Blog A.3: Literacy with an Attitude by Patrick J. Finn

 Blog A.3: Literacy with an Attitude by Patrick J. Finn

Pg# ix: "There have been times in history when the prospect of literacy in the hands of the have-nots has been a source of endless angst among the haves."

Finn's first sentence p0ints out a glaring issue in society.  Oppressing a group so that another group remains in power, is a story as old as time.  Even though he mentions that the US wanted to have literacy for all (except slaves), that isn't very accurate.  The most important thing was to have people read the Bible, but actually being literate enough to understand the issues the country was facing, and then being informed voters has never been the ultimate dream.  Thomas Jefferson once believed that not all men could vote as not all men where educated.  This shows that while we do want people to read, we do not necessarily want everyone to have the same level of reading comprehension and output.  Eventually Jefferson's reservation paved a road for the electoral college and representatives.

Pg# 3: "But, in fact I was schooling these children, not to take charge of their lives, but to take orders.  I taught them to read and write a little better, and I taught them some facts about United States history, but control was uppermost in my mind."

I liked how Finn addressed this, because this is so important.  I have realized that if you are not being explicit in teaching, not giving the students the cultural/social education to be on par with their peers, and not recognizing your privilege then the students are not receiving the education they need to fill in the deficits that society has imposed on them.  For instance, my teachers taught me to question them.  Part of honors and advanced placement classes requires a level of inquiry from the students beyond rote memorization.  While I believe I was placed in the honors program from 6th grade until high school graduation based on my demographics and ability, my teachers did a great job teaching me to question.  They did what Finn says students need in order to be educated out of the "working class" mindset.  I am not sure if it was them actively teaching us inner city kids to have a competitive voice, or if the level of education for advanced placement courses instinctively breaks away from the "control" aspect of learning.  

Pg# 24: "I'd like to hope that a child's expectations are not determined on the day she or he enters kindergarten, but it would be foolish to entertain such a hope unless there are some drastic changes made."

I agree and disagree with this sentiment.  While I do hope that our lives are not set in stone based on circumstances, educators have a direct correlation to this outcome.  Again, I was an at risk inner city youth that received, for the most part, a public school education.  Without the guidance of my teachers in how to have proper discourse and debates, I wouldn't feel apt to participate in higher education conversations.  Even now, I have peers that are educators that feel like inner city schools are not good enough, at least not for their child.  I was asked once, "Would you let your child come here?"  Here was a $90 million facility with amazing CTE teachers, and opportunities for those that wanted it.  I responded with, "Of course.  It isn't about where you get an education, it is about what you are learning at home and what the teachers have to offer."  Of course, the educators need to be teaching explicitly and giving their students a leg up, where society has constantly kept them "in their place."

Argument Statement

The author Patrick Finn argues that we need to reform education, explicitly teach working class children literacy that not only provides an education, but also literacy that will help them challenge the status quo that they live in, and let go of misconceptions of our students' abilities by not comparing them those that have had more advantages in society.

Blog B.1: “Colorblindness is the New Racism” by Margalynne J. Armstrong and Stephanie M. Wildman

 Blog B.1: “Colorblindness is the New Racism” by Margalynne J. Armstrong and Stephanie M. Wildman

In this article the authors, Armstrong and Wildman, argue that in order for society to tackle the issues with race, we must first recognize that there are constructed races and that “colorblindness” can hinder progress in addressing racism and issues that arise from systemic racism.  “Learning about race and understanding its operation in the world is a key step for all members of society and certainly for people who will practice law or serve the public in the 21st century” (Armstrong & Wildman, p. 66).  Even if the intention is to be comforting or inclusive, it can have negative impacts in interactions and understanding.  

Armstrong and Wildman bring up that race is the elephant in the room, when it comes to the topic of colorblindness.  This is an interesting connection to Allan Johnson’s Privilege, Power, and Difference, where he too discusses our society’s lack of wanting to talk about race as the elephant in the room.  Right after their point about how the United States does not like to talk/name race and the issues surrounding it, the authors bring up Barack Obama as an example of how the U.S. sees itself in a post racial phase, “as if the election of a Black man to the nation’s highest office meant no more conversation about race was needed.  This lack of dialogue perpetuates racial separation.  Three years after President Obama’s inauguration, racial justice dominated the national news with stories on the killing of Trevon Martin and litigation about Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070, authorizing police to require proof of immigration status” (Armstrong & Wildman, p.66).  We live in a society that sees something good happen, and feels like that is the end of the issue.  One of the major issues of colorblindness is not seeing the limitations that some have and not admitting the advantages that others have.  If I do not see color, I do not see the struggle.  Same as if I see a successful immigrant, black person, LGBTQA+ person, woman, etc. that does not mean that that success is the norm.  

