Social Justice Reflection

New York Times Article

Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/17/nyregion/new-jersey-school-segregation-suit.html

In New Jersey schools there are still views of segregation. There is still segregation in New Jersey towns so it is going to be in schools. They need to figure out ways to integrate the schools. This is crazy to me because this article was written in May 2018 and the New Jersey schools aren't even integrated a little bit yet? Our schools are integrated but they could do better than they are. Someone needs to do something about it unless it doesn't get done. Segregation has been in New Jersey so they just let it go and then it ends up getting worse in the schools. they have never addressed the idea of segregation because it has always existed and now it has gotten so bad they don't know what to do. You cannot let segregation get out of hand because it is going to turn into a big problem like this.

The lawsuit has several alternatives to help with this segregation. They want to have magnet schools from multiple towns so that the schools are better. The students perform better in integrated schools rather than segregated schools. Every students benefits in integrated schools rather than one race having more opportunities than another. This relates to the Christensen article because it involves different races and ethnic groups. Each students deserves to have an equal opportunities in school. They are all students going to school to learn and deserve to achieve the same education.

This article also relates to the article we read by Tal and Herbert. These schools in New Jersey are fighting to be integrated and this article explains that we don't realize how much more integrated our schools could be if we tried. They are integrated but not as much as they could be. But New Jersey needs to make changes to their segregated schools to stop spreading it and it getting any worse. Schools in New Jersey need to be more diverse so the students learn better and are mixed to learn about different backgrounds and prepare them for the real world. People aren't interacting with one another and getting to know one another so it is hard to make connections.


An article pertaining to the Brown v. Board (which we talked about in class) and segregation also relates to this New York Times article because the schools are unequal and the students shouldn't have to learn like this everyday. Students need to have their voices heard and fight for an equal education just like in Brown v. Board and if their voices aren't heard then they need to do something further. This article explained the segregation, what was done about it and how schools became integrated throughout the way.

Another article that relates to this issue is, How segregated are New Jersey's schools and what can be done about it?  (https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2018/07/13/how-segregated-new-jerseys-schools-and-what-can-done/702719002/). This article relates directly to the lawsuit article because it is about New Jersey schools. They are saying the same thing about the segregation in the schools and what should be done about it. The students are stuck surrounded by segregation everyday not only where they live but where they spend their days learning. School is supposed to be a safe and comfortable place for everyone but how can these students feel like that in this environment? Something needs to be done in order for this issue resolve.

Kwieler

Blog Post 10

Quotes

1. '...outlined, society itself is hurt when schools act as cultural sorting machines-locations that 'justify a competitive ethic that marginalizes certain students or groups of students ... [that] legitimize discrimination and devaluation on the basis of the dominant society's preferences in matters of ability, gender, ethnicity, and race ... and [that]endorse an elaborate process of sorting by perceived ability and behavior'.

Separating students in schools can have an affect on the students. All students go to school to get an education and these factors shouldn't disturb the kind of education they are getting. They are all students that are there to learn. Students should not feel like they at a competitive place when they are at school because they are all there for the same reason. In my schooling experience there were always those few students who wanted to be better than the other but it isn't about that. If you as an individual are learning and making progress throughout your schooling career then that is what matters.


2. "Dewey (1899) believed schools must serve as the sites in which children develop both a sense of commitment to one another and a sense of self-direction leading to "the deepest and the best guarantee of a larger society which is worthy, lovely, and harmonious".

Schools should be a safe place for students and everyone should feel comfortable and welcome. This is where students form connections with one another and every student should feel like they have the opportunity to do that. No student should ever feel left out or not included.


3. 'It's not like they come here to be labeled, or to believe the label. We're all here-kids, teachers, parents, whoever-it's about all of us working together, playing together, being together, and that's
what learning is. Don't tell me any of these kids are being set up to fail'.

Students shouldn't be going to school to get assigned to different groups but instead to achieve an equal education. Schools already produce inequality so it is important for teachers to balance it out. I agree that learning involves everyone in order for it to be effective.

https://www.noodle.com/articles/the-inclusive-classroom-education-for-children-of-all-needs

Oakes

Blog Post 9

Quotes

1.  "On the other side, growing numbers of school professionals and parents oppose tracking because they believe it locks most students into classes where they are stereotyped as "less able," and where they have fewer opportunities to learn".

Tracking might seem to favor one group of students over the other and that is why some parents and teachers don't like it. I agree that by tracking all students don't get the same education and advantage as others. But also tracking can help put students in the right classes that they need to be in so it prepares them for higher ability classes if that's what they can handle.



