Bumper Sticker

I was driving home from ISU today, and I saw this bumper sticker:

"I work 40 hours a week to be poor."

I started to laugh, and then I remembered all we had been talking about and it actually made me sad. And then I started thinking about the person actually driving the vehicle. Was the person actually poor? Obviously he/she had a car. Then I had to think, what does that driver identify as poor? I mean, compared to the rest of the residents of Wheaton, my family is poor because we are working class. But we are by no means living in a one bedroom apartment sharing one car and barely able to afford the bills (ok, well maybe the bills are a struggle, but anyway...). So I guess poor is a realtive thing, and I would have liked the opportunity to actually talk to that driver and learn his/her understanding and definition of "being poor." Just wanted to share that wiht y'all. I'm hoping people still plan to read this! haha

Immigration....Helping The Students, vs. Punishing The Parents.

Ok...so last night' class got pretty intense, and I know that within my small group, I sparked some defininte heat--bows and arrows were probally being visually shot my way. But, that's ok-on an issue like this, I'm all about sharing my thoughts, for sometimes I feel that other people may feel the same way, they just don't want to say it. But, from my Diversity class with Greg in the summer, I'm use to it. I also needed a night to kind of cool off, and take a breather, for I left the class very heated, and I just didn't want to post with anger and blood to my ears and not listening or thinking clearly, I tend to do that.

Here is goes.....I feel that if you are an illegal immigrant living within the United States, and you get caught here illegally, too bad so sad! Work it out! WAIT! Before the evil comments come flying my way--I do recogonize that it isn't the easiest process and that living here in America is probally way better then in Mexico, or where ever your home country is, but still. When we look back into our history like Greg was talking about doing, look at the Irish Immigrants that came into this country. My family is predominatly Irish, so yes, I am an a decendent of immigrants as well, and I recongize that--but still. My family bust their asses to get where they are today. My Great-Grandfather who came here straight off the boat, for the predjuices, and dirty looks, and the, "No Irish Need Apply." But, that never stoppped him. He went through the citienship process, he learned to speak English when all he knew was Galelic, and he became a top guy in the Labor Union World. He payed his dues, so that his ancestors, being my family and myself, didn't have to go through some of the things that the illigal immigrants children are going through. SO, my question is....what has changed from then till now?

With that said, I like Dakota am all about and in favor of The Dream Act. I do not feel that the children should have to pay for the mistakes, or maybe not mistakes, but misfourtunes of their parents, but like he said, that could be abused, and then the whole act would be a sham! We wouldn't want that now, would we? Yes, this does sound like am I saying to punish the parents, but you can't live life blaming other people for everything that has haappened to you--there needs to be some ownership for your life. I think that it great that they are getting out of their coutry where it sucks, but there is always a cause and effect to everything that happens in life, and I feel that people forget that, when it comes to this issue.

Finally, it may seem that I am this non-compassionate heartless bitch, but I am not tryin to be. There was talk last night about looking at things on a case-by-case basis, but that imposssible! If that were the case, then to hell with the rules! That's what that sounds like to me! We can't do that, we live in a society that needs rules and structure; they just need to be reformed and reevaluted, so that everyone can win, or that the process of becoming a citizen doesn't take 7 years.
And, I agree with what Robert said, "We are all every other's country trash!" Our ancestors were immigrants, and they worked to get where they are today--and I feel that immigrants in this country should do that same.

Alright--send the flaming bows and arrows my way!

Dream Act

After class yesterday I was really interested in what we had discussed about the Dream Act. I might be in the minority on this, but I had never heard of this act before. (unfortunatedly im not up -to date on new policies that are pending.)I re-read the information sheet we got in class and I think that it was very much on target. It's terrible for hardworking students to be denied a chance at citizenship, therefore being excluded from some benefits that students that are already citizens do. To me, the crucial condition in this policy is that they must be good and hardworking students who have never gotten in trouble. The Dream Act states that these teenagers must haved lived more than 5 years in the United States prior to high school graduation. During this time, if they respected authority, were conscientious students, and showed moral responsibility, then I feel they are likely to continue in this pattern. I think it would be terrible for their schooling to have to end because they are not citizens. Also, this law would essentially grant them temporary citizenship and if they fullfilled their obligations, then they would be permanent citizens. I think that these are exactly the type of people we would want to become citizens. I don't think good people should be punished or at the very least give the kids a chance if they have already been working hard to prove themselves. Just some of my own thoughts but I would like to hear what everyone else's thoughts were on the Dream Act .-Have a good spring break everyone!

