1.“I want to suggest that public schools may play an important role in helping build a new democratic, multicultural community, one in which sexual identity (like other markers of difference including class, gender, and race) is recognized, in which inequities are challenged, and where dialogue across difference replaces silencing ad invisibility practices.”(page 223)
This quote stood out to me because I feel that if people are not part of the valued culture than they are not as valued as much. I feel it does not matter what type of person you are, we are all human but society makes people who are not the considered basically part of scwamp less than what they really are, especially gays.I relate this to Johnson because in a way Johnson said about how males who are heterosexual are the ones who succeed and the others really do not matter.
2."Popular culture may represent identity, but identity also is represented in corporeal form, as individuals actively "live" their identities and make these identities visible in their everyday relations with others. Identity formation in this sense involves several processes."(page 244)
I felt when I first looked at this quote I thought it was very true. I feel that some people really cannot live their lives and your true identity in a way does involve several processes. I feel that only certain people make their identities visible because of the ways things are in society. Certain people cannot be themselves because of society having the cultural of power and how Delpit described it as being less valued than everyone else.
3."One thing we can conclude about the emerging shape of community in America is that because it is more fragmented, it is becoming more difficult to construct a "public"curriculum that as broad-based support."(page 249)
This is true because the shape of community in America has become more fragmented. I feel that it is becoming more difficult to construct in a way a public curriculum that is broad based support because of society today. Everyone is different from everyone else and the support may happen but it might not depending on the type of person you are or where you came from. This really has not been successful however, none of the social movements on the political have left.
Questions/Comments/Points to Share:
This reading to me really connected to other readings because this talks about the gayness in communities. I feel that you should not be judge on the type of person but the person itself. I really think that people do judge if your gay, lesbian and so forth. I feel that it was eye opening to me because it shows the inequality that is in our society without really noticing it. I feel that celebrities are gay and what not and people look at that as the same as people like you and me. People who are gay really cannot be themselves because they do get judged on how they act and basically anything they do because of their gayness. Society really needs to stop putting a bad image on gays, they are human just like everyone else.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Richard Rodriguez: Aria
1."An accident of geography sent me to a school where all my classmates were white, may be children of doctors and lawyers and business executives."
This quote stood out to me because I feel that the author feels like he is alone because he did not come from a high life with people who succeeded in his family. I feel that this quote shows that he is the minority, but if you really think about it,blacks are the minority in any environment. The whites are to said to be successful and the author I feel, thinks that he is not good enough to be in the same school as whites. Also, I feel that the author thinks that whites are more successful,but there are blacks that can do anything whites can do.
2. "I would have been happier about my public success had I not sometimes recalled what it had been like earlier, when my family had conveyed its intimacy through a set of conveniently private sounds.
This quote stands out to me because I feel that the author is not happy with his success from the obstacles that he had to face to get to where he is now. I feel that his family was not there for him because his family conveyed the intimacy through private sounds. His family may have been there for him, but the physical aspect does not get noticed to him. I feel that the author should be happy no matter what but the support from loved ones makes people who become successful, happier.
3."I would dishonor those I have loved and those I love now to claim anything else. I would dishonor our closeness by holding on to a particular language an calling it my family language."
This quote in a way sums up what this reading is all about.He is saying that he would dishonor the closeness for his native language. I feel that the author really cares about the type of person he is because he would basically sacrifice things to hold onto his "family language". He also states that he would dishonor ones that he loved which says how much his native language means to him because he would give up basically being successful for his language that he grew up knowing. This shows me that the author is a strong person for doing what he does.
This article to me was very interesting and I wanted to know more about the author. The part that really caught my attention was the bilingualist part because people who come to the United States mostly do not speak English and they want to be able to speak thier native language. I feel as the years go on English is starting to become the comman language spoken in the US. I feel that people can succeed no matter the language they speak becaue the US is so diverse. Most things that you see in everyday life can be in English or Spanish. Anyones native language will always be with them because everyone is human and all of us do not need to have everything in comman.
This quote stood out to me because I feel that the author feels like he is alone because he did not come from a high life with people who succeeded in his family. I feel that this quote shows that he is the minority, but if you really think about it,blacks are the minority in any environment. The whites are to said to be successful and the author I feel, thinks that he is not good enough to be in the same school as whites. Also, I feel that the author thinks that whites are more successful,but there are blacks that can do anything whites can do.
2. "I would have been happier about my public success had I not sometimes recalled what it had been like earlier, when my family had conveyed its intimacy through a set of conveniently private sounds.
This quote stands out to me because I feel that the author is not happy with his success from the obstacles that he had to face to get to where he is now. I feel that his family was not there for him because his family conveyed the intimacy through private sounds. His family may have been there for him, but the physical aspect does not get noticed to him. I feel that the author should be happy no matter what but the support from loved ones makes people who become successful, happier.
