Paterson Pep Rally's

While researching to find out a bit more on the city of Paterson, I decided it may be beneficial to find examples of existing tactics used in schools. On youtube, I stumbled upon a vast number of culturally relevant strategies Paterson teachers have implemented in various situations and content areas. I happened to find a series of motivational videos used to help students as they take the require state standardized test, the NJASK. School 7 came up with a motivational song for the NJASK. The song, titled "I'm Passing and I Know it," parodies LMFAO's famed song of a similar title. Involving both students and faculty, the video generates an extremely positive attitude. Using her 8th grade students as the central focus, Ms. Polo was able to put something together that has an even greater chance of impact. The song choice itself, is culturally relevant, but allowing the students to motivate one another is the most culturally relevant piece of all. Sometimes we learn best from those at our level. For example, when given an assignment that requires narrative it may be wise to have the students go through a peer editing process (depending on their age of course). When group work is assigned, each group may be required to research a different topic and later give some sort of oral presentation. A group of students might be given the task to present on the Industrial Revolution, and choose to teach by means of a skit. In order to help students remember the Confederate States they might create a song, and maybe even add some dance moves. Allowing students to be creative while teaching actually teaching one another in the process, can create very positive results. This will not always be the case, and some students may not necessarily take information in as well, when it comes from a source equal to their own. However, in the case of this video I can imagine it put the minds of students at ease. Even if it success not reflected in the end scoring result, if the students were simply not as stressed going into it, it is likely the video made some sort of impact.

At the Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology, a similar idea was presented. The school held an NJASK pep rally, and created a video to a different LMFAO song. This time, teachers were a bit more prominent than the previous school. There was a nice equilibrium between students and teachers. Teacher's sometimes induce to fear or anxiety in students, which is something that should simply not happen to the extent that it does. We are here to help them succeed. These teachers and administrators are having fun with the concept, and students seem to be in high spirits. Yet again, the goal is to put the minds of students at ease. Whether the scores improved or not (hopefully they have), the students certainly seem to be more positive. Motivation is key, and teachers are ultimately responsible for the motivation of their students. Schools in Paterson are still struggling, but that does not mean idea like these have no use.

 

Competition in Schools

While doing a bit of research on Paterson for the Community Project, I stumbled upon a series of videos in which Governor Christie discusses the subject of education in Paterson. One of these videos features a screaming match between the governor and an unidentified male. Christie takes a verbal stance on competition in schools, to which the "opponent" refuses to listen. He claims that a school cannot succeed unless competition exists. I found this to be a rather interesting potential topic for debate. Can we succeed unless there is an opposing force pushing us to do better? Will we lack motivation without it? When money is at stake, will teachers work harder to push their students? I pondered this for a bit, and decided to search google for some opinions. On EducationNext I found an article that explains the monetary benefit to school competition. State funding is essentially pointless without the promise of improvement. Even if the schools themselves are not at odds with one another, it may benefit each school to believe they are. Goal-setting as an alternative may work, but unless there's something to lose, there's nothing to gain. Another point the article makes, is to make mention of private schools. If a local public school is demonstrating poor stats, those who can afford it will send their kids to a private school. In some cases the parent might risk the odds and apply to enroll their children in a charter school. In a town like Paterson, it is rather difficult to afford private school without scholarships. In the article (focusing on Florida schools) Cassandra M.D. Hart and David Figlio note that 

"because state school funding is tied to student enrollment, losing students to private schools means losing revenue. The threat of losing students to private schools may give schools greater incentive to cultivate parental satisfaction by operating more efficiently and improving the outcomes valued by students and parents." As a result of poor schooling, we may see lower mobility rates across the board. Therefore the added competition might be a viable option. Now, in New Jersey we have various factors that contribute to determining state aid. Referring back to the video, Christie responded to his opponent by stating that “nothing else in our society works without competition, and public education won’t work for everybody unless it does, too.” Mr. Christie, you have a valid point. Throughout our schooling we'll face a multitude of situations with competitive natures. Why should this be any different? Competition encourages success, and rewards achievement. Should there be a limit? Of course, but it IS necessary. 

http://dailycaller.com/2013/03/13/chris-christie-to-heckler-public-schools-need-competition/#ixzz2RpeIdevv

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kFhmh3r9pA

http://educationnext.org/does-competition-improve-public-schools/

Cultural Relevance in the Social Sciences

Below you will find a checklist of culturally relevant practices that may be used to one's benefit when teaching social studies in Paterson Schools.

