Talking Points #10 - What Can We Do? - Becoming Part of the Solution

by Allan G. Johnson

Johnson argues that privilege and oppression are problems that exist within our society, and we all need to educate ourselves and others about these issues before we can begin to make changes within our lives and our communities. Johnson says that if we all make small changes, we will eventually create a new and oppression-free society together.

• "The problem of privilege and oppression is deep and wide, and to work with it we have to be able to see it clearly so that we can talk about it in useful ways."

Before we can discuss the subject of oppression, we must have the dialogue for it. We must become aware of the issues of oppression and privilege and the vast problems they cause. Until we see these problems for what they are and who and how badly they hurt, we cannot begin to work at creating a new way of thinking and behaving in our society.

• "To shake off the paralyzing myth that we cannot, individually, be effective, we have to alter how we see ourselves in relation to a long-term, complex process of change. This begins by altering how we relate to time...we can't use the human life span as a significant standard against which to measure progress."

It is easy to say that we do not, as individuals, have the power to impact how our society operates, but actually, it is not true. We ALL hold the power. For example, imagine every person in the city of Newport held a single bulb intended for the town's holiday tree. If one person puts his or her one bulb on a branch, it will not light the tree much, however, if everyone puts their one bulb on it, the tree will shine bright. Now, as a society working for change, we need to focus more on the holidays in the years to come, rather than our immediate future. After all, the world wasn't created in a day! We need to have faith in where we, as a society, are going.

• "It's one thing to become aware and quite another to stay that way. The greatest challenge when we first become aware of a critical perspective on the world is simply to hang on to it."

One of the paths of least resistance Johnson mentions is that once we are educated on an issue, it is very easy to loose sight of the issue quickly. Johnson advises that in order to keep the problems of privilege and oppressions in our minds is to read literature on the subject and to discuss it with others. We also need to bring awareness to others so that they too can help to make a difference in the system of oppression and privilege.

I enjoyed this piece, although it was repetitive, because it discussed the issues of privilege and oppression and how we can all work to make a difference in the system, although we may not actually be around so witness it. This, more than the others, gave a lot of insight as to what we, as individuals, can do in order to produce such a change. In some of the other articles, the reader is made to ponder in depth how they might be able to see themselves successful in making a difference. But Johnson gives specific suggestions as to how to get the job done. I see now how I, as one person among many, can begin to do my part in creating a new society without oppression.

I found a site for teaching strategies for students with Down Syndrome. It has a lot of info about the condition itself, and has many of the same ideas presented in Kliewer's article. It was nice to skim over it and notice many similarities with what we had already discussed and read about!

Talking Points # 8 - Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome

by Christopher Kliewer

The author argues that all children can learn and be a part of the community, but only when they are seen as the people they are, and not their disability, and are then accepted into that community. This requires the listener to actually pay attention to what the child says he or she needs, and also to acknowledge that the reciprocity is important as well.

• "Success in life requires an ability to form relationships with others who make up the web of community."

In order to be successful, we must be able to communicate with others, regardless of the job we hold. Children who are segregated from non-disabled students will have trouble forming any relationship with them. School is an institution that is designed to not only educate students, but also to prepare them for life, and segregation is in no way doing that for them.

• "So what if you don't fit exactly what you're supposed to? You know, it's not like I fit many people's idea of what a teacher's supposed to be like," Shayne Robbins had said of her students.

When children seem to fall short when measured against high expectations, these students are labeled disabled. Shayne had not thought of her students' idiosyncrasies as an unfortunate result of their genetic defect, rather, she recognizes it as "natural human diversity," Teachers should recognize the individual values of students instead of simply concentrating on the obstacles they may face.

• "To eliminate a single person through any form of banishment, no matter how benevolent the logic, reduces the web and makes the community a less democratic and less rich place."

Class membership views diversity to be the norm and views all children as equals. Community is made up of a "web" of all individuals who constantly change and develop, but all interact and benefit from the relationships that result with communication and acceptance. Community is only reached when all human beings are accepted, regardless of status or disability.

This was a good read. I really enjoyed reading about the individual students and their experiences in the classroom and the community. But it made me sad when Shayne Robbins was describing her experience with the transition committee regarding Anne's work site. She had wanted to work with movies, and not children, but they were all but insisting upon it. What really stopped me in my tracks while reading was when she had stated that they thought the movie store job was unrealistic for her, that it was above her ability level. A movie rental store? And they wanted her to teach children? "Here they have her educating America's future, but they're scared to let her work at a movie place," Shayne had said. People just don't think sometimes!

