Talking Points 3

"Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community" By: Dennis Carlson


1.) “Some young people, particularly in big cities, are beginning to bring their "out" identities to high school, affirming who they are and asserting their rights. For example, in the study by Fine that I referred to earlier of a Manhattan alternative high school. she points to the existence of a Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GALA) in the school started by a small group of very sophisticated and very 'out' gay males and lesbian females. These students quite publicly raised questions. doing the complex intellectual and political work with and for their teachers and their peers."
(Pg. 246)
~ I think it is a good thing that students are not afraid to be themselves. In my high school I remember in my high school I think they had the GALA. I remember hearing some people talking about it. I think that is a good thing for students to have their peers to talk to.

2.) “The official policy in most school districts is in fact identical to that of the U.S. military…”
~I was surprised to hear that most school are like the U.S. military with the rule don’t ask don’t tell, I never knew that. I think its not right because everyone should have the right to express themselves.(Pg.238)

3.) “These abuses get tolerated because gay teachers and students operate in an environment where they feel afraid to stand up for themselves, and because any discussion of gay people continues to be absent in the curriculum so that homophobia is not interrogated. “ (Pg.239)
~ I feel bad that there are some people in the world that torment innocent people that are just trying to be themselves. I also think it’s a good idea to have some kind of lesson to openly discuss these problems so gay people can have a voice and not be afraid to stand up for themselves.

"Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community" By: Dennis Carlson was a good article and I liked reading it. It had some points in it that I didn’t realize like how some schools have the don’t ask don’t tell policy for the teachers. I know that some of these points might be out dated, but they are still important to notice. I remember when I was in high school there were a lot of kids I knew of who were “out” and some that were not. Now a days I always see LGBT people on TV and in movies and in the media, also there are now more celebrities that are LGBT.

Talking Points 2

Aria by Richard Rodriguez

1.) ”After English became my primary language, I no longer knew what words to use in addressing my parents.”(Pg. 37)
~I thought it was sad how he didn’t know what to call his parents. The space between the family kept growing as the children got better and better at English. I think this is the start of the family being distance from each other and is one of the problems that needs to be fixed. I don’t think a language barrier should have kept them from being close it is sad and I was hoping they could work their way through it.


2.) “By contrast, my father seemed reconciled to the new quiet. Though his English improved somewhat, he retired into silence. At dinner he spoke very little. One night his children and even his wife helplessly giggled at his garbled English pronunciation of the Catholic Grace before Meals. Thereafter he made his wife recite the prayer at the start of each meal, even on formal occasions, when there were guests in the house. Hers became the public voice of the family.“ (Pg.37)
~It is sad how the father lost his voice in his family. It is not right that his family kind of just left him behind in the dust. I wish that his family didn’t laugh at his bad English, if they encouraged him then maybe he would have gotten better. It also surprised me that the father let the mother be the voice of the family. You could tell that the father was ashamed that his English was not up to par with his family’s English because he just stop talking all together.


3.) “Without question, it would have pleased me to hear my teachers address me in Spanish when I entered the classroom. I would have felt much less afraid. I would have trusted them and responded with ease.“(Pg. 34)
~Even though this is a great thought it is not realistic for a classroom of children. I think that it is a great idea, but finding teachers for every classroom that are bilingual themselves would be a challenge. Rodriguez points out in the next couple of sentences that he would have just put off learning English. If he put off learning English he would have got behind and may be even lost like his father was later in the article.


Aria by Richard Rodriguez was a nice article to read I found it very interesting. I liked the way it was written it was more like a story and that made it easier to read. In a way it reminds me of Kozol because the way it is written as a story. This article focused more on the child’s home life instead of his school life. I thought the article was sad how at first he was scared to speak in class and then later he was getting better at English and his family’s closeness was fading. I can understand how the family had a separation because they didn’t have any way of communication. I think that there needs to be a new way of teaching bilingual students and their parents so they don’t lose the closeness as a family. I can understand how it is scary for the family because all they are hearing is sounds and not words. I can just imagine being an outsider in another country not being able to ask anyone any questions would be terrifying. The only thing is I would like to know more about how the teacher taught him English and what were some the strategies that they used to teach him English.

Talking Points 1

Amazing Grace
by: Jonathan Kozol

1.) “As confident and grown-up as he sounds, he has the round face of a baby and is scarcely more than three and a half feet tall” (Pg.8).
~This quote was talking about Cliffie. Sometimes I think you forget Cliffie is just a child because he has been through so much in his life. I found myself sometimes thinking he was older. It is sad how most kids who live in these grow up so fast.

2.) "I believe that we were put here for a purpose, but these people in the streets can't see a purpose. There's a whole world out there if you know it's there, if you can see it. But they're in a cage. They cannot see”(Pg.24).
~ Everyone in the world does have a purpose. The people who can’t see it are the people who are on drugs or committing crimes. They believe that the only why they can succeed is by committing crimes. I believe that if the people that don’t see the purpose moved some where else they might end up finding their purpose. I also know that money is tight and it would be hard to move. It is a shame that some people can’t see their purpose in life.

3.) "Heroin's making a comeback in our neighborhood. There's something different in it from before, so it's stronger and, I guess, more lethal. He tells me one of the street names for the drug is "DOA"-dead on arrival” ( Pg.24).
~ It is sad how in this neighborhood that most people do drugs and die from them. The street name for Heroin says it all once you try it you most likely are going to get addicted and die from it.

I really enjoyed reading this piece. The stories kept my attention and I couldn’t stop reading it. The stories were very sad and I felt bad for all the people that were in these stories. When Cliffie was talking all about his neighborhood I really felt bad for him and his family. I don’t think it is right that it might be hard for Cliffie to go to college because of money or something else because he is a very smart kid. I like how Cliffie always stayed positive I think that his religion was one of the reason for him to stay positive. I like how St. Ann Church was a sanctuary to the children when they got out of school. Overall I enjoyed this piece so much. The part when Kozol talked about the city not listing to the people who need welfare or assistance reminded me when Delpit talks about how the teachers of color where not being heard by the white teachers. I would like to know when the children of these neighborhoods grow up what do they do. Like how many children go to college, get jobs, sell drugs.