Week Eight Blog

When I was in high school, there was one teacher who was notorious for not wanting to “deal” with parents. Granted, where I went to high school, most of the problems that occurred were petty “my kid deserves this grade” and “why did you take points off for this”. Most teachers probably do not want to deal with this. So when I first started reading this week’s articles, I was unsure of what was meant by parent involvement. However, after reading these articles, I have a better grasp on what is meant by engaging parents in schools.

One article that I found particularly interesting was “Beyond the Bake Sale.” This gave me another viewpoint of the parent/ teacher relationship, that of the minority and immigrant parents. I went to high school in a predominantly white town and graduated in a class of 300 students with less than 20 of those being minority students. The administrators at my school did not feel like they had to do much to cater to those individuals since they represented such a small percentage. However, Warren makes a good point in that immigrant parents may have an excellent understanding of their own child, but are unable to communicate to the teacher their pedagogical needs. How do we deal with this? If communities played a larger role in the school system, and if there was a network of parents who knew each other and looked out for each other’s kids, it might be a little easier. There is an old saying that it takes a village to raise a child, but in my experience, the only two adults who had any hand in raising me were my two parents. I was lucky in that both my parents are white, college educated, and speak English, but what about a student of another race, who may not have college educated parents that speak little to no English? Who can help that child?

Auerbach also had an interesting point that minority or immigrant parents often push their children educationally in ways that typically go unnoticed. Listed were some examples such as limiting chores to allow for more study time, or sacrificing personal needs to allow the child to attend a private school. José, the parent of a high achieving male student, stated that “he sees that we are nothing; he wants to become something.”  His story really made me upset, because it is clear that these parents care very much for their son’s education, in ways that may go unnoticed. But to say that the parents are “nothing” is a HUGE understatement. They are playing the most important role in their son’s life, and provide him with the encouragement and support that he needs. Sure, the parents might not be seen as successful in the work field, but what they have done for their son is a far cry from “nothing.”

It is clear from these articles that parent involvement plays a huge role in a student’s success. Support from parents is not complaining to a teacher about having a few points knocked off an assignment; it is encouraging the child to be something better than what they were. I hope that when I teach, I can show all parents that I also support their children, and will take any advice from them on how to do it best.

Week Six Blog

I found Anderson’s article on gay and lesbian youth to be quite interesting. It really is terrible that these adolescents have to hide or change who they are to be accepted. It really bothers me when people say that being gay is a choice. I have a few gay friends, and seeing what they go through and have gone through, it is really obvious that they did not choose to have to struggle with who they are. One part of the article that really saddened me was the part about how sometimes, gay and lesbian students will feel sad when they see a heterosexual couple holding hands down the hallway, because the gay and lesbian students will not be able to express their feelings of affection that way with such acceptance. I everyone wants to love and feel like they are loved, and it is just really awful that society condemns a love that is as harmless as homosexuality. I was also surprised by how little support there is for gay and lesbian youths. I do not know if things have changed since 2005, but I am hoping that there are more resources now for adolescents struggling with their identity. 

After reading Fine and McClelland’s article, I was really puzzled as to how the government thought that the Abstinence Only Until Marriage approach was a good idea.  Not educating youths about contraception and safe-sex just seems naive. I think it also crosses the separation of church and state because no sex before marriage is often seen as a religious appeal. In my high school, there were about three pregnant females in my four years there, and we were a relatively small school that did teach about safe sex practices. I wonder what those numbers would be like if there was no sex education class that taught about contraception.

I also thought Dance’s article “On Being Hardcore” to be very insightful. I especially liked the part on comparing fictional stories to a real life story. It is true that these sources of media do not show these teenagers in a multidimensional light. I am in no way saying that what any of these teens did was acceptable, but I am sure there are more complexities to their lives than what is portrayed. American History X, one of my favorite films, does a great job examining the complexities of hardcore life. It is a fictional film, and there are certainly cinematic elements to it, but it does a good job portraying these hardcore people as people. The part of the article with the “Jacket Incident” was absurd. I feel like it was really based on immaturity. Who was he trying to impress by freaking out over a jacket like that? And where will it get him in life? I do not see a point in any violence, but in invoking an attack based on something as nonsensical as a jacket, I have to admit, it actually annoys me.

