The Whiteness Project

          There is a story that was discussed with the class about a man named José looking for a job in the United States. He had applied to dozens of jobs and got little to no call backs. With the same resumé, José decided to apply to the same jobs, only this time changing his name to George. He received dozens of call backs with eager future employers awaiting his job confirmation. I do not know for a fact if this story is true or not, however it very well sums up the difficulties minorities still face today. Being a "caucasian" I feel like I also deal with difficulties when it comes to the economy and society that are silenced just as those minorities in The Silenced Dialog are. This video talks about how white people feel uncomfortable or guilty when it comes to getting a job, a promotion, or simply having the door held open for you. On one end of my mind comes the thoughts "it's just people being polite, all of that hard work paid off, it is because I have a good persona" and on the other hand I can't manage to erase the thoughts of guilt wondering "would this happen for someone of a different race or background?'' I sometimes resent my ability the check the caucasian/white box because why does it matter? I wonder if I would get the same outcome if I checked the hispanic, asian, or african american box. Sometimes, when companies are torn between two future employees, it comes down to their race which could favor either person depending on what the company's quota of the month is. The video also makes a valid point by stating that the "pride for your culture is just not there for white people" which I agree and disagree with. I have a mixed feeling about this statement because I wonder what it actually means to be "white". Full blooded Portuguese people from the island can be just as fair skinned as an irish person, does this make them white, or Portuguese and why? Thinking about this answer, I realize that I come from a heavily populated Portuguese area. My town has a Portuguese club on every corner and holds a huge annual Portuguese parade. In this case, there is a lot of pride shown here. Personally, I am a mixture of mostly Polish and Irish along with Swedish and German and the only way I celebrate my culture is by eating Polish food and going to the St. Patricks Day parade. But this brings me back to my original question being what exactly qualifies me as "white'', my nationalities or my skin color? I do not think it's fair to discuss racism towards minorities and not include white women because if we as a democratically free country still consider people of a darker skin tone a "minority" than we must also remember white women are too. That white men are still at the top of the food chain and that white men are still in full power. Although these allegations may still be true to an extent, this is the talk of a person of the 1900's, and we are far passed this time. Maybe I think this way because of the facts brought up i  the White Privilege article we read however although I was raised without many struggles, I was still considered a minority to my town and attended what is now considered an "inner-city" type of school. Racism will always  exist no matter how hard we push for it to be banished. I believe this because difference will always exist no matter how hard we push for it to be embraced. For white people to feel uncomfortable in success is a shame because it should be realized that hopefully one's hard work and dedication got them to where they are instead of the color of their skin. And for hispanics, blacks, asian, etc, to be uncomfortable applying to jobs and presidencies is a shame as well because again, it should be the hard work and determination that gets one there. All too often people think just because someone is "white" they have not seen struggles, are privileged and are not educated on racism. It is all too often when people see a person of a darker skin tone it is assumed they are poor, struggling with life, etc. These are stereotypes based on historical events as well as a wide spread of data. In both cases I believe it is equally wrong for someone to categorize a person based on their skin tones and stereotype them. This video gives silenced "white" people a voice that is not often heard and the ability to stand up for themselves. I am so glad that we, as a society, have come far enough to stand up for ourselves, but I do wish we would all just realize that differences are to be welcomed and embraced because I believe  this would make racism against all races a whole lot clearer.

Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome by Kliewer

       Between the article and the video we saw in class, it has opened my eyes to people who have down syndrome. Of course, like everything else, there are different levels of down syndrome's effects, however people with this chromosome defect are still just like everyone else. When I first heard the idea of integrating a classroom with down syndrome students and those without it made me a little uncomfortable. I did not understand how a teacher would be able to teach a large amount of students with such a vast spread of learning techniques and levels. However, after reading the article and watching the video, I realized it wouldn't be any more difficult than teaching to all of the different levels and techniques as any non-integrated classroom. These students are silenced a lot of the times because not a lot of people are educated enough to understand their capabilities are just as much as anyone else's. In my high school, we would have students from special education classrooms join our elective classes such as music or gym, but it was rare to have a special education student to be in a core classroom such as math or science. If they were in this class, they sat in a separate corner of the room with their mentor and worked on things until class was over. I resent this because although I went to the same middle school and high school, I never knew these kids names or even what grade they were in. I saw these kids every day but these kids even had separate lunches from everyone else. These kids with down syndrome do have a voice and need to be heard and should have a say in the way they learn and they way they are taught instead of being secluded and limited. I wish I realized this before when I was in high school.

