oh heyy

so.. the whole class was invited out, but not everybody could make it :(. so we are most def. going to have to go out again, invite the whole class, and hope more people can make it!

i had fun saturday night! it was really cool hanging out with friends outside of the classroom setting. im glad im developing friendships with amazing people! i could def. see lifelong friendships forming =]

Talking Points #9

Citizenship in School:Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome
By: Chris Kliewer

1. "In establishing a representation of citizenship for all, Shayne recognized the transactional relationship of human reciprocity: Community acceptance requires opportunity for individual participation in the group, but opportunity cannot exist outside of community acceptane (pg. 3)."

I agree with this very much so. In order for a student to fully participate in a class setting, they need to feel accepted, like they have a place and role in the classroom. The student wants to have that inner feeling like that opinion and point of view matters, and if they speak, they will not be shot down by others. They need to feel a sense of safety in the classroom. Where they will not be jugded and ridiculed by others if they say the wrong answer. Feeling accepted in the community
will make them want to speak out and participate. The wont fear anything.



2. "The metaphor of "spread" illustrates the image of defect blanketing the unique humanness of students charged with the differences that matter. What is hidden under the cloak of incompetence is the individuality and personality of the human being.
Teachers who valued their children as citizens recognized each student's individuality (pg. 8)."

I loved this metaphor. Teachers need to look within the students. Dont judge them by their disorder or physical appearence. Whats inside is what truley matters, and thats what makes them unique. Make them feel valued and proud of themselves. Every student is different. Share these differences with the classroom, and allow the students to embrace them. Have no tolerance for bullying. Show students that bullying others is not okay. Have students share their personalities and individualities with eachother. Two students or a different race, or one with a disablity and one without.. may share personality traits which can bring them together. Have students share these traits. A teacher should value each of her students and make them feel this value.




3. "Understanding developed out of a constant process of negotiating and renegotiating relationships with peers, adults, and materials. Shayne and her colleagues saw their role as one of creating a relatively safe community in which the children felt confident in formulating and reformulating their web of relationships (pg. 11)."

This quote is my favorite, and I couldnt agree with it anymore. Allow your students to feel safe in the classroom. This will make them want to voice their opinion and speak out in class. Never make them feel dumb, no matter how wrong their answer is. Have them try again, and find them drive within themself to keep trying and not give up.

Thats what teaching is all about. Seeing that light bulb go off in your students head. Making your students WANT to learn and do their best. Making each one of your students feel like they have a role in the class and really matter. Relationships in the classroom are key. Teacher/student relationships as well as student/student relationships. Allow them to grow off of eachother and share the uniqueness and individuality.

Talking Points #8

Tracking: Why Schools Need To Take Another Route
By: Jeannie Oaks

1. "Many express particular concern about tracking's effects on poor and minority students, who are placed in low-ability groups more often than other students and are less likely to be found in programs for gifted students or in college preparatory tracks (pg.1)." I agree with this quote greatly because of personal experience in the past. I went to La Salle Academy, but I got accepted into the .2T program which stood for .2 transition program. I had to go to La Salle the summer before my freshman year from a month where I took some classes (in order for them to help you transition from middle-highschool). .2T was "lower level" compared to .1. .2A. .2T which I was in consisted of students from different backgrounds, and poor kids who wanted a "chance" to better themselves. I was the only upper middle class white person in this program. But these classmates, became my closest friends over the four years. I never realized that .2T consisted of so many minooritys until I actually thought about it. I guess I never realized it before because it was never an issue.

2. "Moreover, the nature of these differences suggests that students who are placed in high-ability groups bave access to far richer schooling experiences than otber students (pg.1)." If you seperate students based on assessments and what level class room "you think" they should be placed in, are you really helping the child? Answers differ, but Id say no. I believe in diverse classrooms in everyway possible, one way being having children with different learning abilities that way they can help and grow off of one another. Those who are placed in the higher classrooms, have a better chance of going further in life which I dont think is far. Place all kids in the same classroom, allow them varities of learning techniques and let them strive to their full potential. In my highschool, if you were in .1 you were basically going to a D1 college, where as if you were placed in .2T, you felt as though you werent 'as good" or smart as the .1 studets and a commmunity college or D3 college would be your best bet. Now is that fair?


3. "For example, in average classes, many teachers expected. relatively little ofstudents. They established set routines of lecturing and doing worksheets,
held time and workload demands (both in class and for homework)to a minimum. accepted and sometimes even encouraged distractions,and rarely asked students 10 think. deeply or critically. When classes are conducted in this way, average students, too, are deprived of the best that schools have to offer (pg.2)."
Teachers who assign worksheets and overload homework, im my opinion, arent allowing students to become what they could be. Students are going to feel bored, stressed, and just not WANT to work hard. Whereas if your teacher hardly passed out overload worksheets, and instead had discussions, group work, hands on activities, open ended questions- wouldnt that make students want to do their best?

This reading has proven to me that my highschool was tracked, and still is. Do I agree with this? No. But everybody is free to their own opinion. I hope schools start to track less and instead give ALL students equal opporutnities to achieve whatever they put their minds to. Allow students to learn and "bounce" off of eachother.