A major point that I will take away from this is that teachers must learn to look past the label of Down Syndrome, and other disabilities, and look at the student him/herself. Only then will the condition shrink back down to size and his/her true light will be able to shine through, and the student will be seen and appreciated by others. "Only then will we find ourselves able to see and receive the variety and richness of possible gifts." (Van der Klift and Kunc)

Talking Points #7 - "One More River to Cross" -- Recognixing the Real Injury in Brown: A Prerequisite to Shaping New Remedies

by Charles Lawrence

The author argues that the Brown decision blinded many Americans from the existence of racism in our country. The only way to remedy the situation, is by first, recognizing this fact; only then can we begin to make this ruling as effective as it should have been decades ago.

• "The mere placement of black and white children in the same school does not remove the brand imprinted by years of segregation."

Because the physical separation was never the cause of the harm inflicted upon black school children, integrating whites with blacks would not be the solution. Due to the fact that it was the label of inferiority experienced by black students that was the major source of hurt and discomfort, a solution cannot be found without the removal of the label.

• "Once it is understood that segregation functions as a systemic labeling device, it should be clear that any state action that results in the maintenance of the segregated system is a direct and proximate cause of the injuries suffered by black children in segregated schools and is in violation of the equal protection clause of the fourteenth amendment."

Not only is segregation in the schools a violation to this amendment, but zoning practices and segregated housing as well. While experiencing this discrimination, blacks are being labeled, "not fit to live with," and "not fit to go to school with," but they are all ways of blatantly labeling blacks as inferior.

• "The injury inflicted by a segregated school system is inseparable from the injury inflicted by segregated housing or public accommodations because each reinforces the other and because the removal of one will not heal the injury without the removal of the others."

It is the segregation within the school system that initiates the feeling of inferiority among black students, but there is more. They also feel it when they realize that they can only live in certain parts of town or can only use one bathroom or sit in the "colored" train car in public. All of these individual acts help to make black children feel inferior, and so all must be remedied in order to reverse the affect.

Schooling, for the most part, is preparation for a child's future, a means for teaching a child how to be a successful and active participant in society. But segregation was a means for labeling a black child, or person, as inferior, therefore denying them access to equal opportunities in society. Because of the inadequate education they received, as well as the poor cultural backgrounds they experienced due to housing segregation, their ability to be a successful and contributing member of society is limited, therefore, living up to the feeling, and the label, of inferiority. However, to integrate schools, to raise more funds or to change the curriculum is not enough. Those with the power of privilege raise and prepare their own children to assume similar roles of power in society. However, black students will always be perceived as being "less qualified" until there are more black teachers preparing them, and until some of the positions the students are being prepared for are filled with black people.

This article was a bit tedious for me to read, but it was filled with some interesting points and I am glad that I read it. I really liked a quote toward the end of the article and thought that it helped to sum up some of Lawrence's thoughts.

• "It will not be enough that we are more articulate and imaginative in our pleadings and prayers for relief. The oppressor's understanding of his oppression is limited by self-interest, and ultimately we must find ways to make our oppression operate against the self-interest of those in power."

Talking Points # 6 - Tracking: Why Schools Need to Take Another Route

by Jeanne Oakes

The author argues that tracking in our schools, which groups low-ability students together and high-ability students together, may be helping the latter group, but does little for low-ability students, therefore, an alternative to tracking needs to be implemented.

• "Since so much of importance was omitted from the curriculum, students in the low-ability classes were likely to have little contact with the knowledge and skills that would allow them to move into higher classes or to be successful if they got there."

Low-track students receive less quality instruction and very little is expected of them by their teachers. They are often expected to simply memorize and repeat information, without being challenged. More class time is often spent on discipline than on instruction. They are viewed as being "less-able" and are given fewer opportunities to learn, therefore, few students improve.

• "The achievement gaps we observe among students of differing abilities are exacerbated by the failure of classrooms to provide all students with the time, opportunities, and resources they need to learn."

High-ability students seem to have more resources available to them, and more often, they have more attentive and more enthusiastic teachers than low-ability students. This contributes to the inevitable cycle: those students who need more help seem to get less, those who are more independent and self-sufficient, have an abundance resources at their disposal.

