?
Once reading about Dalton's experience, I myself was bothered when I realized that I've often held this view in some of my classes. For example, when I knew I could get by with memorizing a formula, I wouldn't bother learning about where it came from or why it worked. I hate that so much of math is procedural and I'm determined to change something about it. I plan on teaching conceptually and asking questions that can't be answered correctly unless you understand the deeper concept. This may take more work on my part, but I don't want my students to just "get by" as Dalton did. Hopefully this will make them more excited about learning and more involved in the classroom.
Once reading about Dalton's experience, I myself was bothered when I realized that I've often held this view in some of my classes. For example, when I knew I could get by with memorizing a formula, I wouldn't bother learning about where it came from or why it worked. I hate that so much of math is procedural and I'm determined to change something about it. I plan on teaching conceptually and asking questions that can't be answered correctly unless you understand the deeper concept. This may take more work on my part, but I don't want my students to just "get by" as Dalton did. Hopefully this will make them more excited about learning and more involved in the classroom.
Language:
Each summer, Dalton and his family would go away to Pennsylvania, his mother's homeland. While there, Ellen (Dalton's mom) encouraged the kids to assimilate into the local culture (play with any kids who lived nearby). This didn't go as well as planned. "Our friendship lasted only one afternoon, however, before we were exiled from that household on account of all the profanity we employed as part of our normal speech" (Page 114). Dalton points out that "Using cuss words in a sentence had seemed completely acceptable to us" (Page 114).Later on, also in Pennsylvania, Alexandra was invited to a sleepover. While there, her friends told scary stories which included the word "nigger." "Those friends used the term themselves, even called each other niggers, but they spoke the word with a sarcastic bite that negated its content. At any rate, the word never seemed dirty until we heard it used in the white Pennsylvania suburbs."
In both of these cases, Dalton and his sister were alienated from their neighborhood friends simply because they said the wrong words and didn't know the right words to use. Some of their language was inappropriate in Pennsylvania and vice versa.
Although the word "nigger" was very common back in their home neighborhood, and Dalton even wished people would call him that (page 187), it had a very different connotation. That connotation is what divided Dalton and his sister from everyone else.
As a teacher this is something that bothered me. I was left wondering about what words I may consider "fine", but that could be very offensive to some of my students. I realized that I need to stay far away from that line. Any sort of slang or curse word (even crap or shoot) may seem fine to me, but offensive to others. I'm also bothered that more people aren't aware of the impact their words have on those around them. If everyone was a little more careful about what they said, we might not have all the confusion and upset in the word as we do today.
Because of this, I plan on holding a discussion with my students on what words are appropriate. Cuss words aside, inappropriate language may include anything that offends someone due to gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, ethnicity, culture, etc... If I ever hear these words, I plan on addressing it directly (either in open or in private depending on the situation) and ending it immediately. Our language is one of the few things we have complete control over and I never want any of my students to feel alienated as Dalton did because of it.
Religion:
Since Dalton grew up in New York, he came across many different religions, but never seemed to think of them differently because of it. He took karate lesson from a Muslim man and even participated in their prayers without hesitation (page 61). Dalton's main "disturbance" with religion didn't come until later when he attended Boy Scout Camp. One Sunday, the entire camp hiked to a local church to attend their service. Dalton states, "It came down to a choice between admitting my Semitic origins and being exposed in church when I didn't pray correctly" (Page 119)
He instantly is upset with his parents "for not having properly introduced [him] into this world of the spirit" (page 119). His mother was Jewish, a religion he already self-loathed, and his father once hesitantly admitted to being Lutheran. Other than this, Dalton had no exposure to religion and was scared of how the other kids would react. His approached the scoutmaster's assistant and admitted that he couldn't go to church because he's not Catholic. "That's all right ... This is a Methodist church" (Page 120).
It had never occurred to Dalton that Catholicism was a particular branch of Christianity. Thus, Dalton was forced to attend and ended up mimicking what everyone else did. He stood and sang and prayed in unison and no one thought anything of it. On his walk home, he states, "I felt more like an American than ever before" (page 120).
Here we have an insight to the world Dalton lives in. In his world, being American is synonymous with being Christian. Being American includes worshiping God (I mean come on, it's in our Declaration of Independence and Pledge of Allegiance, where could he get an idea like that?). Until Dalton was able to participate in this ritual, he never really felt included.
Once reading about this experience, I realized how many students must feel. Imagine everyone talking about Sunday School and the Bible and those words might as well be in a different language since you know nothing about them. I'm worried that my students may feel this way in my classroom as well. I need to expose my students to different customs, prayers, rituals, or anything that helps them learn more about different religions. This may be difficult in math, but by incorporating the history of math (for much of which we need to thank the religious leaders in India and China), I think it can be done. I'm bothered that I hadn't thought of this before, but glad that I can still adjust my future teaching to avoid alienating my students as Dalton was alienated.
He instantly is upset with his parents "for not having properly introduced [him] into this world of the spirit" (page 119). His mother was Jewish, a religion he already self-loathed, and his father once hesitantly admitted to being Lutheran. Other than this, Dalton had no exposure to religion and was scared of how the other kids would react. His approached the scoutmaster's assistant and admitted that he couldn't go to church because he's not Catholic. "That's all right ... This is a Methodist church" (Page 120).
It had never occurred to Dalton that Catholicism was a particular branch of Christianity. Thus, Dalton was forced to attend and ended up mimicking what everyone else did. He stood and sang and prayed in unison and no one thought anything of it. On his walk home, he states, "I felt more like an American than ever before" (page 120).
Here we have an insight to the world Dalton lives in. In his world, being American is synonymous with being Christian. Being American includes worshiping God (I mean come on, it's in our Declaration of Independence and Pledge of Allegiance, where could he get an idea like that?). Until Dalton was able to participate in this ritual, he never really felt included.
Once reading about this experience, I realized how many students must feel. Imagine everyone talking about Sunday School and the Bible and those words might as well be in a different language since you know nothing about them. I'm worried that my students may feel this way in my classroom as well. I need to expose my students to different customs, prayers, rituals, or anything that helps them learn more about different religions. This may be difficult in math, but by incorporating the history of math (for much of which we need to thank the religious leaders in India and China), I think it can be done. I'm bothered that I hadn't thought of this before, but glad that I can still adjust my future teaching to avoid alienating my students as Dalton was alienated.
Cultural and Social Capital:
Early on in the book, Dalton talks about when his mother bought a painting for only five dollars. Later this painter was "discovered" and the painting ballooned in value becoming the most previous thing his parents owned. Dalton then points out that this was "the only instance in which they were able to cash in on some of their cultural capital" (page 29).
Dalton now realized that you could be noticed/treated differently based on what you own, not simply on your financial assets.
Later on in the novel, Dalton's understanding of capital broadens, not only to what you own, but also to who you know. As his neighborhood become more dangerous, his Mom places them on a waiting list and they're eventually considered for an apartment in West Village. As they toured their new home, Dalton has an interesting realization.
