Talking point #10

Johnson

Premise:
-schools
-power
-privaledge
-acceptance
-problems
-soultions
-answers
-rejection
-discrimination
-difference

Arguement:
Johnson arugues that the more we face problems the more the problems will disappear. If we ignore them they will never go away. So basically say the words that need to be said and face the problems that need to be faced.

Evidence:
-"Taking responsibility doesn't have to involve guilt and blame, letting someone off the hook, or being on the hook yourself. It simply means acknowledging an obligation to make a contribution to finding a way out of the trouble we're all in and to finding constructive ways to act on that obligation"

-"Dare to make people feel uncomfortable, beginning with yourself"

-"In the end, taking responsibility doesn't have to involve guilt and blame, letting someone off the hook, or being on the hook yourself. It simply means acknowledging an obligation to make a contribution to finding a way out of the trouble we're all in and to finding constructive ways to act on that obligation"

Comments:
I like reading about Johnson because he makes really good arguements that we need to face problems instead of running from them. We need to say the words instead of covering them up. If everyone works together then things really can change but you cannot depend on one person to change the world. Of course it does start with one person but once other people join in, it makes things much easier to be acceptable to change.

Our group project is going very well Thursday was a very successful meet :)

Talking point #9

"School Girls" by Peggy Orenstein

Premise:
-gender
-students
-teachers
-community
-inequalities
-education
-families
-occupation
-schooling
-opportunites
-self esteem

Authors Argument:
Orenstein argues that all students should be taught the same no matter what their gender is.

Evidence:
"Curriculum should be both a window and a mirror for students , that they should be able to look into other's worlds, but also see the experiences of their own race, gender, and class reflected in what they learn."

"It disturbed me that although girls were willing to see men as heroes, non of the boys would see women that way"

"Sexual harassment is part of the hidden curriculum for girls, and for boys, too, because they learn whether it has anything to do with them or not"

Comments:
This was a really easy piece to read. It was very interesting to see how much everthing is referred to masculine. It was almost like we have been blind to it our whole lives. Women should not be silent and we need to stand up for our rights.

Talking point #8

..sorry for posting late...

"Whites Swim in Racial Preference" by Tim Wise

Premise:
-race
-society
-privilage
-money
-influences
-family
-differences
-prefrence
-cause and effects
-income
-opportunity
-minorities

Argument:
Wise agrues that privaledged people are unaware of the inequalities that go around in the world.

Evidence:
-"We strike the pose of self-sufficiency while ignoring the advantages we have been afforded in every realm of activity: housing, education, employment, criminal justice, politics, banking, and business."

-"In other words, it is hardly an exaggeration to say that white America is the biggest collective recipient of racial preference in the history of the cosmos"

-"Ask a fish what water is and you'll get no answer. Even if fish were capable of speech, they would likely have no explanation for the element they swim in every minute of every day of their lives. Water simply is. Fish take it for granted"

Comments:
This article was not bad to read it was understandable to follow. People in America are priviledged and do not seem to notice what we take for granted. If only people knew what life was like on the other side then we'd take things more serious.

Talking Point #7

“One More River to Cross” - Charles Lawrence

Premise:

-whiteness
-priviledge
-race
-labeling
-students
-seperation
-lies
-hate
-change
-misunderstanding

Author's Argument:

Lawrence argues that segregation still exists in the schools now a days and the Brown vs. Board of Education was no successful and is still an issue in the school system.

Evidence:
"Once the state has effectively institutionalized racial segregation as a labeling device, only minimal maintenance is required".

“Segregation’s only purpose is to label or define blacks as inferior and thus exclude them from full and equal participation in society.”

"If one views the Brown case narrowly, as a case intended to desegregate the nation's schools, history has proven it a clear failure"

Comments:

I do not think that segregation will be completely gone in this generation because the older generation is still alive who was all for labels and segregation. If we start to teach the younger generation about race and its okay and normal then it will slowly start to disappear but i do not think it will fully go away until another few generations.

Talking point #6

Tracking: Why Schools Need to Take Another Route by Jeannie Oakes

-kids
-stratergies
-talking
-classroom
-discussion
-opportunities
-ability
-tracking
-speed
-education
-priviledge

Premise:

Oakes argues that by labeling kids at such a young age it gives the impression that other kids have a better opportunity than other kids.

Evidence:

"Students who are placed in high-ability groups have access to far richer schooling experiences than other students."

"To be successful, heterogeneous classrooms probably need to lean toward placing students more in charge of their own evaluation--checking their own understanding and asking for and providing feedback"

"These differences in learning opportunities point to fundamental and ironic school inequities. Students who need more time to learn appear to get less; those who have the most difficulty learning seem to have fewer of the best teachers"

Comments:

i like this article alot because i believe that students do not get the same education if they are divided. If certain kids are getting taken away to the class for "special help" then they are missing out on what everyone else is learning in the class. This article was very easy to understand and very easy to read. There were alot of good arugments in it as well.

Talking point #5

Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer " In the Service of What?" The Politics of Service Learning"

Premise:

-community
-education
-service learning
-understanding
-experiences
-learning
-volunteer
-classrooms
-charity
-morals

Arguement:

Kahne and Westheimer both argue that service learning should be part of the school's curriculum as an opportunity not as charity because it betters the lives of students.

Evidence:

"For Thanksgiving this year my stepmother and I helped serve the seniors their Thanksgiving dinner. This was a very rewarding experience helping others in need."

"The idea that educators should foster a volunteer ethic and encourage youths to give something back to their school or community currently receives widespread support"

“In addition to helping those they serve, such service learning activities seek to promote students’ self-esteem, to develop higher-order thinking skills, to make use of multiple abilities, and to provide authentic learning experiences—all goals of current curriculum reform efforts”

Comments:

I think that everyone should do community service because it really does make you feel better about yourself and it really is a rewarding experience.

Talking point #4

Linda Christensen Unlearning the Myths that Blind Us

Premise:

-media
-stereotypes
-the norm
-minorities
-movies
-racism
-sexism
-women
-cartoons
-influences

Authors Argument:

Christensen argues that media influences children to a point that it affects their behavior and by viewing profanity on the televsion it is only going to make them believe that this is okay.

Evidence:

"Many students don't want to believe that they have been manipulated by children's media or advertising. No one wants to admit that they've been "handled" by the media. (128)

"But I want students to understand that if the race of the character is the only thing changing, injustices may still remain."

"Children's cartoons, movies, and literature are perhaps the most influential genre "read"

Comments: All of the evidence shown above is basically showing that media really does influence the children. Kids are in denial of it becuase they dont want to face the facts. But the only way kids will really have a chance to learn is by reading and doing schoolwork. It was once a survey that the show Mr.Rogers was well rated because he was very soft spoken and laid back and kids werent hyped up when watching him, but then shows like powerpuff girls or power rangers get kids all hyped up and i think that this is the reason for ADD because kids are so used to bouncing off of walls, instead of watching tv all the time if they read books then they wouldnt have to worry about some other things. i know my friend as a kid she liked to read and i didnt i always watched tv and she has alot more vocabulary than me and i think that reading has alot to do with that.