Quotes from Spring Chapters 3 and 10 and Kozol 9 Chapters 9 and 10

Spring Chapter 3 page 62

“Plessy v. Ferguson highlights the principle that race is a social and legal construction.”

We talked in class once about what is “white” and “black” and why we chose those names.  There is really no such thing as a white person or a black person, it’s just some names society came up with and we still use them to this day.  What did make Homer Plessy a “black” man in the eyes of the court when a majority of him came from “white” ancestry?  Is it because he has some “black” in him and that automatically makes a person “black”?  How does that make even make any sense whatsoever?  It just goes to show that society can come up with anything and everyone else will, unfortunately, follow whether they realize it or not.

Spring Chapter 10 page 279

“Another concern is teachers’ activity outside the school.  A controversial issue is whether a teacher’s membership in a radical political organization is grounds for dismissal or denial of employment.”

When becoming a teacher, a person is considered a professional and should carry themselves that way especially in public.  If a teacher joins a certain organization, I don’t think they should be fired because of said organization.  I suppose it really depends on the organization itself and what in entails, but I feel as though it would have to be something quite intense or “bad” for a teacher to be fired because of an organization.  I couldn’t imagine working so hard throughout my life to get a teaching degree/masters, spend a few years teaching, then all of a sudden be let go because of a group I had joined. 

Kozol Chapter 9 page 220

“Knowing that Indianapolis is one of the most politically conservative communities in the United States, I asked Dr. Pritchett if it would endanger his position if I quoted him by name.  “This is my last year in Indianapolis,” he said.  “I don’t know where I’ll be working next.  But I could care less what anyone might say.  If we who are working in these schools don’t advocate for children, then who will?””

This quote definitely speaks the truth.  Students from elementary school through high school speak their minds all the time, but it doesn’t voice concern until the second a teacher or principal or anyone actually working in the school system speaks.  Yet, when they do speak, they’re “wrong” and basically shunned for speaking their mind and this is clear by the way Kozol is asking Dr. Pritchett if it’s okay if he quotes him by name.  It’s so sad that people are looked down upon when trying to speak for the children; the children are our future, wouldn’t people want what’s best for them?  What’s best for THEM, not what’s best for BUSINESS.

Kozol Chapter 9 page 222

“How can one even dream of racial integration, I am asked, in a district in which 75 to more than 85 percent of students are black or Hispanic and most middle-class white parents do not send their children to the public schools, or not beyond their elementary grades.”

This is something that I feel is going to take a really long time and clearly, has been taking a really long time.  It seems like something so simply, putting a bunch of different children in one school, yet it’s quite the opposite.  I feel like a big part of this has to do with the parents because they mainly have control where their children go to school, the children just go where they’re put.  Children really don’t care who they go to school with starting from day one.  Of course, it gets harder as they grow older is they’re in a predominantly urban area and move to the suburbs and vice versa.  A lot of it has to do with people being closed mind and being stereotypical and it’s really starting to get old.  If we keep doing what we’re doing, things are only going to get worse.

Kozol Chapter 10 page 239

“”I’m still not completely at ease among white people,” he went on.  “When you walk into the centers of white dominance, no matter what you’ve done in life, you feel like an outsider.  But what my high school education did successfully was to teach me to function effectively in that environment.  I don’t think I could possibly have done this if I had not had that kind of education.”

No matter what your race or culture is, if a person is around people that are not exactly like themselves they feel uncomfortable.  It shouldn’t be like that at all, but that’s the way society has it play out.  People are self-conscious or nervous around other people that aren’t like themselves.  Everyone, for the most part, can still function and will still do what they need to do, but no one is 100% comfortable, rarely. 

Quotes from Folder 12 Readings

Quote from http://www.promiseofplace.org/what_is_pbe

“Place-based education (PBE) immerses students in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities and experiences, using these as a foundation for the study of language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and other subjects across the curriculum.”

