Monday, May 10, 2010
Future Students
To all of the future students of this class, YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE IT!! I can honestly say that this is by far the best class I’ve taken at Baylor so far. It opened my eyes to a whole to new world of issues that I thought I already had a good grasp on such as: race, class, gender, sexuality, and power and privilege. I never was afraid to express my opinion to the class so don’t be afraid to speak up! The majority of my classes I never say anything in and am normally the quiet one, but something about this class made me want to talk and hear other people talk. Dr. Tolbert creates an environment that is safe and non-judgmental and listens to everyone’s ideas on every subject we are covering which makes you feel extremely comfortable. The texts that we are required to read and the discussions we partake in during class time are extremely powerful and will stay with me and be applied to my life as an educator as well as in my personal life.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Passionate Teaching
Main Idea and Thesis
Hooks feels as if teachers are losing their sense of passion for what they’re teaching. When it comes to teaching students, it is important for them to feel a sense of passion from their educator. Teachers are way to focused about following the guidelines and getting out what they are supposed to rather than digging in deep and letting their students feel the same passion for the subject that they do. Students will be more opt to learning if they have a passion for what they are supposed to be learning.
Consistent/Inconsistent with Experience as a Student/Novice/Teaching Assistant
When I was growing up I had very few teachers that seemed to show a sense of passion for what they were teaching. In the rare case that I came across one of those teachers that had fun with what they were teaching in order to transfer that passion to their students, it was obvious that those were the classes that students seemed to enjoy the most and be the most engaged in. At least, this was the case for me personally. After going to 2 different schools in the Waco school district, it is extremely apparent that students lack a passion for learning. A lot of them don’t really see the point in putting forth any effort for something they don’t really care about which might come from the effect the teacher’s lack of passion is having on them.
Consistent/Inconsistent with Teaching Beliefs and Practices
The lack of passion coming from teachers is something that I don’t want to take place in my future classroom. I feel that if students don’t get a feel for their teacher’s passion about a certain subject then the students won’t feel the need to have that sort of passion either. It’s extremely important for teachers to show their students that learning can be fun and that it’s more than just boring lectures and meaningless workloads.
So What? Impact on Future Professional Development
I think that the more passion that is expressed by teachers and educators, the more involved students will become. Students will be more engaged in topics that they have fun in and don’t just feel like it’s another boring class. Personally, when I become a teacher, my main goal will be to make learning fun for my students so that their passion for learning can grow as well as their knowledge for the certain subject.
Hooks feels as if teachers are losing their sense of passion for what they’re teaching. When it comes to teaching students, it is important for them to feel a sense of passion from their educator. Teachers are way to focused about following the guidelines and getting out what they are supposed to rather than digging in deep and letting their students feel the same passion for the subject that they do. Students will be more opt to learning if they have a passion for what they are supposed to be learning.
Consistent/Inconsistent with Experience as a Student/Novice/Teaching Assistant
When I was growing up I had very few teachers that seemed to show a sense of passion for what they were teaching. In the rare case that I came across one of those teachers that had fun with what they were teaching in order to transfer that passion to their students, it was obvious that those were the classes that students seemed to enjoy the most and be the most engaged in. At least, this was the case for me personally. After going to 2 different schools in the Waco school district, it is extremely apparent that students lack a passion for learning. A lot of them don’t really see the point in putting forth any effort for something they don’t really care about which might come from the effect the teacher’s lack of passion is having on them.
Consistent/Inconsistent with Teaching Beliefs and Practices
The lack of passion coming from teachers is something that I don’t want to take place in my future classroom. I feel that if students don’t get a feel for their teacher’s passion about a certain subject then the students won’t feel the need to have that sort of passion either. It’s extremely important for teachers to show their students that learning can be fun and that it’s more than just boring lectures and meaningless workloads.
