Curr 509 - The Silenced Dialogue

When i started reading the article, yes the first thing i noticed was the way the author was writing and referring to the "white" teachers. She went on to describe how white teachers were teaching, and I kept asking myself what does teaching style have to do with race or racism. Teaching is a matter of style and not race. I agree with the author in the fact that cultural differences do affect the way we handle and portray ourselves. I agree in that the way we speak and act are part of our culture, and that it is hard to communicate across cultures, especially when guidelines are not clear. I understand why she is angry at the white teachers, because she does have a point that no one should assume they know more about a subject or situation if they themselves have never been in that situation. But, instead of getting angry and shutting down, teachers who feel this way should find a creative way to communicate or enlighten the others. Or since she is so focused on power, and it made me feel like she was saying it was wrong for someone to be in power, then she should strive to reach that position of power to make a change. It is true that one of the ways to make change is to make waves, but the best way to make a change is not to complain about or get angry it is to put yourself in a position to have the power to make the change.

Another way to approach the issues raised in this article are to change the curriculum,  implement teaching guidelines, specify to teachers that they must give clear cut instructions, and everything must be taught. Obviously, I know everything cannot be taught, but when I say that I refer to the part she discusses not assuming children know certain things like the alphabet when they reach school. Culture affects us but it does not define us, according to the article white teachers would say things such as would you like to put the scissors way in a suggestive manner. But, not all white teachers speak this way, I know I would not because I like clear cut directions.

As for power, in every society there are people in different levels of power, we put people in that position because someone does have to be the gatekeeper. A gatekeeper is necessary because if there wasn't one we could have people who do not know how to do something such as read or write themselves teaching an English class, and that would be a disservice to the person and to their students. I do not think people are lying to themselves thinking that no one is in power, or that there is no gate keeping. People are very aware of these situations.

All students no matter race or class should be taught the "codes of power", we cannot assume that because a child is white they will already know certain codes. But, everything cannot be placed on the teacher, it is also the students responsibility to ask for her when they need it. A change could be made if everyone stopped looking at each other as a race or economic level and started thinking that all children deserve the right to the same kind of education, and that children should be encouraged to ask questions, communicate, and ask for help. 

Not Enough to Live On and Poor Kids

After reading Not Enough to Live On I understood a little better what some families are going through, but it did not make much impact because in reality when reading a document like that one you are just looking at rates and numbers. Then you read about the recommendations for proposed policies to hopefully close the gaps that one may or may not agree with based on your ideals and background knowledge. Then I listened to the segment on Moth Radio and I was not too impacted. Growing up in a very diverse town such as North Bergen, and next to other towns that are on a lower socioeconomic level, that was a story I have heard before from it occurring to people I know. Back when I attended school North Bergen was a town where you had people who were poor and did not want to show it, and people who had a lot more than they needed to live. But, after watching the Poor Kids movie, and putting faces and names to the descriptions and numbers in the reading it was shocking. It stirred up mixed feelings of sadness, guilt because I have always had so much, worry because I hope to never have to go through that, and others such as hope that maybe someone or something can make a difference in the lives of any children that have to experience things like this. The video was a real eye opener. It made me really relate to the kids, and wonder what if it was me or someone I know going through something like this. These kids are not having the chance to be kids, one of the little girls was saying how she was happy her family was happy, and she did not care if she was. That is not something a child should have to think about. 

Economics and poverty are directly correlated. A family’s economic level dictates the level of life they can lead. I was glad and surprised to hear that at such early ages most of the kids in the video understood that education is the step they need to have the opportunity to make a better living. In the classroom sometimes it is difficult for teachers to teach if the resources they need are not available, and a lot of times teachers have to put their own money to buy supplies they kids may need. As for the school, the Nutrition club shown in the video was a good start, although it could have been handled a little different because it singles the kids out to have to walk out in the middle of lecture to get the food while the others stare at them. It is enough what they are going through, to also be put in a situation where other kids can pick on them. In NJ, there was a proposed program where low income children could not only get lunch during the school day, but also breakfast. That is a policy that is much needed and helpful, how can children be expected to come to school and learn, and then display that knowledge in a standardized test when they are overwhelmed and hungry. A child can forget for a minute the situation they have at home, but they can’t forget their body asking them for food. 

I don’t believe policy or teachers buying supplies is enough to close the gap, the community needs to be more involved also. If you see your neighbor needs help and you can help them, do it. In my opinion there needs to be more community involvement, more community programs where kids can get a book if they too, get some used clothes, a plate of food, etc. Communities can do this by being more involved and doing more fundraisers. As far as the schools, there needs to be something extra to instill in the kids that education and drive are imperative to success, so that they can break the cycle.

Curr 509 - Self Sufficiency Standard

The real cost of living in NJ was an eye opener as to the struggles that a lot of families have to go through. These struggles do not only affect the adults in the family, but also the children and their everyday activities. Children should not have to worry about factors like money until they become adults; they should have the opportunity to be children for as long as possible. Unfortunately, their family structure and economics affect the way they feel and function. Children's circumstances affect them because they can be hungry, lack clothes, somewhere to sleep, or lack a place to do their homework. Something that some of us take for granted such as having breakfast can affect a child's ability to focus and learn. They may not have a parent present at home to help with homework or instead may have to take care of their siblings. Some families are not able to make enough money to meet the self sufficiency standard. If they are not able to meet the standard they either have to lack some of the necessities they need or receive help such as food stamps or welfare.

The self sufficiency standard is a measure of a wage that a family needs to meet their basic necessities without receiving outside help, such as from the government. This standard is better, but not perfect, than the federal poverty level of the amount of money a family needs to live. I do not know how the government is using a forty year old model to determine what a family in today's society need. This is not very appropriate when the model and cost of how a family lives has changed greatly in the last few decades. Nowadays, most likely both parents must work to make ends meet, and children do not have the opportunity to have a stay at home parent always tending to them. The self sufficiency standard is more realistic to today's society because it takes into account geography and the children's age because age correlates to the cost of childcare, where the FPL does not.

As a teacher being aware and sympathetic to our student’s circumstances are the most important things we can do to help them. Teachers need to consider the student’s religion, family structure, economics, social structure, culture and combine those considerations with teaching content. Sometimes children just need someone to listen to them and care about what they might be going through.
             

Curr 509-The Real Cost of Living

The Actual Cost of Living article was an eye opener for me; I never really considered that the cost of living in NJ was so high. NJ is an expensive state to live in, especially when compared to other states in the South and Midwest. I believe this is mostly due to our property taxes being higher than most states including New York. NJ is also too divided within itself, there are counties such as Bergen whom have very high property taxes and their school systems can afford to give the students Ipads, while other counties such as Camden have kids that are short on essential supplies such as books, causing great disparities. The division is becoming more visible as time progresses, and other factors such as the recession and Sandy come upon us. In NJ the recession caused the unemployment rate to increase, and both it and Sandy caused monetary losses to a lot of people, leaving some in a worst situation than in 2008.

This data helped me visualize the kind of struggles some of my future students might be going through, and how these shortcomings might affect their development in school. I will always try to be more understanding, and relate to them in a human level before anything. The best way to shine through the struggles one has to endure is to have someone always encouraging you, saying you can do it.