2. "More-over, the nature of these differences suggests that students who are placed in high-ability groups have access to far richer schooling experiences than other students. This finding helps explain, at least in part, why it is that tracking sometimes seems to "work" for high- ability students and not for others".

To students tracking may not seem fair since the higher ability students tend to have more of an advantage than the lower ability students. Every student deserves the same education so it is important for students of different abilities to be together so they all can benefit.

3. " On the other hand, without a positive classroom climate, students spend considerable energy interfering with the teacher's agenda, and teachers must spend more of their time and energy just trying to maintain control".

I agree that sometimes it is hard to have students of mixed abilities together because half the class is on one page while the other half is on another page. The pace is also hard to control but the high ability students could be a model for the lower ability students.

http://www.nea.org/tools/16899.htm

Tal, Herbert, Website

Blog Post 8
Separate and Unequal 

Extended Comments

For this blog post I am writing extended comments to Emily Vieira's blog.
I agree with the quotes that she chose because they show how the students reacted to the transfer students. They didn't think anything different of them and that is important because the students are all just there to learn and get an education. The parents were downgrading these transfer students because they thought they were going to affect the school but they didn't at all. This isn't good for their kids to hear either because then they are going to be in that mindset when it is actually not like that. The students in that school became better because of the integrated school. There were no negative effects because of the transfer students. Integrated schools are beneficial for all students because it provides different resources and learning tools to the classroom.

The issue is blacks not getting the same education as whites and there needs to be more integration. The teachers usually turn away from low-income and poverty schools so that leaves these students with a less education than others. The teachers don't really want to be there so they aren't going to put their all into the job and then the students struggle. The courses taught are different and the students aren't getting the education that they should get. The advanced kids get better quality teachers than the kids who are behind. I agree with the quote that she included about the integration of lower-class communities into upper-class communities. These lower class students thrive in an upper class school because they get a better education and have more tools and resources for them to use. Overall, all students will benefit from transferring lower class students to a middle class school.

The society now should be way more integrated than it actually is.

https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/articles-and-essays/school-segregation-and-integration/

Kahne and Westheimer

Blog Post 7

Reflection

In this reading I agree that service learning for students is a great way for them to understand and help others in need. Some students don't learn well just sitting in a classroom listening to lecture or reading from a book so the hands-on part is really useful. Sometimes we even learn more because there is more opportunity for experience. Service learning is a way to reach out and help others while also learning from it at the same time.

When I was in high school I took a child development class and towards the end of the semester we visited a daycare we were assigned to until the end of the semester. This was a great opportunity because I got to help children that needed more help and just watch how they learn through play at that age. We would observe and then help out and it was a great experience and made me even more want to be a teacher!

Just like now, it is such an experience to get to be able to service learn children in a school. We get to see what it is like nowadays to teach children and learn from it. By being in the atmosphere experiencing the teaching it is way more beneficial than reading from a book about lets say how a classroom should be set up and the daily curriculum. Having this opportunity of service learning it makes students aware of how much of a difference they can make in the world just by helping out.

Blog Post 5

These articles on election teach us about gender by explaining how men speak to one another about other females. It also explains how other females talk about other females because they want to gain more power. Men are only looking for women to impress them so that then they can go talk about us. White males are holding all the power and they want to keep it that way which is why they go after woman and don't want anyone to take their power away from them.

Electing black women into office seems absurd for a lot of candidates and people. The idea of gender gap is what holds men and women apart because of their different political views. Women became very involved in politics and were actually the majority of voters in the 1980 election. They had distinct opinions on politics and they wanted to make change so they were using their voices. Men obviously didn't like this because women are "inferior" to them and they don't want them to have as much power. Which is why there are so many gender issues within the elections. This also relates to the Christensen article that we did about gender roles.


These articles relate to the article about gender inequality we did in class and also about the differences between race. There shouldn't be these gender gaps because men and women are all people just think differently and it is useful to hear other's opinions.

Safe Spaces; Zelle

Blog Post 4
Hyperlinks

Teaching children about the LGBT community is very important. Students need to learn that is okay to be different and they can't associate certain groups of people by the ways they are brought up with.  Teachers are trying to incorporate this topic in their learning when they get the chance to so that all students feel comfortable and welcome. Examples of this include adding more books that have a variety of family styles, talking about it when it gets brought up instead of pretending to not hear the comments and making a safe space for those students who are LGBT. As this article mentions even in elementary school there are teachers trying to incorporate and include everyone. There are many ways they have explained and had a discussion with their students about LGBT and it makes them have a positive view of it rather than what they might hear about it at home or from someone else.We need to teach children that it is okay to not be the same as everyone else and feel different. 

