Herbert Kohl: I Don't Want to Learn from You

So as I mentioned in the prezi I have student that does not ever want to learn form me.  Every week I go in to my 4th grade class and they always work on NECAP test prep. My kids never want to learn about this test because all they do is test al day.  I have one kid that always throws a temper tantrum.  This do not only happen when I am in groups with them.  When my teacher tries to teach them something, there is always one student that will not learn from my teacher.  Weather the teacher made them mad, or the teacher made them do something they did not want to do, there is always a kid that does not want to learn from them.  The kid that always gives me a problem or give the teacher a problem for not wanting to learn.

My story reminded me of a couple of different articles we did in this class. When I first started to read this article it reminded me of Rodriguez and Collier articles.  In the Kohl article he stated that "his own fear of trying to learn English or his failure to do so".  This reminds me of my service learning as well.  Sometimes I feel that my students feel no one tries hard enough for them to understand them and help them learn.  They don't let them do anything but testing material.

My story reminds me of Okaes as well.  Jennie Oaks states about tracking kids.  My kids don't want to take the test so some might not want to take the test seriously so they will not pass the test.  All my kids do is learn for the test and they do not want to earn for the test.  They want to learn stuff that will help them.

My kids want to understand the material but they just can't.  They want to learn from us but it is hard when no one explain the material to them well.  Student want to learn what will help them in the real world not what will help them to pass the test.

I WON'T LEARN FROM YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG WATCH THIS!

I found this video on facebook and I could not believe it! It relates to so many things we have read! Safe Spaces, Kahne and Westheimer, Delpit... and the list goes on and on!!

In Search of Air- Social Justice Event

For my social justice event I went to a dance show called In Search of Air that was preformed by Lida Winfield.  Lida show was all about her experience growing up with a learning disability called dyslexia.  She not only danced in her piece but she spoke to us about her childhood growing up with dyslexia.  She expressed to us how hard it was to be a student with dyslexia and how she would be judged and what exceptions were of her(which weren't very high).  There was also a question and answer session afterwards and I was able to ask her some questions.  I know it may sound weird relating the reading that we have done in class to a dance show but there were some really good connections that I can us.  

Connections:
 One article that I want to connect this event to is the Jeannie Oakes article.  This article was about tracking students in schools.  Lida was one of those students who got tracked in school.  Since she had dyslexia, she was put in "special classes" to help her read better, event though it really didn't help her that much.  She was grouped with a bunch of other kids just like her.  Oakes states in her article that "tracking leads to substantial differences in the day-to-day learning experiences students have at school".  Lida stated to us that since she was put in these special classrooms that she never really experienced what a students without special needs would experience.  She never had that day-to-day experiences with other students as well.  Lida stated that even when she graduated from high school she read at a 3rd grade level.  They just wanted to her to pass the tests so not only would she graduate but it would not reflect badly on the schools.  I have seen this in my service learning as well.  I have worked with a child who had a learning disability and was not able to be like the regular students.  He was put in a special classroom all day to work with certain teacher.  I am not a fan of the tracking system and Lida would agree.  Tracking doesn't help students interact with other students and it doesn't help them learn the sills they need in life. 

Another article that I would connects to my social justice event is Delpit.  I feel that everything that I have done and seen can somehow relate to Delpit.  As we all know Delpit explains the culture of power.  Lida was never taught the culture of power in the classroom.  She was never to explicitly what to do/how to act in the classroom.  She was never taught how to last in the real world.  For Lida everything was handed to her not only because of her race but because of her background.  Not only that but because she had a disability she was just handed things as well.  She stated in her show that everything was done for her.  Since they thought she was dumb they would give her the easy stuff to make her pass (also relates to Oakes).  Delpit would of thought that Lida needs to learn the rules and code of power to help her get through in life and the rest of her schooling.  

The last article that I want to relate this show to is Rodriguez.  Rodriguez talks about private identity and public identity with his language.  I want to relate Lida troubles with her schooling.  Her private identity, she notes as a smart child who wants to learn and wants to go to college, and her public identity is a child who struggles to read who can't go anywhere because of her learning disability.  They are both two different perspectives that she has and society has on her.  Rodriguez would want her to be herself but she is not allowed to because of these stands that the school has on her.  It sounds so unfair but it is true.  Grouping up I had a IEP because I had trouble reading and with my speech.  When I signed up for the SAT's they give you a predicted score of what they believe you are going to be.  My score they gave me was a 700.  I was shocked because of my public issues they thought I wasn't going to do well.  Even though I bet that score by a lot, they wouldn't let me show them who I was as a person.  They also wouldn't let Lida do that either.

This was such a great show to go to and I learned so many things by watching and listening.  I do want to mention that the Kohl reading relates to thing social justice event.  I am excited about how much I have learned and how mush it realties to the real world.       

Last Blog :( Empowering Education: Ira Shor; Extended Comments

For this blog I would like to use Ashley's A. blog and Hannah Blog as well! As I was reading there blogs many different points stuck in my head about the reading.  While reading this article I believe that Shor argument is that there are different ways to involved in school through communication.  I thought that the ideas in the article were very interesting and were ver effective to me. Shor mainly feels in his piece that "education is political".