Promising Practices :)

The first session that I attended was called Teaching Transgender Students. I basically already knew everything that she went over. I felt like it was common sense, but Im glad that I was placed in this session. But there were some things that were said in this session that I didnt know. The number one concern of transgender children in the classroom is if their child be welcomed. Parents want to make sure that their children aren’t bullied and teased, and that the school is safe. Does that school have co-ed bathrooms for the students? That way a transgender student wont feel uncomfortable using the bathroom. We all know how uncomfortable it can be to hold in your pee, and im sure that would distract their learning process. The school should welcome EVERYBODY, have knowledge of transgender students, have no tolerance towards bullying, and have a strong anti-bias commitment, which means a number of things, such as other students sticking up for peers if they're get picked on. Teachers shouldn’t use students legal names, call them what they want to be called so the student feels comfortable. If a students legal name is Chris, but wants to be called Christina, respect that.

Collier says, "To allow the child to express him/herself you should motivate the student, which encourages learning (pg.230)." Allowing students to express themseleves, such as how they dress, will allow them to feel uncomfortable, accepted, and like they have a place in the classroom and arent invisible. This in itself is strong enough to motivate students to want to learn, which is key.

Carlson says, "First, regardless of how young people construct a gay identity, the very existence of more-or-less "out" gay-identified youth in schools poses a threat to silencing practices. It remains to be seen how long public schools can fail to respong to the existence of "out" gay youth, and gay teachers." Lets end this silence in schools and in socities in themselves. Lets stop looking at being gay as a bad thing, because its not! Its what certain people are. If society stops being so afraid of homosexuality, maybe more youth and teachers will come out. Embraces differences, its what makes the world unique and spunky.

I was shocked about the suicide rates of transgender students. 50% will have made one suicide attempt by the age of 20. I believe that If schools make transgender students feel at home, comfortable, like they are just like everybody else, like that matter, then the rate will decrease with time.

The second session that I attended was for ALLIED. I was excited about this session since I was a presenter. I was able to share some of my personal experiences, and read a poem I wrote about who I am and who I am not. Here’s a few lines from it:

I am a 21 year old lesbian, who is positive about liking girls
I am not a college student who is just going through a "phase"
I am myself at all time, take it or leave it
I am not a flamer, dyke, or whatever term people want to associate me with
I am one outgoing and friendly
I am not a lesbian trying to get your number
I am being true to myself, and doing what makes me happy
I am not choosing to like girls just to get attention
I am following heart and being the best person that I can be
I am not "plagued" by anything
I am a strong, open minded, determined individual
I am not a weak person whose going to let the thoughts of people of power put me down
I am one with a big heart, full of life.
I know what I want in life.

I shared in this session my example of how when i go to allied I feel like certain people actually understand me. When i talk about certain things I have to deal with, they show me empathy, while when I share my struggles with other people, they show me sympathy. People in allie show me empathy because they actually understand what im talking about. They have been through want I have been through, or something like it. They want to help me through it.

At the end of the conference, I asked if they got something out of it. My personal goal at RIC, is to share my experiences, and to share my mind set with others to help them better understand homosexuality. Maybe this will make them comfortable around gay people. Maybe heterosexual people will accept homosexuality and maybe, just maybe, one day it will be legal to get married. Maybe teasing will increase in school systems in the future. Maybe people wont stay "in the closest" because they are afraid to be themselves. Maybe, me continuing to help others understand my homosexuality, will help make all of this possible.

After the allied meeting, a couple girls emailed thanking me for sharing my experiences with them and just being myself.

One girl said in an email, "thank you for being so great, the things you share in class and in your blog are so inspirational, although im not a lesbians i also face some hardships among many other things and for you to be open about yourself and for people to accept you it gives me hope in the world."

I cant put into words how much this touched me. It put me in the best mood ever. I really felt like i did something good for somebody. Like im a role model in some way, by just being myself. It makes me feel really good inside :)

Their are a few things that I "filed" in my mind when the key note speaker, Dr. Tricia Rose, made her speech. As teachers, we need to teach painful topics to our students in ways to empower students and create that vision in the world. Its not just about the facts, but how the students feel about these "painful" topics, and what we can DO to make sure acts like these don’t occur again. Don’t just talk about the topic-act upon it. This is a long process, that will not happen in just once class. To enable this process, we need to be painfully honest, and make sure that we don’t skip over the "ugly parts." We need to also recognize that we are individuals but also members of certain groups. I agree with this statement very much. I feel as though we considering yourself part of a group, "Lesbian" "Italian", people tend to generalize us, and make false judgments. But that’s where individuality comes into play. Others need to realize that not everybody in the group is the same. Everybody is a unique individual. Just because Im a lesbian, it doesn’t mean I like to get my hands dirty and work on cars" Dont generalize a person, to your personal thoughts about the "group" that they belong to.

I enjoyed Promising Practices very much. I'm glad I got to hangout with my friends from class, and Im happy we are all becoming good friends. I don’t have many friends back home, so im happy to be making friends. They are all very sweet and I cant wait to hangout with them outside of the classroom. I felt like I touched some peoples lives, even if it was in the smallest way possible. Maybe it was helping them understand what its like to be a lesbian, and some of the struggles I have faced. Maybe I helped showed some people that even though im gay, im just like them. Maybe i helped clear up some of their foggy misconceptions. Maybe now they will be more accepting and comfortable around homosexuality.

I found this video on youtube. Its a news cast on two different stories about transgender. The first news clip is about an 8 year old boy, and the second is about a crime.



