Teaching to Change the World- Jeannie Oakes & Martin Lipton

Teaching to Change the World is about...

ideologies

Power

Myths

Privilege

Advantages

Disadvantages

Poverty

Economic conditions

Social condition

Scientific management

Opportunities

Segregation

Schools

Manufacturing

Argument

Oakes and Lipton argues that myths of merit, competition, progress and scientific efficiency characterizes American culture and schools which prevents schools and society from democratic possibilities.

Evidence

1. " Students who have the resources,opportunities and connectione that come with the priveldge,the more ambitious and hardworking may well go farther than those who simply do okay in school" (19).

2. "Americans belief that sucess in school (and life) follows from ability and aspirations masks the reality that schooling, within the broad social structure, favors children from priveldge families"(19).

These quotes show how myth of merit and progress charecterize American schools by preventing social quality. Priveldge is a major factor to preventing social equality in schools.

3. "[...] The "decline" in school achievment and the decline in the national economic preminence- [...] caused by an emphasis on equity issues such as desegragation and compensary education. Schools were told that they must find ways for their test scores to improve students achievements[...] but programs designed to help them do that were cut back"(27).

Points to share/ Questions or Comments

This article was intresting but not was intrestin as the other articles we've read in class. According to Oaks and Lipton family background seemed to determine how well students do at school. In some ways I agree with this statement while in some ways I do not. My family does not come from a wealthy family and like some families my family has been through financial issues. Due to my family situations, I've always wanted more for my life and never wanted to be in the same financial situation my entire life. In my case, my family background did determine how well I did in high school and how far I wanted to go with my education, which is attending college.But this isn't the case for EVERY student. A family canbe wealthy...full of doctors and lawyers but have a child who does not want to go beyond high school. Or a student can be from a poor family and never even complete high school or even go beyond grad school. I believe a students family has an influence on their education but the family background does not necessarily determine how well they do in school.

Beauty and the Beast/ What it Feels Like for a Girl- October 18, 2007

I enjoy this class, I truly do. I teaches me so m uch about myself and those around me. Watching Beauty and the Beast after reading Christenin's article, opened up my eyes alot more. I now realize the importance of informing children about things seen in cartoons and in media in general. Everything within the media and cartoons provide a message, even if it does not intend to on purpose. In Beauty and the Beast I realized that all the charecters were white and none were of color. Why is that? The closest thing to color was sheeps, who had brown faces and white body. In the scene with the sheeps, the owner was chasing them so he can try to retain them. Beauty was highly valued in the film, which does not always give a good message to little girls. "What it Feels Like for a Girl" is a very intresting video. Men were seen as devils and everything Madonna did was against men. I found this video intresting because women are valued in this video and white man aren't. The message in the video...I'm really not sure. I think Madonna is not conforming to society's expectations by going against men especially when men are still cosidered superior to women. Which can be a mjor reason why the video was played only once.

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us- Christensen

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us is about...

• Racism


• Sexism


• Stereotypes


• Power


• Secret Education


• Self image


• Media


• Roles


• Education


• Movies


• Cartoons


• Children's books


• Manipulation

Arguement

Linda Christensen argues that sterotypes are formed through children's books,cartoons and movies which shape the way children act, live and dream; because of the portrayal of inequality and hiearchy.

Evidence

1."Although these stories are suppposed to merely entertain us, they constantly give us a secret education. We are not only taught certain styles of violence, the latest fashions and sex roles by TV, movies, magazines and comic strips; we are taught how to succeed, how to love, how to buy, how to conquer, how to forget the past and suppress the future. We are taught, more than anything else, how not to rebel"(128).

This quotate is significant because it shows how children and adults are affected by the media and books. The media and books provide us with a "secret education" according to Dorfman, that leaves us with message everytime we look at a book, advertisement, magazine and etc.

2. " Women's roles in fairy tales disort reality- from Jessica Rabit's six mile strut in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? to Tinker Bell's obsessive vanity in Peter Pan. These seemingly innocent stories teach us to look for our faults. As Tinker Bell inspects her tiny body in a mirror only to find that he minute hips are simply too huge, she shows us how to turn the mirror into an enemy...And this is a scenario is repeated by girls in locker rooms all over the word"(136).