It is important that teachers include the LGBT community into their classrooms. Any chance that there is to include such explanations should be discussed. This will create a more comfortable atmosphere for those who define themselves as LGBT or children with LGBT parents or relatives. It is in this world today so we can't just let it go unseen and if we hear it being talked about it is important to chime in and create a discussion.


https://www.glsen.org/educate/resources/curriculum
In this link there are various lesson plans that incorporate LGBT into the curriculum. There are ideas on how to make LGBT students feel comfortable in your classroom and ways to make the lessons reflect them as well. Even today I feel as though teachers need to be comfortable explaining and teaching this because it is going to come up in discussions. They need to be able to put their views of it to the side and be open minded to teach these students about it.



http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244017739949
This table was conducted to show whether there is a relation to teaching about LGBT and the teachers age. As you can see the trend was as the teacher's age increased their comfort with teaching about LGBT in literature decreased. Except the over 60 year old teachers. This is because the older teachers weren't brought up learning about this and they want to stick to the way they know things. The younger teachers know more about this and were in this generation so they feel comfortable including it.

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/john-depasquale/2017/Create-Inclusive-Affirming-Schools-for-LGBT-Students/
This article talks about creating a more inclusive atmosphere for LGBT students just like the reading we did. Including more books in libraries so that students have a variety and that is exactly what the librarian in the "Safe Spaces" reading was doing. This article also explains how there needs to be allies for these LGBT students. Even the teachers could be allies when they hear students talking about this topic they should chime in and have a discussion to create it into a learning experience rather than something negative. Like the reading said it is important to make these students feel like they are part of the school than to just let ideas about LGBT go unseen.


https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-your-child-needs-know-about-sex-and-when/201112/teaching-your-young-child-about
As the "Safe Spaces" article talked about parents also have an affect on their children when learning about LGBT. It is important for parents to encourage and teach this rather than just shrug it off and not discuss these situations with their children because then when they go to school they will have negative views on LGBT and could be a bully of the LGBT students. Parents helping their children to be aware of this can help in school and creating a safe place for those LGBT students. Many students have a lack of knowledge of what this means and it should be Brought up within the household as well so the children see the many different ways of living and others don't feel offended.

Most of the LGBT students don't feel welcome or safe in their classrooms and that is why they would rather skip school. So instead of having them feel like this it is important to be mindful of every student and include them despite their differences.

I really liked the comment in the "Safe Spaces" article that said "classrooms need to be windows and mirrors..". This was an interesting point because the windows represent the children going above and beyond and looking into the future and the mirrors represent the children themselves. So they can act like themselves in a classroom and feel safe.





Discussion:
Let everyone be accepted and feel comfortable in the classroom because they can choose to be whatever they want.

h

Christensen

Blog Post 4


Connections

This article relates to the other articles that we did in class talking about the differences in culture and racial groups in schools. Nobody should feel left out or discriminate because of how they grow up learning about society. They grow up to just learn certain things and think that's how the world works when it is just a manipulation. This article also relates to the other articles we have been talking about when our identity is taken away from us because of our dreams and how we want our future life to be perfect like famous people. We are manipulated into looking at life through one point of view and try to build up to that to be as great as we can. This shows that in order to succeed in this world there are standards you must meet because you are always getting compared to others. There are so many gender and race inequalities and this article explains how cartoons even show that. We have been talking about this in class and men compared to women along with blacks compared to whites. Whether it gender, race, or language we are always being compared to one another. It shouldn't be like that at all and everyone should just be able to live freely how they want to. Even the cartoons that kids watch are full of sexism and racism. The kids don't even realize it but a lot of parents won't let their kids watch it as this article explains. Many of the kids reapplied after critiquing these cartoons what they were all about. It really is sad that this is what is behind everything because that isn't how it should be. Even in our childhood we were being manipulated. It is crazy to think about how manipulated we were as children and even the children nowadays. Just through something as simple as watching cartoons on television. This article relates to the gender roles we talked about in class because in many movies and children's cartoons the men are the lead role. Things as simple as this are looked over when we are children because we don't even realize it and may parents think that some cartoons are better than others but they really aren't. All of them are manipulative.

Link:

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/gender-stereotypes-are-messing-with-your-kid

This is an article about how gender stereotypes in movies are cartoons can affect your children. They start right at the preschooler age when children begin understanding cartoons and last through their life. The television shows and cartoon depicts how men and woman should be and that view can affect your child into thinking that's the only way to be. These cartoons are so manipulative and I didn't realize it as a child and wouldn't of until reading this eye-opening article because it all makes sense. Men are portrayed as one way and woman as another which messes with children's minds.

