Ability Based Systems

 Ability Based Systems

Lucas McElroy

The basic definition of ableism is the discrimination in favor of able-bodied people. The Albeist assumption is that people with a disability need to be fixed, and that the disability defines the person who has it. America is a country built upon being normal. When someone with a disability walks into a cafe, it can be hard not to stare. Most people wonder how this has happened to the person, and feel bad for them but at the end of the day this is only causing the person with the disability to feel worse about themselves. The treatment of disabled people in America's school systems is one of the worst displays of how disabled people are treated in our country. One of the most convincing arguments was about deaf students. It makes the most sense that these students would be taught ASL, as it is made for the deaf and hard of hearing to be able to communicate with others. This sadly is not the case. Deaf children in todays school systems are told to lip read what others are saying and speak to them. This can be demoralizing for these students, as they can not even hear what they say so they are more self conscious. It has been proven in studies that deaf children receive a lower level of education simply due to the fact that their version of language is not used for them. There is a lot of room for growth in the education of students with disabilities. The first step is realizing that trying to make them learn the same as students without disabilities simply is not going to work. With a little hard work, and educators who are specialized in different disability teaching, disabled students would be achieving the same level of education as everyone else, which is something they deserve.   

https://study.com/learn/lesson/ableism-public-schools-forms-examples.html

      

Bilingual Teaching in Schools

 Bilingual Education in Schools 

    Reflection - In looking at the two sources of bilingual education I realized that there are two sides to the story. On one hand you could try and help students who do not speak English thrive in school and feel more like their peers. On the other hand there are students who are not able to take on their true culture and represent that while they are at school simply because they are in a new country where they are forced to learn a new language. I see both sides. I believe it is important the students who do not speak English learn to in the school setting, as English is a top language in the world, however they should not have to give up their native language and culture to learn this. Often times students will forget some of the heritage because they are so focused on learning this new language in school to get the good grade and to fit into their school and with their peers better. In the videos the teachers incorporated their students native language into their English teachings, so the students are not totally giving up their culture. This also helps these students have a starting place. Starting with their native language makes them feel more comfortable and slowly incorporating more and more English is the best way for them to learn. For these students the educators must also keep in mind that this a complete culture shock and that it is also their job as an educator to keep their students feeling safe in their classroom. 

Hyperlink - https://www.renaissance.com/edword/bilingual-education/#:~:text=Bilingual%20education%20is%20a%20term,outcome%20goal%20of%20the%20model.

Literacy With an Attitude Patrick Finn

 Literacy With an Attitude

By: Patrick Finn

    Throughout the passage Finn writes about how Jean Anyon studied fifth grade classes throughout New Jersey. The classes ranged from executive elites to working class. In the working class classrooms the teachers were younger and just handed out work without explaining why the students needed to do it.  The students were given the work and expected to do it the teachers way and if they did not they would receive a bad grade. Teachers also talk lowly of their students. Which does not inspire them in the classroom. The middle-class school was more based on the understanding of the books and the definitions in the books. The classroom was focused on getting the right answer and that was how you were graded. In the affluent professional schools the teachers cared more about the students creativity and personal development more. Teachers would rarely give direct orders and students focused on being imaginative. In the executive elite schools their knowledge was academic, intellectual, and rigorous. These students were taught how to go about life and succeed and how to achieve an "elite" lifestyle. The second chapter of this passage is aimed to show you how growing up in different communities can pave your future.

Comments: How can a state or country find teachers for different working classes to teach all students equally?

