Jack Gabrilowitz, Blog Post #11

There were a few things that stuck out to me this semester. For instance, I enjoyed working in groups. I enjoyed hearing what my peers had to say about the work that we were doing. Another thing that I enjoyed was the videos that we watched. They were very informative and served as a good baseline for what we know. Another thing that I thought was useful was the clinical study program through inspiring minds. I thought going into the school and participating in education firsthand was beneficial for both myself and the students. I was able to get experience working with children and the students themselves benefited because they were given attention and focused on their schoolwork. Finally, the last thing that I enjoyed in the class was when we had discussions. I believe those were important to have because it opened the door for peoples opinions and thoughts to come forward. I felt listened to and heard when I spoke and I'm sure that those who also spoke felt the same. These parts of the class stuck out to me and I believe that they were important and also enjoyable to participate in. This semester in FNED 246 I learned a lot. I am very interested in becoming a teacher and I believe that this class helped bring me one stwp in the right direction towards doing so. It has been a pleasure.

Here is a link to the inspiring minds homepage in which we used to keep track of our clinical observation.

https://inspiringmindsri.org/

Jack Gabrilowitz: Blog Post: Woke Read Alouds

 

The video we watched as homework was entitled Woke Read Alouds. Ki, the person reading the book, went into detail about how it is important to address someone with the appropriate pronoun. On each page, there was a child that had a name and a corresponding pronoun. This pronoun didn't always fit the so called "norm" of what you would expect. For instance, there was a child with the name of Kelly in the story. Kelly dressed in clothes that were seen as feminine and Kelly also had long hair that would also be seen as feminine. However, Ki mentions to us that this child, Kelly, was actually going by "he" "him" pronouns. If I was a teacher and I had a student like Kelly, I would try my hardest to call Kelly by the pronoun that Kelly wants to be called. It sounds like it would be a simple task for some people. I would never want to offend anyone in any way or be disrespectful. I may simply need a few reminders here and there. This I think shouldn't be a giant ask of someone. It is important that we try our best to get along with everyone regardless of who they are and if they are different from us. 

Here is a link to website that gives more information about pronouns and gender. 

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/02/996319297/gender-identity-pronouns-expression-guide-lgbtq

Jack Gabrilowitz: Blog Post #8: Rodriguez

    

     Richard Rodriguez is the author of Aria. This is a text that outlines what it is like for a native Spanish speaker to have his/her language "taken away" from them. Rodriguez mentions how his life was when he was a child. For instance, he remembers how Spanish was spoken at home. How it gave meaning to his life. How it was so strongly tied to his identity. However, his school did not see the same importance in Spanish as Mr. Rodriguez did. In fact, they saw Spanish as a barrier to his education. It was their belief that speaking Spanish would only hamper him in society. As a result, the nuns who were teaching him showed up at his house pleading with his parents to only have him speak English. As authority figures within the church, Mr. Rodriguez's parents reluctantly agreed. This started a chain of events that would be extremely impactful on Mr. Rodriguez's life. For instance, life at home was severely impacted. Mr. Rodriguez mentions that family time seemed a lot more distant. Without the family speaking Spanish, there was much less interaction to be had amongst one other. This silence at home was not only uncomfortable, but also lead to a sort of loss of identity for him. While one identity faded away, Mr. Rodriguez gives mention of another one beginning to take a stronger hold in his life. That is, being an American citizen. Despite his loss of the language that he felt most comfortable with, he also gained confidence in another. That is, English. Previously, Mr. Rodriguez was an individual who found himself not the best at speaking English in public. He mentioned that sometimes he would mumble or not speak up enough. This however was mitigated by the nuns when they told him to speak loudly when he would talk in class. Even though Mr. Rodriguez would miss the part of his life when he spoke Spanish the most, he still felt proud of himself and who he had become.  

    Whether or not it was right or wrong to make Mr. Rodriguez speak Spanish is up for debate. However, it is important to always respect ones way of life and culture. For Mr. Rodriguez, the Spanish langiuage was something that held value in so many ways. When that is taken away from someone, it changes them. In this situation, Mr. Rodriguez was okay with it happening. However, it is important to think about the impact this may have on another individual who may not feel the same. Therefore, I believe that we should always try our best to fully accept people for who they are. Maybe some accommodations could be put into place to assist Spanish speakers and speakers of other languages. In any event, I think a good place to start is with having respect and understanding for people and whatever difference they may possess. 