So What? Impact on Future Professional Development
I think that the more passion that is expressed by teachers and educators, the more involved students will become. Students will be more engaged in topics that they have fun in and don’t just feel like it’s another boring class. Personally, when I become a teacher, my main goal will be to make learning fun for my students so that their passion for learning can grow as well as their knowledge for the certain subject.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Midterm Essay
Dear President Obama,
I want to begin by extending my gratitude for allowing me to serve as a representative on the “U.S. Commission for Improving the Quality of Education Opportunity for Marginalized Children in the United State.” After reading Jonathan Kozol’s book, the Shame of the Nation, it opened my eyes to the changes that need to be made in our education systems.
Kozol starts off his book by declaring that the United States of America are participants in “apartheid schooling.” Many times before I had heard this term but never really meditated on it or thought that it applied to our lives in the U.S. Thanks to Kozol, I am now aware that there is apartheid happening in the country that we live in today. He describes how, in the United States, black and Hispanic students tend to be concentrated in schools where they make up almost the entire student body.
After visiting nearly 60 public schools in preparation for writing this book, Kozol found that conditions had grown worse for inner-city children in the 50 years since the Supreme Court in the landmark ruling of Brown v. Board of Education dismantled the previous policy of de jure segregated schools and their conceit of "separate but equal". In many cities, wealthier white families continued to leave the city to settle in suburbs, with minorities comprising most of the families left in the public school system.
Throughout his book, Kozol focuses on what he calls apartheid in the American educational system. Too often today people think of apartheid as merely a term that refers to a moment now relegated to political history but the truth is that so many people are blind to how deeply segregated our schools have become all over again. During the decades following Brown v. Board of Education there was amazing progress, tens of thousands of public schools were integrated racially. Since 1990 when the Rehnquist court started ripping apart the legacy of Brown, the court sort of took their teeth out of the situation. During these years our schools have rapidly segregated and the gaps in skills between minorities and whites have increased again.
Kozol does a good job at attacking schools that are racially segregated, but the fact that they don’t offer the same quality of education is also an important issue he discusses in the book. Too often schools segregate children and place them in isolation because they are afraid of contaminating their own schools. This is sending destructive messages for young black students and they recognize it very well. Kozol attacks the disparity in expenditures on education between central cities and well-to-do suburbs, and the system of property taxes which most school systems and states rely on for funding. He expresses outrage at inequities in expenditure, pointing out that New York City in 2002-3 spent $11,627 on the education of each child, while in Nassau County, the town of Manhasset spent $22,311, and Great Neck $19,705. He found that there are comparable disparities in other metropolitan areas, since most funding is locally based. Kozol describes schools that are separated by a 15-minute drive but that offer vastly different educational opportunities. In one example, a primarily white school offers drama club and AP classes, and the nearby primarily black school requires classes like hairdressing.
This whole re-segregation that is taking place in the United States today is something I feel is overlooked on way too many occasions. People often tend to be blinded by the fact that this is actually taking place and it is just making the situation worse rather than better. There is only so much that citizens can do without the help of the government. It is vital to the future of our students and our country that we realize that schools all over the U.S are not simply just segregated but are wildly unequal.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to express my feelings and concerns about education in today’s society. I hope that you will take mine and Jonathan Kozol’s thoughts into great consideration to help us as teachers make our lives and our students lives better.
Sincerely,
Jessica Roberts
I want to begin by extending my gratitude for allowing me to serve as a representative on the “U.S. Commission for Improving the Quality of Education Opportunity for Marginalized Children in the United State.” After reading Jonathan Kozol’s book, the Shame of the Nation, it opened my eyes to the changes that need to be made in our education systems.
Kozol starts off his book by declaring that the United States of America are participants in “apartheid schooling.” Many times before I had heard this term but never really meditated on it or thought that it applied to our lives in the U.S. Thanks to Kozol, I am now aware that there is apartheid happening in the country that we live in today. He describes how, in the United States, black and Hispanic students tend to be concentrated in schools where they make up almost the entire student body.