Week Four Blog

                I found Carol Gilligan’s In a Different Voice to be a very interesting read. There were several areas I agreed with, and several I did not. The first point I would like to discuss is the idea of males being stronger with individuation and females being stronger with relationships. This really holds true in my experiences. Many of the females in my life are incredibly similar. Thinking about my friends and female relatives, an overwhelming majority of them went to school for something science related, admit to having a shopping problem, and enjoy several of the same television shows and movies. None of us really have any hobbies besides reading or gardening. This could just be because I gravitate towards people who tend to be similar to me. I have said myself before this reading that the time I would spend on a hobby, I would rather spend socializing with my loved ones. This contrasts to the males in my life. My father, brothers, and fiancé all went to school for completely different things, and have hobbies such as making collections, video games, and building electronic devices to name a few. They definitely value time to themselves, which could be seen as an issue with relationships, but I do not see it that way. I personally think spending time alone and enjoying your own company is a great attribute to have.

                One point I was not so keen to agree with was the example of Jake and Amy and stealing the drug. To my understanding, this was one boy and one girl. Would it not have been better to ask this to a group of diverse boys and girls? I am trying to remember myself as an 11 year old girl, and I clearly remember having a really distinct view of right and wrong. “If you break the law, you are doing something wrong” would easily sum up my views. However, I also remember considering external problems, death or injury to name a few, and I honestly feel like I would have answered more similarly to Jake than to Amy. I also think it may have been more practical to an 11 year old to ask, “Do you steal the drug for your mom or dad or siblings?” This would kind of relate the issue to the child more, whereas a wife or husband is a little too far away in the future for them to imagine accurately. I also think about some of the kids in my pre-kindergarten classroom and how they would answer; I think a majority of them would answer like Jake, not Amy. I think this is a really interesting question to get a grasp on right and wrong, but I would have liked more than one response from each gender. 

                 This reading has definitely provided me with some insight as to some differences between males and females. Hopefully, when dealing with any gender issues that may arise in my teachings, I will be able to handle them with both sensitivity and knowledge about this topic.

Week Two Blog

I chose to focus my attention on the chapter entitled “The Psychosocial Experience of Immigration.” Oh my goodness was it eye opening. I am so disappointed that human beings have to face these troubles when a large number of them came here for a better life.

I was completely disheartened by the fact that most immigrant children who come to America are separated from their immediate family. Even if they are staying with an aunt or uncle, they are essentially strangers upon arrival. What is even worse is the conflicting emotions a child feels when they are reunited with their parents. One quote that I found so emotional was that “she was ‘my mother’s daughter and my Tante Atie’s child”(68). On one hand, the child is happy about being reunited with their family, but there is no doubt that she is going to miss the caring aunt she loved so much. I had not even thought about the possibility of change in family structure as the child is separated from the parents. A child must have so many emotions having to “meet” his or her parents again, and even more so if the parents had another child during the separation. 

I expected some of the stresses caused by immigration, such as searching for employment, enrolling children in schools, and not knowing the language. However, I was really disappointed with humanity in general to hear of the other stresses, such as problems with border control and violence in the neighborhoods. How sad is it that 36% of the immigrant children said that violence was what they disliked most about living in America. Especially for the children who escaped war-torn countries, to come to America for peace, and instead be greeted by abuse from border control. In the neighborhoods, the children do not feel safe, and there were accounts of children seeing the victim of a gunshot wound. Children should not have to witness these things. I think of how the parents must feel in that they came to America to raise their children in a better place, the land of opportunities, and instead are exposing their children to violence. 