Continuing tonight's conversation

"Illegal immigration into the United States is a highly profitable proposition for both employers and the US government, and it also benefits Mexico, which is the largest source country of undocumented immigrants into the US." Deborah White (http://usliberals.about.com/od/immigration/a/IllegalImmi.htm)

" Our findings show that many of the preconceived notions about the fiscal impact of illegal households turn out to be inaccurate. In terms of welfare use, receipt of cash assistance programs tends to be very low, while Medicaid use, though significant, is still less than for other households. Only use of food assistance programs is significantly higher than that of the rest of the population. Also, contrary to the perceptions that illegal aliens don't pay payroll taxes, we estimate that more than half of illegals work "on the books." On average, illegal households pay more than $4,200 a year in all forms of federal taxes. Unfortunately, they impose costs of $6,950 per household." (http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html)

Just a few quotes I found today after coming home from class. I fear that we get lost in the media hype, the skewed way that we read, see, and hear about undocumentented people living in this country. We lump these people into one catagory because it's hard to see them as part of OUR life. When we see them, we can't picture them sitting with us on our dining room table enjoying a family dinner. It's easier to turn a blind eye to their needs since they don't look like us. Now I offer no solution to this as I am merely a college student with minimal experience with US budgets and politics and what not. But I do hope that us as future educators and future parents and decent human beings can see past this "me first" ideal and teach our children to be open compassionate individuals.
We will survive...the united states is the most affluent country in the Free world. Even the poorest have at least one television in their home...that should tell us exactly how well off we are.
Last comment, if we are donating funds to impoverished countries all around the world, how dare we neglect the ones who do come here and work hard not to take but to contribute. Food for thought.
 By the way, I wish everyone a fun spring break.

Language Discussion

To touch on a sensitive issue, I am curious to find out people's reactions and opinions about something that I heard recently. I was talking with my cousin the other day, and she told me something that she said really irritated her. She then went on telling me that the Disney channel had played the Premier of the second Cheetah girls movies in Spanish before they played it in English. Please..PLEASE do not jump down my throat when I say this, but that made me, I do not want to say mad, but for lack of a better word "mad." At this, I was just wondering what everyone else thought about this.

The Hidden Suburbia

I grew up in an all white community, went to all white schools, when myself and another family, made up the Hispanic population at my school. I watched people when I was in high school (talking specifically about the negative, and that is not to say there was only negative, because that is not true), and I saw the things that they were getting into trouble with, and I also saw how easy it was for them to get out of the trouble. So when I learn more about urban education, and the negative stereotypes people have about it, it makes me question why people do not see the negative things youths are doing in suburban schools? Answering my own question, I feel that even though many of the same things that happen in suburban school as urban school, suburbia has done an extremely good job of hiding what goes on in their towns. I feel they able to hid it because they have the money to do so, they do not have negative stereotypes that minorities unfortunately have, so very little attention is paid to their mistakes. This frustrates me, to know that one group is constantly being seen as “good”, while the other is seen as “bad.” I am curious to know what you guys think, is it fair to same that suburbia has done a good job of hiding their mistakes? This is still a thought I am trying to work out, so please offer your opinions.

Reaction to "What Will Become of Children Like Miguel Fernandez?"

While reading this article, I couldn't help but think of how I would deal with the problems at Miguel's school if I was a teacher there. I think that teachers in over-crowded and under-funded schools can't completely stop these problems on their own but they can help make the classrooms more efficient for learning. Yesterday in group discussion we talked a little about things we could do to improve the quality of education. I just wanted to share some of our ideas with the rest of the class and see if anyone had any others.
One idea was to have a box of extra school supplies that were set aside for students that can't afford to buy them. Someone had a great idea to let friends and family know about what you are doing and ask if they could donate just one thing to the class. There are a lot of materials that are needed for school and if everyone just donated one item at family function or when friends get together then that might really help the students in the class who are struggling. Another great idea someone had was to have speakers come into the class that would be willing to donate their time. I was thinking that this could be someone representing a scholarship program but it could also just be someone who discusses their profession or trade. Also, museum tour guides may be willing to donate some of their time to speak. Someone else had a good idea to look for grants to purchase things that the students otherwise would never obtain, such as the disposable cameras from the video we watched. Class field trips that would enhance the learning experience would be good for a hands-on activity. Museums may offer a student discount or may be willing to waive the fees for entire classrooms. These are just a few of the ideas and if anyone thought of anything else feel free to share.