1. For a lesson on immigration students will interview someone with a cultural/ethnic background other than their own. Each student will present what they've learned to the class, and bring in an item significant to the culture they've studied. These items can be either an object or a popular snack/dish (must be cleared with me for allergies). 

2. Using a popular song to create a pneumonic device for memorization of certain topics (i.e. countries, capitals, presidents, amendments, etc.). 

3. Having each student bring in an item, song, or tell personal anecdote that will better help us understand each other. This can be something tells us more about your personality, or more about your culture. 

4. When choosing which novelists or essayists to use for class assignments, try to use those who may identify with who I am teaching. Paterson has a large hispanic community. To teach about Spanish history I may choose to include an excerpt from Don Quijote.

5. I can use historical artwork created by say a Peruvian or Dominican artist to help students use artistic clues to uncover details about the past. 

6. Using a game they are all familiar with to help them study before a test. For example, growing up we all new what Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was, so our teachers often used it to help us study. In paterson. Students can even create their own game to help them learn the material, while having the opportunity to have fun as well. 

7. Spending time on topics that are often brushed over. When discussing each time period, it can be beneficial to get various perspectives on the period. To teach about the civil war era, for example, I may provide 5 or 6 diary type entries or excerpts for class discussion. Each of these excerpts will be from a different type of perspective (a white plantation owner, a slave, a former slave, a hispanic member of the union army, and a hispanic member of the confederate army, and a native american). We often get perspectives of whites and blacks, but people often forget there were others here at the time. 

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After viewing Waiting for Superman, I can honestly say I was crossing my fingers for these kids as they waited to hear their names called aloud during the lotteries. There were some tears, there was some laughter. What seemed to bother me most was the situation that occurred with chancellor Rhee in D.C. Many teachers believe they have a right to sit back an do absolutely nothing once they're tenured, and its part of the reason their students may struggle to succeed. Rhee sought to pay teachers what they were worth while eliminating tenure. If you do what you're supposed to you should be able to keep your job. Why should someone who does nothing maintain a job when their may be someone unemployed, who'd get the job done with greater success and commitment? I agreed with Rhee, and wished the union gave it a second thought. I saw it as a great way to weed out the useless. Money is wasted to keep these poor teachers, money that can be used for better teachers and better programs.

Below are some of the practices that caught my attention when viewing the film. 
1. Reading a magazine when you should be teaching. ----BAD
2. Teacher Harriet Ball in Houston, teaching her students math terms using a rap song-----GREAT
3. The clips from the Simpsons and School of Rock----BAD

My Past Molds My Future

To bounce off of the Irvine article we read for class this evening, I've decided to speak about a few of my own experiences as a student. I've chosen to talk about the exercises/projects/lessons that stuck with me over the years, to emphasize how important it is to understand your students throughout the course of each academic year. To start, an appreciation for the fine and performing arts, and the humanities seems to be a common thread among the classmates I grew up with. Therefore, many of the activities my teachers chose to embark upon relied heavily on those two fields. In subjects like math, the occasional sports analogy was of course prevalent as well. 

My senior year of high school I took Humanities. This class had such a wide array of lessons to be taught, and my teacher truly did a fabulous job trying to create appropriate strategies. As a class about the humanities, being taught in the modern day, one must find ways to compare the past to the present (for english, history, and mythology). I can recall two lessons focused on creativity, and understanding of existentialism, that are just two of many to stick with me that year. In our unit on Hamlet, Mr. Hock had us create a Hamlet Soundtrack CD, based upon our musical knowledge and our understanding of the book. Each scene required a song change. Points were lost for irrelevant song choices that had nothing to do with the material. Before the unit began we were asked to explain ourselves via song, which essentially meant that we were to bring in a song that truly speaks to us and be able to explain why its currently relevant to our life. Our final paper on Hamlet brought back rather amazing results, so I would say it was rather successful. The final project in the class revolved around existentialist thought and theory, which can be difficult to truly define. For these units we read the books Waiting for Godot, The Stranger, and No Exit. To finalize the unit, he has us work in groups to create an existentialist piece of film. The final grades for this exam were given to us by means of a red carpet awards show (in the classroom on the last day of class). If a film did not portray and of the key elements he'd asked for, the given group would win an award named after a director that typically shared the same end result, etc. We were able to learn the content that was required while having the chance to have fun and express ourselves. If I attempted to sit here and list the number of success stories this teacher had I'd never the time to complete the MAT program!