After visiting nearly 60 public schools in preparation for writing this book, Kozol found that conditions had grown worse for inner-city children in the 50 years since the Supreme Court in the landmark ruling of Brown v. Board of Education dismantled the previous policy of de jure segregated schools and their conceit of "separate but equal". In many cities, wealthier white families continued to leave the city to settle in suburbs, with minorities comprising most of the families left in the public school system.
Throughout his book, Kozol focuses on what he calls apartheid in the American educational system. Too often today people think of apartheid as merely a term that refers to a moment now relegated to political history but the truth is that so many people are blind to how deeply segregated our schools have become all over again. During the decades following Brown v. Board of Education there was amazing progress, tens of thousands of public schools were integrated racially. Since 1990 when the Rehnquist court started ripping apart the legacy of Brown, the court sort of took their teeth out of the situation. During these years our schools have rapidly segregated and the gaps in skills between minorities and whites have increased again.
Kozol does a good job at attacking schools that are racially segregated, but the fact that they don’t offer the same quality of education is also an important issue he discusses in the book. Too often schools segregate children and place them in isolation because they are afraid of contaminating their own schools. This is sending destructive messages for young black students and they recognize it very well. Kozol attacks the disparity in expenditures on education between central cities and well-to-do suburbs, and the system of property taxes which most school systems and states rely on for funding. He expresses outrage at inequities in expenditure, pointing out that New York City in 2002-3 spent $11,627 on the education of each child, while in Nassau County, the town of Manhasset spent $22,311, and Great Neck $19,705. He found that there are comparable disparities in other metropolitan areas, since most funding is locally based. Kozol describes schools that are separated by a 15-minute drive but that offer vastly different educational opportunities. In one example, a primarily white school offers drama club and AP classes, and the nearby primarily black school requires classes like hairdressing.
This whole re-segregation that is taking place in the United States today is something I feel is overlooked on way too many occasions. People often tend to be blinded by the fact that this is actually taking place and it is just making the situation worse rather than better. There is only so much that citizens can do without the help of the government. It is vital to the future of our students and our country that we realize that schools all over the U.S are not simply just segregated but are wildly unequal.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to express my feelings and concerns about education in today’s society. I hope that you will take mine and Jonathan Kozol’s thoughts into great consideration to help us as teachers make our lives and our students lives better.
Sincerely,
Jessica Roberts
Monday, February 15, 2010
"Race Matters" Chapters 5-8
5 Sentence Summary
In chapters 5-8, West talks about the importance of affirmative action in relation to the Progressives. He then goes on to discuss the relationships among blacks and Jews and how the history with the two groups is affecting us today. He also mentions the dominance of blacks over whites not only in relationships but as well as sports. The last chapter is focused mainly on Malcolm X and how we need to be more like him in order to help change the world. Malcolm makes many political points on democracy and black rage.
4 Key Elements
“Progressives should view affirmative action as neither a major solution to poverty nor a sufficient means to equality” (p. 95).
“Only by living against the grain can we keep alive the possibility that the visceral feelings about black bodies fed by racist myths and promoted by market-driven quests for stimulation do not forever render us obsessed with sexuality and fearful of each other’s humanity.” (pg. 131)
“They crave peer acceptance in both, receive genuine approval from neither, yet persist in viewing themselves through the lenses of the dominant white society (139).”
“Malcolm X was the first real black spokesperson who looked ferocious white racism in the eye, didn’t blink, and lived long enough to tell America the truth about this glaring hypocrisy in a bold and defiant manner.” (p. 151)
3 Key Terms
psychocutural- relating to the interaction psychological ad cultural factors of an individual’s personality in the characteristics of a group.
psychocutural- relating to the interaction psychological ad cultural factors of an individual’s personality in the characteristics of a group.
affirmative action- the increasing representation of a minority group (sometimes in unemployment)
2 Connections
Cornel talks about how whites see the marriage between blacks and whites as bad. I can see how this is true because growing up that’s the view my parents have always had. As times are changing I don’t really see the harm in it.