This is exactly what needs to be in our classrooms nowadays and the education students should be learning.  This is way better than teaching to the test any day!  Children can finally have fun while learning and learn through all their subject areas in a new and exciting way.  I don’t see why something like this isn’t in the classroom of every school.  Wouldn’t the test scores sky rocket if all students were learning like this?  This is as hands on as it gets for students and it sounds fantastic!

Quote from “Toward a Culturally Informed Eco-Justice Pedagogy” page 115

“An example that comes to mind is the way in which literacy has been represented in classrooms as an expression of progress, and “illiteracy” (that is, oral cultures) as backward.”

I never really thought about something like this before until I read this quote and it really is true.  Anything that isn’t “correct” English is basically shot down and looked at as “wrong” in schools today.  Is it wrong because it’s not how something would be worded or marked correct on a test?  Is it wrong because it’s not how most people view writing everyday so it’s not “normal”?  How could schools fix something like this, in a way I feel as though it’s impossible?  Literacy on dictionary.com comes up as “the ability to read and write”.  So a child that reads and writes in Spanish, but not English is deemed “illiterate”?  Clearly, that child is literate; they’re just not literate according to the United States.

Quote from “Look into the Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous Education” page 25

“Learning is always a creative act.  We are continuously engaged in the art of making meaning and creating our world through the unique processes of human learning.”

We, as teachers and people in general, are always learning; we’re learning something new every day!  I think this is something that teachers need to remember, especially those teachers that think they know everything.  It is okay if a student asks you a question and you don’t know the answer right away, it’s even better if you have to look it up with them!  It’s a learning experience for both you and the student; it also helps show the student that you’re just like them, a student.  It will help put teacher and student on the same level, even if it’s only for a little bit.  Wouldn’t you rather learn from someone that you can see is only human or someone who acts like they know all?  It gets intimidating after a while and may even keep students from asking questions they may want to ask!

Quote from http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/pages/Read-the-Charter.html “Earth, Our Home” paragraph

“Humanity is part of a vast evolving universe.  Earth, our home, is alive with a unique community of life.”

Students don’t really see much of the outdoorsy life as they did when I was a little kid, even more so when my parents were little kids; so much TV, videogames, test taking, etc.  I think lessons need to bring some of that nature back into the picture so students realize how wonderful their planet really is.  It’s important for them to learn about the world they live in vs. taking a test?  Which one is bigger and realistically more important to them? 

Quote from “A Pedagogy for Ecology” page 32

“Rather than contribute to a sense of disconnection from place by writing off the environments around our most urban schools as unsalvageable or not worth knowing, teachers can instill in children an attitude of attention to what exists of the natural world in their neighborhoods.”

Children love to talk about their families, friends, and things in their environment all the time, imagine what children would be able to write if they were able to always connect the writing to themselves.  Things that students care about, they will work hard with and produce amazing projects from.  If you had to do a presentation on rocks verses a presentation on something you’re brother/sister does that you think is really cool, which would you rather do?  Of course, those are complete opposites, but just an example.  If math, science, history, all of the subjects can have some connection to students’ lives, they will care about what they are learning more than if it has no connection at all.  This reminds me of the movie “Freedom Writers” because the students in that movie actually started to learn because they were able to express themselves and write about what they wanted to.  This also gave them a new respect/connection with their teacher.

Quote from “Look into the Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous Education” page 26

“Understanding the depth of relationships and the significance of participation in all aspects of life are the keys to traditional American Indian education.”

I love this quote because it brings it back to traditional American Indian education and the way things used to be before all this nonsense of test taking and complications in the education system that we have today.  Teachers and students need to really get to know/understand one another to truly have a great classroom environment.  This also brings it back to nature, in a quote I used earlier where I said students need to know more about nature and the planet they live on.  The connection between teacher and students is very, very important.  I have heard stories in the past where students are called by their numbers by their teacher and I think that’s simply ridiculous.  Right there, it’s degrading to the child because the teacher doesn’t even seem I know their name!