Math was never my strongpoint, and it truly took a lot of effort to get concepts across to me. My father, is a math teacher, and tried his hardest to help me whenever possible. When I was learning about finding X in Geometry, he tried to find something that would stick. I am Jewish, a Religion filled with culture, food, and holidays. My next door neighbor and I would make hamentaschen every year (triangular cookies with jelly, or chocolate filling) around Purim (Holiday in March), and my family would wait in anticipation for them. My father decided to try something out. He grabbed one of these triangular cookies and told me to grab a couple of chocolate chips, a notebook, and a pencil. He then proceeded to use these tool to teach me how to find X on a triangle. I learned the concept, I passed my quiz, and I made a batch of cookies!

Culturally relevant can also refer to a given class's hobbies and interests. As a student I can promise you that the only lessons I remember are the ones that stood out as an attempt to better understand myself and my classmates. In other words, I remember the ones that achieved positive results. For example, in my 6th grade social studies class, my teacher noted that we were all quite creative, and gave us a project that involved quite a bit of creativity. She had us each pick one of the 7 wonders of the world (at the time), and creative a 3D model of it. There were guidelines that told us what materials we were able to use, dimensions, and items to be included. For my project, I built a 3-dimensional model of the hanging gardens of babylon. While I certainly did not have access to the materials used to create the original, my teacher gave me a list of materials that would best show the comparison when building. I didn't throw my model out until began to pack for college. I just remember how proud we all were of our accomplishments, and how well we all did on the unit test. As I've mentioned, these are but a few of my experiences. I may even choose to bounce off of some of them in my own practice. These experiences are simply to be the foundation for creating culturally relevant classroom activities. 

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy a Response to Irvine

Irvine's article was short, sweet, and to the point; providing a basic foundation for culturally relevant teaching. There are many films out there that glamorize the field of teaching, making it's hardships seem like simple obstacles everyone can over come in just one shot. Irvine uses an un-named teacher's experiences to show that it may, at times, be difficult to engage one's students in a way that guarantees content retention. She then goes on to show that if you learn to harness your sense of creativity, culturally relevant pedagogy can often be the best way to ensure said content retention. "Culturally relevant teaching requires the teacher to possess a thorough knowledge of the content and employ multiple representations of knowledge that use students’ lived experiences to connect new knowledge to home, community, and global settings" (Irvine 2009). That being said, there will be instances when someone attempts to implement a given strategy that may backfire completely. Teaching is very much an experimental process in which we form a hypothesis, create a variable and control group, and test different strategies against the hypothesis to see what works and what doesn't. "Monica's" first attempt to use the cultures of her students as a basis for learning backfired initially. The students did not learn, but they did appear to have fun. An activity that involves memorization of content can be beneficial if used as a mnemonic but if it is simply used for entertainment purposes the content will not stick. The later example of writing a letter to the mayor as a means to learn formal letter writing was culturally relevant, exciting, and got the information to "stick." School is not necessarily supposed to be "fun," but that doesn't mean it can't be. Children are more willing to take the time to understand your content if you take the time to understand THEM. In an area where students are unable to afford a gameboy, you would not have them do an activity that assumes they have access to one. If we expect our students to learn, then we must do the same. It is important that we take the time to understand what is important or endearing to the communities we choose to engage ourselves in. For example, if I were to teach a lesson on cultural diffusion in the United States a culturally responsive practice might be to have students interview someone from a different background other than their own, and to bring in a dish or an item that comes from their subject's home country. This will promote cultural understanding in a fun and meaningful way. 

Media and Society

The two legacy news articles I explored involved educational advancement in some respect. The first article discussed a book drive that took place in Paterson for approximately 4 weeks from the end of February to March 17th this year. The book drive aimed to collect books to distribute to children at the Northside branch of the Paterson Free Public Library, at the Christopher HOPE Community Center. The original branch was severely damaged during Hurricane Irene and many of its books were destroyed. Denisa Superville, a staff writer for the Bergen Record, discusses the scope and impact of the book drive in her article. Over 30,000 books were collected throughout North Jersey, some even coming from as far as Indiana. The books were also expected to help with the district's summer reading initiative. By showing pictures of the children who've been affected, the article allows us to visualize the impact something of this magnitude can have. It is truly heartwarming to see see so many lives touched, and smiles created.