Rodriguez

Blog Post 3
Argument


In the article Aria by Richard Rodriguez the argument is that in order to be acquired into public society there are disadvantages to your private identity. People shouldn’t have to lose their private part of their life and how they connect with their family just because of the dominant culture. This is an understandable argument because it isn’t fair to those people who are defined by their identities because they shouldn’t have to lose them to be accepted into a culture. Rodriguez was born into a Spanish speaking family but was surrounded by an English culture. He explained how he thought Spanish was a “private language” and English was a “public language”. He was allowed to speak Spanish freely at his home but in public he had to speak what everyone else spoke. His language gave him a sense of security and made him close with his family because not many people spoke it. Unfortunately, it was mandatory that Rodriguez and his family only speak English so that the children could be successful in school. This was a challenge and transition for Rodriquez and his family because they were so used to their language. Although it is important for the parents to set the example and speak English to their children it can be tough because they feel like their language has been taken away from them. Rodriquez had a tough time because he felt lost as his language defined him. This is like not being allowed into a society because you are different. This tore Rodriguez's identity away from him and he didn't feel the same. He wasn't as close with his family because the bond he held so close with them was speaking Spanish together. His main point is that you shouldn't have to have your identities taken away just because the type of culture you are in. There should be other alternatives and accommodations for things like this when your in different cultures. In order to include everyone we need to accept all the languages and cultures instead of one being on top of all the others. At least it is working to get better and schools are accommodating children of all cultures and given them an opportunity.

This cartoon shows that the main language spoken is English and they only think about that language and aren't open to allowing another language into theirs to be spoken.


Link:
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/05/13/bilingual-students-need-support-in-their-native.html

This article explains how one student was also forced to learn English when his main language was Spanish and how he was pulled out of his other classes to go to reading Classes to learn English. In order for him to go to school he had to speak English, This relates to Rodriquez's experience as well. But for another student he was offered both English and Spanish. His school accepted bilingual students and incorporated both English and Spanish into the teaching process. This is important because now the students will have two languages and won't feel like their language is being left out.

McIntosh; All Lives Matter

Blog Post 2
Reflection

The text "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" by Peggy McIntosh makes me think about how the whites are so privileged compared to others. Many people don't even realize the amount of advantages we have. When you really think about it and read about white privilege it is all true and makes sense. Males and whites are blind to the privileges they have and don't want to admit they have them. Reading the list of everyday privileges that us whites have it really is true whether we realize it or not. Even by the littlest things we are privileged. We have access to everything based on our race. People take things for granted but you really shouldn't because we are privileged to many things everyday of our life. Some people don't have that privilege because of their race and it takes them a lot of hard work to even try and compare to what we have. Many people don't realize this and what we really have given to us in this world because we were just born to know we are free and open to everything. We don't realize all the opportunities we really have and criticize other cultures and think nothing of it. Our race feels power and dominance over all the others but that is not how it should be. Everyone should be given the same privileges and be equal. It is not fair to someone of another race to have to work twice as hard as us to get what we have. Then the question that comes to mind is that, is this really a free country? This text relates to me because I realized how privileged we actually are compared to others and in my family I have an adopted little cousin who is of another race so compared to him we have many more advantages. The whites deny the fact that there is a sense of power and dominance of them and I relate to that because you never really think of it this way unless you read about it or hear a story about it. We think everything is just here for us and only us and forget about equality for everyone else because we think we are all that matter. The social powers have to change in order for everyone to have equality and opportunities.

The text "The next time someone says 'all lives matter', show them these five paragraphs" by Kevin Roose made me think about how when something happens people act like they addressed the problem and tried to correct it or do something so that it doesn't happen the same way but it just gets put off. Just like all the school shootings, when they happen everyone is chaotic about it but nothing is set in stone and they don't  take action until another tragedy happens. The problems happen and then get put to the side. Just like the black lives. They try and do better and get better for themselves but someone always has a say and it just gets put off. When people are faced with a problem like the "Black Lives Matter", they make a saying to include everyone so then it defeats the purpose of the blacks trying to get help, have their voices heard and move up in this world. Life isn't the same for everybody as it should be but we don't see it that way. This article explained how many more blacks are shot or even killed by police but we don't often hear news about that. But if a white person is shot or killed by police it is all over the news. This is such a true example because whenever I look at the news you see blacks either committing crimes or doing something wrong so it puts a label on their race where the whites are very rarely on the news for doing the same thing. This is just one example of how whites have privilege and power over another race. There needs to be change, we can't be in denial forever.

