This past weekend I went home to NY for my friend Sam’s birthday. My friends and I decided that we were going to something different for Sam’s birthday. We decided we were going to take her into the City for dinner. We found this place called Lips, it’s located in the heart of the west village. This wasn’t just some ordinary restaurant it was a Drag restaurant. The idea just seemed fun. I never would have thought I would be able to make this my diversity event until we sat down to eat. When we arrived at Lips we were seated and it just seemed like any restaurant in the city. I was nice, colorful, and looked like a really awesome place. Our waitress came over and asked us what we wanted to eat and we all ordered. Next thing we knew, lights dimmed down music came on and was fun and energetic and then the Drags came out, they were walking around, dancing and singing. It was awesome. All of a sudden My FNED class popped in my head and I thought this would be a great event to write about.
All of a sudden thoughts were just running through my mind, the type of thoughts that we would probably discuss in class. I was wondering if a man dresses like a women or vice versa which would they prefer to be called, the sex they were born, or the sex they dress up as. I also thought of the “codes of power”, and how I was unfamiliar with the codes of being gay or transgender. I was the minority in this event. This definitely was a Delpit moment for me. So while I was analyzing the performance my friends were like “Nik.. What are you doing come dance with us”, of course I told them to hold on because I was really into picking apart the show. I also thought, what if I was gay or transgender?, how would my friends and family react?, what would they call me?, would they treat me any different?, what would I be like?, how would I dress?, how would I act and talk? My mind was swarming with questions. I honestly just felt like asking one of the performers if I could interview them I was so amazed and curious.
I decided to stop analyzing everything for a little while and go enjoy my friend’s birthday with her. So I got up and danced and some of the drags came over and danced with us. It was a lot of fun. Then the song Beautiful by Christina Aguilera came on and we all lined up put our arms around each other and sang it with all of the Drags. The lyrics are so true in that song, “You are beautiful no matter what they say, Words can't bring you down, you are beautiful in every single way, yes, words can't bring you down”. I feel that everybody has the right to chose who and what they want to be and who is anyone to say anything about it. The men that were dressed as women really were beautiful and you couldn’t even tell that they were men. That’s the amazing part in this whole thing for me you, you don’t know and you don’t judge but the min you find out there different and actually men people start to judge, it’s like why.. You accepted them when you had no idea now you know something and you have a lot to say, REDICULOUSE! The performers were so fun and energetic but then I thought maybe that how they are here because people come her knowing what to expect, but what about on the outside of work, I wondered how they felt. Did they feel lesser of themselves outside of work or proud to be who they are. All I know is that these people were friendly and kind and accepting of me being straight, so all I knew was that I was accepting of them being who they are as a transgender.
Being gay or transgender really doesn’t bother me. I honestly have no problem excepting people for who they are or what they look like. I feel that we are all the same no matter what and that people should respect everyone, everyone has a heart just if their views or values or morals are any different.. it doesn’t make them any different
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Citizenship In School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome
By: Christopher Kliewer
Authors Argument:
Kliewer is arguing that people with disabilities, Down Syndrome especially should not be cast away from the average student in school settings. They should be able to learn at the same level as the other students who do not have disabilities because it alters their learning and deprives them from the full academic experience.
Quotes:
1) "It's about all of us working together, playing together, being together, and that's what learning is. Don't tell me any of these kids are being set up to fail."
I picked this quote because I have felt very strongly for awhile of why special education students are shunned off. They are usually put into their own wing of the building interacting with the same people all the time and through much of their academic career. Life is really no like that, there isn't a bubble to protect them always. If we are trying to involve handicapped people in every day life and want to make it normal, their should be equal involvement in the other classrooms. Students should be together, if special help is needed then that is understandable, but segregating them is not doing anything but teaching more and more that they are different so they don't belong.
2) "They didn't think it was realistic, that she could handle it, that she could handle the job. Here they have her educating America's future, but they're scare to let her work at a movie place."This just shows because a person has special needs or has some handicaps does not mean they are going to sit on a couch for the rest of their lives waiting for people to wait on them hand and foot. These people have brains, and talents, and understandings of the world and how things work. I love the fact that someone with special needs can come back and show up by teaching when they doubted their abilities to work at a movie store. Goes to show to never underestimate people.
3) "Don't think, she said, 'that those special needs kids drain anything. That class would not be half what it is if any one of those kids got segregated. We are all in this together.'"I hope that my classroom when I become a teacher is like this. I feel that special needs children being so much more, more innocence, imagination, and creativity, just because things don't look the same to them as to us doesn't mean its wrong, it means its different and wonderful and full of life. And who wouldn't want a classroom full of life. And thats what they bring life to a whole new meaning.
Comments:
I really enjoyed reading the descriptions of the children and of Shayne. The technical stuff got annoying and I tended to skip over it, but I enjoyed learning about a new portion of special needs. I plan on getting my special education credits and I hope one day I can be a teacher with a classroom with mixed children and it won't matter to me because they are all students willing to learn and I'll embrace it all.