3."I would dishonor those I have loved and those I love now to claim anything else. I would dishonor our closeness by holding on to a particular language an calling it my family language."
This quote in a way sums up what this reading is all about.He is saying that he would dishonor the closeness for his native language. I feel that the author really cares about the type of person he is because he would basically sacrifice things to hold onto his "family language". He also states that he would dishonor ones that he loved which says how much his native language means to him because he would give up basically being successful for his language that he grew up knowing. This shows me that the author is a strong person for doing what he does.
This article to me was very interesting and I wanted to know more about the author. The part that really caught my attention was the bilingualist part because people who come to the United States mostly do not speak English and they want to be able to speak thier native language. I feel as the years go on English is starting to become the comman language spoken in the US. I feel that people can succeed no matter the language they speak becaue the US is so diverse. Most things that you see in everyday life can be in English or Spanish. Anyones native language will always be with them because everyone is human and all of us do not need to have everything in comman.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Youtube video that relates to our class topic
This video relates to what we are learning about in class because the lady Jane Elliot, talks about the nature of racism, prejudice, and discrimination. The way she did this was she took her classroom which was full of white kids and she divided the kids up in two groups based on their eye color. She then tells the kids that having blue eyes means superiority, being intelligent and being able to do extra classroom privileges. On the otherhand the people with the brown eyes felt that they were not good enough. The blue eyed kids felt the superiority and started to opress the brown eyed kids which they had negative feelings and began to have fear. This is a good video because I feel that the Johnson reading connects to this because in the Johnson reading it was saying that being a white, male, heterosexual is in a way the superiority in society. That relates to the video because when the blue eyed and brown eyed kids were seperated, the superiority started to opress and thats what society does today.
This is the link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCjDxAwfXV0
This is the link to the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCjDxAwfXV0
Monday, February 15, 2010
Jonathan Kozol: Amazing Grace
Jonathan Kozol:Amazing Grace Christina DiPalma
1."Nearly 4,000 heroin injectors, many of whom are HIV-infected, live here. Virtually every child at St. Ann's knows someone, a relative or neighbor, who has died of AIDS, and most children here now know many other who are dying now of the disease.One quarter of the women of Mott Haven who are tested in obstetric wards are positive for HIV. Rates of pediatric AIDS, therefore, are high."(Page 4)
This quote above I feel captures what some of the people from Mott Haven and even the South Bronx goes through. The people who are affected by this severe living conditions are most of the people and it also affect a numerous amount of the children. I feel that 4,000 people who inject themselves is a lot and plus they already have HIV's which is making it worse on themselves.I feel that having every single child knowing someone who has died from AIDS and having them know many others who are going die from it, is not a good thing because it does affect them.Having this severe living conditions going on in a certain place really shows that this stuff can happen to people no matter where you live and it affects everyone in the community, even the kids.
2."Unlike many children I have met in recent years, he has an absolutely literal religious faith. When I ask him how he pictures God,he says, "He has long hair and He can walk on the deep water." To make sure I understand that this is an unusual ability, he adds,"Nobody else can."(page 8)
This quote to me shows that a young boy not only takes religion literally. This shows that he believes in religious faith and this shows that he believes in a numerous amount of things. This young boy brings God up in a lot of other experiences such as when he went to get a pizza and he had given a guy some pizza that he bought. After that the author asks the boy why he gave the poor guy pizza and he said that God told us to share. I feel that God is what this kid brings into his experiences. I also feel that he feels that God is always around him and tells this boy in a way what decisions to make in life.
3."I don't know how sick you have to be to qualify for SSI. My girlfriend died from AIDS in March. She never did get SSI. After she died, the checks began to come. Now they keep on coming. Her boyfriend cashes them each month. She's dead! They have to know she died. They paid to bury her. They had to see the death certificate."(page 20)
This quote talks about an experience a guy who went to their doctor and their doctor said that he should go on SSI. He continues saying that he tried to apply for it but they said he was not sick enough. I feel that this is wrong because this guy has cancer and cancer is one of the worst sicknesses you can get. This makes me sad because you have people that are collecting from the SSI, from their loved ones who are dead and then you have people who are really sick who are not getting help from anyone. The boyfriend who is collecting from his girlfriend is morally wrong because you have people out there who honestly need it because of sickness they have.
Questions/Comments/Points To Share:
This reading to me was a real eye opener because this piece talks a lot of what people go through in life and even though we are not around these types of things, I feel that at first I do not believe such things like this because I do not live in an environment like that so, I would not know first hand about the situations that occur with the type of person you are. I feel that it relates to other texts that we have previously read in class readings. The one reading that comes to mind is the Johnson reading because I feel that people from different backgrounds get certain privileges which made me think of that when I read about the guy who was getting SSI even though his girlfriend had been died while on the other hand, there was a guy who had cancer and he had been denied.