Another thing that I was able to connect to was the dominance between blacks and whites. I was extremely involved in athletics growing up and so were my sister and brother. The constant competition between these two races is apparent in sports big time.
1 Question
The bible mentions to “not be unequally yoked,” I think that a lot of people tend to apply to race when it comes to marriage but the way I see it is being with someone with different beliefs than you. What exactly does it mean? Does that apply to race or is it more of just and opinion and how you want to take it?
In chapters 5-8, West talks about the importance of affirmative action in relation to the Progressives. He then goes on to discuss the relationships among blacks and Jews and how the history with the two groups is affecting us today. He also mentions the dominance of blacks over whites not only in relationships but as well as sports. The last chapter is focused mainly on Malcolm X and how we need to be more like him in order to help change the world. Malcolm makes many political points on democracy and black rage.
4 Key Elements
“Progressives should view affirmative action as neither a major solution to poverty nor a sufficient means to equality” (p. 95).
“Only by living against the grain can we keep alive the possibility that the visceral feelings about black bodies fed by racist myths and promoted by market-driven quests for stimulation do not forever render us obsessed with sexuality and fearful of each other’s humanity.” (pg. 131)
“They crave peer acceptance in both, receive genuine approval from neither, yet persist in viewing themselves through the lenses of the dominant white society (139).”
“Malcolm X was the first real black spokesperson who looked ferocious white racism in the eye, didn’t blink, and lived long enough to tell America the truth about this glaring hypocrisy in a bold and defiant manner.” (p. 151)
3 Key Terms
psychocutural- relating to the interaction psychological ad cultural factors of an individual’s personality in the characteristics of a group.
psychocutural- relating to the interaction psychological ad cultural factors of an individual’s personality in the characteristics of a group.
affirmative action- the increasing representation of a minority group (sometimes in unemployment)
2 Connections
Cornel talks about how whites see the marriage between blacks and whites as bad. I can see how this is true because growing up that’s the view my parents have always had. As times are changing I don’t really see the harm in it.
Another thing that I was able to connect to was the dominance between blacks and whites. I was extremely involved in athletics growing up and so were my sister and brother. The constant competition between these two races is apparent in sports big time.
1 Question
The bible mentions to “not be unequally yoked,” I think that a lot of people tend to apply to race when it comes to marriage but the way I see it is being with someone with different beliefs than you. What exactly does it mean? Does that apply to race or is it more of just and opinion and how you want to take it?
Monday, February 8, 2010
Preface - Chapter 4 "Race Matters"
5 Sentence Summary
In Race Matters, Cornel West describes the current state of racial tension throughout America in regards to the past movements by leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. He goes on to describe the different views of poor blacks along with different types of behaviorists and intellectuals among the black American population. West also argues his opinions on different topics such as the blame of black Americans that come from bad circumstances and how this does not excuse a person’s behavior. For the most part, Cornel West is arguing that there is a way to fix all of these racial problems that we are facing and it starts when people decide to get over their fears of talking so bluntly about these issues.
4 Key Passages
"This turning is done through one's own affirmation of one's worth-an affirmation fueled by the concern of others. A love ethics must be at the center of a politics of conversion." (page 29)
“Where there is no vision, the people perish; where there is no framework of moral reasoning, the people close ranks in a war of all against all.” (pg 48)
“But why is this shattering of black civil society occurring? What has led to the weakening of black cultural institutions in asphalt jungles? Corporate market institutions have contributed greatly to their collapse.” (pg. 25)
"First, blackness has no meaning outside of a system of race-conscious people and practices...In short, blackness is a political and ethical construct." (page 39)
3 Key Terms
Nihilism: the livid experience of coping with a life of horrifying meaninglessness, hopelessness, and (most important) lovelessness
Demystifying- to rid of mystery or obscurity; clarify
Afrocentrism: Centered or focused on Africa or African peoples, especially in relation to historical or cultural influence
2 Connections
At one part in this section, West talks about the nihilistic threat as being a cause of the criminal activity involving African Americans today and claims that people are responsible for their own actions but also blames part of it on the American culture. I agree with him on his idea that people are responsible for their own actions but not so much on the part of blaming the American culture. The culture today is how it is because of the individual choices, right or wrong, that people make.