Reflection on "Juvies"

Reflecting back on the movie "Juvies" makes me think about the children I've grown up with and my little brothers, sisters, cousins, and family friends. I could see them in those children in the movie and it hit me hard. Children are callled children for a reason. They have yet to develop the proper cognitive skills for rational mature thinking. Punishing children as adults is fruitless. It is taking away their lives before they had a chance to begin. Children should be corrected and lead down a positive path while still respecting their backgrounds and upbringings. I think of my sister who is 19 now and how many times she makes my hand slap against my forehead in frustration at the stupid ignorant things she can say and do and to think of one of her many horrible judgements landing her in jail for her natural life scares me. A life is precious no matter who's it is and all prisoners should have services to help rehabilitate them to be functional members of societies but it should be in place especially with the younger ones who have yet to start their lives in the real world.

The Balwin article "A Talk to Teachers," really spoke to me. Though it is outdated, I feel alot of it still applies today and not only to Black students but all minorities. We are expected to love our country, especially in this time of war, but our country does not love us. Instead they allow the continued segregation of inviduals with in neighborhoods and schools, they still permit the systematic oppression of people from diverse backgrounds, and do not push the promotion of people from various backgrounds. But if we complain about this system what do we hear? "Why don't you go back to your own country?" This comment I've heard said around me and said to me many times.
Baldwin says "...societies really, ideally, want is a citizenry which all simply obey the rules of society." It is easier to run a society when there aren't many going against the grain. Moving with the flow keeps everyone happy and ignorant that not everything is rosy and bright to the point that even now racism has become an invisible problem. We all know it's there but we can't see it.
Until we bring this invisible problem to light and work against the system to change this, minority students will continue to hear comments like "Go back to your own country," when they finally stand up and speak against the injustices of this country they are supposed to love.

Does Race Take Away From The Real Meaning of Teaching

Today I was watching TV, and though the show was good but it was a concept that I had seen before. It was called Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell story and it was similar to the Ron Clark story and others like it. It was a white teacher in a black school playing a superhero role, so I feel. I think I feel this way because when minority teachers go in and teach minority or white students, they arent on TV for it. I read an article where a white teacher left a school less then a year after he started because he felt disillusioned by pupils who struggled, parents who weren't involved and the constant pressure to meet state achievement standards. "It's not because of race issues," he says. "It's about where you feel comfortable." I did not choose this career path because of money, I chose it because I want to make a difference. Schools that have students that struggle and parents who arent involved is not going to make me feel uncomfortable. So was his reason for leaving not really a race issue? He felt more comfortable teaching high-performing fourth-graders at a wealthy, mostly white Atlanta school. Now, not all white teachers leave, in this same article I read, one teacher said, "I really see no difference in what my job is, whether the students are black or white. They're children. It's my job to teach." There are also black teachers who grow up in this poor, low-income areas and they "sellout" by going to this schools where it is easier for them to teach. I feel if your not working hard, if your not making a difference, then your not doing your job. But I do wish that these "based on a true story" shows would stop showing white teachers as superheros, it makes me feel like black teachers, or minority teachers in general aren't out there doing what they are doing to make a difference and I beg to differ. Whether they're white, black, rich or poor, they all have needs and as a teacher, white, black Asian or Chinese, you are suppose to be there, not cop-out.

Diversity Education Conference

I also went to the Diversity Education Conference and thought that the keynote speaker, Bill Ayers, dicussed some very valuable topics for teachers. He believes that believing you know everything as a teacher can be very dangerous. I think this as well because we can learn from our students too. Ayers went on to explain that teachers are not the ultimate vessels of knowledge but that the best teaching involves a dialogue in which teacher and student learn together. I thought that it was interesting that he made the same observation that we did in class about Hollywood movies. These movies tend to follow the same pattern with one teacher that is the "savior" and has to sacrifice something for the good of their students. I think that this could discredit the students. I also agreed with Bill Ayers belief that their are negative effects of labeling students, such as "at risk." He mentions that labels should be resisted because it stifles the student's potential. I think that labels can also cause teachers to form judgements right away about what the students can and cannot do. There are some vaild arguments for why there is a need for labels but I just wonder if they do more harm then good. One thing that Bill Ayers spoke about that inspired me was that teachers should be passionate about something in their lives so their students can model after them.