Tracking by Jeannie Oakes

Consequences:
             The consequences of tracking students are endless. For one, students who are placed in a higher ability group are granted access to a higher education than those who are placed in a lower learning level. This thus leads to a low self-efficacy level for kids who are not placed in higher group levels because they see that their teachers do not believe in them. This is setting these kids up for failure as well as possibly a low economic placement later in life.
Student Evaluation:
             Students should be able to evaluate the classroom just as much as the teacher and principal should. School is a place where students go 6 hours of the day and a lot of the time, more than that. It is a place they should feel comfortable going and being and happy to be there, this is something that the teachers do not often accomplish. Student evaluations of the way they are taught, and the environment they are taught in could greatly effect the outcomes in the grading system. Rather than guessing if the student like the tracking system, they could vote on it themselves.
Alternatives:
             An alternative to Tracking students would be Grouping. Tracking students doesn't provide a lot of room to move around from different levels of learning, however grouping does. Grouping allows students to be in different group levels according to different subjects of study. For instance, a student could be in the highest level of grouping for algebra, but the lowest level for writing. Once the lesson is done, the student then is able to move into a different group for the next part of the class such as reading and geometry.

Tim Wise

          Maybe it is ignorant of me to think in this way, but I do not agree with the article when they criticize the president of BU's comment on scholarships for minorities only. I 100% agree with the president of BU when he makes the statement "race-based scholarships for people of color are the worst form of bigotry confronting Americans today". This quote makes me really think and evaluate America's state of mind and process of thought. I do not believe that there should be any type of scholarship solely based on somebody's race and color. It would make no sense to reward someone on being hispanic or white or black. If you look up the definition of a scholarship on Google it comes up with "a grant or payment made to support a student's education, awarded on the basis of academic or other achievement''. With this being said, it would absolutely make sense for someone to be awarded a scholarship or grant based upon obstacles one has overcome, race related or not, grades, sports, clubs they belonged to and organizations they or an immediate family member participated in. It is awful what people of different races had, and continue to have to face, however wouldn't it be a form of racism itself to automatically assume that everyone of a color other than white has struggled in their lives and has seen a type of racism? Although it is still fully present, the world is changing and people are not forced to face the excruciating violence and pain that generations before them did. What I do understand is that a majority of the worlds poverty population is made up of minorities but the question is why. Some may say it derives directly from the education system since inner city schools, where most minorities live, can not provide the same education and opportunities as suburban schools. Others may say because racism is seen in the work force where one is denied a promotion or a job itself based on their race, which could be entirely true, but extremely wrong.
              The author then continuous to say "these are not scholarships based on race, but rather, scholarships based on a recognition of racism". This would make much more sense, if it had to make any sense at all, however, these scholarships are solely targeted toward the minorities of the United States. How many times have you ever heard a white person complain about racism? Probably never because if we do, they should wait for a brutal rebuttal because "white people don't know what racism is" but racism is all to real for people of all colors, shapes, and sizes. To summarize my point, if the point of scholarships is to "recognize racism", then it should not be based on color, it should be based on an action that one went through and over came, instead of assuming that every single minority has gone through a traumatic experience. And to clarify, this goes for any scholarship, whether its achievements of caucasians, blacks, hispanics, asians, etc. Overall, Something so powerful and helpful such as scholarships should not be the thing to continue to segregate people based on color which is why I completely disagree with this entire article.

"In Service of What?"