He states, "I couldn't understand why we should get all this and not the maintenance men who were on their hands and knees during our visit, replacing a a section of floor that had warped from humidity and age. Why us and not them, I couldn't stop asking myself." (Page 188)
Most children ask why bad things happen to them, not necessarily why they are benefited. However, Dalton is able to answer his own question. "The answer, I learned, lay in the word artist." (Page 188)
In order to obtain this apartment, his parents had to be recommended by a current resident and then provide letters of reference from "eminent people in their respective fields, certifying that they were indeed artists in whatever sense that word carried." (Page 188)
Dalton realized from a very early age that the reason his family was able to move into a much nicer neighborhood was due to the people they knew. The book points out that his parents had to "pull strings" in order for their application to be approved.
This right here, is the definition of Social Capital - moving up in the world through your social connections. I'm bothered that this is how the way works simply because it's not fair, especially to those who may move here (immigrants). I'm also bothered that I benefit so much from this system. I've been able to get jobs in the past as well as housing simply due to who I knew. I'm bothered that I never even considered the other people who thought they had a fair shot at this job/apartment but who were beat out by my social capital. I'm bothered that I benefit from it, but also bothered that I don't necessarily want to change anything about it.
After having this realization, I know that something about my future teaching needs to change. I want to make my classroom a place of equality. This means that no students should get further ahead of any other student simply because of what they own or who they know.
On Having Money:
"This time there was no way I could be sneaky, picking up contextual cues to insinuate myself into their plans. [...] The face was that I had no money" (page 75).
"The money I earned at home only served to whet my financial appetite. I could now hang out with Michael at Ray's Pizza and be part of the group" (page 100).
Dalton soon realized at his new school that having money meant you were included. This quickly led him to a life of getting a job, but also stealing and ditching school. However, to Dalton, it was worth it as long as he fit in.
I was disturbed by this idea as a future teacher because I would assume that my students won't all come from the same class. However, I want to have an open environment in my classroom. That simply isn't possible if my students are dividing themselves based on income (consciously or subconsciously). As a teacher I need to be aware of this in my teaching. I need to ensure that none of my assignments give advantage to those who have money over those who don't. For example, I can still use technology, I just need to make sure everyone has access to the same resources.
"It was only when I suffered on the losing side of class distinctions across town that I began to reevaluate my situation within my neighborhood." (page 76).
Here, Dalton played an interesting game. He couldn't appear too well off to his friends back in the projects, but he was ultimately ashamed of his neighborhood to all of his friends at school. He danced on the class dividing line whenever it suited him. However, the realization that hit me the hardest was that Dalton didn't notice his class until he was on the losing side of it.
Taking a step back from this thought, I realized that as a middle-class white woman (although not male) I benefit greatly from a class divide. However, as much as I study and observe and try to fit in, I won't truly understand a class divide until I'm on the losing side of it. This became a sort of a dilemma to me. On one hand, I want to understand my students and get rid of my prejudices. On the other hand, I don't want to voluntarily suffer by the system. Not sure exactly how to react to this still...
“Our neighbors, by contrast, were largely unwelcome elsewhere for reasons of race and financial status. It was this modicum of choice, not skin color per se, that ultimately distinguished us from our neighbors” (page 11).
This quote occurred fairly early on in the book and immediately took me back. I had never even considered that "race" and "skin color" were different. And even if they were different, that someone could be discriminated against based on one and not the other. I still don't understand this difference, but somehow Dalton did.
About Being White:
"I wonder what would have happened had my mother not been white" (Page 18).
"I now knew, based on the color of my skin, I would be treated a certain way" (Page 51).
“I can’t imagine that a black kid growing up in a white neighborhood would have gotten off so lightly” (page 110).
Obviously these quotes bothered me because not only do I want any of my students think they should be treated better because of their skin color, but I definitely don't want any of my students thinking it's okay for them to be treated worse. I never want one of my students to feel like their skin color was the reason why something did/didn't happen. Luckily, as a teacher, I have some control over this. I can teach in such a way as to eliminate this as an option. I can give all of my students, regardless of skin color, the same opportunities. Whether this includes participating in the science fair or pursuing a STEM major at the college of their choice (obviously I'm bias towards STEM), they will be able to see that I don't see their skin color as a hindrance or benefit in my classroom.
About Racial Groupings:
Race "defined who looked like whom, who was allowed to be in the group - and who wasn’t (page 42).
“This was the first time that I used the term they to describe the collective other” (page 46).
“Racial groupings were about domination and struggles for power; what’s more, race barriers were taken as both natural and insurmountable" (page 49).
"clique was short for race-class grouping" (page 122).
When I came across these quotes, I realized more and more how race played a much bigger role than simply "color" in his school. It literally defined who was friends with who. It dictated where they sat, what they wore, and even what music they listened to. I was disturbed by this as a future teacher because I want to create an open and equal environment in my classroom. This is only possible if all of my students interact with each other. I can't assign them to groups if I know they won't cooperate together or even help each other learn.
Since realizing this, I need to stand up against this segregation when I see it. I want each students to realize that every other student has something to offer. We can learn from each of their specific backgrounds and their nothing but a benefit to our classroom.
Definition of Racism:
"What the bumps spelled out was racism; for he never struck me or Michael Holt or even the Turkish Ozan Gurel across our still-hardening cranial plates. He beaned only the black and Hispanic kids" (page 23).
“Here, racism was expressed, but apparently not thought much about” (page 117).
It took many different encounters with racism for Dalton to truly learn what it was. After seeing it so much, Dalton came up with his own definition. As previously discussed, Dalton realized that race separated people into groups and that he could be treated differently because of it. However, what Dalton wrongly assumed was that the opposite of racism was integration. Once he got to high school, he correctly pointed out that "putting many races in the same school did not necessarily result in integration" (page 121).
I think I was most bothered by this last sentence because it's something that I too have often considered. I've probably even written about the idea of helping my students not be racists by exposing them to different races. Yes, that may be a good start, but racism goes so much deeper than that. Because of this realization, I've decided to change my method of teaching. I need to help my students not only see, but also understand other races. I need to help them see where they have prejudices and address those prejudices at the root, instead of conceding to the superficial solution of "exposure." I'm bothered that I fall into this category as well and that this was a real solution in my mind. I'm disturbed that I often see Dalton in myself.
Dalton now realized that you could be noticed/treated differently based on what you own, not simply on your financial assets.
Later on in the novel, Dalton's understanding of capital broadens, not only to what you own, but also to who you know. As his neighborhood become more dangerous, his Mom places them on a waiting list and they're eventually considered for an apartment in West Village. As they toured their new home, Dalton has an interesting realization.
He states, "I couldn't understand why we should get all this and not the maintenance men who were on their hands and knees during our visit, replacing a a section of floor that had warped from humidity and age. Why us and not them, I couldn't stop asking myself." (Page 188)
Most children ask why bad things happen to them, not necessarily why they are benefited. However, Dalton is able to answer his own question. "The answer, I learned, lay in the word artist." (Page 188)
In order to obtain this apartment, his parents had to be recommended by a current resident and then provide letters of reference from "eminent people in their respective fields, certifying that they were indeed artists in whatever sense that word carried." (Page 188)
Dalton realized from a very early age that the reason his family was able to move into a much nicer neighborhood was due to the people they knew. The book points out that his parents had to "pull strings" in order for their application to be approved.