What upset me is that this news lady said, "Arent his parents embarressed to put this on the school sytem" Put what on the school system? The school system should be the ones being embarressed for not letting a child dress the way he wants. Doesnt he have the right to? He should be allowed to be himself and dress how he wants. Other classmates shouldnt tease him either. If so, they teacher should do something about it such as wearing a skirt to class (if its a guy) and embrace they choice to wear what you want. I dont know. Maybe I am too open minded, and im asking to much out of this nation. Then the news cast says that soiciety is afraid to speak out on this matter because they dont want to be looked at and called intolerant. Then he brings illegal aliens into the issue. What does that have to do with anything? Geez. They should be the ones being afraid to talk, since they are so close minded. Then the next video is talking about a transgender who took part in a crime, which is basically putting a negitive thought/image in societys head about transgender people. Then it seemed as though they were laughing and kind of putting down this man. Which is showing others who are watching, that its okay. When clearly its not. Im sure if a straight man did this crime, they wouldnt be poking fun at him like they were with this transgender.

It just mad me upset. But, this is what keeps me going. Makes me want to show others who I am. Allow them to learn from me. Clear their misconceptions and allow this nation to walk towards justice.

"Change the message"

I had to post this video. If you have time, listen closely to it. It made me cry. It starts off with random people or society, and people of power, talking about how homosexuality is wrong. Some things that were said really stuck my heart. I woanted my classmates to watch this because in class we talk about how its okay. You all see me being as open and care free of others, but thats not as easy as it seems. It takes an extremly strong indivdual to do that. But, towards the end of this clip you hear Ellen say, "CHANGE THE MESSAGE.. ITS OKAY TO BE GAY" And that right there is what made me smile, and thats what I am trying to do. To show you all, I am the same. Theres no reason to be homophobic.

Today in work a customer was talking about the current Maine issue on homosexuality. Legislature passed a bill saying homosexuals could get married, but when this was brought to the people, it was voted against, which is really sad. This customer asked me my thoughts on the issue, so I told him. He disagreed like I knew he would since he has said before how he was very conservative. He told me that the main issue is.. if homosexuals could get married, revolved around the cathloic chruch. Priests would have to marry homosexual couples (even if he and the bible are against it) since the state would allow them to do so. This is why he is so against homosexual marriage. Personally, my interpretation of the bibles attitude towards homosexuality is different than his but thats another topic. So he doesnt feel that it should be legal, because priests in the Christian Church shouldnt be forced, in his eyes, to marry people of the same sex just because the state made it legal.

Secondly, him and another customer than went off saying that it shouldnt be legal because gay couples shouldnt have children because its "not right for children to be raised like that." I just said okay, and let it go. Because my dad would of got mad if i started arguing with a customer. So basically, this points it down to church and state. But, god created all people. He is loving and compassionate. Theres a reason God created Gay people. I didnt choice to be gay. Yes its hard, but its me and im happy I am the way I am. I would never want to change who I am, and I wouldnt have it any other way. My personal goal is to show people that theres nothing wrong with homosexuality. Look at me. I am just like all of you. Why cant I have children or get married. I will raise my kids amazing. Just as good as any so called "normal" family can. But then again, what is normal?

But on a happier note, in this next video, I felt connected to it since I love myself and my sexual orientation :) I would never pretend to be anything else. I want to teach others about homosexuality and widen their vision. I want to help change the world and others perceptions. You dont have to agree with what I say, just listen and try to understand where I am coming from. It will make you a better person. Dont judge anybody. Look within. Not at.

me =]

I thought it would be cool to show you my two sides. The first picture is me in drag. This is what I feel comfortable in. My family doesnt like when I paint on facial hair, so the only time I do is when I want to go to a club dressed in drag. And since im not a clubber, i rarely do that. And my style.... is unique. I dress the way I like to :). The second picture is just a picture of me with my hair down. Believe it or not, I do wear it down sometimes. When I want to "dress up" for an occasion. But when I do, I feel uncomfortable. Dying to just put it up.

Well, I hope you enjoyed these pictures. :)

Blog # 7

Gender and Education Information

http://www.vapta.org/feedback-topics/305-feedbackgender.html

-When on this site, I read something that I disagree with. To be honest, It kind of made me upset. Maybe, my personal background learning and experiences are what made me disagree with it. Maybe, some of you will agree with this technique.

"Proponents say splitting boys and girls up permits the teacher to approach academic subjects in the way that each gender learns best. Elementary-age girls, they say, respond to detail and color; boys process motion and direction better. By middle school, the same-gender argument goes to adolescent social and intellectual development. The distraction posed by pubescent boys and girls can be gated at the classroom door by splitting up boys and girls. And there is also the feminist argument that all-girl classes allow females to engage, compete and excel academically without fearing a “brainiac” stereotype or being thought of as unfeminine. "

Yes, it makes sense if you think about it. Girls sometimes keep to themselves, but they dont want boys, or their "crushes" in the class to think that they are so called nerds. Or boys being a distraction and girls losing focus in the classroom. But, I think that this is what school is all about. Engaging classrooms with BOTH boys and girls. Girls, just need to stay focused, as do boys. I believe as though they learn off of eachother. Not only are the learning classroom material, but they're also learning about eachother. Their differences. The uniqueness. If you segregate them, how are they going to learn about eachother. This exerpt is also stating that they learn in different ways. Rather than segregating them- how about the teacher teaching in both learning tecnhiques. Interacting both genders. Who says males or females should all be taught in ONE way just because its thought that boys like motion and direction more. What if theres a girl in the class who enjoys learning that way too?! Boys and girls should be in the same classroom so that if the teacher ask a question.. students can listen to a males point of view, as well as a females. They can hear eachother out. Learn. Understand. Keep an open mind of over views.