3. "Because we can never look like Cinderella, we begin to hate ourselves. The Barbie syndrome starts as we begin a lifelong search for the perfect body. Crash diets, fat phobias and an obsession with the materialistic become commonplace" (136)

These quotations are significant because it shows how cartoons and the media negatively affects how women see themselves and how woman view beauty according to what is seen on TV, media and even cartoons.

Points to share/ Comments/ Questions

I never really thought about how cartoons affect children. I always saw cartoons as a form of entertainment. But now that I think about it, I realized that I've never seen a black woman play a lead role in a cartoon/ fairy tale. The only lead role where I saw a black woman play was in Cinderella starring Brandy. I was young when I first saw it and it was a big deal! I loved watching the film because Brandy was black and she "looked like me." Not like all the other fairy tales where the lead role is a white women like Snow White, Rapunzal, Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and all the other cartoons. WOW. Never realized that until now... The media always presents a message through its products. I can not lie, I have fallen in the media's trap... buying things I liked and I am the biggest Nike fan. I would buy the latest Nike because fashion is a big deal! But now when I go home, I look forward to watching cartoons with my little brother. I look forward to critiquing and analyzing these cartoons... Its not that I don't believe in what Christensen has said... but I need to see if the sterotypes and racism experienced in this article can still be seen in today's cartoons. Like Dora the Explorer, Spongebob Squarepants, and the Fairly Odd Parents( I know these because my brother watches it.)

Gayness, Multicultural Education and Community

Gayness, Multicultural Education and Community was about...

• Gayness
• School community
• Democracy
• Privilege
• Power
• Normal vs. Abnormal
• Marginalization
• Culture
• Homophobia
• Homosexuality
• Keeping gayness in it's place
• Invisibility

Argument

Dennis Carlson argues that "gayness" has been kept "in its place" within the school community and maintaining "gayness" is difficult to sustain. Gay people have been identified as the pathological and deviant "Other" and have been silenced,invisible and absent within the school community.

Evidence

1. "Normalizing texts systematically exclude and neglect the culture of those outside the norm for the purpose of ratifying or legitimating the dominant culture as the only significant culture worth studying"(page 236.)

"No state currently recognizes gays and lesbians as a legitimate minority or cultural groups to be considered in textbook adoption or to be included in multicultural education; and a number of states explicitly prohibit teaching about homosexuality"(page 236.)

This quote shows how gayness is kept in it's place through the curriculum's used in schools. The dominant culture which can be categorized as those who are straight are seen as normal, while those who are gay are seen as abnormal and are neglected through curriculum's used in schools because they are not apart of the dominant culture. Gayness is also kept in it's place because in so me states the teachings of homosexuality is prohibited. If gayness is recognized, it is through the health curriculum's where they are associated with having AIDS.

2. " One of the primary means of ensuring that gayness was an invisible presence in the school was through the dismissal of teachers who were found out to be homosexuals"(page 237.)

The school community tried to make gayness invisible by firing teachers who were homosexuals, which also shows how gayness is kept in it's place. According to Carlson, gay teachers were fired because they were seen as a threat to the students and the American way of life. Teachers were seen as contagious. ( Amanda's Opinion: What ignorance!)

3. " One of the effects of this closeting of gay teachers may be an overzealous effort by gay teachers themselves to avoid any class discussion in which gayness may come up, since they presume that to be publicly "out" at school would cost them their jobs"( page 238)

Gay teachers are silenced because of their fear of loosing their jobs which also shows how gayness is kept in its place.

Points to share/ Comments/Questions

I found this article very interesting because in some ways I could reflect on my high school experiences with gayness. At my high school, I knew two male teachers who were gay, but were respected and accepted within my school community. I don't think they've ever told me personally "I'm gay" but it is something that you kinda knew when you met them. This may seem very stereotypical because I judged them based on their appearance and my first impression. But I've seen them both with their partner...holding hands off school grounds. I've also known several high school classmates who were open with their sexuality and were also respected. No one regardless whether they were gay, lesbian, feminine were judged based on their sexual preference. To everyone within my school community the abnormal was also seen as normal.