This right here, is the definition of Social Capital - moving up in the world through your social connections. I'm bothered that this is how the way works simply because it's not fair, especially to those who may move here (immigrants). I'm also bothered that I benefit so much from this system. I've been able to get jobs in the past as well as housing simply due to who I knew. I'm bothered that I never even considered the other people who thought they had a fair shot at this job/apartment but who were beat out by my social capital. I'm bothered that I benefit from it, but also bothered that I don't necessarily want to change anything about it.
After having this realization, I know that something about my future teaching needs to change. I want to make my classroom a place of equality. This means that no students should get further ahead of any other student simply because of what they own or who they know.
These next topics definitely make up the bulk of the book. There simply isn't space or time to discuss all the issues with race, ethnicity, class, poverty, and especially privilege that Dalton saw and experienced. I hope my short analysis will suffice.
Class & Poverty:
"This time there was no way I could be sneaky, picking up contextual cues to insinuate myself into their plans. [...] The face was that I had no money" (page 75).
"The money I earned at home only served to whet my financial appetite. I could now hang out with Michael at Ray's Pizza and be part of the group" (page 100).
Dalton soon realized at his new school that having money meant you were included. This quickly led him to a life of getting a job, but also stealing and ditching school. However, to Dalton, it was worth it as long as he fit in.
I was disturbed by this idea as a future teacher because I would assume that my students won't all come from the same class. However, I want to have an open environment in my classroom. That simply isn't possible if my students are dividing themselves based on income (consciously or subconsciously). As a teacher I need to be aware of this in my teaching. I need to ensure that none of my assignments give advantage to those who have money over those who don't. For example, I can still use technology, I just need to make sure everyone has access to the same resources.
Noticing His Class:
Dalton began to notice his status as his family went to Pennsylvania each summer. He avoided telling anyone in the projects about his vacation, but also "played it up, knowing that leaving New York in summer was part of the status game that went on at school. But [he] withheld the fact that sometimes [they] stayed in a tent" (page 104)."It was only when I suffered on the losing side of class distinctions across town that I began to reevaluate my situation within my neighborhood." (page 76).
Here, Dalton played an interesting game. He couldn't appear too well off to his friends back in the projects, but he was ultimately ashamed of his neighborhood to all of his friends at school. He danced on the class dividing line whenever it suited him. However, the realization that hit me the hardest was that Dalton didn't notice his class until he was on the losing side of it.
Taking a step back from this thought, I realized that as a middle-class white woman (although not male) I benefit greatly from a class divide. However, as much as I study and observe and try to fit in, I won't truly understand a class divide until I'm on the losing side of it. This became a sort of a dilemma to me. On one hand, I want to understand my students and get rid of my prejudices. On the other hand, I don't want to voluntarily suffer by the system. Not sure exactly how to react to this still...
"Raphael was a different type of Latino from those I had known previously, the first minority individual I had met who confounded the overlap of race and class. He was well off” (page 173).
And here it is, the major flaw Dalton had in his mind about race and class: somehow they are related. It's easy to see where he got this flaw from though, since it took him until high school to see someone who broke the mold. I'm upset by how often these two words are interchanged. Your race does not affect your status, but try telling that to those who are on the other end of the system.Race & Ethnicity:
"In fact, race and class are nothing more than a set of stories we tell ourselves to get through the world, to organize our reality.”
(Prologue)
There are so many instances where race and ethnicity play a major role in Dalton's life. I'll try to mention the majority of the instances/quotes, but I'll only expound on the ones that particular hit me. Usually these "hits" came in the form of a disturbance that I had to ponder, reconsider, and evaluate how it would impact my future teaching.
I'm also going to try to discuss race & ethnicity without addressing privilege quite yet. I want that to be a category in and of itself.
This quote occurred fairly early on in the book and immediately took me back. I had never even considered that "race" and "skin color" were different. And even if they were different, that someone could be discriminated against based on one and not the other. I still don't understand this difference, but somehow Dalton did.
About Being White:
"I wonder what would have happened had my mother not been white" (Page 18).
"I now knew, based on the color of my skin, I would be treated a certain way" (Page 51).
“I can’t imagine that a black kid growing up in a white neighborhood would have gotten off so lightly” (page 110).
Obviously these quotes bothered me because not only do I want any of my students think they should be treated better because of their skin color, but I definitely don't want any of my students thinking it's okay for them to be treated worse. I never want one of my students to feel like their skin color was the reason why something did/didn't happen. Luckily, as a teacher, I have some control over this. I can teach in such a way as to eliminate this as an option. I can give all of my students, regardless of skin color, the same opportunities. Whether this includes participating in the science fair or pursuing a STEM major at the college of their choice (obviously I'm bias towards STEM), they will be able to see that I don't see their skin color as a hindrance or benefit in my classroom.
About Racial Groupings:
Race "defined who looked like whom, who was allowed to be in the group - and who wasn’t (page 42).
“This was the first time that I used the term they to describe the collective other” (page 46).
“Racial groupings were about domination and struggles for power; what’s more, race barriers were taken as both natural and insurmountable" (page 49).
"clique was short for race-class grouping" (page 122).
When I came across these quotes, I realized more and more how race played a much bigger role than simply "color" in his school. It literally defined who was friends with who. It dictated where they sat, what they wore, and even what music they listened to. I was disturbed by this as a future teacher because I want to create an open and equal environment in my classroom. This is only possible if all of my students interact with each other. I can't assign them to groups if I know they won't cooperate together or even help each other learn.
Since realizing this, I need to stand up against this segregation when I see it. I want each students to realize that every other student has something to offer. We can learn from each of their specific backgrounds and their nothing but a benefit to our classroom.
Definition of Racism:
"What the bumps spelled out was racism; for he never struck me or Michael Holt or even the Turkish Ozan Gurel across our still-hardening cranial plates. He beaned only the black and Hispanic kids" (page 23).
“Here, racism was expressed, but apparently not thought much about” (page 117).
It took many different encounters with racism for Dalton to truly learn what it was. After seeing it so much, Dalton came up with his own definition. As previously discussed, Dalton realized that race separated people into groups and that he could be treated differently because of it. However, what Dalton wrongly assumed was that the opposite of racism was integration. Once he got to high school, he correctly pointed out that "putting many races in the same school did not necessarily result in integration" (page 121).
I think I was most bothered by this last sentence because it's something that I too have often considered. I've probably even written about the idea of helping my students not be racists by exposing them to different races. Yes, that may be a good start, but racism goes so much deeper than that. Because of this realization, I've decided to change my method of teaching. I need to help my students not only see, but also understand other races. I need to help them see where they have prejudices and address those prejudices at the root, instead of conceding to the superficial solution of "exposure." I'm bothered that I fall into this category as well and that this was a real solution in my mind. I'm disturbed that I often see Dalton in myself.