One thing that was really important about this article was the fact that Armstrong and Wildman talk about the negative effects of color blindness in race.  I, too, used to think that we were all one.  To bring in German Lopez's article about "Black Lives Matter" and "All Lives Matter"  I, too, found the Black Lives Matter movement divisive.  I didn't understand that there was an implied "too" at the end of Black Lives Matter; however that all changed in 2020.  Not only were we adding things like "Blue Lives Matter" to the discussion (which is a terrible thing to compare Black Lives Matter with, since a police officer can take off their badge, while a POC cannot take off their color.), but by 2020 I had started to hear black stories in a different manner, instead of just listening and denying their experiences and outrage.  During the COVID pandemic I watched as news outlets repeatedly showed a black man killed on the streets in broad daylight, while debating if this citizen deserved the treatment inflicted by police.  It was on video and people still couldn't understand unlawful use of force.  I was outraged.  How can we watch someone being killed on t.v. and still discuss the validity of the crime?  

George Floyd's death was recorded and published in numerous news outlets during the pandemic.  His death at the hands of police started a second wave for the Black Lives Matter movement, and many went to the streets around the world to protest his unlawful and violent death.

    There is a Ted Talk by Traci Ellis, where she talks about the issues with colorblindness in a racially divided country.  She poses this question at the beginning of her talk , “It sounds like just what this country needs right now.  Indeed the world.  To focus on our shared humanity rather than something divisive like color, doesn’t it?... or does the failure to see color form the basis of a very considerable problem in this country?” (Ellis, 1:40).  She then went on to explain how racism can taint everything from the law, medicine, education, and professions.  She also mentions that not even a well educated lawyer and good person like herself can be safe from racism.  With colorblindness we come close to “whitewashing” every experience that those in our society have everyday.  My black friends and students do not experience the world in the same way that I do or my white boyfriend.  Not seeing their color, takes away from their stories and continues to perpetuate the problems.  Colorblindness is another way to silence black voices and experiences.

No one sees color until it's a Disney princess...

    As a society it is our job to see color, and to understand how that can create privilege and disparities.  As Armstrong and Wildman mention, we must learn from the experiences of others, including POC so that we have a better insight in how race plays a key role in our society, and then finding a way to dismantle these opportunities for one race verses the limitation other races deal with on a daily basis.  Johnson and Delpit have both mentioned talking about race and not ignoring the elephant in the room, no matter how uncomfortable it can be.

Armstrong, M.J. & Wildman, S.M. (2013). “Colorblindness is the New Racism.”

Johnson, A. (2001).  Privilege, Power, and Difference. 

            Lopez, G. (2016, July 11). Why you should stop saying “all lives matter,” explained in 9 different ways. Vox. https://www.vox.com/2016/7/11/12136140/black-all-lives-matter

TEDx Talks. (2018, July 6). The Exceptional Negro: Fighting to be Seen in a Colorblind World | Traci Ellis | TEDxHarperCollege [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqvZRO2LPmw