Link:

https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2018/what-is-white-privilege-really
This is an article that is based off of Peggy McIntosh's article that I read about. It goes more in depth about what she is explaining and explains about the understanding of white privilege and how it has occurred through the years. I found this article interesting as it relates to these topics very well.


Discussion:
How we are so oblivious to white privilege and power and how it has been going on for many years and these articles still relate to the world today.

Blog Post 1

USA Land of Limitations
By: Nicholas Kristof

Quotes:

1. "..Too often the best predictor of where we end up is where we start".

This quote is interesting because a lot of people who were brought up in a family that struggled don't want to follow in the same path. But as this quote says, it is hard to overcome the struggles your family went through because it matters where you started. Many people succeed when they try but it does take a lot of work to go above and beyond to not be where you started. Kristof explains about his friend Rick Goff and the struggles he had growing up. His mother died when he was 5 and his father was an alcoholic so that left Rick to care for himself and his siblings. He later dropped out of high school his sophomore year and was married and divorced and raised his children. This is a perfect example that where you started affects where you are going to end up. His adult life was a reflect of his childhood. If there is family dysfunction at an early age it is going to follow with the children even when they grow up because it is hard to escape that and become better. Many people are successful in going above and beyond to get what they want however it just takes hard work and time. There may be bumpy road at first but they want to do better than what they had to go through in their family.

2. "They grow up not in a 'land of opportunity,' but in the kind of socially rigid hierarchies that our ancestors fled, the kind of society in which your outcome is largely determined by your beginning".

Being compared to one another based on classes isn't fair because of the advantages and disadvantages.  We are all human and here to learn, succeed and achieve our goals but some people have a disadvantage of where they started. Kristof explains how people who are middle class succeed more than those who are in poverty. That is because it is harder for the people in poverty to rise above and be greater than where they came from because they find themselves in the same hole. Some do succeed but not as much as those people with the advantage and background of it.

3. “Rich kids make a lot of bad choices,” Professor Reardon notes. “They just don’t come with the same sort of consequences.”

This quote is putting a name to rich kids because that is what they have been known as. A lot of people would say rich kids get everything handed to them and don't have to work to earn things.  Since there is a background associated with the rich then that is what we follow and think of. Rich kids get treated differently than average and lower class kids. This quote is important to the text because it shows you lower class kids struggle when it comes time for adult life because of what they went through and are used to but the rich kids always were given things so they know what is expected of them and have a greater chance of being as successful as their family.

Link:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/how-poverty-can-follow-children-into-adulthood/

I found this article interesting because it explains how more children who grew up in poverty continue to live that way through their adult life. It is so hard to escape and get out of that hole to become better so they just end up right where they started. It is sad because those children didn't ask to be brought up that way and they should have a chance to change their way of living when they are an adult but this society is so hard equal everyone and have the same opportunities and advantages. 

This picture represents how the wealthy have the money they need, the rich have money handed to them but some also work for their money and earn it but the poor are begging for money because they don't have the same opportunities.


Comment:

I personally think that it isn't fair for the adults who grew up in a poor household and are just trying to become better and achieve their goals but it is harder for them because of their background. They should have the chance just as much as everyone else to be seen as equal in this world and we shouldn't be able to put limitations on people just because of where they started. However, some people who grew up poor do overcome all the obstacles and are successful and worked hard to make it where they are. But that doesn't happen with everyone.

Introduction

I am Rachel Mello. I'm nineteen years old and a sophomore here at Rhode Island College studying Elementary Education. I would like to work with second or third graders as that is what I have always dreamed of. I have a brother that is five years older than me.

Over the summer I worked, hung out with friends and tried to go to the beach a lot. My favorite time in the summer is the Fourth Of July. There is just so much to do in Bristol and you get to see a lot of the people you went to high school with. That time of the year just brings everyone together to have a good time. There is weeks of events going on prior to the parade and it is just the greatest celebration. I also went to Block Island for a day and that was a lot of fun. 








When I am not in class I am usually working, doing homework, spending time with family and friends or shopping. I know its my job but I love to babysit. I am a babysitter to three young boys. It is a challenge watching three boy siblings but that is all part of the job and helping the kids to grow and learn. 







I also love spending time with my nephew and I have a niece on the way! He is three years old and smart, adorable and so cute. He always makes me laugh and I enjoy being with him almost everyday.