Privilege:
I don't even know where to start with this one. Obviously, I'm very upset that white privilege is a thing and still an issue in our "developed" society. However, I'm also white and struggle seeing it from an unbiased position.
As he's reflecting on these experiences, Dalton realizes, "I had yet to learn the privileges that attended whiteness" (page 42). However, by the end of the book, this quickly changed. Here are three glaring and disturbing examples:
“The fire taught me of the most subtle but powerful privileges of middle-class status: the chance to work problems out informally, without the interference of the authorities. Poor minorities get no such allowances. But we were lucky - Raphael's family represented the right class and I the right race" (181).
“I live there, in a booming real estate market, because as a white middle-class man, I have the choice to live where I want in America” (203).
Thus, Dalton became very self-aware of his privilege - something I'm still trying to do. Still torn between this. I hate that I have privilege over anyone. I hate that I benefit while someone else loses for no reason at all. I'm upset that this is bound to still be an issue in a year or two when I'm a teacher. And considering the fact that I plan on teaching math on the east coast, I'm sure it will be an issue in my own classroom.
Now, as I've sat back and pondered, I've tried to imagine how this may change my future teaching. First off, I can choose not to participate. Along with the other ways I've planned to counter racism and discrimination of class in my students, privilege falls right into that category. No student of mine will ever wonder if a certain punishment or reward was because of their race, class, gender, or any other reason. And hopefully with my fellow teachers on board, we can actually make a difference.
So we'll end this lengthy analysis where we began:
“But when I add up all these particular experiences - as I have done in this book - the invisible contours of inequality start to take form.”
(page 204)
There is inequality in the world, 100%. But there's no better place to combat it than in the classroom.
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Community Experience
For this assignment, I chose to attend a pornography addiction support group for the spouses and family members of those addicted to pornography. I chose to attend the women only meeting held at 7:30pm each Wednesday evening in the JKB.
I chose to attend these types of meetings because I want to better understand my future students and their families. I'm pretty much guaranteed that no matter where I live, I'll have students who themselves or their family members have an addiction of some sort. I want to know how to better recognize these symptoms and how I can be a positive influence in their lives. I struggle to know how to react when I find out someone has an addiction and I don't want it to negatively impact my perception of them. I want to be able to see my students as successful contributors to society who really can succeed in school and in life regardless of their or their family members' current addictions.
Right off the bat I was surprised to see that the support group was led by two sister missionaries. They were older (one was about 35 and one was probably about 65), but I expected someone who had a professional background in pornography or therapy or counseling or something like that.
As expected, we studied from the church produced pornography program guide. It's called "A Guide to Addiction Recovery and Healing" and looks like this:
https://d2ncbdssutn1hp.cloudfront.net/product-images/000/436/425/detail/5015756_Addiction_Recover_Program.jpg
This week we were on Lesson 11, "Bear All These Things with Patience"
I went into this meeting honestly pretty sure I knew what it was going to be like (I've attended pornography firesides and young women lessons before), but I learned a lot of things. I will try to describe what I learned in terms of my future classroom/teaching and not just when it relates to a pornography addiction. Here's just a list/description of what I learned and/or some thoughts and epiphanies I had:
Now that I've talked about what I've learned, I wanted to focus more on what disturbed me about this experience.
First off, I was disturbed about how many people were there. I looked online and realized that there were so many of these types of meetings held within just a couple miles of BYU. It seemed like each church building, seminary building, and classroom on campus held one of these weekly meetings. Some were men only, some were women only, and some were both. But either way, if every meeting had 12-14 people like this one did, there would be hundreds of people getting help for pornography every week. And that's only within 4-5 miles of BYU. I was disturbed about how much of a issue this is and that we only now are beginning to talk about the harms of it openly in church or through social media. I'm upset that we were/are ignoring a problem that probably affects the majority of church members.
Second, I was actually disturbed about how the "veterans" of the meeting interacted with the "newcomers." For example, at the beginning of the meeting, there were only a couple of women there all of whom were attending for their first time. We had a very open conversation and I felt comfortable commenting and sharing. However, as the lesson progressed, some other women showed up who had clearly been attending these meetings for years (some 5+ years). These women quickly dominated the conversation sharing their experiences and insights. However, that made me, and other first timers fall back into the background to become observers instead of participants. This happened so much that when it came to the sharing portion of the meeting, 6 newcomers said "pass" and chose not to participate, including me. So, if I really struggled with this, I wouldn't feel comfortable attending one of these meetings. I think they didn't do a very good job of including others (obviously they didn't force). I guess they just allowed the same three people to dominate the conversation. I felt alienated by the language and vocab they were using that I, and many other newbys, were unfamiliar with. This can connect back to what we've discussed in class about how the words we use can discriminate just as much as anything else.
Third, I'm also taken back about how centered this is around religion. Of course it's a church sponsored organization so it will talk about Christ and His Atonement, but I wish the church had a program to help others in different religions. If what I'm teaching only appeals to people of my same religion, I'm alienating a lot of potential students who could greatly benefit from this idea. Yes I have religion freedom, but I don't want a pornography addiction class to become a religious club. When we discussed religion in class, we focused on the idea that we can't teach anything that is advancing or inhibiting religion. However, I believe it is possible to offer a class that can teach about the harm of pornography without furthering our religion. This specific class just didn't do this.
This is a wider view of humanity that I had never really considered before. Pornography addiction, and all addictions for that matter, is a real thing. Addiction really impacts almost every single person in some way or another. And yet, we don't talk openly enough about it. IF SOMETHING APPLIES TO EVERYONE, LET'S GET EVERYONE SOME HELP! That's all. I'm upset that more people don't know about these programs and seek help for it. I'm upset addiction is such a taboo topic and that people are frowned upon for talking about/admitting to it.
I chose to attend these types of meetings because I want to better understand my future students and their families. I'm pretty much guaranteed that no matter where I live, I'll have students who themselves or their family members have an addiction of some sort. I want to know how to better recognize these symptoms and how I can be a positive influence in their lives. I struggle to know how to react when I find out someone has an addiction and I don't want it to negatively impact my perception of them. I want to be able to see my students as successful contributors to society who really can succeed in school and in life regardless of their or their family members' current addictions.
Right off the bat I was surprised to see that the support group was led by two sister missionaries. They were older (one was about 35 and one was probably about 65), but I expected someone who had a professional background in pornography or therapy or counseling or something like that.
As expected, we studied from the church produced pornography program guide. It's called "A Guide to Addiction Recovery and Healing" and looks like this:
This week we were on Lesson 11, "Bear All These Things with Patience"
I went into this meeting honestly pretty sure I knew what it was going to be like (I've attended pornography firesides and young women lessons before), but I learned a lot of things. I will try to describe what I learned in terms of my future classroom/teaching and not just when it relates to a pornography addiction. Here's just a list/description of what I learned and/or some thoughts and epiphanies I had:
- We all make mistakes. I can't judge someone for messing up or relapsing or having an addiction. I want them to be patient with me and my flaws so I must be patient and understanding with them as well. As a teacher I could see myself becoming frustrated with a student who is constantly "not getting it" but I must be patient and understanding throughout the whole process. I've realized that we're all interdependent on each other. Just as we've discussed in class, I'm not perfect and neither are my students. Until we both realize this and become a little more accepting of each other, not much learning will occur.