• "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."

When evaluating their students, teachers should ask "What did she learn?" instead of "How did she compare with others?" The teacher should compare the knowledge of the student before and after instruction, grades should then be based on the student's overall improvement, rather than how she compares with her classmates.

Although tracking seems to work for the high-ability students, providing them with resources, attentive teachers, and a more challenging curriculum, this practice leaves the average and low-ability students behind in the dust. It often labels these low-track students as "less able" and therefore, they are not given the instruction or the resources they need to succeed. Tracking is both a reaction to the differences between high and low-ability students and a contribution to them, therefore an alternative to tracking is needed. Students cannot simply be mixed up, they need to be taught how to work well with groups. The type of knowledge they are expected to learn needs to change, and student evaluations should be implemented. But one more thing is crucial: unless educators believe in the abilities of their students to learn, they will most likely be unsuccessful in creating an environment in which the students themselves believe in their ability, and are willing to devote the effort needed to succeed.

Talking Points # 5 - In The Service of What? The Politics of Service Learning

by Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer

Kahne and Westheimer argue that though all service learning projects give aid to the community, it is the caring projects that help to promote change and have a bigger impact on the well being of the community than does a charity project.

• "The experiential and interpersonal components of service learning activities can achieve the first crucial step toward diminishing the sense of 'otherness' that often separates students--particularly privileged students--from those in need. In so doing, the potential to develop caring relationships is created."

The students in the upper-middle class school who had visited and sang at an urban school learned a great deal about the students who attend the school and live in the area. These students' perspectives on the particular school and the children who attend there had dramatically changed. They began to see these students as real people, just like them, and no longer viewed them as an 'other.' This breaks down the wall between the two groups of people, creating the opportunity for these students to establish a caring relationship, while also making change.

• "For the most part, however, descriptions of reflective activities do not include the kind of critical analysis that might help students step outside dominant understandings to find new solutions."

It is not enough to simply give charity to a community, or person, in need, It is also important for teachers to have their students reflect upon what they have learned and observed, thus helping them to make a connection to the community, or person, they are helping. Once a connection is made, the student will care about the importance of finding a solution to the problems at hand, not just to put a so-called band-aid on the problem.

• "Citizenship in a democratic community requires more than kindness and decency; it requires engagement in complex social and institutional endeavors. Acts of civic duty cannot replace government programs or forms of collective social action. Citizen ship requires that individuals work to create, evaluate, criticize, and change public institutions and programs."

Being a good citizen does not simply mean that you hold a door open for a fellow shopper at a store, or just a smile at the coffee shop. Citizenship means to take an active roll in the public organizations and to help improve them.

Service learning projects within the schools is a wonderful way to engage our young adults in the betterment of the community. Providing them with a hands-on activity gives them the opportunity to create a caring relationship with the subject/s of their service learning project. Charity projects help the community, but it is the caring projects that help to make a change.

Talking Points #4 - Unlearning the Myths That Blind Us

by Linda Christensen

Christensen argues that even though educating our students on the importance of analyzing the hidden negative messages in the media is critical, it is not enough to simply be aware of them. We must teach our students the importance of sharing this knowledge with others, so that we may one day hope to make a change.

• "'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,'" writes a student of Christensen.

With Christensen's guidance, her students discover much of the reasons for the way most of us tend to perceive ourselves and others. From early childhood we have been entertained by stories, most being racist or sexist or discriminating against one group or another, which alter dramatically our self-perception and our perception of others.

• "...it can be overwhelming and discouraging to find that our self-images have been formed by others, but if we don't dissect them, we will continue to be influenced by them."

It can absolutely be overwhelming and upsetting to discover that the way we see ourselves, has been taught to us by others. What I think the author is saying here, is that if we don't analyze them, we will not understand them. Our thoughts will continue to be shaped by them, we will unknowingly teach these racist, sexist, and discriminatory ways to our children, and the cycle will inevitably continue.

• "Instead of leaving students full of bile, standing around with their hands on their hips, shaking their heads about how bad the world is, I provided them the opportunity to make a difference."

It is not enough to teach our students that these discriminations exist within our world. We, as teachers, have a responsibility to show them how to make a change, otherwise they may be left filled with despair, not knowing what to do with this newly found knowledge.

