Reflection 5

The immediate cultural context of children and youth includes family, neighborhood, and youth culture, including media influences. Dewey argued that social influences are the great educator and that schools are only a secondary agency. What educational problems and possibilities are presented to teachers by these cultural contexts, and why do you see these as problems and possibilities? What difference can and should teachers make to learners if schools are secondary to the wider society in their influence? By what means should teachers seek to make the difference, and why? In your response, consider more than one kind of neighborhood and family context

Living today with smart/cell phones, mp3 players, iPad’s, Iphones, cable television, satellite radio, internet, and laptop computers, are we surprised by the information and communication that student’s today are receiving from society?  Sometimes, the first place student’s see these items are at school.  I agree with Dewey in his belief that social influences are the great educator, and I feel that they are reflected at school.  Sometimes technologies are intertwined.  Some of the problems that students face today are the lack of technologies.  In a society where the rich are getting richer and the poor, poorer, students that socioeconomically disadvantage are at a disadvantage of not being able to use these devices and therefore get behind.  Many students of wealthier parents go to specialized summer camps such as:  Lego camp, robotics camp, sports camps, science camps and get other specialized experiences.  The problem creates a wider gap for students who cannot afford to do these things.  The rising cost of clothes, food, rent and other items also take away from true learning experiences.  Many teenagers have to work not just for spending money but to be providers for their families, especially if there is no father in the household.  Another problem is that society is not a great educator.  Many of the problems we experience today are a result of things that are on TV, cable or internet.  Students then bring these problems to schools.  MTV’s Jersey Shore shows women getting punched, heavy drinking, and promiscuity. Other television show’s like Pregnant and Didn’t Know It, Teen Mom, and other reality shows are not great for students to watch. 

While there are problems in society today, there are also many possibilities for society to educate our youth.  There are many programs being offered today for all students.  Field trips, in class speakers, special programs at school are opportunities for students to see things and experience new things. Technology offered at libraries, nooks, and internet café’s offer opportunities for people without technology to use this technology.  In classes today there are educational videos, streaming in technology of current events and the use of computer labs and IPads, or Itouch.  Many students learn new skills at work and bring these to the classroom.  Cable television, with its drawbacks, also offer the History Channel, news networks, Health Networks, and provide other learning opportunities for students.  There are also many interactive technologies available such as Skype, Face-time, Facebook and other technologies.  As the Apple commercial says, there is probably an app for everything.

Teachers can make a big impact by the way they teach there classes today.  The days of the old ways of teaching are no longer acceptable.  Teachers need to know and understand what social changes are occurring and how they impact students today.  Teachers need to know and understand the importance of technology in the classroom and expose their students to these different technologies so that they will have some idea what they are and how they operate.  Teachers need to be more innovative in their grading and evaluation student performance, especially students that are not exposed to a high level of technology.  Teachers have the great ability to incorporate different ideas and teaching styles into the classroom.  It does not have to be boring anymore.  We can use example that are part of the social medium to improve our discussions with students and guide them in what is acceptable behavior.  Teachers can be the difference from one student to many.  They are a very important part of educating, not just a subject, but in a social context.  Teachers can do many things in there class that can be very meaningful.  Teachers can also include teachable moments into their class time.  Teachers can do many things outside of schools as well, mentorships, tutoring, and extra-curricular leadership. Teachers should be doing these things in all neighborhoods.  Teachers should be very creative outside of the classroom because it benefits all students and provides valuable class discussions.  For example, many students at a nearby high school would ride the train to the Angelica Movie Theatre, pay for the cheapest movie and then provide a discussion on the importance of historical scenes in the movie.  Parents would participate as well and it really worked for the year it was in progress and it was fun. Education should really look at the vast possibilities for educating our youth, so that the bad part of society doesn’t have to raise them.

Reflection 4

The authors of the Tozer book contended that individuals succeed or fail in our society not simply due to their native abilities and applied efforts, but on the basis of their membership in one or more ethnic, gender, or economic groups. If this is true, what are the implications for teaching, learning and schooling? Support your position with evidence and reasoned argument.