One question I would want to know is how people get more privileges than others when they have worse conditions than others.
1."Nearly 4,000 heroin injectors, many of whom are HIV-infected, live here. Virtually every child at St. Ann's knows someone, a relative or neighbor, who has died of AIDS, and most children here now know many other who are dying now of the disease.One quarter of the women of Mott Haven who are tested in obstetric wards are positive for HIV. Rates of pediatric AIDS, therefore, are high."(Page 4)
This quote above I feel captures what some of the people from Mott Haven and even the South Bronx goes through. The people who are affected by this severe living conditions are most of the people and it also affect a numerous amount of the children. I feel that 4,000 people who inject themselves is a lot and plus they already have HIV's which is making it worse on themselves.I feel that having every single child knowing someone who has died from AIDS and having them know many others who are going die from it, is not a good thing because it does affect them.Having this severe living conditions going on in a certain place really shows that this stuff can happen to people no matter where you live and it affects everyone in the community, even the kids.
2."Unlike many children I have met in recent years, he has an absolutely literal religious faith. When I ask him how he pictures God,he says, "He has long hair and He can walk on the deep water." To make sure I understand that this is an unusual ability, he adds,"Nobody else can."(page 8)
This quote to me shows that a young boy not only takes religion literally. This shows that he believes in religious faith and this shows that he believes in a numerous amount of things. This young boy brings God up in a lot of other experiences such as when he went to get a pizza and he had given a guy some pizza that he bought. After that the author asks the boy why he gave the poor guy pizza and he said that God told us to share. I feel that God is what this kid brings into his experiences. I also feel that he feels that God is always around him and tells this boy in a way what decisions to make in life.
3."I don't know how sick you have to be to qualify for SSI. My girlfriend died from AIDS in March. She never did get SSI. After she died, the checks began to come. Now they keep on coming. Her boyfriend cashes them each month. She's dead! They have to know she died. They paid to bury her. They had to see the death certificate."(page 20)
This quote talks about an experience a guy who went to their doctor and their doctor said that he should go on SSI. He continues saying that he tried to apply for it but they said he was not sick enough. I feel that this is wrong because this guy has cancer and cancer is one of the worst sicknesses you can get. This makes me sad because you have people that are collecting from the SSI, from their loved ones who are dead and then you have people who are really sick who are not getting help from anyone. The boyfriend who is collecting from his girlfriend is morally wrong because you have people out there who honestly need it because of sickness they have.
Questions/Comments/Points To Share:
This reading to me was a real eye opener because this piece talks a lot of what people go through in life and even though we are not around these types of things, I feel that at first I do not believe such things like this because I do not live in an environment like that so, I would not know first hand about the situations that occur with the type of person you are. I feel that it relates to other texts that we have previously read in class readings. The one reading that comes to mind is the Johnson reading because I feel that people from different backgrounds get certain privileges which made me think of that when I read about the guy who was getting SSI even though his girlfriend had been died while on the other hand, there was a guy who had cancer and he had been denied.
One question I would want to know is how people get more privileges than others when they have worse conditions than others.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
First Visit
On Friday February 12, 2010, I had my first visit to an Elementary School. On Friday I woke up at 815 am to make sure that I would be able to get prepared for my day ahead of me since I did not know what I would be expecting. I was expected to be at the school promptly at 930 and the only thing that went through my mind was if I was going to enjoy today. I had left Thorp Hall at 845 because I wanted to make sure that I would be able to get there on time. On the way to the school I got a little nervous because I did not know what the real name of the school because on the paper that the VIPS head person gave me, it had two school names on it. When I got closer to the school, I noticed that this school was in the area of many other schools. When I arrived at the school it was around 915 and I saw other people walking in. I noticed that I had to ring a buzzer to be entered into the building and then I walked inside the office to put my log sheet into the VIPS binder. After I did everything I had to do in the office I finally got to meet with Ms.W.
The people in the office told me to go up the stairs where I would meet Ms. W. When I went to meet her she told me to take a seat at a table and she told us what we would be doing. I was there along with five other people and she told us what the school is like. The very first thing she told us is about the name of the school and how it has two different names but its combined into one school. Then she continued to tell us that we would just observe today because it was the day before vacation and it was also the 100Th day of school which meant that it was a relaxed day. After she gave us a little background of the school, we went into a room where we had folders which contained activities that the VIPS people brought in to show the class. After that she assigned two people to a class.We found at that each week we came here that we would be going into a kindergarten class halfway through then go to a first grade class. Once she assigned the rooms to us, she took us to the classrooms.