By: Christopher Kliewer
Authors Argument:
Kliewer is arguing that people with disabilities, Down Syndrome especially should not be cast away from the average student in school settings. They should be able to learn at the same level as the other students who do not have disabilities because it alters their learning and deprives them from the full academic experience.
Quotes:
1) "It's about all of us working together, playing together, being together, and that's what learning is. Don't tell me any of these kids are being set up to fail."
I picked this quote because I have felt very strongly for awhile of why special education students are shunned off. They are usually put into their own wing of the building interacting with the same people all the time and through much of their academic career. Life is really no like that, there isn't a bubble to protect them always. If we are trying to involve handicapped people in every day life and want to make it normal, their should be equal involvement in the other classrooms. Students should be together, if special help is needed then that is understandable, but segregating them is not doing anything but teaching more and more that they are different so they don't belong.
2) "They didn't think it was realistic, that she could handle it, that she could handle the job. Here they have her educating America's future, but they're scare to let her work at a movie place."This just shows because a person has special needs or has some handicaps does not mean they are going to sit on a couch for the rest of their lives waiting for people to wait on them hand and foot. These people have brains, and talents, and understandings of the world and how things work. I love the fact that someone with special needs can come back and show up by teaching when they doubted their abilities to work at a movie store. Goes to show to never underestimate people.
3) "Don't think, she said, 'that those special needs kids drain anything. That class would not be half what it is if any one of those kids got segregated. We are all in this together.'"I hope that my classroom when I become a teacher is like this. I feel that special needs children being so much more, more innocence, imagination, and creativity, just because things don't look the same to them as to us doesn't mean its wrong, it means its different and wonderful and full of life. And who wouldn't want a classroom full of life. And thats what they bring life to a whole new meaning.
Comments:
I really enjoyed reading the descriptions of the children and of Shayne. The technical stuff got annoying and I tended to skip over it, but I enjoyed learning about a new portion of special needs. I plan on getting my special education credits and I hope one day I can be a teacher with a classroom with mixed children and it won't matter to me because they are all students willing to learn and I'll embrace it all.
Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Schooling
By: Jean Anyon
Author's Argument:
During this article, Anyon argues that students based on economic backgrounds are being schooled to be ready for certain jobs and professions. The "working class" students are being prepared to grow up to also have "blue collar" jobs and the executive elite school studnets were being prepared to have white collar jobs, such as lawyers and doctors.
Quotes:
1) "One teacher explained to me, 'Simple punctuation is all they'll ever use.'"
This quote is saying working class people only need to know the basics because they won't need any of the in-depth stuff because they won't use it. While higher class schools emphasize the importance of the complex language of English.
2) "The teacher's attempt to control the class involves constant negotiation. She does not give direct orders unless she is angry because the children have been too noisy. Normally, she tries to get them to foresee the consequences of their actions and to decide accordingly."
This is pretty interesting he is changing the way kids think that they don't have a voice in the classroom. When the teacher attempts to negotiate with his/ her students shows the kids that they are trying to work on the communication with teacher's. That gives the students a great feeling of belongingness.
3)"The four 5th grade teachers observed in the working class schools attempted to control classroom time and space by making decisions without consulting the children and without explaining the basis for their decision."
I'm not sure what author it is that we got the quote from in class, but its is something like we do the things we do but do we know why we do what we do. The school being lower class, the teachers don't really care about the students learning and becoming successful in society.
Comments:
This was an interesting article. I felt it was pretty easy to read and had a lot of true, but eye-opening information. Its one of those things you know goes on and you think about it, but you never really expect it. Being form a public school I always talk crap about private schools just because I don't like the whole idea of paying to get a "better" education.
By: Jean Anyon
Author's Argument:
During this article, Anyon argues that students based on economic backgrounds are being schooled to be ready for certain jobs and professions. The "working class" students are being prepared to grow up to also have "blue collar" jobs and the executive elite school studnets were being prepared to have white collar jobs, such as lawyers and doctors.
Quotes:
1) "One teacher explained to me, 'Simple punctuation is all they'll ever use.'"
This quote is saying working class people only need to know the basics because they won't need any of the in-depth stuff because they won't use it. While higher class schools emphasize the importance of the complex language of English.
2) "The teacher's attempt to control the class involves constant negotiation. She does not give direct orders unless she is angry because the children have been too noisy. Normally, she tries to get them to foresee the consequences of their actions and to decide accordingly."
This is pretty interesting he is changing the way kids think that they don't have a voice in the classroom. When the teacher attempts to negotiate with his/ her students shows the kids that they are trying to work on the communication with teacher's. That gives the students a great feeling of belongingness.
3)"The four 5th grade teachers observed in the working class schools attempted to control classroom time and space by making decisions without consulting the children and without explaining the basis for their decision."
I'm not sure what author it is that we got the quote from in class, but its is something like we do the things we do but do we know why we do what we do. The school being lower class, the teachers don't really care about the students learning and becoming successful in society.
Comments:
This was an interesting article. I felt it was pretty easy to read and had a lot of true, but eye-opening information. Its one of those things you know goes on and you think about it, but you never really expect it. Being form a public school I always talk crap about private schools just because I don't like the whole idea of paying to get a "better" education.
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