The second article took a step away from educational charity and focused more on educational reform. President Obama created a budget that aims to improve the lowest achieving schools in the country, School 4 (in Paterson) being one of 21 in the State of New Jersey. Leslie Brody, Staff writer for the Bergen Record reported "school Improvement Grants were awarded to the most troubled schools that promised a raft of specific remedies to boost teacher quality, extend children’s learning time and give extra help to those furthest behind" (2013). School 4 was one of these schools. Now, not all of those involved welcome the grant money, but there are those who embrace it.

Like the previous article the effects of Hurricane Irene have been noted. The main focus of the article is Principal Rosemarie Bespalko of Carlstadt, hired specifically to change the future of the school. Bespalko has a set course shes chosen for her school and a specific goal of having her students reach up to 75% passing by her 70th birthday. Some of her reforms include longer school days, and parent involvement. She seeks to involve parents by inviting them to family movie nights and classroom visits. According to Bespalko (via Brody) “If everybody does their jobs, and stresses reading, parent involvement and practice, the kids have ability,” she said. “I know they can do it”(2013). The purpose of this article was to show that hard work and sacrifice can go a long way.

The blogs were bit more difficult to find, as I aimed to stay as close to topic as possible but I did manage to find a few. The Ridgewood blog, which boasts a "free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues," talked about the scope of donations for the book drive. Some chose to donate old books, some purchased new books for donation, and some offered delivery and pickup services. In another blog post on the same site, the reform budgets are discussed, with a link that leads to an outside source (NJ Spotlight). Posted in November, it discusses the application process for these grants. Interestingly enough there were a few districts that were expected to apply and could not get it signed off. Technological advancement is at the heart of request for expenditures. The post ends with a list of district applicants.

The articles above showed me the kind of person I want to be, as well as the kind of teacher I wish to be. There is no greater power than the ability to positively affect another, which may include a bit of sacrifice at times but is ultimately rewarding. Teaching is not about a paycheck, it is about improving the lives of others via education. Every child deserves my best effort. With help from the government, the community, individual families, and the schools themselves each student has the opportunity to succeed. The book drive demonstrates the power of community and the reforms show that the federal government believes everyone deserves an equal chance to be successful if all parties remain consistently involved in the procurement of education.

Superville, D. R. (2013, March 17). 30,000 books donated for Paterson children : page 1 - NorthJersey.com.NorthJersey.com: Local News, Breaking News, Sports, Bergen, Passaic, Morris, Essex, Hudson, Sussex, Classifieds, Real Estate, Traffic & Weather. Retrieved March 21, 2013, from http://www.northjersey.com/allendale/30000_ books_donated_for_Paterson_children.html?c=y&page=1

Brody, L. (2013, January 6). Paterson school offers signs of hope in urban school reform : page 1 - NorthJersey.com.NorthJersey.com: Local News, Breaking News, Sports, Bergen, Passaic, Morris, Essex, Hudson, Sussex, Classifieds, Real Estate, Traffic & Weather. Retrieved March 21, 2013, from http://www.northjersey.com/news/education/ education_news/Paterson_school_offers_signs_of_hope_in_urban_school_reform.html?c=y&page=1

http://theridgewoodblog.net/book-drive-for-paterson-kids-gets-help-from-unlikely-sources/

http://theridgewoodblog.net/race-to-the-top-returns-this-time-for-school-districts/

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/12/11/21/race-to-the-top-returns-this-time-for-school-districts/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Wake%20Up%20Call%20NJ&utm_campaign=Wake%20Up%20Call