Actively Antiracist

One of the conversations that I believe is at the core of fulfilling the intentions of this class is the one from the Defining Racism article about moving the opposite way on the moving walkway and how this can be done. This article calls many of the alarming acts and consequences of racism to our attention, and it is a good reminder to be conscious of these situations. It goes a step further to suggest that the only way for white people in this society to avoid racism and promote change is to be "actively antiracist". It goes on to explain that racism is bigger than individual prejudice acts and that it is also due to the fact that all of us are born into and inherit an entire political and social system that is racist. How can we change that? What are some steps that we can take to be "actively antiracist"? What are some steps that we can take to go a step further and actually promote CHANGE? If all white people are benefiting from the White Privilege, how can we change that? Although we have mentioned some suggestions before, I think that this makes for a great discussion and it is a really great thing to focus on, especially among future teachers that are working towards change in communities in which many of the inhabitants are getting the brunt of the racist system.

"Mexican" Jobs

Since I have been taking this class, I have been trying to keep my eyes open more to the subtle prejudices, misconceptions, or discrimination that occurs in day-to-day life. I had some interesting feedback due to my new jobs this semester, and it kind of reminds me of the discussion my group was having last week about the "faceless" people that do the jobs that are often considered to be the "menial" jobs. It also seemed relevant to some of the issues brought up in "So Mexicans Are Taking Our Jobs" and "And What Will Become of Children Like Miguel Fernandez".

It is clear that certain jobs carry a stigma with them. I experienced an example of this through my own experience in minimum wage campus dining jobs. For the last two years, I have been working a few shifts a week for minimum wage campus dining service jobs. In previous semesters I worked at a deli and a bakery. This semester I was placed at both Burger King and Pizza Hut. Since I accepted jobs this semester at both venues, I have been getting very different reactions from others than I ever got when I worked at the deli or the bakery. Reactions I got included:
"Wow, your parents are going to be proud!" (sarcastically)
"Why would you want to work there? These are mostly Mexican jobs."
"Why don't you just work at Subway with your sister? Those jobs are much trashier."

In continuing the conversation with the ISU student who made the comment about a minimum wage Burger King job being trashier than a minimum wage Subway job. He had no rationale to support his comparison between Subways and Burger King. When we continued to talk he said that "as 'the big house with a white fence and a dog' is the stereotypical image of success, working at a low-paying fast food establishment is the stereotypical image of failure." He also went into a "what about the adults who consider this their career" speech.

The second statement that I encountered which labeled minimum wage fast food jobs as "Mexican jobs" reminded me of the article "And What Will Become of Children Like Miguel Fernandez" by Pedro A. Noguera. The article addresses the idea that "Latinos are trapped in the lowest paying jobs" and that they "specialize in doing the dirty work, the work that U.S.-born Americans reject".

These comments really struck a nerve with me and they brought to life how real some of these issues are. I wonder how other people would react to such statements and how people reacted to the article and the poem.

Taking account of class in the classroom

We talked in class last week about the impact of poverty on people's lives and some of the stereotypical assumptions educators make about poor children and families. As Sue Books explained in the chapter we read from her book, people in the U.S. aren't poor due to character flaws or an absolute scarcity of money--instead, poverty results from the structure of our capitalist economic system and wrongheaded policy choices.

Here's a good (and fairly short) article from the latest issue of Teaching Tolerance that echoes that critique and takes it one step further with suggestions on what teachers can do to transform their practice in ways that will take account of poverty without making assumptions or sweeping generalizations about students.

(Note: The link above will take you to the home page of Teaching Tolerance. Click "The lastest issue of Teaching Tolerance" (under the artwork of the girl's face), then you'll see a link to the article on the right--it's called "The Question of Class" by Paul Gorski.)

A Column I Read

For one of my other classes, we were talking about how much money the big company CEO's get, and how unfair it is compared to other people.

Somebody mentioned that the President of State Farm a few years back ended up earning something like an 80% raise.

At the same time State Farm also tried to weasel its way out of paying off claims for Hurricane Katrina victims (until a class action lawsuit demaned they do so).

Out teacher told us the read the following column to discuss in class, and I found it to be somewhat infuriating. I was just wondering what other people thought, since it has some times to idea of poverty and education.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/op-ed/navarrette/20070221-9999-lz1e21navar.html

The city that works?

Jenn asked me in class last week what I thought about Mayor Daley getting re-elected for a sixth--yes, sixth--term. Many casual observers believe Chicago has flourished under Daley, but their observations are usually about cosmetic improvements ("It's so much cleaner!" and "Millenium Park is so pretty!"). It's worth asking, though, who has really benefitted and who has suffered during Daley's time in office? Does "the city that works" work equally well for all?

For those who are interested, here's a clear-eyed assessment of Daley's record and where Chicago is as a city (including its schools): "He's Going to Win (and Here's Why You Should Vote Against Him Anyway)." It was written by Ben Joravsky and published a few days before the election in the Chicago Reader.

