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.