A main focus within the first few chapters of this book, and I’m sure a lot of the chapters to follow, is the importance of powerful African American leaders. It’s amazing to me how much we have progressed as a country now having Barak Obama as our president. Although, as the title states “race matters”, it is apparent that race is still a big part in our society today. However, I do feel as if we are making some progress.
1 question
What will it take to get black and white politicians together to talk about all these underlying issues that Cornel is convinced can solve so many of our problems?
In Race Matters, Cornel West describes the current state of racial tension throughout America in regards to the past movements by leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. He goes on to describe the different views of poor blacks along with different types of behaviorists and intellectuals among the black American population. West also argues his opinions on different topics such as the blame of black Americans that come from bad circumstances and how this does not excuse a person’s behavior. For the most part, Cornel West is arguing that there is a way to fix all of these racial problems that we are facing and it starts when people decide to get over their fears of talking so bluntly about these issues.
4 Key Passages
"This turning is done through one's own affirmation of one's worth-an affirmation fueled by the concern of others. A love ethics must be at the center of a politics of conversion." (page 29)
“Where there is no vision, the people perish; where there is no framework of moral reasoning, the people close ranks in a war of all against all.” (pg 48)
“But why is this shattering of black civil society occurring? What has led to the weakening of black cultural institutions in asphalt jungles? Corporate market institutions have contributed greatly to their collapse.” (pg. 25)
"First, blackness has no meaning outside of a system of race-conscious people and practices...In short, blackness is a political and ethical construct." (page 39)
3 Key Terms
Nihilism: the livid experience of coping with a life of horrifying meaninglessness, hopelessness, and (most important) lovelessness
Demystifying- to rid of mystery or obscurity; clarify
Afrocentrism: Centered or focused on Africa or African peoples, especially in relation to historical or cultural influence
2 Connections
At one part in this section, West talks about the nihilistic threat as being a cause of the criminal activity involving African Americans today and claims that people are responsible for their own actions but also blames part of it on the American culture. I agree with him on his idea that people are responsible for their own actions but not so much on the part of blaming the American culture. The culture today is how it is because of the individual choices, right or wrong, that people make.
A main focus within the first few chapters of this book, and I’m sure a lot of the chapters to follow, is the importance of powerful African American leaders. It’s amazing to me how much we have progressed as a country now having Barak Obama as our president. Although, as the title states “race matters”, it is apparent that race is still a big part in our society today. However, I do feel as if we are making some progress.
1 question
What will it take to get black and white politicians together to talk about all these underlying issues that Cornel is convinced can solve so many of our problems?
Monday, February 1, 2010
Chapters 9 & 12
5 Sentence Summary
Kozol starts off chapter 9 by examining the need for a broad political movement. He goes on to report on the efforts of teachers and principals to resist the strengthening of segregation in public schools and goes on to discuss several examples of successful desegregation and why they were a success. In the last chapter, Kozol devotes most of it to go through his experience and what he witnessed when he visited some of America’s most segregated schools. I think he used this chapter as a way to demonstrate hope for even the worst of situations.