So, what kind of classroom do I want to see more of? What kind of classroom do I want to have when I start teaching?

http://www.atpe.org/resources/Student&ParentIssues/gender.asp points out some good aspects such as: show fairness in your classroom, select a variety of books, choose your words carefully, be aware of cultural differences, encourage non traditional courses. All of this researching has shown me that their are very different views, even in 2009, on gender and education. But, no teaching technique is right or wrong. Whose to say? Its what YOU think from your own personal knowledge and past experiences. Personally, i dont believe in segreating students in any way. Not because of race. Not because of gender. Students should be engaged in a class with people different then themseleves so they can learn from eachother and grow into mature adults. Teachers should have hands on activites, group work (were students can interact with others).. make sure each student in the classroom has worked with another classmate as least once. That way nobody is being singled out. Make everybody feel accepted and loved.

No segregation. But, thats just my opinion.

OKAY so i decided to youtube a video on a segragated classroom since my opinion differs. So will an open mind I watched this video..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_5nJrgnvG0&feature=PlayList&p=E80A1B4FAF53D545&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=13

I ended up getting very upset as soon as I began to watch this video. The guy filming is interviewing a boy and a girl. He ask them what their for thought/reaction was when they walked into class realizing that their sec was seperated. The boy answered, "that its gay." Then the girl laughed, and the guy filming asked, "why is it gay?" (while he is also laughing at the response. Lets forget segreatio nfor a minute. HELLO. what kind of response is that? I HATE when people say "thats gay" when their expressing that they dislike something or that its stupid. Come on people, really..

Back to the video.. Basically the teacher being interviewed is all FOR segregation. She thinks that there will be less drama since girls and boys are now seperated. But, I think that this will cause more drama since.. well i dont want to generalize here.. but a class full of girls is bound to have plenty of drama. Even one of the students being interviewed said that she thought there was going to be more drama since she has classes with all girls. Some students liked segregation in a few ways, and some didnt.

I disagreed with many things that this teacher said. To be honest, I couldnt even watch the entire clip, because I was getting fustrated. Then i read the comments to the video, and one read.. "wow this is throw 6ak. das my girl erica she 18 now. 6ut dis shit was gay as fuk " AGAIN with the use of the word "gay" in a negitve way.

Blog #6

Whites Swim In Racial Preference
By: Tim Wise


1. "A full-time black male worker in 2003 makes less in real dollar terms than similar white men were earning in 1967. Such realities arc not merely indicative ofthe disadvantages faced by blacks. but indeed are evidence of the preferences afforded whites -a demarcation of privilege that is the necessary flips ide of discrimination (pg. 1)."

-Wow. I had to literally read this statisitc twice, because the first time I read it I was like, no way this could be..maybe i read it wrong. But, no I didnt. In 2003, a full-time black male worker made less than a white mans pay in 1967. Come on people! Thats not right. Im actually ashamed of that. That I live in a country where statstics like that are real. Its just a skin color! People of different color should be making the same pay, because they work just as hard. This statisitics shows that bosses and compnay owners, have "preference" of white workers, because their CLOSE MINDED BRAIN tells them that white males work better than those who are colored.



2. " We strike the pose of self-sufficiency while ignoring the advantages we have been affurded in every realm of activity: housing, education, employment, criminaljustice, politics, banking and business. We ignore the fact that at almost every tum, our hard work has been met with access to an opportunity structure denied to millions of others. Privilege, to us, is like water to the fish: invisible precisely because we cannot imagine life without it (pg.2)."

- This states that white people are given advantages over those of color. White people have it easier in many different aspects. They have an easier way of achieving success. They have certain privledges and advantages that those of color do not. Sometimes white people feel as though their hard work got them to reach the goal that they did. And, im sure they hard work helped, BUT.. if color was not an issue, would they still have reached that goal like that did? Would the person of color have gotten the position? Would the white person have to had worked even harder to achieve success? This will be questionable, until color does not matter AT ALL. We can all hope that one day that will be the case. Where everybody is treated with the respect that they deserve. Nothing should be soley based on somebodys skin color. We were all made in Gods eyes. Its on the inside of the person that should matter. Thats what should determine if they get the job. What kind of qualities and aspirations do they have?...



3. Bush failed to mentionthat greater numbers of points areawarded for other things that amount to preferences for whites to the exclusion of people of color...Then Michigan awards 16 points to students who hail from the Upper Peninsula of the state: a rural, largely Isolated, and almost completely white area (pg. 3)."

- This is basically saying that those who are privledges just keep getting things given to them tha will help them to even further in life. Where as, people of color, no matter how hard they work, will not be given as many opportunites and chances because of their skin color and background. If Michigan is giving awards to a rural, upper class (dominately white) area, how is that far? Who needs the award? Not the people who are getting them! Those who need the awards are students who are hard working and striving to be somebody one day. Students who NEED help and given a chance. Students in the crowded city. Students who are struggling to get by because they dont have much money. If given awards these students may be able to achieve great things. Whereas, these white upper class students who are being given they awards, dont need it because they can achieve success without recieving the awards.


