Standardization

NCLB=CONTROL. I understand the point of it all, but I don't agree with any of it. If there is a school in trouble, BRING IN TEACHERS. Send more federal aid to assist theses schools. I think there is so much more a government could do to help failing schools. Nurturing students to create a progressive school is more important.

Race

"Only White people say race doesn't matter." p. 475 This is something that I never truly thought about. I am quite the advocate for not using race for anything, whether it be an application for a job or just a word in a discussion. But after thinking about it....maybe it is true. It doesn't matter to me because I'm white....yet I don't agree. I hate the creation and use of race in our country. It has become a construction for injustice that has been used for hundreds of years. Yet it is important to TEACH about the contruction of race and the injustice it has caused over years to hopefully one day prevent the continuation of injustice.

Pedagogy

We live in a social world, therefore the knowledge that is taught in the classroom is heavily based upon the social culture. "Critical pedagogy asks how and why knowledge gets constructed the way it does, and how and why some constructions of reality are legitimated and celebrated by the dominant culture while others clearly are not. Critical pedagogy asks how our everyday commonsense understandings-our social constructions or "subjectives"-get produced and lived out." (p. 409) It is the socioculture dimension of the schooling process.

Respect For All Students

Self-recognition of gay and lesbian adolescents is typically met with intense conflicts with their social environment, many times in the school environment. Yet even though these conflicts arise, those who hide their sexual orientation spend a tremendous amount of energy restricting their interactions with others. If a school were to restrict an adolescent from coming out, this could cause great damage to the adolescent. Recognition and respect towards all individuals is necessary to maintain social dynamics with the student body.

Our country's culture is very diverse, whether it be regarding sexual orientation or the many different languages citizens speak. Our education system needs to be accomadating in every way. Bilingual programs need to be offered in every school. We spend more money keeping people in jail than in educating students. Education conducted in English only limits many from getting the education they deserve in our country. The education of students helps to create better citizens, and shouldn't everyone be given that chance?

Bad Boys

This article shows how students are placed into certain categories in schools. They are educated in coordinance with their categories they are placed in. African American males are victim to this categorization of being trouble makers. Horror stories precede students into the clasroom and create reputations that may not fit the student. These boys are more likely to be singled out and punished than other students. School personnel argue whether these boys should be given access to the special programs which are designed for those who are failing in school.

I think there are problems with these ideas, already preceding these students into school and creating a stigma against African American boys. This is creating a reputations and preparing teachers to treate students in a certain way.

Identity

Identity during adolescence is one of the most important steps to go through. This is the stage where we determine who we are and what our place in the world is. "In the social jungle of human existence there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity." (p. 253) I can remember my claim to identity starting in 8th grade and branching all through the 4 years of high shool. I moved to a new school, made new friends, and somehow fit in with them. I came to school wearing a Silverchair t-shirt, hoping that someone liked them as much as I did. I found a group of girls that also wore band t-shirts similar to what I wore. They were very welcoming, and we became immediate friends. I can remember after becoming friends with these girls that the other girls who wore Tommy Hilfiger or Old Navy t-shirts, or whatever was popular at that time in the 90's, making fun of me for the "skater" clothes I wore. I didn't care though, because I had found my identity and had made friends. As I entered high school I continued to dress the way I did, but noticed that I didn't necessarily attract too many boys. The few I dated were friends that we already hung out with, and I didn't find an attraction to them as much as I did to other boys. I also became more environmentally aware and branched my music tastes to that of my parents, such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, etc. I started having a more mature taste in clothing, chosing a nice figure-fitting pair of cords rather than a baggy, men's-size pair of cords, and form-fitting shirts and sweaters. I chose colors that were more neutral and reflecting my love for the natural world around us. Blacks, greens, greys, tans versus the rocker-skater black and red with band t-shirts I used to wear. I started to talk to more than just "my group of friends" in my classes, and ended up making many friends. By the time senior year of high school ended, I was definitely labeled a "hippy chick" (minus dreads). There were many rough patches with finding my identity during these years, but I did find my true identity. I stopped copying the identities of others and branched into what I thought was my "own." I now feel completely comfortable with who I am and will always stand by my beliefs.

Group Projects

One item that I will be bringing to the attention of the class during our group is the book Make Me Wanna Holler by Nathan McCall. It is an amazing book I read years ago for an intro sociology class. I believe it pertains to our subject of self-esteem, drugs, gang activities, and growing beyond these distractions as a young adult. The author goes through all these troubles as a young adult and grows up to become an author and a writer for the Washington Post.