- Struggle is a good thing. It helps us learn who we truly are inside once everything else is gone. Then, once we overcome that struggle, we have more self-confidence than anyone could have ever given us without it. It may be tempting to simply give my future students the correct answer, but I must allow them to struggle and continue to support them throughout it. This reminded me of our first assignment with our imagined classroom. Dr. Draper stated that this was one of her expectations in her classroom and I think that applies here as well.
- When a student acts out, I can't enable or ignore their actions. They must understand that I love them, but that this behavior won't be tolerated or rationalized. I expect my students to be honest and respectful and I will show this same respect to them as well. I can help my students understand how their actions are impacting the classroom as a whole. Once again, this comes back to the idea of interdependence. If one student in my classroom is suffering, they'll surely bring down other students as well.
- Everybody has a coping mechanism. I need to understand what my coping mechanism is as well as what my students' coping mechanisms are. This will enable me to strengthen the relationship with each of my students by understanding what they need. If I notice a student acting out, not paying attention, or simply being bored, I can better tailor what I suggest they do instead if I know how they like to cope. School is already a stressful enough environment without a teacher requiring a student to cope or react in a certain way.
- I can positively reinforce something with each of my students. Whether that simply be "Good job for coming to class today" or "Thank you for not distracting other students when you were bored" there's always something positive to say. Even if they continue to act out, there's always something I can emphasize that they did right that day.
- I need to see my students as they really can become and then treat them that way. I shouldn't see them as just a minority, or a ESL students, or impoverished or anything like that. Of course this may be who they are and I may need to adjust my teaching to that, but I shouldn't see them as those aspects of their lives. I should see my students as future successful business people or wonderful parents of teachers or whatever else they may want to become. I must truly believe that each of my students can and will succeed in my class and then act that way. I shouldn't limit them on their ability or what society says their ability is. Connecting back to what we've discussed in class, so many of these categorizations are wrong and I don't want them to have any place in my classroom. Basically, every single one of the topics we've discussed thus far could become a limiting factor for me as a teacher. But I have the choice to let it become that or not.
- It's the little things that go a long way. I can smile and greet my students with a handshake each day, attend their athletic or musical performances, ask them about their weekend, and get to know their families. A student's success in my classroom is significantly impacted by all other parts of their lives and I need to be more involved in all aspects in order to help them succeed.
I know a lot of these lessons don't sound like something you would hear from a pornography support group, but by simply replacing the word "student" above with "my addicted love one" we can see that these lessons actually apply in all aspects of our lives. Overcoming an addiction is all about creating a safe, trusting, loving, and progressing environment which is exactly what I want my classroom to be as well.
First off, I was disturbed about how many people were there. I looked online and realized that there were so many of these types of meetings held within just a couple miles of BYU. It seemed like each church building, seminary building, and classroom on campus held one of these weekly meetings. Some were men only, some were women only, and some were both. But either way, if every meeting had 12-14 people like this one did, there would be hundreds of people getting help for pornography every week. And that's only within 4-5 miles of BYU. I was disturbed about how much of a issue this is and that we only now are beginning to talk about the harms of it openly in church or through social media. I'm upset that we were/are ignoring a problem that probably affects the majority of church members.
Second, I was actually disturbed about how the "veterans" of the meeting interacted with the "newcomers." For example, at the beginning of the meeting, there were only a couple of women there all of whom were attending for their first time. We had a very open conversation and I felt comfortable commenting and sharing. However, as the lesson progressed, some other women showed up who had clearly been attending these meetings for years (some 5+ years). These women quickly dominated the conversation sharing their experiences and insights. However, that made me, and other first timers fall back into the background to become observers instead of participants. This happened so much that when it came to the sharing portion of the meeting, 6 newcomers said "pass" and chose not to participate, including me. So, if I really struggled with this, I wouldn't feel comfortable attending one of these meetings. I think they didn't do a very good job of including others (obviously they didn't force). I guess they just allowed the same three people to dominate the conversation. I felt alienated by the language and vocab they were using that I, and many other newbys, were unfamiliar with. This can connect back to what we've discussed in class about how the words we use can discriminate just as much as anything else.
Third, I'm also taken back about how centered this is around religion. Of course it's a church sponsored organization so it will talk about Christ and His Atonement, but I wish the church had a program to help others in different religions. If what I'm teaching only appeals to people of my same religion, I'm alienating a lot of potential students who could greatly benefit from this idea. Yes I have religion freedom, but I don't want a pornography addiction class to become a religious club. When we discussed religion in class, we focused on the idea that we can't teach anything that is advancing or inhibiting religion. However, I believe it is possible to offer a class that can teach about the harm of pornography without furthering our religion. This specific class just didn't do this.
This is a wider view of humanity that I had never really considered before. Pornography addiction, and all addictions for that matter, is a real thing. Addiction really impacts almost every single person in some way or another. And yet, we don't talk openly enough about it. IF SOMETHING APPLIES TO EVERYONE, LET'S GET EVERYONE SOME HELP! That's all. I'm upset that more people don't know about these programs and seek help for it. I'm upset addiction is such a taboo topic and that people are frowned upon for talking about/admitting to it.
Friday, October 7, 2016
Investigating Oppression - Women
In 2015, women made up 50.4 percent of the total population in the United States. This was the same percent as in 1960. So, for over 50 years, women have made up more than half of the total US population.
(http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL.FE.ZS?end=2015&start=1960)
And yet a group that makes up more than half of everyone we are surrounded by is being oppressed.
In 1848, the first women's rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. There, an agenda and list of grievances was set forth for women's rights. 12 resolutions were established calling for equal rights for men and women. (http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline1.html)
Even though this was 168 years ago, women have been oppressed since that day and are still oppressed today.
Let's look at some of the ways women have been oppressed in the past and what they had to go through to get out of/improve that oppression.(http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline1.html)
VOTING:
-The convention at Seneca Falls called for equal voting right for women in 1848.
-In May of 1869, The National Woman Suffrage Association was formed.
-Susan B. Anthong, Elizabet Cady Stanton and others focus on gaining voting right for women through amendments to individual state constitutions.
-In December of 1869, Wyoming become the first territory to pass a women's suffrage law.
-National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) stages campaigns in each state to obtain women's suffrage rights.
-CO adpoted an amdendement granting women the right to vote in 1893.
-1913 - the Congressional Union (later the National Women's Party) is formed to try to pass a federal amendment giving women the right to vote.
-1919 - Federal Woman Suffrage Amendment is passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate.
-19TH AMENDEMENT SIGNED INTO LAW IN 1920.