It is true that students who are members of an ethnic, gender or economical group succeed or fail. Further, depending on what category a student falls into, which maybe more than one category, determines whether they will be successful students and even successful members of the community. Theories of social inequality do distinguish why and how students will perform in the classroom. Genetic inferiority and cultural deficit theory are part of the theories of social inequality. Theory of social inequality discusses the individual and how the home plays a role in the student’s life, language, cultural differences and how other groups affect them. Genetic inferiority theory suggests the idea of “myth of the metals”, this describes how monarchies were able to stay in power for such a long time. The idea that God gave them the divine right to rule and also established roles for the other members in society is at the heart of genetic inferiority theory. Eugenics also plays a vital role in the genetic inferiority theory. The belief that racial cleansing is necessary to control the genetic pool would definitely have an effect on society and students living within that society.  IQ tests are another example of genetic inferiority. The idea that a test can measure inherited intelligence, say that whites are smarter than African Americans, jobs and pay is measure by achievement and poverty is the direct result of testing affects students and people. A shocking component to IQ tests as a measure of genetic inferiority is the testing the army did prior to World War I. They placed people in categories of morons and feeble-minded. The cultural deficit theory discusses cultural effects the child. Minority and poor children do not get the opportunity to travel and see different things that white or wealthy people get to see. The dominate culture would be highly critical and more advanced than people who did have these experiences. IQ tests have great implications on education and schooling. One way to combat unpreparedness in school is Project Head Start and other programs have great results for keeping students in school and “caught up”, but it make them assimilate into the dominate culture.

Critical theory calls into question the how society is operates and how power is delegated. Educators, who teach with the idea of social justice in mind, will not be afraid to think and use techniques in class that will help the student who not a member of the dominate culture. Sometimes school culture and the student’s culture do not match. It is up to educator to find out the problem, reason, and act on the situation. The cultural difference theory respects differences in cultures and the relationships within and between the cultures. Students perform better with they are schooled with people of their same culture. However, when students fail to perform, behave, or learn in the dominant culture, then they are considered unintelligent and their self-esteem falls. The cultural subordination theory discusses how society affects the lower status for minority groups. Students who are part of this educational culture are taught to make decisions, take risks and test theories. The importance of the individual is important because understand where the knowledge comes from. Educators must teach students to demand changes in the school. Finally, the resistance theory is important because it not only affects race but gender. Students who are discriminated against eventually give up and stop performing. They act dumb or that they don’t care, and many of them loose their self esteem. It can occur as a language barrier, the pressure to use the dominate language, and self esteem in the language knowledge can be affected. Gender plays another key role. Rousseau believed that girls were intended to be nurse maids or a companion for their male husbands. This idea lasted for hundreds of years. Every teacher in school has a moral obligation to teach girls and boys and different races the same. The implications can be for all of theories are that they lead to failed student achievement, lack of student learning, and decreased schooling for students who are not part of the dominant class.   

Multi-cultural education is one way in which educators can succeed in teaching to all races and genders. They can teach a cultural relevant pedagogy that empowers students to think intelligently, act socially responsible, behave emotionally, and act or rebel politically. Educators have a responsibility to learn about themselves, understand cultural relevancy, and understand social relations. Culturally relevant pedagogy attempts to help the teacher and student understand their beliefs in totality. All schools should adopt this type of learning pedagogy so all students can be successful.

Reflection 3

Whose voices should be considered in the process of school reform--the voices of students, teachers, community members, local school board members...those of state- and/or federal-level politicians? What is the level of impact that each of these stakeholders has on the system as we know it? What are the moral, philosophical, and social ramifications of the power, or lack thereof, of each of these voices? What voices are present at the David School?

School reform or restructure needs to be a combination of students, teachers, community members, local school board members and local, state, and federal elected officials. All groups are needed to agree on a set policy that will work for their particular district. Although not every school district in the United States can follow the Chicago model, many schools in Texas are required to have a site based decision making team comprised of the same make up of people. Since the 1980’s, school reform has been a response to the economic problems that face most American’s; however, it can be concluded that education is the not the failure.

Each stakeholder has an impact on why education is being reformed today. Local, state, and federal politicians are reacting to the economic pulse in America. When the economy is performing poorly, policy makers often look to education as the failure. Politicians fail to look at their own policies to find errors and instead of reforming education, they look at social programs that affect education, such as STD’s, drug and alcohol abuse, and childhood obesity. Students as well as parents also need to look at the choices that they make regarding their own education. Should vouchers and charter school be part of the educational practices. It will be interesting to see how successful these programs will be in the future. School boards members and elected officials sometimes have their own personal agendas that may not be in agreement with the direction that a school district is taking.

With great power comes great responsibility. Schools were initially established to provide skills and values for the students of their communities. It should become worrisome when educational reformers are concerned with development of elite students, while forgetting the minorities, poor and disadvantage students. Educators have a moral responsibility to educate all in order to promote a better society. While legislatures worry about the economic impact to the business community, they must keep in mind that it is the policies that they create and pass that has an effect on the student and parent populations. While the federal government responds and caters to the business community, it removes the power of the state and local communities responsible for education students.