In Ashley's blog she states this, "“How are students going to learn to communicate?” In essence, Shor believes in a curriculum “that encourages student questioning…Empowering Education is a key to effective education because it initiates “social change.” (2)."  I believe that Shor wants us to understand population of the students as Ashley mentions.  This quote stood out to me as well because it made me understand what he was trying to say in this article.  I think that Show states that he needs to teacher to be motivated just like the students should be and they should participate in discussion and interact.  Ashley also bring up some really good questions in her blog about out service learning and what techniques we will imply on our students when teachers.  Those questions were really great! I would like to know what everyone else techniques.  Of course we have not taken methods classes yet but when we start it would be great to figure out what techniques we can use in out classrooms.

In Hannah's blogs she states this,"Shor argues that if just focus on trying to get kids to learn information that we as educators are missing the boat when it comes to educating children as we are missing a large aspect of the educational purpose".  She also states a story about her math class.  When I was little we would always have to learn about noun and pronouns, adverbs and verb.  It wasn't until my junior year of high school when one of my teacher actually sat down with our class and went over them with us.  I could not believe that all that time we were just learn words and not understand how they can be used in sentences.  Sounds stupid but true.  I can see it in my service learning as well.  When I am going over fractions they don't understand why the answer is what it is, they just know it is the right answer.  Teacher I think should spend more time in teaching these kids the "why" and not the "what" factor.

Point to Share: First of all I am very sad this is the last blog and I am a little late.  Second I would really like to think what everyone else thought about the reading and what they think they could do in there classrooms to make this process smother.     

    *I think this video sums up everything that we have been talking about in this class!*

  

Citizenship in School by Christopher Kliewer: Hyperlinks

When I finished reading Christopher Kliewer, Schooling Children with Down Syndrome I could not believe how much I loved this reading.  It is probably one of my favorite reading that we have read in a while!  In the reading, Kliewer talks about working in schools with children that have down syndrome and what type of schoolings there are besides special education schooling.  The article started talking about a woman named Mia Perterson who has down syndrome, and she states “I stated to notice that I didn’t like the classes I was talking called special education, I had to go through special ed. almost all my life.  I wanted to take other classes that interested me.  I had never felt so make, I want to cry”(Perterson, 1994, p.6).  I found that so interesting and such a awesome quote to start off the reading with.  Mia has shown the world to not judge people with down syndrome because they can succeed! During the reading Kliewer talks about a school called Shoshone School where children with special needs can go.  As I was researching this school I found out that another name for this type of schooling is called mainstreaming. One of the teachers in the Shayne Robbins proved to us in this reading that these kids with down syndrome can learn just like kids with out disabilities.

*Here is a video I found about the school that is featured in the reading with Shayne Robbins*

Many parents will do whatever they want to make there children happy weather they have a disability or not and weather it has to do with schooling or not.  I found this article that talks about a mom that was trying to find a new way to school her child with down syndrome.  There are so many ideas that they can do so that these children with down syndrome can get a great education and get involved with the community.  The community must except that everyone is not the same so they do not judge these children. 

Points to share:

I would like to say that the idea of having mainstreaming schools is a great idea for children with down syndrome and with disabilities.  They can have a great experience with learning social skills and educational skills.  I think that this was such a great article.  I could probably talk about this for hours because I love kids with down syndrome they have such a great perceptive on life.       

Going back to Brown vs. Board of Education:Random Post

So I was watching Freedom Writers the other day and this movie really reminded me of our discussion of Brown vs. Board of Education and Tim Wise.  I think that this movie relates a lot to the discussion that we had.  This also happened after Brown vs. Board which is what makes it so much more interesting.  I posted a link on the background of the movie and on the book itself.

*Here is a video that I thought was interesting about the movie and it gives background about what was happening during this time.  There is one point of the video where the students talk about how she doesn't understand them because she is white.*

LIteracy with and Attitude by Patrick Finn: Extended Comments

As I started to read the Preface of Literacy with an Attitude by Patrick Finn, I was confused and stunned at the same time.  This reading really confused me in so many ways that I did not like it that much. What I got from this reading was that is was forced on the working-class families and their kids and how they learn and taught.  I would like to use Marisa Blog as extended comments in this blog.

Marisa states in the first quotes that she posted which was: “The working-class children were learning to follow directions and do mechanical work, low-paying work, but at the same time they were learning to resist authority in ways sanctioned by their community. The middle class children were learning to follow orders and do the mental work that keeps society producing and running smoothly. They were learning that if they cooperated they would have the rewards that well-paid, middle-class work that makes possible outside the workplace (20)” that this reminded her of the “separate but equal” discussion that we had last week.  I agree with her 100%.  Families that are in better areas get better schooling and families in lower income areas do not get a good solid education.  The kids are still in school trying to get a education (equal) but they are getting different education based on the income of their family (separate). 

I also like when Marisa pointed out this point in her blog saying “This also reminds me of Delpit because working-class students are not taught the codes of power in their classroom, and do not understand why they are doing the work they are assigned. On the other hand, middle-class students typically understand that if they do their work and succeed in school, they will get a good job and do better financially in life”. As I was reading I noticed many Delpit moments that most of this kids need to learn to become great educators and great citizens as they get older.  It crazy how both sides can be separate but equal.

I thought it was interesting how the author brought in the saying and asking kids “what is knowledge”?  I found that the answers from the different students were interesting and I found it interesting that there were so many varied answers.  Everyone has their own option about this answer but these kids need to learn about their creativity and that is what some schools are missing out on.

Points to Share:

I don’t understand why all these authors talk about the problems in the schools but don’t try to fix the problem.  I would like to see what they can do to make both the schools equal.