One aspect of this chapter I found interesting was the section on “Learning the New Rules.” A 23-year old Mexican immigrant said “I became an infant again. I had to learn all over again to eat, to speak, to dress, and what was expected of me” (73). I also found it interesting how immigrant children are exposed to American culture more, and the mixed feelings parents have about this. One immigrant recollected how her mother and grandmother had a mix of pride, envy, and worry because the children could speak a language the adults could not. This must be difficult on a parent, because they probably feel obligated to be the one to teach. They want to be the ones to help their children. Instead, the children serve as a link between the parents to American culture. This also goes along with the roles families have in immigrant families, how a family leader could be “demoted.” For me, I imagine this to be like my mother if we moved to another country and her children knew the language. I know she would have a really difficult time with that, to no longer be the head of the family. 

The last thing I would like to comment on was the subject of an arranged marriage. The reading says that a girl is more comfortable with the idea of an arranged marriage if she stayed in the country of her origin. One of my close friends is a first generation immigrant, and her parents came to America shortly before she was born. They had an arranged marriage, but my friend did not find this out until she was a teenager. She had been exposed to American culture her entire life, and because of this, she was really upset by this new discovery. When telling me this story, she called it “barbaric”. Her parents were really understanding about it, and she does not have an arranged marriage. It just was a really big surprise for her. This part of the chapter just really captivated me, because I know someone who experienced this first hand. 

Week One Blog

My name is Denise Belmonte, and I am currently a graduate student studying education at Umass Lowell. I received my Bachelor’s degree this May in Biology, and I hope to teach it at a high school level. I currently work at a daycare, usually with infants ages 3 months to one year. On my free time, I enjoy running, shopping, watching movies, and spending time with my friends. 

This week’s readings interested me. The first one I read was “White Privilege” by Peggy McIntosh. I had never thought of the things she listed as privileges because I am in the norm. I am an average white female, so it is absolutely true that I do not even think of my neighbors judging me because of my skin color, or being heckled while I shop for groceries. I like to think that we have come a long way since 1989, but unfortunately, there will always be a few close minded individuals who will try their best to make “different” people’s lives a living hell. It is depressing to think that for  some people, the idea of being treated fairly and honestly is seen as a privilege. This also got me to thinking about other forms of privileges. This idea can also be applied to religion, in the idea of Christian privilege. I have never had someone judge me as “strange” or even “dangerous” because of the religion I practice. I would be so hurt to have someone judge me differently because of what I believe or do not believe.

The one thing that stood out to me most in “Relating Ethnic and Racial Identity” was the idea that “children need direction rather than control”. This relates to a story that one of my classmates shared with us last semester. As he visited a class for observation, he was appalled that the teacher spent almost all of the class time telling his unruly students to “be quiet” and “sit down”. This is unfortunate because it created an unpleasant classroom setting where the students then felt it necessary to disobey. Perhaps if this teacher had approached the situation differently and offered the students some direction rather than a stern request. As the article says, “all children in the classroom [should] feel comfortable and supported.”

“Racial Formation” got to the root of the issue. We see race as a “problem” that we need to “get beyond.” Shouldn’t we embrace the differences of other races? Won’t that help us to better understand them? I remember one time, I ordered food at a place where a Black organization was having a meeting. They shared poetry and music about their culture that dealt with issues of gangs, HIV/ AIDs, and racism. This was incredibly remarkable to me in many ways. First of all, I was the only white person there. This gave me some perspective as to what it would feel like to always be the one of a different skin color. Second, it was really interesting to hear about the issues that these people were facing on a day to day basis. This was eye opening to me to hear them discussing the problems they face in such an artistic way. 

“Ethnic Identity Development” makes an important observation that I am definitely guilty of. It states that “groups least affected by racism and most represented in positions of sociopolitical power tend to begin their ethnic identity construction later...less concerned about ethnicity and perceive it as an issue of little or no importance.” I, being a white female, never really think much of my race. To me, it is uninteresting and never gives me any issues. I absolutely take it for granted like Bowers and Flinders say. I also apply this to my friends of other races. For me, race does not define a person. It does not impact how I feel about them. However, because I do this, I could be ignorant to some of the issues that they may face because of their race. In a way, it should impact how I feel about them so I can be more sensitive to their culture. Essentially, I do not judge people by their race, but I should care about it.