4 Key Passages
“What do we need to do to alter these realities?” (pg. 215)
“Herewith…a radical proposal…Revive the civil rights movement, which went into limbo long before some of its most important goals were accomplished…” (pg.216)
“These are the schools I call ‘the treasured places.’ They remind us always of the possible” (pg. 300)
“Teachers and principals should not permit the beautiful profession they have chosen to be redefined by those who know far less than they about the hearts of children.” (pg. 299)
3 Key Terms
Integration- the bringing of people of different racial or ethnic groups into unrestricted and equal association, as in society or an organization
“Super-teachers”– subject to idolatry in movies and books from time to time; too many in the real world
Desegregation- process of ending racial segregation
2 Connections
In chapter 9, Kozol examines the need for a political movement within the school system. I couldn’t agree more. The whole aspect of segregation is so distant to me since I’ve never had to deal with it but after reading this book I am so happy that although it isn’t completely nonexistent, it’s still good to know how much we have progressed over the years. I was also proud of the efforts that teachers and principals were putting forth to stop the segregation.
I was encouraged by the last chapter of this book tremendously. It was a challenge then as well as it is now for teachers and authority figures to make the school how you want it to be. Kozol demonstrates the aspect of hope within some of the most segregated schools across America which gives me hope in my future as an educator that I too can make a difference.
1 Question
Why is it so hard for students to motivate themselves to learn and realize the importance of their education?
Kozol starts off chapter 9 by examining the need for a broad political movement. He goes on to report on the efforts of teachers and principals to resist the strengthening of segregation in public schools and goes on to discuss several examples of successful desegregation and why they were a success. In the last chapter, Kozol devotes most of it to go through his experience and what he witnessed when he visited some of America’s most segregated schools. I think he used this chapter as a way to demonstrate hope for even the worst of situations.
4 Key Passages
“What do we need to do to alter these realities?” (pg. 215)
“Herewith…a radical proposal…Revive the civil rights movement, which went into limbo long before some of its most important goals were accomplished…” (pg.216)
“These are the schools I call ‘the treasured places.’ They remind us always of the possible” (pg. 300)
“Teachers and principals should not permit the beautiful profession they have chosen to be redefined by those who know far less than they about the hearts of children.” (pg. 299)
3 Key Terms
Integration- the bringing of people of different racial or ethnic groups into unrestricted and equal association, as in society or an organization
“Super-teachers”– subject to idolatry in movies and books from time to time; too many in the real world
Desegregation- process of ending racial segregation
2 Connections
In chapter 9, Kozol examines the need for a political movement within the school system. I couldn’t agree more. The whole aspect of segregation is so distant to me since I’ve never had to deal with it but after reading this book I am so happy that although it isn’t completely nonexistent, it’s still good to know how much we have progressed over the years. I was also proud of the efforts that teachers and principals were putting forth to stop the segregation.
I was encouraged by the last chapter of this book tremendously. It was a challenge then as well as it is now for teachers and authority figures to make the school how you want it to be. Kozol demonstrates the aspect of hope within some of the most segregated schools across America which gives me hope in my future as an educator that I too can make a difference.
1 Question
Why is it so hard for students to motivate themselves to learn and realize the importance of their education?
Chapters 1-6
5 Sentence Summary
Kozol starts off this book by examining the current state of segregation within the urban school system and the irony of having schools named after leaders of the integration struggle because these schools are some of the most segregated. He then goes on to mention how the public education system is struggling to meet the demand of preschool educational opportunities even with federally funded programs such as Head Start and how statewide testing can be negatively impacted due to the difference of money spent per child every year between urban and suburban schools. Kozol also introduces us to naming rituals such as ‘Authentic Writing’, ‘Active Listening’, Accountable Talk’, and “Zero Noise’ that teachers in urban schools are strongly encouraged to follow in order to bring formality and structure to the classroom. We then get a look inside the damaging effects of high states tests and the negative physiological effects they have on the children who take them. In conclusion to the reading, Kozol examined the increasing separation between the children of the privileged and children of minorities and described a microcosmic example in the New York Roosevelt School District.