This article was extremly shocking to me. The statisitc that I mentioned is still in my mind. How? How can that be true? Whats that say about our nation? Yes, we have come a long way, but we have more work to do. We need to keep pushing the American system.

Talking Points #5

"In The Service Of What?" The Politics of Service Learning
By: Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer

1. "We attempt to "apprehend the reality of the other" and then to "struggle (for progress) together." In doing so we create opportunites for changing our understanding of the other and the context within which he or she lives (pg. 5)."

I agree with the quote. Throughout life, you come across millions of people who are different from you. These differences create opportunites, and open doors for us to learn about and understand these differences. Although we are different, we all work together to axchieve a common goal to move away from a certain injustice or problem in society. People need to keep an open mind, and see things from somebody else viewpoint. Everybody has the freedom to voice their own opinion. Nobodys opinion should be judged, nor is one opinion right or wrong. Maybe listening to others viewpoints will alter yours. Not change yours. Just alter. As you grow and gain knowledge, I feel as though many peoples opinions about certain aspects of life change.

2. "The ability of a service learning curriculum to foster authentic, experienced-based learning opportunities, to motivate students, to help students engage in higher-order thinking in contextually varied environments, and to promote interdisciplinary studies... (pg.6)."

-Service learning is about experiencing learning opporunties. Going out and doing things. Hands on learning. Using more than one of your senses to understand something. Out of the classroom activites usually motivate students, because their not in a "boring" classroom setting. High-order thining involves hands on and mind on activites. Not just one of the two.


3. "While an additonal emphasis on chairty might lead to service learning activities that raise self-esteem, impel students into new experiences, and demonstrate the value of scholastic abilities in real-world contexts, educators who focus on transformative vision would want to carry this work one step further. For them, it is the combination of service and critical analysis, not either by itself, that seems most likely to promote interest in and insight into these complex social issues (pg.11)."

Look at the words i choice to bold. Isnt that what its all about?! Raising childrens self-esteem. Making them proud of their work, which will make them want to excel and take learning to the next level. New experiences makes learning fun for students. It keeps the students attentions, and keeps them on their toes wondering what will happen next. Rather than walking into a classroom saying, "Oh cant wait to get lectured today...". Keeping the students interested and excited about what they are learning, will also show in their grades. Scholastic abilities in real-world contexts will help students in the classroom because they will be able to relate things back to their personal life and this will help the learning process. All teachers should promote interest and insight into complex issues. No matter how complex the issues may be, if the student is interested in itm and you coach them through it will insight, they well dense it down into understanding terms and strive to achieve. Why? Because you interested them, and created the drive within them.

I believe more teachers need to teach in the way I just described in the previous paragraph. Make students want to learn. Thats whats its all about. Seeing them smile. Interested in what they are doing. Always wondering whats going to happen next. Why certain things are the way they are. Comparing differences. Teachers need to pull that drive out of students. Dont lose all of your students by being one of those dull teachers who just lectures and assigns handouts. Provide real-life, hands on activites. Interest students. Build their confidence and watch them succeed in all that they do.

Talking Points #4

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us
By: Linda Christensen

In highschool I took a class where we studied media and the effects that it had on society. One thing the we looked at was cartoons. When you think of cartoons you think of innocent, funny clips that children watch at home when theyre too young to go to school. When I was a kid, I loved Doug Funny. That was def. no questions asked my main man in crime, my homeboy. As I got a little older, I like to watch Saved by the Bell before I caught the bus. I was lucky enough to even catch back to back eposides. Yeah, be jealous ;). But when you stop and think about it, these cartoons like Doug Funny, or whatever you watched as a kid didnt really teach you. Instead they just feed you misconceptions of the world, and you didnt even realize it.

1. "The impact of racism begins early. Even in our preschool years, we are exposed to misinformation about people different from ourselves (pg. 126.)

I didnt realize that children where exposed to racism as early as preschool years until I really looked into and studied cartoons. Who would of thought? I think society has gotten better at having educational TV programs and less goofy, pointless cartoons. Now-a-days, I think children programs are more educational than what they were. Some programs ask you retorical questions where you think, help you count, and so forth. But, cartoons still exist that sterotype different types of people in society.

2. "Many students dont want to believe that they have been manipulated by children's media or advertising. No one wants to admot that they've been "handled" by the media. They assure me that they make their own choices and the media has no power over them...(pg.128).

Nobody wants to admit that cartoons did lead them to believe misconceptions. Haha I know i dont but, Im sure as a kid I thought things about certain people, religions, cultures, and so forth because of how they were portrayed in the media. Yeah, we make our own decisions. As my grandpa always tells me, "Tara, dont forget you're the captain of your ship ;)"... But in the back of your mind, consciously or unconsciously, your thinking about the misconceptions and false information you have been feed my society.

3. "Instead of leaving students full of bile, standing with their hands on their hips, shaking their heads about how bad the world is, I provided them the opportunity to make a difference (pg. 137)."