Video from Class 2/28 and Other Examples

When viewing a source direct from the media we must take into account the flaws one might find within. The segment we viewed in class last week however, had more to do with research than opinion.  I found it quite interesting that elementary school children found an asian man nicer than a man in a turban. It goes to show the affects 9/11 has had on children, or possibly even their parents. The next two pictures displayed unfortunately made me laugh, simply because they described the picture of Timothy Mcveigh as a man who was probably just upset about something. Understatement of the year. With the later trials they did using computers, I found the results extremely astonishing. Subjects who were black were even more shocked to hear that they were racist towards other blacks according to their lingering subconscious. Another test showed that when given a series of people holding something in different locations, the response times for pictures of white men were longer than for the others. A white man holding a gun near a fountain was sometimes found good by the test subjects, while a black man in front of diner holding a sandwich wrapped in tinfoil was instantly marked as bad by many of them. 
Below I've placed a video of an experiment done by ABC news. They stage a scene with a Muslim woman being denied service by the man behind the counter, and watch to see the customers reactions. The first customer shockingly applauds the cashiers actions. Though she is American, the woman later admits to being both verbally and physically attacked throughout her life, simply because she appears as being different to their ideal standard. The other customers shout and walk out in disgust.   One man even talks about his son's contribution to the war effort, defends the woman, and threatens to tell other people in the area to avoid the establishment. Another female customer comes in appearing "more American" according to said standards, and fights on the originally subjects behalf. She too, is Muslim, yet she is not facing the same discriminatory actions simply because she is not wearing traditional religious clothing. I felt a sense of pride come over me for those who stood up for her. I did find it interesting that the first customer was older in age and held a bit of a southern twang. This being the customer that gave the cashier a thumbs up to his discriminatory actions. The females however, all fought on her behalf, and the man who had no twang, and a son in the Army stood by her as well. 

Experiments like this one are attempted regularly, and unfortunately it may take a hidden camera to help us face the sad reality that is today's America. While we've overcome a lot through the years, obstacles and hardships come about, and scapegoats are made.

The Knapsack of Privilege and Race

According to Peggy McIntosh, those who identify as white/caucasian carry an invisible knapsack filled with privileges that minorities do not have access to. She also makes a point to state that we are unaware that said privileges even exist. Women have fought and still fight to gain a true balance of power within the realm of gender, though men are often ignorant to their hidden privileges. Racism, though much harder to discuss, falls within this invisible knapsack. 
Race affects many aspects of life, but the more sheltered you are the more likely you are to be unaware of it. Having spent the majority of my life in a town where 80% of the population was white, I never really thought much of it. I knew racism existed of course, but I never pondered it in this respect. The handful of black students weren't treated any differently than the rest of us, at least it didn't seem that way to me. The other 15-20% of the town were of Asian origin, and I never felt as if they received any less than the rest of us either. If they were good at sports, they got to play. If they were highly intelligent they were rewarded. If they behaved badly they went to the principal's office. Nothing the rest of us didn't experience. My junior year we had a series of bomb threats. The only person to be discovered and arrested was a white student. The religious makeup of the town was essentially Jewish, Roman Catholic, or Pizza Bagels; Little Brooklyn we called it (as many of our parents were originally from Brooklyn). I myself am Jewish but we'll get to that in just a bit. With regards to verbal stereotyping, no one was left out. Everyone "cracked jokes" about each other's background. I'd certainly been told things like "look it's a penny, aren't you gonna pick it up." My best friend of Trinidadian origin, was often called an oreo. People often asked my Taiwanese friend why she was in low math. The token Canadian was made fun of for being Canadian. If an Italian student's mother couldn't cook jokes were cracked. These small things didn't real affect me at all until I graduated and went to college. The only astonishing thing I do remember happening involved a theft. During my senior year, a teacher reported that his classroom computer went missing. The teacher was rather quick to point a finger at the only black student in the class. From what I remember, after the student was proven innocent of the theft, the teacher refused to apologize for generalizing not because he truly found the student guilty, but simply because he felt to ashamed to own up to his mistake. 
When I first came to Montclair as an undergrad., one of its great appeals was diversity. I met students from all different racial backgrounds, different states, different countries, different religions, etc. Had I not spent my first eight years of life in a culturally diverse location (Edison), or been raised by a family that truly fostered diversity (mulatto cousins, cuban cousins, cousins with varying religious backgrounds, etc.) it might have been more of a culture shock to me. Living in Marlboro had not prepared me for what was to come for me however. I refer back to the fact that I was raised Jewish. I've encountered students who doubt the Holocaust's existence, as well as students who simply crack the same jokes I'd been used to, only these students meant it. I've been asked a million times if we believe in Jesus, celebrate Christmas, or even if I'm wonderful with money (sadly I am not). These are questions I was certainly not used to. My junior year I lived with four other girls. We liked to refer to ourselves as the United Nations, as the first was an African-American Muslim from Hillside, the second was a Puerto Rican Catholic from the Bronx, the third was a Trinidadian-American Christian from suburbia, the fourth was a Greek/Lithuanian/African-American Christian from Baltimore, and finally a white eastern European Jew from suburbia (me). The only time I ever felt the affects of this diversity were when I'd attempt to listen to music. They'd make fun of me for listening to "white girl music" aka rock. I've seen my fair share of racism on campus, which tells you how differently everyone's been brought up. Sometimes we simply don't realize when something truly is racist. Even if we know its wrong we simply never discuss it, which brings me back to the knapsack. 
If we know something is wrong, why do we allow it to persist? Nothing can change if no words are said. I find it much harder to express how I feel verbally when it comes to this subject, than I do in writing. I believe many of us might feel the same. There is an elephant in the room that will likely always remain as we continue to disregard this issue. In the job market, in schools, in social circles, and especially in the media, we see this ray of invisibility begin to shine through. In disney's the Princess and the Frog, they decided it would be a good move to make the princess Hatian/Creole, and the prince Indian. The rich family she spent her time with was white though. If a white or asian male/female requires surgery on their nose, the bandages will show but not as prominently as someone with naturally tan-dark skin. 
As for McIntosh's list, I do not feel as if I agree with every point, simply because if I felt strongly enough about my religion, I can guarantee that some of them would not effect me positively if I decided to mention it, or if they assumed based on my last name being Rubin. Though her focus is race, we know race is not the only bias taken into account in these situations. People often forget that Judaism is a religion, so if someone asks where I'm from and attempts to take a stab at it, I often get Italian, Latina, and Jewish. For that reason I consider it to be worth taking into account in McIntosh's situations. For example, I'm sure I'd face problems moving to certain areas. I'm fortunate enough to live in a coastal suburban-urban area, surrounding a diverse city. If I lived in Appalachia for instance, I'd certainly have issues. 

