Connections

School: Robert F. Kennedy

Connection: Delpit Culture of Power

School educator data shows that 0% of educators in that school identify as Hispanic meanwhile 57.4% of students identify as Hispanic it is the highest reported ethnicity for students. This relates to Delpit because the culture of power is the educators in the school none of which identify as Hispanic this could lead to problems when teaching students who are not aware of certain rules this culture has and educators may not know this and adjust and accommodate to these students because they may assume these students know these rules before hand. 

Connection: Kozol Precious Knowledge 

Student data shows that 76.5% of students are economically disadvantaged a majority of students are living at or below the poverty line although not as drastic as the conditions mentioned by Kozol these students have much more barriers then others.

Key Assessment Data

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e0QTWWUVwT45iMNM44QS7Eg1aqLGZmJYf4HFFisuaMQ/edit?usp=sharing

Ableism 6

 “NLTS documented that a large number of students with LD who were placed in general education classrooms did not receive accommodations or support.”

This could be chalked up to two main reasons a lack of resources and a lack of advocacy. Let’s start with the first reason lack of resources teachers do not have resources many have buy there own supply and pay for there own trainings we are experiencing a massive teacher shortage many teachers in classrooms today do not have the proper training experience or even education to teach students even less so students with LDs who need even more support and accommodations. How is a teacher realistically supposed to provide a quality education to students in classrooms that are to big with a lack of materials or experience the answer is they cant. This means that the students suffer and the quality of teachers goes down. Students with LDs often need extra help which is something that can’t be done if there’s only one teacher in a classroom we need more adults in classrooms and more investment in our teachers to see any improvement. The second reason is a lack of advocacy while we may have laws in the books that protect students with LDs and provide governmental support and money for them that does not mean they get enforced. Many students who need accommodations are not getting what they need either due at best ignorance or at worse active ablism given by educators and administration. Many of these students will not get support unless they advocate for themselves or have someone advocate for them but this often does not happen. First of all children should be advocating for themselves that is not there job there job is to learn by putting them in the position where they must speak up to get any accommodations we are already doing them a disservice. How many kids do you know that feel comfortable actively going against authority and demanding help not many the power imbalance means many kids choose to be silent and make due instead of creating waves. Another thing is that even if they let guardians or parents know about these issues many adults don’t know what to do they do not know the laws that are there to protect there kids this lack of knowledge has disastrous consequences on kids with LDs and it is our job not there’s to ensure that these laws are being enforced but many do not want to go the extra mile. 

“Most of these children are placed for part of the dat in special education resource rooms and part of the day in regular classes.”

While at a glance this may seem like a helpful strategy it actually ends up harming students more than helping them. Most of these students are being pulled out of class in the middle of lessons for long periods of time serval times a week this is instruction that once they miss don’t make up. At the end of the week the class has moved on to the next lesson and that student who already needs support is behind trying to catch up. When we pull out kids for special instruction we fail to realize that the class does not stop for them and resume when they come back the teacher needs to move forward with the curriculum and being that most times they are teaching as class alone they cannot catch students up when they come back they have 20 other kids they have to teach. This lack of communication between special resource rooms and teachers means that at the end of the year that students scores don’t improve and administration sees the integration model as a failure and instead of looking at the nuance and context of whats really happening.  

“Though research strongly indicates that students with LD need more intensive services in reading than their non disabled peers and that they should receive this assistance throughout their schooling, focusing their special education program solely on learning to read is not appropriate.”

While research consistently emphasizes the necessity of providing students with LDs more extensive support in reading compared to their non-disabled counterparts, it is crucial to recognize that tailoring their special education programs exclusively towards mastering reading skills we not help them in the long run. If we spend the entire year teaching students how to read and write that student will only know how to read and write they will not be able to make critical analysis on text rather will not know how to correctly express their point of view in an academic setting.  Educators believe that because a student has a LD it means that student is incapable of doing the same level of work someone who doesn’t have a LD can due this level of ableism is harmful because it assumes students with LDs have a limit to what they can learn and keeps them in that box. A well-rounded and comprehensive approach to special education is essential. We have to believe that all our students nts have the ability to do grade level work. With the right accommodations and support if we don’t it reflects in our work and students will notice. How can you do your best when the people teaching you don’t think you stand a chance. Many tend to infalitaize students with LDs which means rather than take them seriously and want them to learn they feel pity and pass them or ignore them completely. 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjL06i12MaCAxUeFlkFHWL5AzUQwqsBegQIDxAF&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DOFS8SpwioZ4&usg=AOvVaw0xc2Q_aX4K-GU1EmO9jOyQ&opi=89978449