4 Key Passages
” One of the most disheartening experiences for those who grew up in the years when Martin Luther King and Thurgood Marshall were alive is to visit public schools today that bear their names…and to find how many of these schools are bastions of contemporary segregation.” -Pg. 22
“many [urban schools] have been dedicating vast amounts of time and effort to create an architecture of adaptive strategies that promise incremental gains with the limits inequality allows.” –Pg.63
“Teachers also tell me that these numbering and naming rituals are forcing them to sacrifice a huge proportion of their time to what are basically promotional, not educational activities.” –Pg.77
“These people "fail to see," he wrote, "that the two systems are inextricably linked; each exists, in part, because of the other." –Pg. 141
3 Key Terms
Segregation- policy or practice of separating people of different races, classes, or ethnic groups
Head Start Program- program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and families
Taylorism- theory of management that analyzes and synthesizes workflows with the objectice of improving labor productivity
2 Connections
I think Kozol had a good point when he mentioned schools named after minority leaders are still some of the most segregated schools. Most students don’t realize or are unfamiliar the actions of the leaders that their schools are named after. I think it should be of major importance to fill students in on what their school stands for.
Personally, growing up in schools where standardized testing was such a huge deal, I was never a fan of them. I still feel as if the effects of these tests can be mainly negative. Not only are you forced to base your teaching on one test, but students are force to believe that their intelligence is based on that one test as well. I agree with Kozol’s opinion of the negative physiological effects that these test have on the children who take them.
1 Question
Growing up, segregation was never something that I felt like I had to deal with. Why is it that some places are so much more segregated than others and what makes it change?
Kozol starts off this book by examining the current state of segregation within the urban school system and the irony of having schools named after leaders of the integration struggle because these schools are some of the most segregated. He then goes on to mention how the public education system is struggling to meet the demand of preschool educational opportunities even with federally funded programs such as Head Start and how statewide testing can be negatively impacted due to the difference of money spent per child every year between urban and suburban schools. Kozol also introduces us to naming rituals such as ‘Authentic Writing’, ‘Active Listening’, Accountable Talk’, and “Zero Noise’ that teachers in urban schools are strongly encouraged to follow in order to bring formality and structure to the classroom. We then get a look inside the damaging effects of high states tests and the negative physiological effects they have on the children who take them. In conclusion to the reading, Kozol examined the increasing separation between the children of the privileged and children of minorities and described a microcosmic example in the New York Roosevelt School District.
4 Key Passages
” One of the most disheartening experiences for those who grew up in the years when Martin Luther King and Thurgood Marshall were alive is to visit public schools today that bear their names…and to find how many of these schools are bastions of contemporary segregation.” -Pg. 22
“many [urban schools] have been dedicating vast amounts of time and effort to create an architecture of adaptive strategies that promise incremental gains with the limits inequality allows.” –Pg.63
“Teachers also tell me that these numbering and naming rituals are forcing them to sacrifice a huge proportion of their time to what are basically promotional, not educational activities.” –Pg.77
“These people "fail to see," he wrote, "that the two systems are inextricably linked; each exists, in part, because of the other." –Pg. 141
3 Key Terms
Segregation- policy or practice of separating people of different races, classes, or ethnic groups
Head Start Program- program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and families
Taylorism- theory of management that analyzes and synthesizes workflows with the objectice of improving labor productivity
2 Connections
I think Kozol had a good point when he mentioned schools named after minority leaders are still some of the most segregated schools. Most students don’t realize or are unfamiliar the actions of the leaders that their schools are named after. I think it should be of major importance to fill students in on what their school stands for.
Personally, growing up in schools where standardized testing was such a huge deal, I was never a fan of them. I still feel as if the effects of these tests can be mainly negative. Not only are you forced to base your teaching on one test, but students are force to believe that their intelligence is based on that one test as well. I agree with Kozol’s opinion of the negative physiological effects that these test have on the children who take them.
1 Question
Growing up, segregation was never something that I felt like I had to deal with. Why is it that some places are so much more segregated than others and what makes it change?
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