Running into my SL student at work!

I saw one of the students from my Service learning project at my work (Fantasyland-mini-golf & family center) yesterday. I'm operating the Ferris wheel, when, all of a sudden...

"OMG it's Miss Jewelry! She's my teacher! Miss Jewelry!  Miss Jewelry!".

Now, I tell the class constantly my name is Julie but for some reason some of them think it's Jewelry. The little girl goes on and on about how I help with math. Her and friends are on the ride and each time they go around  hear the words..."Miss Jewelry" "helps" "math" & "nice". They finally get off, all her friends are calling Miss Jewelry and even some other costumers in line. "Bye Miss Jewelry! see you at school!"

I found that to be an interesting visit:)

In the Service of what?? By Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer (quotes)

The article this week by Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer made me think a lot about my service learning experience and how important it truly is. I feel like I am learning a lot through my experience and I’m anxious to see how it will end and hopefully I’ll take what I’ve learn and apply it to the future.

Educators and legislators alike maintain that service learning can improve the community and invigorates the classroom, providing rich educational experiences for students at all levels of schooling.
 

A very popular quote this week and agree that it’s important. It’s like give and take. The experience that service learning provides is great, the observer and student get so much out of it.  One learns how to understand the workings of a community, see what the students see. In my service learning experience I help a class with math, I can see that the students struggle greatly but will the one on one help in seeing an improvement and excitement in the students that they are understanding the material in class.

 

The importance of a meaningful reflective component becomes clearer when one considers the kind of deliberation and student empowerment that such a curriculum can foster.

The example given after this quote was Ms. Adam’s class. The student is given the power to take the topic they were exposed to and understand a different lifestyle for children can greatly affect them. Service learning is basically you teaching you a different situation people deal with, putting yourself in that situation and understanding the obstacles others must go through. The learning is in your hands, you have the power to interpret your experiences, just like the middle schoolers did with their essays.

““In what service of what” is a question that inevitably merits the attention of teachers, policy makers, and academicians who take seriously the idea that learning and service reinforce each other and should come together in America’s schools.”


The very last line but is a powerful quote to me, straight to the point. Just break down the phrase “service” volunteering for a community, “Learning” learn from your experience.  I feel that having Service learning in schools does in fact help the students so much especially the youngest ones. Also it gives a glimpse of what educators see daily in their own classroom, which for me is extremely valuable since I plan to be a future educator.

In class I hope to discuss everyone’s view on service learning and see if their experiences are helpful to them.
Service Learning Ideas :)

Forgot a link :)

Ah!! forgot to put a link!! I found a blog that talked about the problems of Disney princesses and talked about some of the "Missing Disney princesses" I thought it related and was interesting to read.

Problems with Disney princesses! =o

Unlearning the myths that bind us By: Linda Christensen (Arugment)

This author Linda Christensen argues that the media that children are expose to ideas that can control what they want to believe, whether it is through Disney movies or in cartoons in general.  Stereotyping in cartoons automatically lead children to believe that they are certain roles in life; women need saving, the beautiful are successful, the fat and ugly are buffoons and people of color are always the servant. 

“At one point of the cartoon, Popeye clips a dog collar on helpless Olive Oyl and drags her through the desert.” Children are affect so much by cartoons, this example alone gives girls the idea that it’s perfectly fine to be the damsel in distress and gives boys the idea that girls can’t do anything for themselves just let the men do everything and save the day.  

“people of color and poor people are either absent or servants to the rich, white, pretty people” is a comment one of Christensen students points out during the film viewings. It is this kind of ideas that can in lead a child to be racist, which is another point Christensen makes. Having people of color shown as a set down from the main characters will have children think they are inferior if they are not white or rich.

Christensen points were not to prove how horrible cartoons are and shouldn’t be shown, it was to help and have people notice the hidden messages that kids might pick up and believe.

“Instead of…..standing around with their hands on their hips, shaking their heads about how bad the world is, I provided them the opportunity to make a difference.”

In class I hope to talk about what differences can we make and if anyone else feels affected by watching cartoons with hidden messages (knowing what they are now.)

Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community by Dennis Carlson (reflection with video)

As I read this article I originally planned to do just do quotes, but as I continued reading I thought of a great friend from middle and high school. He was the nicest guy you’d ever meet, and a few days after graduation he came out to me. I was shocked but I didn’t think any different of him. There have been moments where he was accused of being gay but never confirmed or denied. He told me there were many times he wanted to tell but was fearful of my reaction.  He even explained one of the days he felt ready to “come out” and knew I would be accepting, it was one of the last days in our homeroom class he asked me to make him a rainbow bracelet for a gay/straight parade he was attending and he wanted some colorful gear (because….instead of catching up on important reading for my classes I would make a bunch of bracelets during homeroom) so of course I pleased to help out.  As he told me this I remembered his face when I gave it to him he was so happy I did this for him, it even seemed like he wanted to share something with me but the bell rings, he smiles and says thank you.