Blog A.2: The Silenced Dialogue by Lisa D. Delpit

 The Silenced Dialogue by Lisa D. Delpit

3 Talking Points

1. Pg 281: "They wear blinders and earplugs.  They only want to go on research they've read that other White people have written.  It just doesn't make sense to keep talking to them."
1. I feel this in my soul.  Sometimes it is overwhelmingly frustrating to talk from experience or with background knowledge that others might not have, and be ignored.  These conversations are great examples of what gaslighting is like, by the end you are not sure what happened but you are sure that you were not "heard".  My experience has been more towards the ELLs in my classroom.  Although I am not an ELL I feel like I am constantly trying to explain best practices with my bilingual lens, and most of the time I am brushed off by monolingual professionals that do not have a background in ESL.  So, I go into my room and do what is best for my students, and like Delpit states: be honest with your students about the realities of the culture in power and how to navigate it.
2. Pg 290: "She is so boring, boring.*  She could do something creative.  Instead she just stands there.  She can't control the class, doesn't know how to control the class....  I told her I don't know nothin' unless she tells me..."
1. This stood out to me because I have heard this before from my students.  I am usually the most culturally diverse teacher on my team, at any given year.  One year I had a young female teacher from Oregon (she is white), the students hated her and were mean to her.  I loved her.  She was brilliant, kind, and honestly trying to make a difference.  She was my math teacher and her brain was honestly amazing, but the kids didn't like her.  When asked why, they stated that she was "too nice", "too soft spoken", and "blah".  I then followed up with, why does being nice mean that you hate her?  The students couldn't formulate a response back.  We talked about how "we" are accustomed to a particular way of interaction with those with power, i.e. parents, teachers, etc.  I also tell the students that while I understand what they are saying and where they are coming from (and my approach is direct and "authoritative") they need to understand that not everyone has the same experience.  It wouldn't have fit her personality and overall person if she yelled at them.  I did talk to her about setting direct instructions as opposed to ask students to make the right choice. 
3. Pg 293: "And in the meantime, we must take the responsibility to teach, to provide for students who do not already possess them, the additional codes of power."
1. All day everyday I am constantly explaining to students the importance of education in relation to the cultural/social expectations in the world they live.  We talk about the importance of formats and learning how to express themselves in various situations.  I teach them to code switch, and really explain why it's important in relation to my own experiences.  In my team of teachers I am the most like my students.  I am from an inner city, I speak Spanish, I am the child of immigrants of a Latin American country, I grew up with a single mother, I have received free or reduced lunch my whole life, and I was taught that I had to fight harder than other groups in America.  Using these points of similarities I try to educate the students about what I have needed to do to navigate this society.  I even express that I am more authentic with them, then say my boyfriend's parents, because they are in the position of power/privilege.  I become meeker (they have never seen me "pop off"), softer, less bilingual, and more "American".  It's important for me to teach my students about this, because while my teachers never did this for me they helped me in a way that Delpit asks educators to; my teachers gave me the background knowledge to interact with the curriculum in the same way as my white American peers.  They were explicit with their expectations in our behavior and academics.  All my teachers were white, even my Spanish teachers were white, but they all gave me the education I needed; while my mother continued to foster my education in my Latino culture.

Argument Statement

Lisa D. Delpit argues in this paper that a teacher's responsibility is to give access not only to the content skills but also the language and expectation of the culture of power in a direct and explicit manner.

Blog A.1: Privilege, Power, and Difference by Allan G. Johnson

 Privilege, Power, and Difference by Allan G. Johnson

3 Talking Points of the Reading

1. Pg. 3 "It is also an issue across differences of gender, sexual orientation, and numerous lesser divides.  Men's violence and harassment aimed at women is epidemic in the United States, for example, and show no sign of letting up anytime soon."
1. While the chapter started with highlighting the Rodney King incident, I found that the author calling out how many differences have arise since then is important.  My students not only deal with race being an issue, but everything else he mentioned in this snippet.  As a society we keep creating more and more issues and barrier to keep each other separate.  
2. Pg. 7 "The simple truth is that when I go shopping, I'll probably get waited on faster and better than she will.  I'll benefit from the cultural assumption that I'm a serious customer who doesn't need to be followed..."
1. In being more reflective on privilege, I know that I have more privilege than my best friend who is black and Cherokee.  One day she came to visit me at the store that I worked at, and while she waited for me to go on break she was browsing the walls and such.  At this job we had to wear headsets so that we could communicate with each other.  While I was finishing up with a customer, another associate mentioned that there was a customer with a big bag and a leather jacket... it was my friend.  I went up to the associate and my supervisor calmly, explained she was waiting for me and that not to say such things on the headset, because if my friend heard them she would have the right to call corporate.  I never told my friend because she would have been outraged (rightly so) and I didn't want her to feel bad.
3. The Diversity Wheel
1. The Diversity Wheel above is filled out with my own information.  It is an interesting visual about what others see on the outside.  I was pretty aware of most of the things that puts me in a group of privilege, but I also know that I have attributes that might put me in situations of less privilege.  My education, able-ness, sexuality, and even religious beliefs put me in some very privilege groups; however, I know that there are things on this wheel that would be more of a hinderance in our society.  For instance, at 35 I am constantly asked about my parental status.  I am not a mother, yes I would like to be, but I am not.  It puts me in weird situations in society, not so much my family.  Society wants me to be happy and a mom, or else I might be missing out on things that I SHOULD want to experience.  

Argument Statement

Allen G. Johnson argues that we are in a place in society where trouble arises from our differences; however, as individuals and a collective we have the power to create solutions where these problems lie.

Pictures About Me

 Fantasy books are my jam

Grew up watching documentaries on PBS, and still love them! 

                                                               

I watch too many crime documentaries, to my partner's chargrin.