"The Optimism Cure"

Clinton and Education: Policies without Meaning

Svi Shapiro

            In this article, Shapiro points out the inequalities in the type of education the “poor, minorities, and working class students receive.”  While reading the section of the text, I was reminded of our readings of Finn and Kozol from last week.  He states, “the oppressiveness of schooling is compounded by an even more stark separation of the classroom from the culture of the streets and the neighborhood.”  Shapiro would have agreed with Kozol (and based on my understanding from our class discussion, Finn as well) when he discussed the lack of attention to the backgrounds of these students, lack of school materials, and the impact that tracking has on their education and futures.  Through demanding higher test scores, more standardization of curriculum, and better grades we are ignoring the real focus of education, which Shapiro argues is, “to develop a sense of what our lives are about and what it means to live with others in community.”

            In choosing my article for this week I (like Madonna) read many articles and felt overwhelmed by the information in them.  Finally, I settled on one that discussed Mitt Romney’s economic plan (or lack-thereof) if he is elected president.  This article, The Optimism Cure, by Paul Krugman initially appeared in the New York Times on September 23, 2012.  What really stuck out to me in this article was Romney’s statement that his plan for the economy was, “without actually doing anything — we’ll actually get a boost in the economy."  I definitely consider myself an optimistic person, but a quote like this coming from a potential president really worries me.  For years we have been hearing about the state of the economy, the unemployment rate, gas prices increasing, and to hear that Romney is predicting a boost in the economy 'without actually doing anything' causes me great worry.  Near the end of his article, Krugman points out, “Mr. Romney’s whole campaign has been based on the premise that he can become president simply by not being Barack Obama.” 

            I often find myself shutting down or trying to redirect conversations when they turn to politics.  I think this is partially because it is a sensitive topic and partially because I don’t always feel like I know enough about the issues to discuss, especially with people who pay close attention to things as they happen.  While the Internet has played a role in past elections, I feel that the role of social media has noticeably increased during this one.  I rarely check my Facebook page without some hyperlink, video, or ecard posted declaring people’s political views.  Without question, there is plenty of access to information about the issues, but like many others have pointed out – I just don’t feel like I have the time.

"Waiting on the World to Change"

Kozol – Still Separate, Still Unequal:  America’s Educational Apartheid

In this article Jonathan Kozol uses both qualitative and quantitative data to describe the stark inequalities that face public schools across the United States.  He brings to light the clear discrepancies that plague inner city schools vs. their suburban counterparts.  In the beginning of the article, he provides statistics of the number of black and Hispanic students who made up the majority of the population in urban districts in the 2003-2004 school year.  According to his research, 94% of students in Washington, DC, 82% in St. Louis, 84% in Los Angeles, and 96% of students in Detroit were black and Hispanic. (Kozol, 3)

Kozol continues to point out that these numbers are not a reflection of the areas where these schools are located.  One Seattle neighborhood that he visited actually was made up of about 50% white families, but the population of the local elementary school was less than 5% white.  Instead of attending the neighborhood public schools, the children in white families were bused to a school that was further away, but predominantly white. 

Throughout his article, Kozol also shares interactions with students who attend urban elementary and high schools.  He shares stories about the inequalities that the students recognize and talk about somewhat freely.  To highlight a few,

·         "If people in New York woke up one day and learned that we were gone, that we had simply died or left for somewhere else, how would they feel?"

"I think they'd be relieved," this very solemn girl replied. (a 16 year old in New York)

·         "we do not have the things you have. You have Clean things. We do not have. You have a clean bathroom. We do not have that. You have Parks and we do not have Parks. You have all the thing and we do not have all the thing. Can you help us?" (an 8 year old in the Bronx)

In addition to these quotes, Kozol describes severely overcrowded schools and classrooms, classrooms in California where students attend school year round with no air conditioning, bathrooms that are constantly under stocked and frequently not working correctly.  He continues by examining the curriculum of these schools which is described as “pre-packaged” lessons which are “intended "to ensure that all teachers-even novices or the most inept"-would be able to teach reading. (Kozol, 16).

Kozol also interviews teachers about the common practices that they are forced to enact in their classrooms.  Many teachers that he spoke with admit that they don’t agree or aren’t sure about their “professional ethics” (Kozol, 16) surrounding such a cookie cutter approach to education.  Their fear is that if they stray from the educational practices as determined by the principal, they may lose their jobs.

At the end of his article, Kozol demands a response from people to work to change this huge discrepancy that is facing schools.  He states, "If it takes people marching in the streets and other forms of adamant disruption of the governing civilities, if it takes more than litigation, more than legislation, and much more than resolutions introduced by members of Congress, these are prices we should be prepared to pay." (Kozol, 22)  It has been far too long, and far too many students have suffered the consequences of these inequalities in education.  As stated in the beginning of the article, "You're either part of the solution, or part of the problem" - Eldridge Cleaver, 1968, and Kozol challenges all of us to become a part of the solution.

Solutions, Solutions, Solutions

Bartolome – Week 3

I chose this as the title for this blog, because it is what I consistently found myself writing in the margins of Lilia Bartolome’s piece.  In the first paragraph she begins to outline a “humanizing pedagogy that respects and uses the reality, history, and perspectives of students as an integral part of educational practice.” (173)  In particular, she mentions “culturally responsive education and strategic teaching” which she explains in more detail in the end of the article.  Overall, she is addressing the need for teachers to be culturally responsive to the needs of the students of various backgrounds in their classrooms.

While reading, I was excited by the recent studies and new research that Bartolome was using to support her findings.  What shocked me was that these studies were from the 1980’s and 1990’s (with publication date being in Summer of 1994).  Many (ok some) of these studies were published before I was even born and yet here I am working towards my master’s degree and we are still talking about how we can effectively implement them in the classroom.  These ideas aren’t new, yet many (most?) schools haven’t made the shift required to benefit all children who walk through the doors.  

