Sunday, March 28, 2010

Talking Points 6

Brown v. Board of Education
and
Between Barack and a Hard Place
By: Tim Wise

This week I liked watching the videos because I felt like I paid more attention to it then sometimes when I read the articles. I wrote down some notes as I watched the videos so I could look back at them and I think that helped too.

A point that Wise made that really interested me was when he talked about racism 1.0 and racism 2.0. He said racism 1.0 is old school racism and when you see it you realize it. He then said racism 2.0 or he also called it enlightened exceptionalism is what we have to look out for now. It is when white people can support Obama, but still look down upon people of color. They support Obama because they view him as different then the people of color norm. I thought this is a good way to look at racism because even if Obama is president it isn’t going to stop all racism. Some people still don’t like people of color because they associate people of color with these ridiculous negative stereotypes. Wise was saying that yes we have come a long way but it isn’t long enough. Racism 1.0 has been defeated, but we still need to watch out for this new racism 2.0.

Wise did say that President Obama’s election has made a big change, but some other events were bigger like Brown v. Board of Education. The case brought a major change by saying “separate but not equal.” After the case when the supreme court allowed kids of color to go to the white school there were angry mobs of people outside the schools and they were spitting and yelling and I think that is horrible. I think wise would say that yes they got the kids in the school, but now they are harassed. So even though the supreme court got rid of segregation in schools it doesn’t stop the racism, but I do believe that this was a big step to stop racism. Overall I think that Wise brought up some very good points and I would like to know more about when he said that racism is not an excuse, but a reason or obstacle.

This is an interesting video I found on brown v board of education. I thought it was interesting and informative. It is an expert from the discovery channel.


Sunday, March 21, 2010

Talking Points 5

In The Service Of What?
The Politics of Service Learning


By: Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer


1.) “Relationships that emphasize charity we will call "giving." Those that aim primarily to deepen relationships and to forge new connections we will call "caring." (p.5)
~This quote tells you the two different sides of service learning the caring and the giving side. I believe that you need and equal part of both to have a good service learning experience. You need to help and learn about who you are helping.

2.) “By engaging in meaningful service--whether tutoring children for whom English is a second language, helping patients in a hospital, doing difficult chores for the elderly, or supervising younger children's recreational activities--students will have opportunities to experience what David Hornbeck, former Maryland state superintendent. referred to as "the joy of reaching out to others."
~I really liked this quote because it reminds me of when I go to my school for my service learning project. I am teaching a ten year old girl from Africa basic skills like reading and teaching her how to speak English. Every Friday when I leave I feel happy that I am helping some and I also feel more confident every time I go. I do feel “the joy of reaching out to others”.

3.) These curriculum theorists and education reformers wanted students to engage in service learning projects so that they would recognize that their academic abilities and collective commitments could help them respond in meaningful ways to a variety of social concerns.'
~Students should be aware of what is happening in their communities and I think having a service learning project helps students be aware of their communities. I know with my service learning project give me a better understanding of what the problems are with classrooms and how you can fix them.


I thought this article was interesting especially since I am doing a service learning project. Going to my school each week I feel so rewarded that I can teach someone the skills they will need to know to survive. Every time I go I feel more and more like a teacher. I am happy to say that VIPS program has had a positive impact on my life. Now I am positive that I want to be an elementary school teacher. I believe that it will be such a rewarding job. Getting back to the article I liked how it told you the difference between a “giving” service learning and a “caring” service learning. I thought this article had some good points and really made me think more about service learning projects.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Talking Points 4

" Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us" by: Linda Christensen

1.) "When we read children's books, we aren't just reading cute little stories, we are discovering the tools with which a young society is manipulated." (126)

  • This quote made me think about how this is true, Some children’s books do this. It is like most of the book parents have in their house have only white people in them. They don’t see it as wrong, but they are causing problems they might not know. It is sad how kids grow up and they are being manipulated.

2.) "I realized these problems weren't just in cartoons. They were in everything -every magazine J picked up, every television show I watched, every billboard I passed by on the street." (Pg. 134)

  • It surprises me that these kinds of messages are every where. This quote also makes me upset because I don’t want to go around and see the wrong in everything, but I know that I can’t live my life being oblivious to the world.

3.) “Early in the unit, I show a Popeye cartoon….that depicts all Arabs with the same face, same turban, same body, and they are all thieves swinging enormous swords.”(130)

  • I was surprised how stereotypical Popeye is, this is horrible how they portray Arabs. I think it is wrong how the cartoon made the thieves all look a like and they didn’t care about who they are hurting in the process of making a cartoon.

I liked this article and thought it was a good read. I found myself shocked when I was reading some parts. Like the part in the article about all the cartoons have these messages in them. I was surprised by how many subliminal messages were in cartoons, movies and TV. Now by reading this article I can see all the wrong in these cartoons. I am surprised that I never really notice maybe because I guess, I was oblivious to it. I think it is like the invisible backpack we carry around, we see these cartoons and movies all the time but the problems in them are invisible to us. Overall, I find it sad that these movies and cartoons that I grew up with had such bad things in it that I never knew.

This video shows when you play a song backwards sometimes you hear it say a message. I know that these can be debated, but i think it is strange that these songs have subliminal messages.