My eyes were profoundly opened after having read this article. Like any child raised in the 80's, I watched Looney Toons and other cartoons frequently. Saturday mornings in my house were passed by watching Popeye and Bluto fight for the passive Olive Oyl's affections, or Tom trying to catch and eat Jerry. I have to admit, it was tough for me not to laugh when I read the section that described in detail a Popeye episode. In part because Popeye cartoons were among my favorites, probably because I have two older brothers who watched along with me, but also because I could recall so clearly in my mind that particular episode. But putting my affection for that particular cartoon aside, I am able to see and understand the racism and stereo-typical assumptions made within them. I can see how if a child has never had a personal experience with, for example, an Arab person, that after having watched this episode, it is difficult for that child not to assume that they are as they are portrayed. We, as teachers, have got to not only educate our students on how to spot these displays of racism and discrimination within the media and other forms, but also to encourage them to take a stand and make a change. They can begin by simply spreading the word themselves, as Christensen's students had done.

Talking Points #3

Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community

by Dennis Carlson

Carlson argues that sexual identity should be recognized within our schools and that gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people should no longer be viewed being something "other" than what is "normal."

• "This cleansing of gayness from the literary canon is often defended as an effort to maintain the reputation or 'good name' of authors by not 'outing' them."

I chose this quote because of the use of the word "cleansing." "Cleansing of gayness." Wow. The message Carlson is sending is quite strong. As if gay people need to clean themselves of the theoretical dirt that is gayness. Also, it is unnerving to think that the information that such people as Walt Witman and James Baldwin being gay is thought to be strong enough to actually ruin their "good name."

• "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."

Here is yet another strong word Carlson uses to make his point clear. "Abuses." Gay students and teachers are being abused because the schools are silent about their gayness. Students are not taught about homosexuality in the schools, and so their ignorance leads to persecution, all the while the educational system is tolerant of their "abuses" because to alleviate the problem is to confront the issue. And when the issue is gayness, they fall silent.

• "...a democratic multicultural education must become a dialogue in which all 'voices' are heard and all 'truths' are understood as partial and positioned."

I think what Carlson is saying here is that in our democratic and multicultural society, we need all 'voices' to be heard within our educational system. Our schools have got to accept the responsibility of educating our boys and girls about diversity (all kinds, not just ethnicity or social status but sexual identity as well) so that when they become young men and women, they will be more able to accept the world and all of the wonderfully different people in it, for who they really are.

This was sort of difficult for me to read compared to the previous readings. I found myself having to read and reread a paragraph over again to fully comprehend it at times. But I really liked how Carlson used those very strong words that seemed to have a message within a message for the reader to think about. It reminded me of how Johnson had argued that naming things as they are is vital to identifying, and ultimately solving, the problem the particular word is associated with. I also strongly agree with Carlson in his argument that homosexuality and other sexual identities should have a "voice" within the educational system to better inform students about the "truths" surrounding them, and to provide safety and understanding among gay students and teachers, so that they may feel comfortable enough to be themselves without fear of persecution.

Talking Points #2

Aria

by Richard Rodriguez

Rodriguez argues that while non-English speaking students will shed parts of their previous self once educated in the "public language," they will soon discover their own "public identity" which is crutial for success in society.

Quotes

• "From the doorway of another room, spying the visitors, I noted the incongruity--the clash of two worlds, the faces and voices of school intruding upon the familiar setting of home."

Young non English-speaking students have difficulty viewing their home lives and school lives as being connected. Everything at home is familiar, comforting, and safe, while things at school are strange, different, and scary. I think that the author included this line to describe how he, as a young minority, had felt about his two worlds colliding.

• "But the special feeling of closeness at home was diminished by then. Gone was the desperate, urgent, intense feeling of being home...we remained a loving family, but one greatly changed."

By forcing the family to only speak together in English while at home, the family lost much of its closeness and feelings of comfort. The family shared less and less because the foreign language had erected too many barriers.

• "So they [bilingualists] do not realize that while one suffers a diminished sense of private individuality by becoming assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individuality."

I think what Rodriguez is saying is that though these children will inevitably lose some of who they previously knew themselves to be, they are now able to be an active member of society, and that is crutial for success.

I really enjoyed reading this article. I love languages, and so it was nice to sort of be a fly on the wall of this child's life as he begins to learn a foreign language in a foreign society. I agree with Rodriguez in that having a public identity is crutial, but I think that individuality is nice too. Assimilation is key but I hope that once the English language is learned, not everything Spanish (or Chinese or French, etc.) is forgotton.