Aria 5

The author Richard Rodriguez argues that educators wanting to teach bilingual learners are unaware of the necessity of assimilation. Rodriguez illustrates his point by talking about his experience as a bilingual learner in the classroom and how assimilating affected his family. How he grew to view his native language as a private one that was not for the public how teachers would assume he was shy or behind his peers simply because he was not comfortable speaking English in public. When educators say that students lose there identity lose out on education by not being taught in English they are not taking into consideration the trauma already assimilated bilingual kids have to face. The embarrassment of speaking a language they consider deeply private in a very public setting with peers who do not understand them. The assumptions already built in and ingrained in adults that we are behind our classmates that we are not smart enough for the next grade level that we need to stay back for our own benefit. Rodriguez argues that assimilation while having its negative consequences helped him become who he is it gave him opportunities he would not have received had he refused to keep his native culture private. Before we can pass judgment on those that have had to lose part of the individuality we must ask why they felt that they had to do that and fix those systemic failings first. While I see the point Rodriguez is making and I understand where he’s coming from being a bilingual speaker myself I feel that he is letting his personal experience as a bilingual latino man color his opinions negatively on multilingual education. I believe many supporters of this model are bilingual learners themselves and are fully aware of the trauma students face with there native language as they have had to face them themselves and while I understand that most teachers in k-12 today do not understand the harms and benefits of assimilation from personal experience given the fact that most are white and natives langue is the dominate one they too can and have been educated on these experiences. They would not support it if they thought otherwise.  

Multi Language Learning in Rhode Island

Multi Language Learners Benefit from Dual Language Programs

Intersectionality Reflection

The urgency of intersectionality, a TED talk by Kimberlé Crenshaw discusses what intersectionality is and what it means in the context of the real world. I found this tall to be very impactful and got its point across clearly. When talking about things such as civil rights or feminism many people fighting for these causes forget to include separate categories for intersectionality and how these connections between race, gender, sexuality, etc can change the perception of how people will view you. To a straight white woman, I am a woman who can relate to the fact that we both face oppression and both live in a patriarchal society. However, the similarities stop there the fact I face discrimination for other things that they will not have to face like my race, ethnicity, sexuality, body size, etc. Not only do I have to face the challenges of being a woman but I also have to deal with the challenges that come with being all those other identities and to a straight white woman these are not issues she has to deal with or even acknowledge. Now let's take the example and bring it to a real-world problem let's say that say straight white woman is also a feminist and a prominent one who does work for the community because she is ignorant to these issues people who intersect have will not advocate or fight for these issues not out of malice but out of ignorance. We ignore intersectionality because it's easy to do. You're expected to support one thing and keep other systems of oppression in their separate bubbles but life is not an easy-to-read line graph. Like Crenshaw says it's like a crossroad and each identity you have intersects with another when we fight for things like feminism we have to acknowledge the women of color who are often left behind and how their experiences are unique and important. When we fight for civil rights we should acknowledge the fact that people with disabilities are often ignored and treated as second-class citizens.

Intersectionality in quantitative research

Teach us all handout

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bBX7L4uEh1OMTsbz4qkMhgalDGm2Grd2VuNn7djdE2M/edit?usp=sharing

Video Analysis Precious Knowledge

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZL9yGgSObsQp4SeMnesiY06U8ViuqNECTRYbxvIp6B8/edit?usp=sharing

Still Separate Still Unequal Blog 4

Reflection

This article resonated with me as I have gone through a segregated school system. For high school I went to Charles E. Shea High School a very racially segregated school most students were of color with the predominant ethnicity being Cape Verden. Compared to other schools in Pawtucket we were incredibly segregated. The fact was that although segregation is illegal it is not enforced. Not only was my high school composed of mostly Black and Brown students, but it was also underfunded this school was falling apart. There were classes with holes in the wall textbooks ripping at the seams and ac and heating lacking. This affected the education of me and my peers when schools next to you have intact buildings and new school supplies, it makes you feel inferior. Many schools are funded on property tax which due to a long history of redlining leads many school districts with large populations of people of color to have underfunded schools. Redlining is a racist system where banks would refuse loans to families of color who lived in areas considered poor or “ghetto” leading these families to be forced to remain in impoverished areas. This law is still affecting our educational institutions now.

 

Visualize segregation and inequality in education.
 

Defining Racism Tatum blog 4

Beverly Daniel Tatum's argument is about racism and what it means to different people. She first defines racism as being separate from prejudice a distinction she says is critical to understanding the argument. Her main point is that racism is not just about individual acts of prejudice or discrimination but also involves societal structures and systems that perpetuate racial inequalities. Tatum contends that recognizing and addressing these systemic aspects of racism is essential for meaningful progress in combating racial injustice. These systems are in place in school systems. She uses an example of one teacher struggling to teach her class about Black authors as she never learned about Black authors in her education. One of her students makes the remark that Black people do not write books. This is an example of racism in the educational system. This filtering out of Black and Brown authors and famous figures leads many students of color to feel isolated and unable to relate to the material; it also leads white students and teachers to be ignorant of these issues. She also introduces what she calls passive racism, and she argues that most white people are passively racist as they whether knowingly or not participate in a racist society that benefits their interest and harms people of color. While many white people will think of racism as an abstract heinous thing only seen in the vilest parts of the world, they are unaware of the systems in place all around them that are actively racist such as grayling or prison institutions. By creating this false image of racism, it is easy to see why so many will think of racism as an issue of the past. Unless it is affecting you or your community personally it is almost impossible to see. This is why she argues that we need to have a clear accurate definition of racism and passive racism if we want to move our educational institutions further. 