Ah, can I just tell you how much I loved this quote! Seriously, too many teachers just leave you hanging. Leave you thinking wow, thats messed up. But i guess thats how society is and theres nothing i can do about it so i just have to accept it. No. Thats not how students should leave a classroom. More teachers need to provide students the opportunity to make a difference. As a teacher, you need to be creative in thinking of how to do this. How to make students make a difference and feel proud of themselves! I want to teach like this. I want each of my students to feel like if they dont like something, they can act upon it and make a difference in the world- no matter how big or small the issue is.

"Catkin wanted to publish her piece in a magazine for young women so they would begin to question the origin of the standards by which they judge themselves. (pg.137)" Catkin must of felt so proud of herself, and that is such an amazing feeling for a student to feel. She felt like she could make a difference in the world and she wanted to. She wanted to help others to see the truth. Thats adorbale :)

In conclusion, as teachers we need to keep in mind that students already have misconceptions in their minds about different people in society because of how media portrays them. Have students study media and find out truths and myths for themselves. Let them see the light. See that media plays a big role in how they see the world. So, lets fix these misconceptions and give them truths. Let students make a difference in the world by showing them how.

3rd talking points. READ ME =] long blog but worth it!

"Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community"
by: Dennis Carlson

I hope some of you take the time to read this blog. I have many personal experiences that I am going to share with you no matter how embaressessing they may be. I hope to help you understand things better and allow you to see threw the eyes of a lesbian.

1. "Public schools in particular have often promoted such "normalizing" conceptualizations of community that are based on defining a cultural center or "norm" and positioning class, gender, and sexual Others at the margins." (pg.233-234)
-I basically related to this quote by telling you about my personal experience in explaining quote two. I didnt know I was gay until I was introduced to homosexuality when i meet lesbians, the summer after graduating highschool. This is when I realized that I didnt have to like boys. It was okay that guys didnt give me butterflies. Make my heart beat faster than a race car in NASCAR. Make me feel like i had a stomach full of knots. It was OK to be sexually attracted to girls on a whole deeper, sexual, sensational level. School never taught me any of this and I wish it did. I wish i knew about homosexuality ealier on. I feel like this lead me to live my highschool years of what society wanted me to be, in a way. I would just crush on guys but I never wanted to date them. I got grossed out at the thought of it. But i never told my friends that because I was afraid that they would laugh at me or call me wierd. And i didnt have many friends as it was prior to college because I was different. I wasnt girly, into getting my nails done and shopping. Talking about boys. Thats what they liked but not me. Hair in a pony tail. Playing sports. That was me. So, I pretended in a way to be like them. Thats what i thought was normal. I was teased all through middle school for being me. So, I wanted highschool to be a better experience. So i thought pretending to be like "them" would allow me to have friends. But even then, I didnt understand why i wasnt like everybody else. why i liked different things, and why i wasnt sexually attracted to males.

2. " "Being gay" thus involves some level of identification with a "gay community," "gay culture," and also some understanding of oneself as different from "straight" women or men." (pg.245)

-I choice this quote because I can relate to it. Those of you who cant, may be confused by this quote. So let me help you understand threw my own personal experience. In public middle school, and my private highschool, I was never taught about homosexuality. I never dated. I had crushes on boys because I thought "I was suppossed to." I would think "hes cute. so i guess this means i have a crush on him" and then id run and tell all of my friends. It wasnt until summer of '06 that i found myself. It was my over night orientation at Elms College. I was going to be playing softball there. That summer, the coach told me to go spend the night. My over night host was a gay softball player. This is the first time, I got butterflies. Heart raced. Palms sweated. I now understood what I "real crush" was. But, she was a girl. Was this okay? Basically all my life I was sheltered and now i was dealing with something I knew nothing about. I didnt realize that I was "gay" until i realized that there was a such thing as homosexuality. That I didnt have to like guys. That being straight wasnt the only option. It was normal to feel what I felt around girls. My freshmen year, I made tons of friends who were all gay. I could finally relate to other people. I learned soo much. Things that I wish I knew in highschool. You cant move back in time, but you can move foward. This is when i came out to family and friends. Had my first girlfriend. We ended up dating all the way up to my junior year in college. But, it didnt work out. But thats okay, because I learned so much about myself... All of this allowed me to understand who i truely am and love myself for it. Ive dated a few more girls in the past year but im currently single. It sucks transferring back home your senior year of college. When your legal of age to go to the bars around campus that I couldnt go to in the past. All my gay friends live in MA since thats where my college was located. I dont have many friends back home. Im hoping to make some gay friends in RI. Its nice to have friends that you can relate too. That understand you because they have been through the same thing.

3. "...he argued that homosexual teachers represented a danger to their students since "nothing seems more certain than that homosexuality is contagious." (pg.237)

-nothing seems more certain. Oh come on Willard Willer. Is this really how people thought in 1832. Wow, it shows just how far we have come. Homosexuals and heterosexuals still do not have the same rights (homosexuals cant marry in Rhode Island :x) but homosexuals have come a long way. Willer was convinced here that homosexuality is a contagious thing. Like it was a choice. Like somebody can just become gay. What does he think it is a virus/sickness? Geez, some people. As johnson said, "People cant help but fair the unfamiliar" Obviously, Willer isnt a fan of homosexuality. Rather than staying close minded in his own convinced preconsumptions, maybe he should of gotten to know some homosexuals. Get to know and understand their struggle. Look within. Dont just assume things by taking a glance.