Here is a link to an act for Rhode Island legislature to support and access to the Bilingual Education Act: 

http://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText/BillText23/SenateText23/S0549.pdf

Jack Gabrilowitz: Blog Post #7: Finn

     In his book, Literacy With an Attitude, Finn discusses different levels of class. For instance, he mentions an executive elite, the affluent professional, the middle class, as well as the working class. All of these classes sort of meld together and form the society that we know. However, the way these people got to be where they are is largely in part through school. Starting off with the working class, Finn discusses his findings within these sort of schools. He discovers that within the working class schools there is a dominant theme emerging. That theme is resistance. Students that go to these schools are given easy work that doesn't allow for any creative thought. This work is completed in a procedure and is required to be followed step by step. Since the teachers do not expect much from these students at the working class schools, they are met with resistance when harder work is given. As a result, the students here are not enriched as they would be if they were at another school.  The next school that Finn talks about is the affluent professional school. Members of this school are made up of mostly middle class students. Here, knowledge is more conceptual however not as connected to the students themselves. They are able to work on creative projects, however most of the time these projects are not counted as a grade and more of a mode of self expression. Finn noted that the dominant theme emerging here was possibility. The affluent professional schools are next on Finns list. Here, teachers give students work that is creative and independent. Students are taught that discovery and experience are both important. Students are also given more freedom to move, more time on assignments, and less classroom structure (unless otherwise needed). Finn described more than one theme emerging from these schools. The dominant theme being one of individualism, while the minority theme being one of humanitarianism. This theme of humanitarianism is noted by Finn when he discusses the students want to help each other. Additionally, it is seen when the principal of the school gets on the loudspeaker and says nice things about the school and its students. Finally, the last school that Finn discusses in his book is the Executive Elite School. Here students will learn how to be the very best of the best. Their goal is simple. Finn says that these students are taught to achieve, excel, and prepare. These students are going to be the ones at the top. After the types of schools were discussed, Finn touches briefly on what can be called "Progressive Teaching Principles." These are fulfilled when staff meets the needs of the "whole child." This is accomplished when they go out of their way to interact with their students, and when value is given to a students creative efforts. 

Here is a link to an article about the amount of resources that are available to students that come from working class families within the classroom. 

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/nov/21/english-class-system-shaped-in-schools

Jack Gabrilowitz, Blog Post #6, Tatum: Defining Racism

  

   Throughout the text, Beverly Daniel Tatum discusses the importance of recognizing not only what racism is, but also how it plays a role in our everyday society. We learn from the text that for the most part people do not actively have racist attitudes towards others. However, much of what we are taught about others is distorted in some type of way. For instance, in text, Tatum describes the example of the preschoolers drawing Native Americans. The way they knew how to visualize them was with a feather head-dress with weapons such as a bow or an axe in their hand. This is not how all Native Americans appear, but the preschoolers did not know that. They did not have outwardly racist attitudes. But they had to have gathered this information from somewhere. It turned out that the source of their information came from the popular movie "Peter Pan." This is important to keep in mind because it shows how popular media can shape the way we think about others. Racism should be avoided for obvious reasons, but what some do not experience is the part of internalized oppression. Tatum tells the reader that this is when an individual in a stereotyped group internalizes the stereotypical categories about his or her group. This leads to false narratives being written about a person which only leads to more hate and ignorance. 

    Racism however, is more than just an ideology. It encompasses aspects such as power and privilege. Someone may not outwardly be racist but they may benefit from systematic advantages more than others. For instance, whites have a greater access to jobs and housing.  Advantages such as these must be recognized. Sometimes, it is not always easy to consider, but as Tatum describes, it is something that must be done in order to promote justice. One way we can go about doing this is by acknowledging its existence. This is seen as the first step. Then, Tatum tells us that we must ask ourselves questions that make us think about how to approach a situation in order to take appropriate action. 

         Finally, the video we watched as homework entitled Precious Knowledge highlighted instances of unfair treatment towards individuals living in a Hispanic community. There was one girl who described what it was like being what is called a "Chicano." She told us how others think of her. This is unfortunately not in the most positive way either. This can be linked to what my group read about Tatum. This is because the girl experienced internalized oppression. 

Here is a link to an article that talks about the systematic advantages of racism in our society. 