4:26 for the good stuff

Amazing Grace Kozol blog 3

Amazing Grace Connections to Delpit Culture of Power


After reading the heartbreaking accounts of this article I made a strong connection to another reading we did in class which was Delpit's Culture of Power. While Delpit's reading explores the culture of power through the school system Kozol's reading explores the culture which lacks power and how those people go through life. Both readings go hand in hand as they both dissect the culture of power and how people not a part of that culture exist. The people Kozol write about living in a poverty-ridden and extremely dangerous area of New York. HIV/Aids are high and rampant leading hospitals to be overrun and understaffed many rich neighboring cities dump and incinerate hazardous material leading to Asthma affecting most children in the neighborhood. While these may not be the exact children Delpit is referring to when discussing lower-class families struggling with a school system not made for them, these children go through a school system that is ignorant of their needs. Kozol's reading gives a clear humanity to the children Kozol writes about and it is a harsh reality these children must grow desensitized to the extreme poverty and violence they were forced to inherit. When you become aware of the circumstances, they are forced to endure it makes Delpit's reading more powerful and the reverse is also true Delpit's reading enforces the fact that the children in Amazing Grace have no one to turn to when entering school and their teachers are either ignorant to their desperation or have no means to help them.

The Aids crisis killed hundreds of thousands disproportionately affecting people of color and gay and queer people

Lisa Delpit Quotes Week 2

Lisa Delpit: The Silenced Dialogue: Power and Pedagogy in Educating Other People’s Children 

 Quote 1: “Many people of color expect authority to be earned by personal efforts and exhibited by personal characteristics. In other words, “the authoritative person gets to be a teacher because she is authoritative.” Some members of middle-class cultures, by contrast, expect one to achieve authority by the acquisition of an authoritative role. That is, “the teacher is the authority because she is the teacher.”” (pg 10) 

 This quote highlights a difference between people of middle-class culture and people, particularly people of color, in working-class culture. In working-class families there tends to be a more explicit expression of power as opposed to middle-class families who often veil the power they have over their children. This creates a contrast in which one family's authority figure demands authority by explicit directiveness (working class) and another assumes authority simply for being the older party (middle class). The author throughout the text explains that education is taught with the culture of the people in power in mind that being middle to upper class. This gives an advantage to children who come from middle-class backgrounds as they are already raised with that culture and know the underlying rules and expectations. Children not raised in that culture struggle to understand these assumed rules and will often get labelled as behavior or special needs students and oftentimes they are students of color. 

 Quote 2: “pretending that gatekeeping points don’t exist is to ensure that many students will not pass through them.” (pg 13) 

When white liberal educators teach students of color many fail to acknowledge the presence of power in the classroom and how it translates to the real world. Whether this is due to discomfort at their own privilege of being knowledgeable of the culture this power is rooted in or their ignorance at the fact that many students of color are not raised knowing the rules and expectations of this culture many liberal educators opt to pretend that the power does not exist. While their intention is good and they can acknowledge that students of color have different cultures that should be celebrated white educators fail to recognize that in the real world what is considered “proper” and “correct” is controlled by a culture that these students have not been raised in. Not teaching students of color how to write, talk, and present themselves the way this culture expects them to is to harm their chances when they are sent out to the workforce. Not only will employers not take them seriously but these same employers will also be reluctant to hire people of color in the future as it will feed into stereotypes already in place. 

 Quote 3: “This teacher further advocates having students interview various personnel officers in actual workplaces about their attitudes toward divergent styles in oral and written language. Students begin to understand how arbitrary language standards are, but also how politically charged they are.” (pg 16) 

The teacher Delpit is talking about is engaging his students in questioning language and cultural standards in the workplace. By acknowledging the fact that what we consider formal English was mainly constructed by middle-class white people, the student can begin to understand the political connotations behind formal English. This also means that the student can begin to undo the negative and derogatory statements made towards his normal way of speaking or Black English and how this language is not only real but also valid in the context of his culture. Just because his culture is not the one in a position of power does not make it any less important to him or his community it should be celebrated and not erased. 

What to share in class: Despite the potential harm of having one culture be the one we use to judge things academically, I believe it necessary for every institution to have the same foundational standards on what is expected at least in terms of writing. This is to ensure that everyone receives the same base education and to avoid confusion among peers. We as educators need to make it a goal to ensure that while we have a culture that we use to teach foundational skills that does not make any other culture less important or inferior.

Blog Introduction

My name is Fran I am a History Secondary Education major in my 4th year. Over the summer break I went to New York celeabrated providence pride and worked with a nonprofit orginatzation called kidsbrigde hosted by inspring minds. When Im not inn class I am spending time with friends or working. My hobbies include creative writing playing viddeo games and reading.