-ABORTION/BIRTH CONTROL
-First US birth control clinic is opened in 1916 in NY by Margaret Sanger. She is arrested and it is shut down.
-1921 Sanger founds American Birth Control League (Later the Planned Parenthood Federation of America)
-Sanger wins her case through the courts and opens another clinic in 1923.
-1936 - contraception information is no longer classified as obscene.
-1960, FDA approves birth control pills
-1965, Supreme Court strikes down state law prohibiting contraceptives by married couples.
-1972, unmarried people have a right to use contraceptives - ruling by Supreme Court
-Roe v Wade rules abortions are safe and legal in 1973, overturning many state laws saying otherwise.
-1986, Supreme Court reaffirms a woman's right to an abortion.
-Supreme Court bans "partial birth" abortion procedure.
-POLITICS
-After WY passed the first women's suffrage law in 1869, women started serving on juries in that territory.
-EMILY'S List established to support women (especially Democratic pro-choice women) running for Congress. Substantially increases the number of Women in Congress.
-Sandra Day O'Connor is appointed as the first female Supreme court Justice.
-In 2016, many articles, including this one are published claiming a woman is unfit to be president.
-WAGES/WORKING CONDITIONS
-1903 - The formation of the National Women's Trade Union League (WTUL) is established to improve wages and working conditions for women.
-Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor is formed to collect information about women in the workplace.
-Eleanor Roosevelt chairs the President's Commission on the Status of Women which reported substantial discrimination against women in the workplace. They strive to improve hiring practices, maternity leave, and affordable child care.
-Equal Pay Act is passed in 1963 making it illegal to pay a woman less than what a man would receive for doing the same job.
-1964, passage of Title VII of Civil Rights Act bars discrimination in employment based on race or sex.
-NOW (National Organization for Women) is founded seeking to end sexual discrimination in the workplace.
-1968, sex-segregated help wanted ads in newspapers are illegal. (This ruling is upheld in Supreme Court)
-Jobs that are substantially equal but not identical fall under the protection of the Equal Pay Act according to a court case in 1970.
-1974, An employer can't pay a woman less simply because men would not work at that low rate.
-1978, Pregnancy Discrimination ACT bans employment discrimination against pregnant women.
-1984, Sexual Harassment in a form of illegal job discrimination according to the Supreme Court.
-A woman can sue for damages for sex discrimination according to the Supreme Court in 1999.
-2009 Obama signed Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act which allows victims of pay discrimination to file a complaint with the government against employer.
-FAMILY/PERSONAL LIFE
-"No fault" divorce law passed in CA in 1969. This allows couples to divorce by mutual consent.
-1969, laws passed regarding equal division of property in divorce
-1976, First marital rape law passed in NE making it illegal for a husband to rape his wife.
-Violence Against Women Act increases penalties for sex offenders and serves victims of rape and domestic violence.
-RACE
-National Association of Colored Women formed combining more than 100 black women's clubs.
1935 - National Council of Negro Women formed to lobby against job discrimination, racism, and sexism.
-SEXUAL ORIENTATION
1955 - First lesbian organization in the US is formed - The Daughter of Bilitis. Later becomes a political organization to win acceptance for lesbians.
-EDUCATION
-1967 - Affirmative action policy expanded to cover discrimination based on gender to ensure women enjoy the same education opportunities as males.
-Title IX bans sex discrimination in schools in 1972.
-Supreme Court rules that all-male school must admit women in order to receive public funding in 1996.
-Supreme Court rules that Title IX includes the fact that you can't punish someone for complaining about sex-based discrimination.
Okay, we get it. Women have been discriminated against in all of these instances and ARE STILL FACING OPPRESSION IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE WAYS TODAY.
Like, come on people, it's 2016, can't we get with the program?
So let's look at some general questions behind this oppression.
What are the critical misunderstandings that contribute to the oppression of women?
In general, The misunderstandings come simply from the idea that women are weaker than men, physically, intellectually, and basically in every other way. It comes from the idea that they are made differently (I'll give you that) but those differences in no way impact a woman's ability to think, do a job, or even run a country.
How has the group traditionally been treated in the U.S.?
I would begin answering this question by stating that as a woman living in the U.S., life is pretty good. Obviously it's not nearly as bad as in some other countries, so do we have that much to complain about? YES. Literally you can read through every single one of the above organizations and supreme court rulings and find that the same issue has NEVER arise for males. So yes, in a country that claims to have so much equality and freedom, we can do better. As a group, women have NOT been treated EQUALLY.
How is the group portrayed in the media?
In current media, women are portrayed for their blonde hair and big boobs. Forget the fact that Amal Clooney is an amazing lawyer, activist, and author specializing in international law and human rights. Here's a screen shot of what comes up when I google "Amal Clooney"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kgQADIHVSA
What are some of the negative consequence of the oppression of the group?
I think Bill Gates explained this best.
https://www.pinterest.com/wicsandiego/inspiration/
I can't say how true this story/quote is, but it gets my point across anyway. Women have SO much to offer, but if they're prevented from getting an education or working as a CEO or anything like that, society is punishing themselves. Who knows what amazing developments we may have if it didn't take until about 50 years ago to make discriminating against women in the workplace illegal. (Note: I'm not saying discrimination has stopped, just that it's now illegal.)
What are some of the positive coping and resiliency strategies utilized by the group?
Well in the words of Kimmy Schmidt:
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/females+are+strong+as+hell+posters
Women throughout history have banded together and fought for what they knew was right. Through various organizations and small but very important steps, their consistent and dedicated striving have got them to where they are today.
What can educators do to support anti-oppression efforts for the group?
As a woman currently studying math in college, I believe the role of a teacher in a young girl's choice of study is very important. Just as with any group, we can provide positive role models of women in STEM fields (or all fields really) to send the message that these young women truly can be anything they want. We can allow them to do a project on an important female political figure instead of a US president. They can research women's current contribution to math instead of presenting on a dead, white, male mathematician. There are so many empowering females to start with, no young woman should have the idea that women aren't strong as hell.
Ending Words:
First off, this is ridiculous. I'm so bothered that this is even still an issue. That oppression of any kind is still an issue. How can we expect to be a world power when we're literally oppressing every single group you can think of except white males. It took until 2016 until a woman was a presidential nominee and yet third world countries in Asia and South America have had female leaders for years. We really should get on that page.
So, even though I was able to research for days all of the steps women have made throughout history to make discrimination of them in various forms illegal, that does NOT mean it's nonexistent. The wage gap is an active debate in the politics of the economy as is planned parenthood.
After looking at some of the social media sites, here are a couple snippets of information I've found:
http://salon.tumblr.com/post/125181179753/women-make-up-nearly-50-percent-of-americas
http://good.tumblr.com/post/142258922090/the-gender-decoder-will-tell-you-if-a-job
We're not there. We're not even close.
(http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL.FE.ZS?end=2015&start=1960)
And yet a group that makes up more than half of everyone we are surrounded by is being oppressed.
