“School Girls”

Peggy Orenstein

Talking Points #9

Premise: girls vs. boys, women vs. men, gender-fair curricula, Gender Equity in Education Act, education equity, sexuality education, sexual harassment, sex discrimination

Argument: According to the Gender Equity in Education Act, girls should be continually treated equally amongst her peers. “Women are one-half of the world’s people; …” (3). This reading follows a particular teacher; Ms. Logan, who teaches the “gifted” students in a middle school. This reading shows how this teacher teaches her students about Women Studies and how she gets the boys more sensitive to women issues, as well as women of color.

My Thoughts: When I read this reading by Orenstein, I kept reverting back to a recent event at Brown University that covered feminism. It was called the Guerilla Girls. One of the speakers of the group actually wore a gorilla mask to hide her identity to make her and the group’s purpose even more noticeable. The speaker seemed to keep repeating this one question, “Where are the women?” Just like how Orenstein asks, “Where are the men” (3)? It is interesting how, in a classroom, there are all masculine images, which means that men are more important than women. I think that we should be learning about both male and female role-models. There should be posters of both women and men being hung up. In Ms. Logan’s classroom all the posters in her room are of women. Orenstein says, “It is the mirror opposite of most classrooms that girls will enter” (3). It is important to learn about gender roles, Ms. Logan stated. She also says that “Feminist teaching is not about allowing a win/lose situation to develop between boys and girls” (15). Ms. Logan had her students do an activity that involved the boys, to write about a woman and present to her as the woman herself and what they thought of in that woman’s perspective. The girls had to do the same about doing it in the man’s perspective. The girls found it easier to do since they were used to being taught more about men. This activity showed how well one sex knows about the other. When I think of gender roles I think of are guys really supposed to wear makeup, stay home working, maybe as being good and loyal housewives. And when I thing of the girls, is it all right that some of us are tomboys and are actually doing the same things as men such as going into the business world, mowing the lawn, and so on… These are probably some of the things Ms. Logan’s students brought up in their papers. In reality there is still little to be known of the other sex and it is important to try and be educated about it, this is the answer of where men and women are. What I liked very much at the end was when one of the boys in the reading said, “I don’t see what the big deal is about women. I mean, as long as they’re interesting, what’s the difference if they’re women? Women are people, too, you know” (30). We should look at each other as individuals and not as men or women, and we should respect each other as people.

Diversity FNED 346

There was obviously an article in the Cranston Herald about Diversity in the schooling community. I am showing this to the class because we will soon be teachers and maybe teaching this subject to our kids. Ms. Baker also used to be my Spanish teacher in middle school. We do not have time to talk about this because it is happening everyday. Someone had started it. This all needs to stop. When you read this, think, can our future really be better if we can teach our students to work together?

Cranston Your Turn
01:00 AM EST on Friday, November 9, 2007
CRANSTON
Banner flap is saddening
I am writing in response to a story which was featured in the Providence Sunday Journal and covered in the Cranston Herald as well. Apparently there are residents of Cranston who are upset by the fact that there is a banner hanging on the newly renovated Cranston Stadium which lists Cranston West Falcons first [and the Cranston East Thunderbolt second]. It saddens me to think that, with all of the problems we have in this world, a small group of narrow-minded individuals can focus their time and energy on perpetuating an unhealthy, immature rivalry. Shame on The Providence Journal for insulting the collective intelligence of its readers by granting front-page news coverage to such a sophomoric controversy.
I am a graduate of Cranston High School West, but unlike some former students of both Cranston high schools, I realize that my high school days are over and I am now an adult. After teaching World Languages in schools on both “sides” of the city I have returned to Cranston West as a Spanish teacher and to give back to a place which has taught me so much. As a Spanish teacher, I not only spend time teaching kids vocabulary words and verb tenses, but strive to teach acceptance, tolerance, and appreciation for diversity as well.
Although we often think of diversity in terms of race, religion, or ethnicity, I think of diversity as respecting all people regardless of the similarities and differences we share. It is very frustrating to witness adults in the community working against these very concepts. The way I see it, you are either part of the problem or part of the solution. If we cannot show respect for the people in our own backyard how are we supposed to teach our children tolerance from a global perspective?
Everyone is entitled to their own feelings and opinions; however, if someone perceives an injustice isn’t it more productive to create an atmosphere of collaboration and cooperation? Why not find ways to bring people from both schools together?
For the last two years my students have worked with students from Gladstone Elementary School on a project entitled “Reading Outside the Lines.” This involves high school Spanish students writing books in Spanish and then traveling across the imaginary lines in our city, which were created by past generations, to read to students from many different backgrounds. We seek to erase those lines by fostering an atmosphere of understanding, compassion, and empathy.
In my humble opinion, The Journal was irresponsible to print this story in such a sensationalized fashion which could now incite more trouble between the two schools. Schools today depend upon community stakeholders such as the media to assist us in our endeavors, not to make our school akin to Britney Spears in the latest edition of US Weekly.
As I sat this afternoon in the West auditorium, I was inspired by a group of students singing a song called “Actions Speak Louder than Words.” We all have faults, strengths, and weaknesses, but I think we all need to stop being jealous of what we don’t have and start being thankful for what we do. Let’s focus on the kids who play and perform on the inside of the stadium instead of the sign hanging on the outside. Although having school spirit can lead to a healthy rivalry on the field, court, or in the classroom let’s compete with ourselves to be the best people we can be. Our past may not be perfect, but our future can be better if we can teach our children to work together. We need to embrace our similarities and learn from our differences because, let’s face it, in the school of life we’re all in it together.
Julie Baker
Cranston

“Citizenship in Schools: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome"

Christopher Kliewer

Talking Points #8

Premise: Down Syndrome, community, communication, parents, teachers, students, individuality, judgments

Argument: This piece by Kliewer was taken from an article called “Schooling Children with Down Syndrome”. The lesson that this author is teaching is that community involvement is extremely important for children to learn. A child with learning disabilities, specifically Down Syndrome in this article, can flourish with the support of the community.