4. "The objective of classroom discourse is thus not so much to achieve consensus on one "true" or "objective" depiction of reality, but rather to cloaify differences and agreements, work toward coalition-building across difference when possible, and build relationships based on caring and equality." (pg. 252)

-I love this quote! I hope all of you will teach like this in the future! I know i will. You shouldnt teach what "your personal depiction of reality is" because thats just your opinion. You should have a judgement free classroom. Let your students be themselves. Get to know eachother. Make them feel accepted. Not to be afraid of the differences. Embrace them. Have students grow off of eachother. Wow, if more classes were like this.. America would be headed in the correct direction. Equality is key. We were all create by God. Theres a reason we have differences. Let each of your students feel proud of who they are. This will not only let them feel good about themselves, but I bet they will excel in the classroom learning wise as well. Its all about the classroom environment!


Im sorry that this blog is so long. I hope it doesnt make you all not read it. So, if your still reading thank you for your time and hearing my thoughts. It means alot. I hope I allowed to you better understand things through the mind of a lesbian. Personally my teachers never talked about or even mentioned homosexuality. As teachers, if you ever see a student being teased, dont ignore it. Think of things you can do to make your students feel proud of who they are. Have a diverse classroom. I learned alot about myself late in life because much of reality was hidden from me so I would follow the norm of society. It wasnt until I moved out of state onto a highly numbered diverse campus.

Let your students be themselves. Help them to find themselves. Do what they like. Make them smile. Feeling proud is what i think is key here. If students are comfortable being themseleves. Knowing its okay to be different (girls dressings sporty). Thats what i was teased for in middle school. I wish teachers embraced difference and encouraged equality more. This is why i cant wait to teach. I think I can be a great role model and help many students to love themseleves no matter how different they are!

TaLkInG pOiNtS #2

"Teaching Multilingual Children" by Virginia Collier

1. "Teachers must be creative and flexible, serve as a catalyst for discovert as students learn to operate effectively in their multiple worlds, be able to mediate and resolve intercultural conflicts, keep students on task, and serve as a support base. (pg.223)"

-I couldnt agree more with this quote. Teachers shouldnt just assign work to students. The teacher should think of creative, fun, hand on activities for the class. These types of activities make children want to learn. Group work, asking questions, communicating with others is always much more fun than just being handed a worksheet. Be a coach more than a boss. Support and guide students in the right direction. Dont just give demanding orders.

2. "The student, because of conscious or unconscious emotional or social factors that keep him or her from taking in maximum input at the same time, may miss other input. (pg. 225)"

-Sometimes people seem to forget this. Some students, no matter the age, have many issues going on at home. Students who dont have tons of stress and worries outside the classroom are able to focus better. An example would be a family on welfare who is struggling day by day. The student may come to class hungry, and this will serve as a distraction from learning and staying focused. Being bullied and picked on is another example that may make a student lose focus in the classroom. Teachers need to keep this in mind, and do their best to make sure students are getting all the input that they should be getting. Have a bond with each of your students, so they feel comfortable to tell you some of their personal issues. Maybe you could help.

3. "One kind of code-switch is conversational, which can be a signal "that the students feel a common bond among themselves and a teacher." To allow the child to express him/herself can motivate the student, which encourages learning. (pg.230)"

-A teacher who doesnt bond with her students makes the students "scared." Thats what i believe from my personal experience at least. If a teacher is accepting of all her students and/or has conversations with them, the student will feel comfortable. This feeling will allow the student to want to learn. They will want to succeed to make their teacher feel proud of them. Allowing the student to tell you about him/herself, will make them feel good about themself. The feeling that their teacher truely cares about them, will make them want to strive to succeed. These feelings will make students feel like they have a place and role in the classroom.

In conclusion, their are many things to keep in mind when dealing with ESL students. Dont dismiss their native language. Let them use it. Make your students feel at ease in the classroom. Bond with them and coach them in the right direction. Have diverse books in your classroom so students can relate to them. Have students share past experiences, and communicate with eachother. Be an open minded, accepting of all kind of teacher :). Watch how your students will excel with the biggest, warmest smiles on their faces.

Talking Points #1

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
By: Peggy McIntosh

1. "I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assests tha I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was "meant" to remail oblivious. (pg.1)"

-I agree that the whole issue of whiteness being a "privilege" remains oblivious to many people. Its not until you stop, and think about how a white person deals with certain things compared to a person of color. Simple things that many people take for granted such as relocating because of a job. How are your new neighbors going to treat you? How will you coworkers treat you? White people may not always realize it, but they do have unearned assests that they can count on from day to day just because of their skin color. Even though we are really all the same.



2. "...ones' life is not what one makes it; many doors open for certain people through no virtues of their own. (pg.4)"

-Doors open for many people simply because certain qualities follow the "norm" of society. It can be a persons race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and so forth that sets them apart from others. Whoever follows the norm of society, has a better chance of getting the job, or getting welcomed, or whatever priveldge may be. People shouldnt be looked down upon because they were born a certain way. Everybody SHOULD be given equal opportunity to acheieve success. Although we have come a long way, we are not there yet.



3. But a "white" skin in the United States opens many doors for whites whether or not we approve of the way dominance has been conferred on us. (pg.6)"

-Even if you dont agree with being treated differently than someone else just because of your skin color, doesnt mean you dont have to deal with the issue. Rather than trying to ignore the fact that because your white, more doors open for you, you should accept this and do something about it. See how far being privlege can get you, and then stand up for what you know is right. Voice what you believe in and help people of color get the justice that they deserve.