To see so many Political figures on board with a need for change is incredible to me,  not to mention the fact that there were Acts put into place to initiate the start of change, but reading this article opened my eyes to the controversy surrounding it. I had never really realized there were two sides to such a positive thing, but thinking about the opposing side to these acts, it really makes me double think my positive thoughts on the matter. "In service of what?" is a great tittle for this article because that is exactly what I am left wondering. I remember applying to college and being told "you should pick up community service hours to reflect positively on your resume", and then when I got accepted into college they said "you need this amount of community service to graduate" that I am now in the process of completing. I had volunteered for many things throughout high school without any incentive though, but simply just to give back. It is difficult for me to choose one side and say there is or isn't change for a couple simple reasons. One, is because forcing someone to complete service learning does not guarantee that change will occur, only that they have fulfilled a class requirement. The second reason is that I believe it just has to do with the person someone is that determines whether or not change is made. For my self, I have always been a very generous, caring person always willing to take the first step in helping someone. The coffee shop I go to has an older gentleman who comes in all the time to warm up with a cup of hot water before he asks for money on the street. Regardless of how or why he is in the situation he is, I noticed this and have since continued to buy him breakfast and a hot beverage. At first he was hesitant in accepting this, but soon became comfortable enough to keep me company. He doesn't say too much, but I think he enjoys the company and care I provide for him which makes me think I have made a change in this man's life, which ultimately changes mine. I do not put this act of kindness on a community service list, or post it on social media, I simply do it because I know I am making a small change in a big world and a big change in his small world. This should be the moral of everyone's service learning, required or not. If this became the case and students really analyzed the reasons behind the reasons of a problem and ways to prevent it such as Ms. Adam's class did, it would be a HUGE first step in making a small change in a big world and yes, you would be a better person for it.

"Unlearning the Myths that Blind Us"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LibK0SCpIkk

                This is a great link that shows how disney movies and shows from when I was a little kid, were huge influences in teaching kids negatively about racism and gender roles. I still sing the song "we are siamese if you please" but have no idea how it popped into my head or what it even means. Media is one of the main sources which children learn what is good and bad to say and wrong and right to do and a lot of Disney movies portrayed all of the negative things. Media gives us role models to look up to who are not worth role models. Media teaches children that if you are one race, everyone acts the same way, i.e Jersey Shore. This show represents what it means to be Italian; gym, tanning, laundry. This is not how all Italians are, but it is the way media portrays them to be. This then creates a feeling that everyone who is different should aspire to be like a white person so they won't be labeled as dumb, ignorant, etc. This then feeds into why Barbies and American girl dolls are so popular, not to mention expensive, despite the available races, and the nationalities of those children buying them. It seems as though media and toy companies work together to benefit each other. If media says  blonde hair and blue eye girls are the prettiest, toy companies will only make those blonde hair and blue eyed dolls and will make a high profit as well. Media also shows how boys and girls should act, that there is not grey area. Girls should be fragile, dainty, sensitive, emotional, wear dresses, have nice long hair, etc. boys should be strong, brave, emotionless, fearless, etc. If a boy or girl shows the slightest bit of the other sex, they are automatically labeled a homosexual. For example, when I was younger I used to wear my puffy, curly hair slicked back in a low pony tail with a big sweatshirt and jeans. I was very into sports and not so much into looking pretty and boys. However, this does not automatically qualify me to be so. Media sets up these fake expectations for us starting at extremely young ages, fake expectations that every race acts the same and that every gender role acts the same and this can make reality a little shocking to us as we grow up.

Hunger of Memory

While reading this article, I really found myself connecting the main idea with that of An Indian Father's Plea. Both stories really highlight the difficulties of coming from a diverse background and being so culturally different. In the Hunger of Memory article, the author describes his everyday life, which to me seems to be an extremely powerful way to get a point across. He discusses the things he had to endure due to his culture. the boy was two completely different people in and out of school and not because he was a trouble maker, but because he was not as comfortable speaking English as his second language. The boy would rather have been at home, where his culture was accepted and embraced instead of hid and kept quiet. Eventually due to outside forces, the boy's home was forced to become Americanized and rid themselves of their foreign culture. This fits in with An Indian Father's Plea because in this senario the boy comes from a diverse culture which he grew up comfortably in and was suddenly forced to become Americanized due to outside forces at school. These changes in the boy eventually effected his family because they were forced to help him grow in his new culture, having to put aside their own. It is amazing how many opinions an outside influence can have on ones life. In both articles, the boys should have accepted themselves for who they were and where they came from, but when higher authorities are not on your side, I see where it can be difficult to complete this. Unfortunately this happens to kids everyday. From the color to their skin, to their accents, to what they like to eat is all based on their culture and where they are from and is either accepted by fellow peers, or rejected.