The first classroom I would be going to was the kindergarten classroom. I was very nervous because I would not know what I would be expecting. When I walked in I met the teacher and her name was Mrs. B. I felt a warm welcoming because she seemed pretty laid back. As soon as Ms. W left she told me and the other girl I was with what the class was like and that today was going to be a "chill axed" day since they will be on February vacation the following week.She told us to look around the classroom and get a feel of things. The classroom environment was very warm and welcoming. As I looked around the room I noticed that the walls had a lot of decorations which were mainly posters that showed things such as the alphabet, and reading/word posters. I felt that I would enjoy this class a lot because the kids were welcoming and I felt that they would respect me because the teacher had control over her class. At one point when I was in there I had gotten a little nervous because the teacher started to speak in Spanish. I had a very scared look on my face because I did not know that it was an ESL class or if I had to know Spanish but she had told me that the class is conducted in English.
It was around 1030 and it was time for me to go visit the first grade classroom I would be working in. When I walked in the kids were making necklaces out of fruit loops and they put one hundred individual fruit loops on the necklace. The teacher told us to go around and interact with the kids which I did. Some of the kids were shy except for this one girl who really liked me an she was the one who I talked to the most. She was the youngest girl in the class but she was very exceptional girl. I really enjoyed this classroom more because it was an enviorment I like to be in. It was 15 minutes before I had to leave so Mrs. R asked what grade I would like to do and I told her between 1-3 grade. She told me that 1st grade is one of the hardest grade to teach because this is the grade level where they learn the most important basic information. She said after that it was a pleasure and she can not wait for next time to get me involved with the students.
So the day was about to end and I said goodbye to Mrs. R and the kids and I can not wait until next time because I really enjoyed myself there. I feel that the children are very excited about this experience and I am excited to see what will be in store for me next time.
The people in the office told me to go up the stairs where I would meet Ms. W. When I went to meet her she told me to take a seat at a table and she told us what we would be doing. I was there along with five other people and she told us what the school is like. The very first thing she told us is about the name of the school and how it has two different names but its combined into one school. Then she continued to tell us that we would just observe today because it was the day before vacation and it was also the 100Th day of school which meant that it was a relaxed day. After she gave us a little background of the school, we went into a room where we had folders which contained activities that the VIPS people brought in to show the class. After that she assigned two people to a class.We found at that each week we came here that we would be going into a kindergarten class halfway through then go to a first grade class. Once she assigned the rooms to us, she took us to the classrooms.
The first classroom I would be going to was the kindergarten classroom. I was very nervous because I would not know what I would be expecting. When I walked in I met the teacher and her name was Mrs. B. I felt a warm welcoming because she seemed pretty laid back. As soon as Ms. W left she told me and the other girl I was with what the class was like and that today was going to be a "chill axed" day since they will be on February vacation the following week.She told us to look around the classroom and get a feel of things. The classroom environment was very warm and welcoming. As I looked around the room I noticed that the walls had a lot of decorations which were mainly posters that showed things such as the alphabet, and reading/word posters. I felt that I would enjoy this class a lot because the kids were welcoming and I felt that they would respect me because the teacher had control over her class. At one point when I was in there I had gotten a little nervous because the teacher started to speak in Spanish. I had a very scared look on my face because I did not know that it was an ESL class or if I had to know Spanish but she had told me that the class is conducted in English.
It was around 1030 and it was time for me to go visit the first grade classroom I would be working in. When I walked in the kids were making necklaces out of fruit loops and they put one hundred individual fruit loops on the necklace. The teacher told us to go around and interact with the kids which I did. Some of the kids were shy except for this one girl who really liked me an she was the one who I talked to the most. She was the youngest girl in the class but she was very exceptional girl. I really enjoyed this classroom more because it was an enviorment I like to be in. It was 15 minutes before I had to leave so Mrs. R asked what grade I would like to do and I told her between 1-3 grade. She told me that 1st grade is one of the hardest grade to teach because this is the grade level where they learn the most important basic information. She said after that it was a pleasure and she can not wait for next time to get me involved with the students.
So the day was about to end and I said goodbye to Mrs. R and the kids and I can not wait until next time because I really enjoyed myself there. I feel that the children are very excited about this experience and I am excited to see what will be in store for me next time.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
First Blog Post
Hello, my name is Christina DiPalma and I grew up in Warwick, Rhode Island. I am a freshman at Rhode Island College and I am in my Second semester. I live in Thorp Hall and I would like to major in Elementary Education. So far my classes are going pretty well but i know as the semester goes on I will be overwhelmed with work. Being overwhelmed may prevent me from having a social life but i realized that if i want to get where i want to be, I will have to sacrifice things to better myself. When I am not in class I am usually hanging out with friends and having a good time. Friends are very important to me and I love just going out and doing whatever there is to do. Well i guess that is a little bit about me and I will end this paragraph with see you later.
-Christina DiPalma
-Christina DiPalma
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