4. Keeping most people unaware that freedom of confident action is there for just a small number of people props up those in power and serves to keep power in the hands of the same groups that have most of it already. (pg.6)"

-We cant just sit back and let the same people keep controling our nation with their views on certain issues. We need to understand that everybody has a voice and everybody should use it. Be confident. Stand up for what you believe in, and do something about it. Take chances. Takes leaps. You may have to take two steps back, to take one step foward. But, you will get there with faith and determination.

Other Childrens People by Lisa Delpit

"Other Peopole's Children," by Lisa Delpit was very powerful, just like Johnson's piece. Delpit speaks her minds and talks from her heart. There are many sections throughtout this article, where people of different races talk about their personal experiences dealing with white people who are also in the school system. These help you get in the head, outside of your personal box, and understand something from somebody elses point of you. Whenever you read something, as Johnson said, you should keep an open mind. This allows you to better understand everybody else's point of view, and you may find out that you actually agree with them.

Delpit says many times throughtout this article that (white) people, want things to be their way. They dont care to listen to your side or your view since they are convinced that their view is the only correct way of seeing something. When they do "listen" they arent actually listening. They just nod as if its going in one ear and out the other. "They listen, but they dont hear" (pg.21). I agree with this. With personal experiences, when trying to let somebody understand where im coming from, they just nod and pretend to agree. But once our conversation is over, they forget about what you said and just focus on their own beliefs. How is that allowing yourself to grow? You should understand everybodys point of view, wiether you agree with it or not. As Johnson said, you shouldnt fear the unknown, but rather you should fear what you think you know. People think that they know everything about everybody but in reality they dont. Instead, they should get to know the person for who they are on the inside. Not dismiss them due to their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and so forth.

When teaching in the classroom, Delpit stressed many issues such as direct instruction, allowing students to feel as though they're "experts", giving children a voice in the classroom, and so forth. These issues all fall under her 'culture or power' theme. In classrooms the issue of power needs to be addressed, rules for participating with that power, and rules of culture. If your not familiar with that culture the teacher should tell you the rules of that culture so you dont feel uncomfortable or left out. Those who are in power need to know that they are since often they dont. Usually those who know who have the power, are those who have the short end of the stick and are powerless.

Teachers shouldnt teach in a way that students feel as though the teacher is a drill sergent or boss. Rather, the teacher should teach in a manor that students feel as though s/he is more of a coach. A teacher can do this by, helping students one on one, having group work where the teacher goes around from group to group coaching them on what to do if they are struggling. Creating lesson plans where students are dealing with hand on activites, that way students arent getting lectured all class. Allow the students to talk and feel as though they have a voice and belonging in the classroom. Teachers shouldnt just hand out worksheets and assignments to children. More teahers need to make learning fun! Make students want to learn. Its all in the way you teach.

Injustice...

There are a few things I would like to say, because an injustice act was done towards me today and It kind of bothered me. Firts off, I am gay. For those of you who think I choice this, I didnt. Dont you think If i did have a choice, that I would choice the easier road? Secondly, I am not embarressed about being gay. Its who I am. I am out to family and friends, and I am accepted by them all. They all love me for me, and just want to see me happy no matter what that means.

When I got out of work today, I realized that my car had been egged because of an equality sticker that I put on my bumper a few weeks back. I know thats why they egged it because the sticker itself was egged, and none of the other cars in the lot had eggs on them.

Some people are so closed minded! There was no need for people to participate in actions such as these.

As Johnson said in the assigned reading, "That means there is no way to talk about it without difficulty and without pain. It is possible, however, to talk about it in ways that make the struggle and the pain worth it" (pg.13).

I am not going to let injustice actions like this put me down. Im going to make the struggle worth it by standing up for what I know is right. Im not going to hide who i am and give into society. Instead, Im going to get involved and prove to people that there is nothing wrong about equality amd homosexuality.

Hello =]

My name is Tara Gianfrancesco. Yes, that is quite a long last name lol. When I was little I had trouble remembering how to spell it, so i made a song and would sing it whenever i needed to write it haha. Im 100% italian. I have many family members who live in Italy and my grandma has a house there. Usually my family and I go to visit every other summer. If you have never been, I recommend so. Its extremly relaxing and slow pace.

So far my semester is going okay. And yes, just okay. I went to Elms College in Springfield MA for three years. So transferring back home your senior year isnt fun. Especially when you have an annoying 14 year old brother at home. But, I hope to make some friends here and get involved on campus. The parking situation is extremly lame! It takes me forever to find a spot so latelly ive just been parking in guam and walking. Hopefully its gets better because that wouldnt be fun to do in the winter.

When im not in class, I work for my dad. He owns a diner down the street from RIC. STOP IN! Best breakfast around! Ha and lunch too. Its on Douglas Avenue. You can also find me at the gym. A goal of mine is to one day compete in a tri athelon so lately ive been running and biking as much as I can. Didnt work the swimming into the ordeal yet, but I have lots more training before I can compete, thats for sure lol. I love to relax as well. I have a puppy at home named Wallie who is a cairn terrier (toto from the wizard of oz). He is actually quite the little devil.

Well thanks for reading my blog. It was fun =]