In 1848, the first women's rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. There, an agenda and list of grievances was set forth for women's rights. 12 resolutions were established calling for equal rights for men and women. (http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline1.html)
Even though this was 168 years ago, women have been oppressed since that day and are still oppressed today.
Let's look at some of the ways women have been oppressed in the past and what they had to go through to get out of/improve that oppression.(http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline1.html)
VOTING:
-The convention at Seneca Falls called for equal voting right for women in 1848.
-In May of 1869, The National Woman Suffrage Association was formed.
-Susan B. Anthong, Elizabet Cady Stanton and others focus on gaining voting right for women through amendments to individual state constitutions.
-In December of 1869, Wyoming become the first territory to pass a women's suffrage law.
-National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) stages campaigns in each state to obtain women's suffrage rights.
-CO adpoted an amdendement granting women the right to vote in 1893.
-1913 - the Congressional Union (later the National Women's Party) is formed to try to pass a federal amendment giving women the right to vote.
-1919 - Federal Woman Suffrage Amendment is passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate.
-19TH AMENDEMENT SIGNED INTO LAW IN 1920.
-ABORTION/BIRTH CONTROL
-First US birth control clinic is opened in 1916 in NY by Margaret Sanger. She is arrested and it is shut down.
-1921 Sanger founds American Birth Control League (Later the Planned Parenthood Federation of America)
-Sanger wins her case through the courts and opens another clinic in 1923.
-1936 - contraception information is no longer classified as obscene.
-1960, FDA approves birth control pills
-1965, Supreme Court strikes down state law prohibiting contraceptives by married couples.
-1972, unmarried people have a right to use contraceptives - ruling by Supreme Court
-Roe v Wade rules abortions are safe and legal in 1973, overturning many state laws saying otherwise.
-1986, Supreme Court reaffirms a woman's right to an abortion.
-Supreme Court bans "partial birth" abortion procedure.
-POLITICS
-After WY passed the first women's suffrage law in 1869, women started serving on juries in that territory.
-EMILY'S List established to support women (especially Democratic pro-choice women) running for Congress. Substantially increases the number of Women in Congress.
-Sandra Day O'Connor is appointed as the first female Supreme court Justice.
-In 2016, many articles, including this one are published claiming a woman is unfit to be president.
-WAGES/WORKING CONDITIONS
-1903 - The formation of the National Women's Trade Union League (WTUL) is established to improve wages and working conditions for women.
-Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor is formed to collect information about women in the workplace.
-Eleanor Roosevelt chairs the President's Commission on the Status of Women which reported substantial discrimination against women in the workplace. They strive to improve hiring practices, maternity leave, and affordable child care.
-Equal Pay Act is passed in 1963 making it illegal to pay a woman less than what a man would receive for doing the same job.
-1964, passage of Title VII of Civil Rights Act bars discrimination in employment based on race or sex.
-NOW (National Organization for Women) is founded seeking to end sexual discrimination in the workplace.
-1968, sex-segregated help wanted ads in newspapers are illegal. (This ruling is upheld in Supreme Court)
-Jobs that are substantially equal but not identical fall under the protection of the Equal Pay Act according to a court case in 1970.
-1974, An employer can't pay a woman less simply because men would not work at that low rate.
-1978, Pregnancy Discrimination ACT bans employment discrimination against pregnant women.
-1984, Sexual Harassment in a form of illegal job discrimination according to the Supreme Court.
-A woman can sue for damages for sex discrimination according to the Supreme Court in 1999.
-2009 Obama signed Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act which allows victims of pay discrimination to file a complaint with the government against employer.
-FAMILY/PERSONAL LIFE
-"No fault" divorce law passed in CA in 1969. This allows couples to divorce by mutual consent.
-1969, laws passed regarding equal division of property in divorce
-1976, First marital rape law passed in NE making it illegal for a husband to rape his wife.
-Violence Against Women Act increases penalties for sex offenders and serves victims of rape and domestic violence.
-RACE
-National Association of Colored Women formed combining more than 100 black women's clubs.
1935 - National Council of Negro Women formed to lobby against job discrimination, racism, and sexism.
-SEXUAL ORIENTATION
1955 - First lesbian organization in the US is formed - The Daughter of Bilitis. Later becomes a political organization to win acceptance for lesbians.
-EDUCATION
-1967 - Affirmative action policy expanded to cover discrimination based on gender to ensure women enjoy the same education opportunities as males.
-Title IX bans sex discrimination in schools in 1972.
-Supreme Court rules that all-male school must admit women in order to receive public funding in 1996.
-Supreme Court rules that Title IX includes the fact that you can't punish someone for complaining about sex-based discrimination.
Okay, we get it. Women have been discriminated against in all of these instances and ARE STILL FACING OPPRESSION IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE WAYS TODAY.
Like, come on people, it's 2016, can't we get with the program?
So let's look at some general questions behind this oppression.
What are the critical misunderstandings that contribute to the oppression of women?
In general, The misunderstandings come simply from the idea that women are weaker than men, physically, intellectually, and basically in every other way. It comes from the idea that they are made differently (I'll give you that) but those differences in no way impact a woman's ability to think, do a job, or even run a country.
How has the group traditionally been treated in the U.S.?
I would begin answering this question by stating that as a woman living in the U.S., life is pretty good. Obviously it's not nearly as bad as in some other countries, so do we have that much to complain about? YES. Literally you can read through every single one of the above organizations and supreme court rulings and find that the same issue has NEVER arise for males. So yes, in a country that claims to have so much equality and freedom, we can do better. As a group, women have NOT been treated EQUALLY.
How is the group portrayed in the media?
In current media, women are portrayed for their blonde hair and big boobs. Forget the fact that Amal Clooney is an amazing lawyer, activist, and author specializing in international law and human rights. Here's a screen shot of what comes up when I google "Amal Clooney"
"Shoulder-Baring Polka Dots"
"Best Looks"
"Style"
"Michael Kors Floral Dress"
"Pants Style"
"Glamorous"
Exhibit A:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFAXipLomts
Apparently all we care about is their looks.
Another prime example of women in the media was so blatantly seen when Bruce Jenner transitioned to Caitlyn. Of course he/she is still the same person, but look at the news coverage the following day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kgQADIHVSA
"You see, Caitlyn, when you were a man, we could talk about your athleticism, your business acumen, but now you're a woman and your looks are really the only thing we care about."
"Okay, I have to ask the most important question, does she have a better body than Kim Kardashian?"
"Caitlyn Jenner, congratulations, welcome to being a woman in America."
What are some of the negative consequence of the oppression of the group?
I think Bill Gates explained this best.
https://www.pinterest.com/wicsandiego/inspiration/
I can't say how true this story/quote is, but it gets my point across anyway. Women have SO much to offer, but if they're prevented from getting an education or working as a CEO or anything like that, society is punishing themselves. Who knows what amazing developments we may have if it didn't take until about 50 years ago to make discriminating against women in the workplace illegal. (Note: I'm not saying discrimination has stopped, just that it's now illegal.)