Job Offerings

This past Tuesday I went to the Educators' Job Fair, and I was just being nosey and looking around seeing if my elementary or high school was there. But I ended up leaving prematurely because I was constantly annoyed by recruiters. They would as me questions about what I want to teach and what grade level, and there were dozens that would come up to me at once. Okay I understand that there is a great need for male teachers in the elementary grades and even more need for colored males in education in general. This is a question or more of a testimony for my other males and colored folks, do you ever feel that you are being hired or getting a lot of attention due to the need to fill a quota? I may be tripping but I am really nervous that I might not be qualified for the accolades that I receive but I receive them because the color of my skin not the content of character. I know this was brought up in class once, but I just figured out how to start my own topic!!!

Working to Stay Poor

So, I was thinking about the budget worksheet we did in class. The title on the worksheet was something like working to stay poor...but we didn't really talk about what I think of when I consider that statement. Then, I attended a sociology class and they were talking about economic status and the poor as well...which was weird. Someone in the class posed the question that some people are trying to stay poor so they can get a check each month. He even went to high school with people who said they couldn't wait to turn 18 and receive their check in the mail. Now, although the kid had a negative spin on that towards poor people...he brings up a good point. The professor said that there has been no evidence or studies that proved people try to stay poor. I beg to differ. And this is why:
Now, I don't know if I'm just thinking of a different issue..but from experience, I think that the financial aid and federal aid is set up so that people have to try to stay poor. For example, in my family, my mom is a full time mom and my dad has been unemployed for 6 years. We are surviving because my parents are the world's best savers when the money was good. For last year, when we were applying for financial aid, we put 0 as our income. Add to that the fact that I'm a RA, and I was basically getting paid to come to school. Not only did my parents not have to pay anything, but I got checks in the mail for a lot of money. For this year, my dad is still unemployed, but he got some freelance work to get a few grand. So we didn't get to put 0 as our income...and as a result we got 0 financial aid. But we are still unemployed and are beginning to struggle. But since we could put a few grand for our annual income AND being a RA hurts me this time, because then room and board is paid for...so we get nothing from aid. The same thing occurs for any kind of aid people get. The moment they cross over into another category..so from drowning to gasping for air basically...their aid decreases tremedously. So why try and get a slightly better job? Why even look? Why try? I just don't understand how that system can possible help anyone. Am I not understanding it properly? What do you all think? cause just letting you know...I'm PISSED. Sorry for the language Greg.

Racism and Class

I keep finding that what we are talking about in this class relates to what I am reading about in my EAF 228 class. Today, I was reading about "Capitalism, Class, and the Matrix of Domination" in Allan G. Johnson's book Privilege, Power and Difference (2nd ed.). One of the opening sentences really caught my attention.

"White racism hasn't been around very long -- hardly more than several centuries and certainly not as long as peoples now considered 'white' have been aware of other 'races.' Its appearance in Europe and the Americas occurred right along with the expansion of capitalism as an economic system" (Johnson 41).

After reading this, I suddenly realized why it is so hard to separate class and race; racial discrimination was created to preserve a class system as a part of the larger capitalist economy. The author goes on to explain why this is true by citing historical facts like the use of slave labor, low working wages, and creating divisions among the "masses." All of these things help the dominant, privileged (white) class to turn money into more money.

Have any of you ever realized this connection before? Do you agree with what this author thinks about the connection between racism and class? Why or why not? I'm really interested in what everyone thinks.

Zero Tolerance

I wanted to write my thoughts about this earlier and now that the topic keeps coming up in other classes I really wanted to touch on this. So in the article Zero Tolerance as Mandatory Sentencing, I really agreed with one section that stated, " These recent zero tolerance policies do not take into account whether a student knew he or she had the object that is deemed to be a weapon, or intended to do any harm." Also, that "zero tolerance" really doesn't have anything to do with tolerance but everything to do with one-size-fits-all mandatory punishment. That jumped out at me the most because its true. I feel that the Zero Tolerance policy needs to be re-defined. A punishment needs to be handled on a trial by trial basis. A weapon doesn't have to be anything sharp or with some kind of point and a lot of people don't understand that. If a 6'4, 300 lb student who is heavy handed decides to attack somebody smaller then him with a hard cover textbook and bludgeons that person to death, then that book has just been used as a weapon. Has it not? How can you apply the same expulsion rules to a six year old as to a seventeen -year old? I think thats absolutely absurd.

So, what do you think about the Zero Tolerance policy?