My Thoughts: This article, I liked. I had more interest in this one because I knew something about Downs Syndrome. I learned about this specific syndrome in high school Health classes, Psychology, and even Science. This disease is also known as Trisonomy 21. The physical characteristics of Down Syndrome typically involve low muscle tone, flat appearance of the face, upward slanting eye creases, small ears, single skin crease in the palm, extremely flexible joints, and having a large tongue. I think that it is important to know these basics before I started writing this paper. It’s not fair to write something down if you do not know about it first. Most people with Down Syndrome, as said in the article, can live independently. They are able to work and do a job well. They are actually pretty smart people. The more support any person gets, not just the disabled, the better the chances for success. Getting support from the community and being accepted into that community is a wonderful thing. One thing in the article that gave a wake up call is what can occur when we become teachers in a classroom. The teacher’s name in this paper was Shayne. Shayne saw wonderful things in her kids. What we would think as misbehaving and being rude, she saw the child as just wanting to express himself. Shayne wanted to let him be and let him learn in his own way. That was wonderful. But, let’s face it, a teacher as sensitive and accepting as Shayne is not usual. Most teachers are under stress to teach certain things by a certain date. They don’t have time for such special teaching. It’s sad. There was a quote by Kozol saying that this example of expression carries a burden of “intellectual, emotional, and spirituality” for the student, and the teacher was able to see this. Plus, there was a quote by Douglas Biklen, “society itself is hurt when schools act as cultural sorting machines—by perceived ability and behavior”. In other words, students shouldn’t be segregated by their disabilities. They should be put into a regular classroom and get support from that class community. Another student found community support by moving to another city. It’s too bad he had to do that. It’s too bad, people can’t always find support when they need it. Everyone has their own opinions about any situation, may it be in a school or in society. But there should be no judging contests. This is just one syndrome this article talks about, but it holds true for many disabilities. If someone has a syndrome, people label them as being a “downer”, and that he or she isn’t good enough and not perfect. Hey, nobody’s perfect. People who do not have this syndrome do not have the right to judge quickly about the person who does. They eat, breath, and sleep like you and me.

"One More River to Cross"

Talking Points #7

“One More River to Cross”
By: Charles Lawrence

Premise: segregation/desegregation, black/white people, judicial/political law, Brown v. Board of Education(1954), Plessy v. Ferguson, 14th Amendment, NAACP, remedy, inferior, equality, feelings, struggle

Argument: “The Brown Decision fostered a way of thinking about segregation that has allowed both the judiciary and society at large to deny the reality is critical to the framing of any meaningful remedy – judicial or political – and that Brown may ultimately be labled a success only insofar as we are able to make it stand for what it shood have stood for in 1954.”
Translation of Argument: Lawrence is trying to say segregation in schools is illegal now, but there is still segregation in society. Segregation in society is not good either, unlike the schools’ where it is illegal. People of different color should be coming together.

My Thoughts: “One More River to Cross”, by Charles Lawrence, was a little difficult to understand it all. It is obvious that he is a lawyer. The title, “One More River to Cross”, is actually from a Black folk song. The Brown v. Board of Education was a good thing but it is only one step. Blacks are still treated as inferiors. This stigma still very much lies all around us. There is not total equality. The whole purpose of segregation was not to separate the different colors but to make the Blacks feel inferior in their own place. When I think of the word “inferior” now, it seems like we are somewhat inferior also. We caused so much pain that it is not fair to be calling anyone inferior. We as people are still not equal in society. Peoples’ thinking is going to be a hard thing to change. Being White I do not even see up close how bad this discrimination really is. I need to step into their shoes to actually know what is going on. Lawrence keeps bringing up the word “remedy”. I think of this of a disease that is trying to have a cure. This is exactly what Lawrence is trying to say, and the only way to do this is to continue through life and try to get along with one another, otherwise, it can get deadly.

"Tracking: Why Schools Need to Take Another Route"

Talking Points #6
November 6, 2007

“Tracking: Why Schools Need to
Take Another Route”

Premise: tracking, schools, “less able”, high ability, students, fast/slow speed learning, groups, learning, teachers, different, “typical”, criticism/ridicule, low/middle/high class, maintaining control, discipline, comparison, socializing, “unspecial”, belief in ability, curriculum, environment, changes, alternatives

Argument: The author, Jeannie Oakes, says that educators should make a decision of whether to track students in schools. Educators should not choose the tracking system only. She wants schools to take on another route.

My Thoughts: I do not agree with the author. I think that you can still have tracking but for certain things. For example, once in a while let kids come together in groups. This way one is always not alone and can be with other diverse leveled students. This one student could be a “less able” and can maybe learn from a higher ability student. As I am still a student I know that this can be achieved. When I had my last study buddies party, I was studying with different leveled colleagues than I. I did not know if they were “A” students but getting together as a group helped. Oakes says that high ability students have more schooling experience; this is true and is a pro. Oakes also says that you can benefit from these high ability students too. But do we know what a pro with “less able” is? These kids are socializing more and they have more leisure time. They might spend more time working on one project than finishing it right away. These “less able” are disadvantaged and have fewer opportunities than of a higher ability student. In elementary school I can remember that there was a gifted program for students, so these students would not be bored. There was a time when there was not any tracking when my mother went to school and things seemed just fine. Tracking can work both ways here. These students will be labeled all through life as being bright or less of an achiever. This will of course be great for the bright group of people but maybe not for the less fortunate.