 

Video Analysis Links

 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HGsgOZw3iHdJq1qEnLCu8AyPoTzTO2uwq7Guw9teRxU/edit - Precious Knowledge

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xCmokT3iCEFQbnw5f6vdRN6LiXFwoCKIk6aU62mE89Y/edit - Classroom Tour

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15MC-Q3UBgqbuPfiabzsQj4_tgJM0VAWNFcORoG8PH7A/edit - Teach Us All

Where White Privilege Came From Alan Johnson

 Where White Privilege Came From

By: Alan Johnson

    All of us know about slavery, but few of us know the real story behind it. The start of slavery is also when the start of white privilege happened. At first the British wanted to enslave the Irish. The Irish were looked at as savage people who were inferior. The attempt to enslave them ultimately failed because some of them were from England and did not allow this to happen. They also could not enslave Native Americans because they could just go off to other tribes. So, the British decided to enslave black people. The Declaration of Independence went against the slavery that was happening, so Americans turned to race to justify their actions. This is when the racism against Native Americans started to occur. Whites believed that they were doing blacks a favor as they were so inferior to them that serving the whites was an honor for black people. The concept of race never existed until countries were setting themselves up and wanted to have structure. One of the first instances we see race come up is when whites had terrible jobs, and they would tell themselves "at least I'm white." The belief system that whites are superior could have started as an unconscious decision. The way that history has played out has led some people to believe things, as nature has decided some ways to be the way of the world. Whites today definitely have a sense of power that has always been there, unearned. As humans we go through life and socialize, but we must realize the systems that have led us to be in the place we are today. 

The Lives of Children and the Conscience of A Nation - Lucas McElroy

 The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation

By: Jonathan Cozal

        Argument: In the article Jonathan Cozal explains how in New York the majority of the white population in New York lives in better off areas, but then when you get to Harlem and areas around there the median household income drops to $7,600. The center of Mott Haven is two thirds Hispanic and one third black. The areas in and around Mott Haven are not the safest. There is a high homicide rate and a lot of violence. People will steal and kill for no reason. It also affects the children in the neighborhood. Children have seen people get shot in the face and witnessed assaults. These are things that children should never see in their lives. I believe that this is his most significant argument. That children are around this environment and it is very hard for them to get out. The climate that the children are in affect them for the rest of their lives. This feeds into them potentially being unsuccessful and getting into drugs and other damaging things. 

Mott Haven, New York City, New York

    Comments/Questions: Why can't the government get more funding in the underdeveloped parts of the country? If we got the areas off their feet and gave them jobs and minimized drug availability then there could be improvement in the areas. $7,600 median household income is unfathomably low and if the government could help out just a little it would make things easier for people living in poverty.

Hyperlink: https://furmancenter.org/neighborhoods/view/central-harlem

Other People's Children Cultural Conflict in the Classroom- Lucas McElroy

 Other People's Children

Cultural Conflict in the Classroom

By: Lisa Delpit

        Extended Comments- While reading Other People's Children by Lisa Delpit I decided to look into some of my other peers blogs on this text. I decided to comment on Brian Crawford's post, which talked about the argument that Delpit made during the text. I completely agree with Brian's view of the argument, as Delpit broke down the cultural conflict into different ways that the classroom education is only good for certain people. Delpit discusses that teachers must be able to respect and teach about all the different cultures, as prejudice, stereotypes, and assumptions often breed ineffective education. The majority of the educators in America are from the middle class and are white, when 40% of the students in America today are black. The people who are in control of education today, who decide what is in the curriculum are also majority white and from middle to upper class. The curriculum in America has not changed to keep up with what is happening in America today. 

            Comments- When I was reading "Other's People Children the first thing that came to my mind was the curriculum in America. In school, students only learn about how the United States has been affected in the past. Students have to go out of their way to learn about other countries and their history. For example, in High School it is required to take a U.S. History class but students have to sign up to take a class like World History, where you learn how the United States has caused conflict in lots of other countries throughout history. Having a parent who is an educator, I also know that the curriculum in America very rarely changes, as it is hard to do so. Students should know what the current news, not just things that happened 300 years ago. In the United States, education has always been a state function, which means that it is not legal for the Department of Education to supervise or change the curriculum. This means that the in each state every educator would have to agree on what needs to be added into the education system. This speaks volumes on the values that American educators have. Changing the curriculum requires making hard choices, as many teachers are not willing to budge on their individual specializations. 

           Hyperlink- https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/09/why-schools-should-teach-the-curriculum-of-the-future-not-the-past/