Talking Points #1 - Data show racial bias persists in America

by Salim Muwakkil

Muwakkil argues that though many have become blind to it, racism still persists in today's society.

• "Racial disparities persist, and many analysts trace them to biased cultural attitudes and prejudiced social policies so deeply woven into the fabric of American life that they are virtually invisible."

Just as McIntosh has argued in her article that whites are taught from birth to be oblivious to white privilege, and therefore it becomes such a part of that person that it is rarely noticed, so does bigotry and prejudice become a constant part of some social ways that it is usually unnoticed.

• "Deeply entrenched racism still blocks equal opportunity for blacks in the labor market."

Muwakkil refers to a study that had found that applicants with "black-sounding" names had a much lower chance of getting called for an interview than those with "white-sounding" ones. Clearly that is a form of racism and prejudice.

• "Racial disparities in the criminal-justice system also are a large part of the problem."

Muwakkil explains that 13 percent of our nation's drug users are black, yet 58 percent of those now serving drug-related sentences are black people. This study, and others like it, make it obvious that racial prejudices is still a huge issue in our nation. Muwakkil states, "those who assert we've arrived at a colorblind society are blinding themselves to reality."

This article was very easy to read because Muwakkil got straight to the point, and didn't leave me to examine his words in order to see what point he was trying to make. He was straightforward and direct. I hadn't been fully aware that some were arguing that racism is in the past. I thought that it was just common knowledge that unfortunately or world is still a very prejudice one. Thankfully we've got knowledgeable people like Muwakkil, McIntosh, Delpit, as well as others, to keep the conversation going so that hopefully the whole world will eventually take part.

Talking Points #1 - White Privelige: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

By Peggy McIntosh

McIntosh argues that in order to make any substantial changes within our social systems, we must first acknowledge what we have been taught our entire lives to ignore. To continue to ignore or deny privilege is to protect unearned advantage.

• "Whites are taught to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative, and average, and also ideal, so that when we work to benefit others, this is seen as work that will allow 'them' to be more like 'us.'" (p2)

I think that what the author is trying to say is that white people on average view their lives, how they live, their religion, way of dress, form of speaking, to be the normal way. She believes that white people are taught to feel this way, and because of this, when white people try to fix problems within our social systems, for example from the top down as Delpit had suggested, whites are then viewed as trying to erase certain characteristics that would make another culture different from us, and then convert them to our ways...the ideal or normal ways. I think this quote contributes to the article because it is one way in which for whites to open their eyes and begin to recognize that they could also be a participant in our "damaged culture."

• "In proportion as my racial group was being made confident, comfortable, and oblivious, other groups were likely being made unconfident, uncomfortable, and alienated." (p4)

This quote contributes to the article because it makes the reader realize that when one thing is arbitrarily given to one group, the same is inevitable taken from other groups. For instance, when McIntosh explains that men gain from women's disadvantages. If, for example, a job is given to an individual who is either white or male, it is then in turn lost to an equally qualified applicant who is either black or female.

• "The silences and denials surrounding privilege are the key political too here." (p6)

I think that McIntosh has summed up the bulk of her message in this one sentence. She believes that while whites continue to be silent on the subject of their privilege, and even deny, then this problem will only continue. It is not until whites open up conversation on this subject that we may begin to see significant changes.

I enjoyed reading this article because the author made some very good points about how whites have been taught to think or view things. I wonder how many white people accept different cultural aspects, yet still view them at strange? For instance, the way some non-whites were their clothes or how different their holidays are from those of whites.

I wholeheartedly agree with McIntosh's argument that no change will come while the whole of the white, and privileged, community refuses to accept or even acknowledge their privilege and what it means, to them, and to those left behind.

Hello, I'm Cristy. I am a secondary ed. major and am studying Spanish. I have been taking college courses for a few years now, until recently it had only been part-time, and I feel like it's taking me FOREVER to finish. Of course the fact that I am a wife and a mother of three doesn't make anything go faster either. I also coach my daugher's youth cheerleading squad and have been for the past three years. So between school (now a full-time load), coaching, my kids, my husband (who is sometimes like a kid himself!) and keeping it all running smoothly, I don't seem to have much down time. Hopefully it'll all get better soon!