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/systematic-inequality/

Jack Gabrilowitz: Blog Post #5: Intersectionality

     During the video, Kimberlé Crenshaw speaks about various instances where injustice has occurred. This injustice she speaks of revolves around police brutality towards black people. It is well known that numerous instances of this have occurred. For example, the names "George Floyd", "Eric Garner", or "Tamir Rice" may ring a bell for most people. However, as Crenshaw mentions, names such as "Michelle Cusseaux", "Tanisha Anderson", or "Natasha McKenna" may not be as familiar. This is due to the fact that there is not as much media spotlight shown on these cases in comparison to others. Crenshaw attributes this to the fact that these individuals are not only people of color, but are also women. These two overlapping characteristics reflect a term that Crenshaw coins as "intersectionality". This basically means that when a person has more than one minority status attached to them, they become even more vulnerable to the injustices seen in days and years past.  

    It is a tragedy when there is loss of life. It is despicable when people such as police officers abuse their power. Hearing Crenshaw speak of those black women who lost their lives struck a nerve with me. I felt deeply saddened for them and their families. But also, I felt anger. Those women should not have died. They should still be alive and healthy today. It was the actions of the individual police officers as well as the larger institution who are at fault. This should not be tolerated. Everyone, regardless of race, gender, or anything, should be able to freely live out their lives. 

Here is a link to a website that gives information about the number of African Americans that are killed by police officers. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/

Jack Gabrilowitz: Blog Post #4, Kohn and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

  

  Alfie Kohn is the author of the text What to Look for in a Classroom. This text is a chart that shows the reader exactly what the title says. For instance, in order to find what we should look for in a classroom, Kohn says that we should break it down. By categorizing things we should look for, it becomes a lot easier finding what is good or not so good in a classroom. For example, the first category Kohn discusses is all about furniture. He says a good classroom has open spaces where furniture is set up in a way that "facilitates classroom discussion." On the other hand, if desks are set up in rows or all facing one direction, this might be a "possible reason to worry." Kohn talks about what is on the walls next. For example, he mentions that it is a good sign when students have their artwork and other work on the wall. He also mentions that it is not the best sign when the only work on the walls is the ones belonging to the most talented students. The third category discussed by Kohn are the faces of the students. Quite simply, he says it a good sign when the students faces are eager and willing to learn, and not a good sign when their faces seem blank and bored. Next, Kohn talks about sounds. He mentions that in a classroom, it is always a good sign when you hear a frequent "hum of activity." On the other hand, it is not the best when the only voice heard is the teachers. The next area of discussion that Kohn begins to talk about is the location of the teacher. On one hand, he mentions that it a good sign when the teacher is working with students, and on the other hand he also says that it is not always the best sign when the teacher is front and center. After this, the next category is the teachers voice. It may seem obvious to the reader but Kohn still includes this information in his chart. He says that it a good sign when a teacher has a "respectful, genuine, or warm" tone. On the other hand, it is not a good sign for a teacher to have a "controlling or imperious" tone. Kohn's next idea in his chart describes the students reactions in response to visitors. For example, if students seem to be welcoming, this is a good response. On the other hand, if the students seem unresponsive to the visitor, this may be a bad sign in a classroom. In regards to class discussion, Kohn describes the best classrooms having discussion based not only on the teacher teaching. For instance, he describes how it is a good sign to see students being the ones to facilitate discussion. On the other hand, he states that it is not the best sign when it is apparent that the only one leading the discussion is the teacher. Kohn's next area of interest is simply known as "stuff." The author says that in regards to "stuff," it is a good sign to see "purposeful clutter." Kohn describes a bad sign to be a sense of "enforced orderliness." Kohn describes tasks next. He said, a good sign of classroom tasks involve many different activities or assignments going on all at the same time. It is not the best sign when students are working alone all on the same thing. Finally, Kohn's last area of discussion revolves around what is around the school. He says when a school has a welcoming environment and staff, it is a good sign. Kohn also mentions how that a not good sign would be if a school is felt to be stark or institutional. 

    In the video titled Introduction to Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, it was apparent that the teachers classroom setup reflected values set out by Kohn. For example, the teacher in the video had pictures on the walls of her classroom. These pictures were bright, colorful, and even of herself. This helped make her classroom feel more personable. Others posters were also important. For instance, posters showcasing human rights were on display highlighting the importance of equal treatment among everyone. The classroom in the video felt welcoming and warm. A colorful board of rules and expectations decorated the wall giving students a sense of what behavior they should have in the class. In addition to this, a board was posted in the front of the room detailing the daily schedule. Having this bright poster of the schedule front and center of the room helped highlight what activities the students had for that day. Finally, everything that was previously stated helps play an important role in the classroom. That is, these things help build a community with students. This is perhaps the most important thing to think about when setting up a classroom. 

Here is a link to a website that lets you design your own classroom online, I thought this idea was pretty cool.

https://www.kaplanco.com/resources/floorplanner.asp