I never thought the simple gesture of making a bracelet would make my friend so happy. He told me it wasn’t the bracelet itself but the fact I got out of my way to make something that represented something he believed in.  Another reason why I thought of him throughout the article was because he plans on becoming an elementary school teacher and I know he be a great teacher. J

There was a quote from the article that bothered me. “the dismissal of gay teachers was legitimated as a way of keeping young people from being exposed to improper role models…”

I find that to be so false, I never had a homosexual teacher(so I thought) but ones sexual orientation cannot be seen as a factor of an improper role model, that’s just nonsense. There is more to a person than if they're gay or straight, anyone can be inspiration to a child, they just have to have to right character.

I hope to bring up in class if anyone has ever had gay teacher? I'm curious to see what expirences other classmates had in high school.

I found this on YouTube video about teachers in the UK I thought was related to the topic.

Aria By Richard Rodriguez (Reflection)

Richard Rodriguez's article sounded extremely familiar in the best way. It reminds me of my own life. Both my parents were born in Portugal and decided to come to America after they were married. My parents wanted to give my brother and I every opportunity possible. Today we still use Portuguese as our main language at home yet from time to time switch over to English.

Before for starting school my brother didn't know a word of English because my parents only spoke Portuguese to him. I feel like after he started school he brought the English language home. When I was born I would speak Portuguese with my parents and English to my brother which started the habit of going back and forth from English to Portuguese.

Once I starting school my mother had a difficult time speaking to me, she would say something in Portuguese and I would stare blankly at her. “I easily noted the difference between classroom language and the language at home” this quote made by Rodriguez perfectly sums up how I realized the difference between the languages I was exposed to. Afraid of losing our culture my mother enrolled my brother and I in a Portuguese school so that we could learn to read and write in Portuguese. At the time I dreaded going only because it would be regular school, then after school, more school….that was in Portuguese. Today I’m glad my mom enrolled us because I know how important Portugal is to my parents and to able to share the language of their homeland is really special to me.

The difference between the author and I was that my parents wanted to keep our original language at home yet still be able to use the “public language” every now and then. I believe learning languages is extremely important, it gives an individual the opportunity to travel one day simply be well knowledge. I am so passionate about languages that I decided to take French in high school instead of Portuguese because I wouldn’t be helping myself if I just took a class of a language I already know.

I am so pleased to know that I haven’t lost connection to my culture. My father tells me daily how he is proud of my brother and I of how we appreciate our language and where we came from. One day when I have a family I would like to teach my children the language my parents taught me and share with them the saying my mother always tells me “Eu Quero que fazes bem” I want you to do well.

I went to Canada this weekend for my cousin’s wedding (a very Portuguese wedding of course) and thought it would be fun to share a link about a daycare in Toronto that offers to teach French to young children of bilingual families.

Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol (Quotes)

     Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol was an extremely emotional reading. It broke my heart reading about what the people especially the children mentioned in the story and ones not mention, and what go through day in and day out. Clearly a different read from McIntosh's "White Privilege" article. It bothers me to know this truly happens in our world and how unjustly it is.

      My first quote is one that stayed in my mind during the whole reading “You just cover up…and hope you wake up the next morning”, made by a father of four during a cold night in December. I feel this is the thought of every family has in winter. It’s frightening to know that one is aware of their poor surrounding and can’t do much but hope to pull through it all. It makes me think twice about complaining about the cold ever again.

      “The medical waste incinerator, a new-looking building, is gunmetal blue on top and cinder block below. From one its metal sliding-doors, which is half-open, a sourly unpleasant odor drifts into the street. Standing in front of the building, Cliffie grumbles slightly but does not seem terribly concerned. “You sure that you don’t want a cookie?”” The fact that Cliffie walks by that building everyday knowing what happens there and doesn’t seem to frighten is one of disbelief. It’s like doesn’t bother him a building like that is in his community. I’m sure other children aren’t as brave as young Cliffie. If I were a child growing up there I’d be so afraid and would probably take extra measures to avoid that building and the smell.

     “The bed is covered with blood and bandages from someone else. Flowers are scattered on the floor. Toilet’s stopped with toilet paper. Bed hasn’t been made. I’d been through this once before. Either you wait hours until someone cleans the room or else you clean the room yourself.” This third quote illustrated to me the conditions of hospital rooms many from this area have witnessed time and time again. But what shock me the most was “clean it yourself” isn’t the point of a hospital to help? This isn’t a comforting area for people in need of help. So many don’t seek help probably because of the poor conditions presented. Also the set up in the waiting room, Why stay in the waiting when there’s a chance you’ll catch an extra something from the man next to you coughing up blood or the child behind you vomiting. 


One point I’d like to bring up in class is about the children. I feel that children experiencing such a traumatizing environment should  not happen in our society.