What are some of the positive coping and resiliency strategies utilized by the group?
Well in the words of Kimmy Schmidt:
https://www.redbubble.com/shop/females+are+strong+as+hell+postersWomen throughout history have banded together and fought for what they knew was right. Through various organizations and small but very important steps, their consistent and dedicated striving have got them to where they are today.
What can educators do to support anti-oppression efforts for the group?
As a woman currently studying math in college, I believe the role of a teacher in a young girl's choice of study is very important. Just as with any group, we can provide positive role models of women in STEM fields (or all fields really) to send the message that these young women truly can be anything they want. We can allow them to do a project on an important female political figure instead of a US president. They can research women's current contribution to math instead of presenting on a dead, white, male mathematician. There are so many empowering females to start with, no young woman should have the idea that women aren't strong as hell.
Ending Words:
First off, this is ridiculous. I'm so bothered that this is even still an issue. That oppression of any kind is still an issue. How can we expect to be a world power when we're literally oppressing every single group you can think of except white males. It took until 2016 until a woman was a presidential nominee and yet third world countries in Asia and South America have had female leaders for years. We really should get on that page.
So, even though I was able to research for days all of the steps women have made throughout history to make discrimination of them in various forms illegal, that does NOT mean it's nonexistent. The wage gap is an active debate in the politics of the economy as is planned parenthood.
After looking at some of the social media sites, here are a couple snippets of information I've found:
http://salon.tumblr.com/post/125181179753/women-make-up-nearly-50-percent-of-americas
http://good.tumblr.com/post/142258922090/the-gender-decoder-will-tell-you-if-a-job
We're not there. We're not even close.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Being the "Other"
For my "other" assignment, I chose to attend St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Orem. I also chose to attend the Spanish mass. I hoped this experience would show me what it was like being the "other" in different ways - culturally and religiously. I wanted to get out of my I'm-a-white-native-English-speaker-Mormon-living-in-Utah shell.
Going into this experience I tried to pay super close attention to how I was feeling. Especially, how did I cope with being "the other" and what it would be like to feel like that all the time.
When I woke up Sunday morning, I found I was unusually stressed about what to wear. I made the conscious choice to not wear heels since I'm already naturally tall. I realized I didn't want to allow myself to stand out more than I already would. I also found myself picking clothes that were neutral in color and more likely to blend in. Both of these thoughts had never occurred to me before. I was changing my actions based on what others would think of me. I can see how minorities or outsiders would feel this same way. I can't even imagine a Muslim for example putting on their Hijab and knowing it would further alienate themselves from this western culture. Or more simply, someone changing the way they dress/act in order to fit in, but sacrificing their own culture at the same time.
Once I arrived at the church, I was super nervous about going inside. I sat in the car for a while and once I got the courage to get out, ended up just walking around the church for a couple of minutes. due to nervousness.That's when I took these pictures:
Going into this experience I tried to pay super close attention to how I was feeling. Especially, how did I cope with being "the other" and what it would be like to feel like that all the time.
When I woke up Sunday morning, I found I was unusually stressed about what to wear. I made the conscious choice to not wear heels since I'm already naturally tall. I realized I didn't want to allow myself to stand out more than I already would. I also found myself picking clothes that were neutral in color and more likely to blend in. Both of these thoughts had never occurred to me before. I was changing my actions based on what others would think of me. I can see how minorities or outsiders would feel this same way. I can't even imagine a Muslim for example putting on their Hijab and knowing it would further alienate themselves from this western culture. Or more simply, someone changing the way they dress/act in order to fit in, but sacrificing their own culture at the same time.
Once I arrived at the church, I was super nervous about going inside. I sat in the car for a while and once I got the courage to get out, ended up just walking around the church for a couple of minutes. due to nervousness.That's when I took these pictures:
I realized I didn't like putting myself out of my comfort zone when I don't have to. I'm not one to go out of my way to experience/learn about other cultures. I was much more comfortable just walking around. However, I realized that this is what "others" have to do every day. Sometimes something as routine as going to school or riding the bus is out of your comfort zone, but it still has to be done. I rarely have to do this which is probably why it bothered me so much this time.
I realized that one of the most uncomfortable parts so far was the fact that I was alone. Everyone I passed walking to/from the church was with their friends and their family. I kept thinking, "This wouldn't be as bad if my husband were here." And of course that's the ideal, but not very realistic. I may have students who are the only one of their race/religion/whatever else in my class and they will feel the same way I did. A lot of them were also wearing jeans and t-shirts while I was wearing a dress which also contributed to my alienation.
Once I got inside, I felt a little bit better. I realized it wasn't as scary as it seemed. I spent a couple of minutes looking at all of the art on the wall and browsing their gift shop. Although this isn't what takes place in my church, it was still a comfortable place to be. Here's a picture I took:
I didn't take any more pictures once inside the chapel (for obvious reasons).
They started mass with some songs in Spanish which I of course didn't know. This made me realize what was brought up last portfolio when I was asked what about my culture would be bad to have in the classroom. I felt excluded and left out because I didn't know what everyone else was doing/talking about. Likewise, if I'm constantly including white/American pop-culture references in my classroom, I'm sure to exclude many of my students.
The rest of the mass continued on in a similar way. Some singing, some preaching, and some scripture reading. I was okay with most of that part other than feeling lost at some times due to the lack of Spanish/Catholic knowledge. I wished someone would've handed me a hymn book or offered to sit with me so I knew a little better what was going on.
In this case, I did not interact with anyone since that was what everyone else was doing. Everyone seemed to grab a hymn book out of their bag (I wasn't aware that I should have brought one, nor did I even know where to find one). I also realize that I might have been able to sit with someone, but I noticed that each family was sitting together. Since I wasn't there with anyone from my family I felt it inappropriate to go sit with someone else and intrude on their family.
I did notice many similarities between our cultures as well. We both go to church to feel the spirit and get closer to God. We have families who are to noisy and kids who cry during the prayer. Of course we're different, but looking back I think it would've helped me to focus more on these commonalities.
Overall, I did not like being "the other." I would guess that no one really does, but I was surprised how much I was bothered by it. I did not cope with it well. I felt so uncomfortable and that everyone was watching and judging me and wondering "Why is this little white girl here?" I know they probably glanced my way and continued on with their worship and didn't give too much thought to me, but I couldn't help feeling anxious about it the whole time anyway. I like to consider myself a confident, independent woman, but was surprised about how quickly I was shrunk simply by being placed in a different environment.
This helped me realize that if I have students who aren't getting along, aren't participating, or are simply keeping to myself, that they're probably uncomfortable in some way. I need to adapt my teaching/classroom to be more inclusive. I want my students to all know each other's names and to always be sitting by a partner so they can know what's going on if they get lost. I also need to be aware of those who are left out and find a way to include them. This inclusion could be in the form of a friend with a similar background, using examples from their culture, or anything of the sort. I know it would've helped me knowing that someone high up (such as the priest or in the classroom's case, the teacher) acknowledge me and tell me they're glad to have me there. This is what I can do for my students.
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