One area that Bartolome and Delpit both highlight is the concept that “the teacher cannot be the only expert in the classroom” (Delpit, 32).  They both stress the importance of discovering students’ prior knowledge, recognizing individual cultures, and bringing real-life experiences into the classroom.  Bartolome continues by saying, “learning is the act of linking new information to prior knowledge” (Bartolome, 182).  Through being able to effectively engage all students in the learning process the learning process will be shared between the teacher and students and therefore be more authentic.

One principal, Verenice Gutierrez, of Portland, Oregon is currently in the news for trying to make a shift in her school by employing a program called “Courageous Conversations”.  In this program, teachers are educated about their ‘white privilege’ and how to be more culturally sensitive in the classroom.  The goal is to close the achievement gap for minority students (specifically African-Americans) who are attending the K-8 school.  Although I have limited information, it sounds like the type of programs/conversations that Delpit and Bartolome are challenging teachers to have in order to humanize and empower students in our classrooms.  Although, (at least in the eyes of the media/social media networks) this is not a popular avenue to take, I believe that more programs such as this one would help schools to take a more positive, empowering approach to education.

Delpit - Week 2

Lisa Delpit - Other People’s Children 

            Power, privilege, and change, change, change!  After experiencing what I consider a good day of teaching, I can’t help but feel deflated after reading the articles such as the ones written by Johnson and Delpit.  After my brief pity party (and maybe a glass of wine), I accept that I do fall into the categories that Johnson would call ‘privileged’ and Delpit would consider to be “the culture of power”, but ultimately they are not saying that being these things are bad.  Rather both authors are suggesting (as Delpit states), “Teachers are in an ideal position to play this role, to attempt to get all of the issues on the table in order to initiate true dialogue” (pg 47). 

            Instead of feeling defeated, I now feel challenged to be more culturally sensitive.  On Thursday I was working with one of my students to pick a picture from the Internet to use in a project.  After looking over multiple pages I found myself becoming frustrated because she was skipping over plenty of pictures that I thought suited the assignment perfectly.  Finally, she found one that she wanted to use and in a moment of exasperation I asked her why that one instead of the many other pictures that she had already skipped over. She looked up from the computer screen and simply stated, “because she’s black.”  There I was, ready to accuse her of wasting time and in reality she had a purpose in all of her searching that had completely escaped me. 

  

            Celebrating Black History Month and reading books where the main character isn’t white aren’t enough to address the cultural differences present in many classrooms today.  In her piece, Delpit discusses the difficulty of entering a new culture and shares her own experiences in visiting Papua New Guinea and Alaskan villages.  She states, “I have found it unquestionably easier, psychologically and pragmatically, when some kind soul has directly informed me about such matters as appropriate dress, interactional styles, embedded meanings, and taboo words or actions” (pg. 26).  Last semester I was introduced to a website http://www.culturecrossing.net/ which does exactly that.  Through utilizing the “Getting to know your World” drop-down menu, it is possible to select hundreds of different countries and learn basic facts about the country as well as the style of communication, dress, and other aspects of that culture.  I have found this website to be very useful in gaining knowledge about other countries, but there (of course) isn’t a drop-down for the “culture of power”.  

I am affiliated with a school that has 92% white students and 100% white teachers (at least at the high school level).  While there is not much diversity reflected in my district, there is a lot of diversity represented in my classroom.  After reading this piece, I am going to strive to be more culturally sensitive and aware in attempt to try to meet the needs of all of my students.  This is only a small step in the direction that Delpit suggests that we, as educators, should make, but it is a solid first step that I feel comfortable I can be successful in doing.

Johnson - Week 1

Allan G. Johnson – Privilege, Power, and Difference

In this selection, Johnson discusses social issues present in today’s society such as class, gender, race, and sexual orientation.  From early on he presents the fact that readers may be uncomfortable with some of the terminology and phrases that he uses throughout this piece.  He writes to define “privilege, oppression, racism, sexism, classism”, because he suggests that “you can’t deal with a problem if you don’t name it; once you name it, you can think, talk, and write about it (pg. 11).”  

Johnson began Chapter 1 by referring to Rodney King and his question of “can’t we all just get along? (pg. 1)” From there he continues to discuss why “whether it’s a matter of can’t or won’t, the truth is that we simply don’t get along (pg. 2).”  He goes on to highlight specific examples surrounding the topics of differences between races, classes, genders, and sexual orientation and the privileges that being one vs. the other gives to people in our society.

Johnson highlights this fact even further in Chapter 3 by providing three bulleted lists that depict how privilege shows up in common social situations.  He urges the reader to “take your time and try to identify situations in which each might occur (pg. 27).”  While reading the first list (comparing whites and other races) I felt slightly uncomfortable with some of the situations he was describing.  Many of the points he brought up were things that I had not previously given much (or any) consideration to.  When I read his second list (comparing males and females) my feeling of discomfort quickly turned to anger.  I felt myself mentally attempting refute his points, but ultimately discovering that mostly I agreed with him.  Due to being a white female these two lists put the concept of “privilege” into perspective for me.  Johnson continued with a third list regarding sexual orientation to continue to point out similarities among all three different lists surrounding the concept of privilege in our society.

            For my link this week I wanted to share a clip from The Office.  In this clip the office manager, Michael, takes a very misguided approach to increasing tolerance in the workplace.  The clip is from Season 1, Episode 2 and called “Diversity Day.”  This clip touches on a few of the social issues that Johnson brings up in the first three chapters of his book.