The students, parents, community, teachers and administrators all share voices at the David School. Mitzi does a fantastic job of allowing students to create and promote projects that they are interested in and the students grow from the experiences. It is unfortunate that sometimes the parental role is not always a positive one, especially for Chris. He had to be accountable for something that he did not do, but he also needed to continue to go to school and Mitzi held him accountable and he returned to school. The David School even provides a smoking corner for students and they give Chris a check off sheet to complete his assignments. The school is very positive to Chris and they do want him to succeed. Even though Chris wants to drop out and work fulltime, Mitzi encourages him to finish his senior year. She is a wonderful encourager and it was obvious that the students had a personal relationship with her when she resigned. They cried and discussed their personal experiences with her. The David School has given Cody the critical literacy to fight for his social security beyond the functional level. The David School is a wonderful example of a student centered culture.

Reflection 2

What does the term equal educational opportunity mean at the David School?

Equal educational opportunity at the David School is very important. Mitzi, the David School Principal, is very good at making sure that the students who attend the school have the opportunity to be part of and create the culture of the school. Cody feels very comfortable with his teachers and has a very strong belief system. His comments regarding his religious views in science class are shared in a class discussion. Cody wants to grow up to become a preacher, and he feels comfortable sharing his beliefs with the teacher and as part of the discussion in class. Chris started a newspaper and a choir. Although the newspaper was not a success, the opportunity to create the newspaper was supported by the administration and staff, especially Mitzi, the art teacher, and the English teacher. The choir was able to perform at various functions and Chris felt very excited to work with the choir students to help them to become more successful. The choir teacher acted as a facilitator, while Chris worked with the students and Cody helped to find the choir’s melody. The David School culture is about empowering students to create programs or participate in programs that add value to themselves and others. The important part of Mitzi’s job is to hold these students accountable to their contract. This is a difficult task when the parents are absent from their students lives.

Do you believe that any of Augustine’s views on women and men continue to influence the educational experiences of girls and women today? How, specifically? Do you see any parallels to the past in examples of conservative, liberal, and radical thinking about the roles (and therefore the education) of girls and women today?

The biblical story of original sin is very interesting and Augustine’s interpretation of Genesis 3 has impacted woman, men, and society for over a thousand years. Do his views continue to influence the educational experiences of girls and woman today? I would like to say no, but I think they still do. White men have enjoyed the privileges that come from Christian beliefs. They were afforded an education, constitutional rights, and only in the last millennia have woman enjoyed the privileges that come from education, such as classical education, vocational programs, cultural programs and more importantly employment. The idea that woman were responsible for the fall of man is commonplace for a country that was founded by religious nonconformists who were escaping the threat of death by the king. It is no wonder that the woman have had to struggle for suffrage, education, and economic success. Girls were left to become the help to her husband and as mothers to educate her sons so they would become successful too. The only employment that woman could attain during the foundation of this great country was to obey and complement her husband. Today, we view woman as important contributors to society. They are employed, elected, and selected for various posts within the government and in the non-governmental workplace. Unfortunately this has only been within the last fifty years and the number of woman in these positions is small.

There are parallels between the classical, liberal, and radical thinking of roles of girls and woman today. The classical (conservative) view would never have woman educated or employed. The classical view would have agreed with Augustine and the early European settlers that woman should not be educated. The liberal view would have woman educated only on necessity. If woman need to be educated than it is for the benefit of her husband and son. They also believed that the curricula were not good enough for the woman to benefit her family. The curricula needed to change so that she could benefit the male members of her family. The new curricula would make her reasonable to her husband and unfortunately liberal woman accepted the traditional role for woman. The radicals attacked the root of the problem and Genesis 3. The radical women who met at Seneca Falls wanted gender equality, equal rights under the protection of the Constitution, and education. They believed that woman were created equal by God, after all Grimke wrote that it is arrogant of man to believe that they are superior to woman after they were not strong enough to say no to Eve. Today, woman still struggle with attaining equal rights and attaining an education. Pay is not equal to men, the struggle to work outside the house limits choices, and the ability to attend higher education is difficult for women to attain.

Rita as the Principal of The David School

How would the David School be different if Rita was the principal?

The question of Rita as a principal at the David School is really difficult. It is evident from the documentary, The Country Boys, that the school already fosters an environment that is pro-student success. As an alternative school in a coal mining community, the culture at the David School is basically the same. As an alternative school, most of the students have the same cultural background and there does not appear to be any minority students in the school. Mitzi, the current principal is very supportive of the students. It appears that they respect her, as well as the school. She also holds the students accountable for their responsibilities.

What could Rita add as principal to the David School in order to make it different that it’s current condition?  If she is a principal of social justice, then I see her adding more programs to the school. These programs may have helped Chris finish the newspaper before Christmas and produce more editions. Rita held fundraisers to help students go on field trips; she might have been able to raise money for Chris to see a newspaper published. Rita may have created a student center arts program that would have helped Cody learn to sing at school. The school already has a positive school culture; Rita could have added the extracurricular programs.