The Silenced Dialogue and Lessons for Teachers

           Having read Lisa Delpit's The Silenced Dialogue last semester I took this as an opportunity to reevaluate my original stance. Last semester, like many of my peers at the time, I was rather taken aback by her angry approach. While I understood her concerns and arguments, I believed them to be a tad one-sided. I still stand by my original thoughts. I see where she is coming from with the idea of a "culture of power," but I do not necessarily agree with the way she presents her ideas or the reasons that seem to motivate her. I realize however, that what she discusses can certainly happen in any society, no matter the racial/ethnic majority. She makes a point to claim that we should teach to the student. I agree that using a given student's background may increase the likelihood of that student's understanding of the concept or task. As a whole however, we cannot please every minority group in the country. Someone will always be left out in the cold. The two most common languages utilized in this country are English and Spanish. Would we teach every class to the Algerian, or Filipino standards? I think not. Black students and white students alike, no student is the same. Just as a white student may originate in Ireland or Russia (two very different places), a black student may have family  originating in Haiti, or Ghana. To generalize is absurd regardless. Even in urban districts like Newark, we cannot hope to please every represented minority group. I agree with some of Delpit's points, in that we may teach to a white majority, but how can we nationalize if you seek to teach differently; with different standards based upon race or ethnicity? Ebonics may be what someone speaks outside of school, just as we often text with words like LOL, BRB, OR GR8, and often find ourselves shouting LOL out loud. We would not be allowed to write them on paper. Our standards are set by people of various groups, not simply whites, so how would we know if we teach to a certain race? If a student can't handle something due to personal restriction it's typically taken into account, but to say a black student can't learn from a white teacher and visa versa is inherently absurd. Everyone teaches in their own style, just as everyone has a different hobby or personality. Women and minorities fought for equal  rights in education but stereotyping and discriminating would counter that. Delpit claims that our teaching towards the culture of power does just that. We as teachers must be understanding of others' cultures; specifically those of our colleagues, our students, and their families. We should never teach one student any differently than the next. We simply need to prepare teachers for these situations. As a future teacher of social studies, I find this to be a highly relevant topic. We spend so much time on US history, but not enough time on topics regarding South America, Africa, or Australia. I for one, know nothing of Australian history. I believe we should be well-rounded. In that respect I agreed that more content should be integrated. I do not believe we should base it off of color. 
            Delpit's Lessons for Teachers was much different. I found it to be rather useful. I intend to take the majority of her suggestions into account in my own practice. At some points she contradicted her other article, when she suggests to "ensure all children gain access to conventions/strategies essential to success in American society. The only way to ensure this is to standardize based on the population majority. For instance, in areas where Spanish is the predominant language, such as Miami, an option for bilingual instruction exists. 

Economics and Poverty

The three items we looked at for our discussion on children and poverty were certainly informative, but did not necessarily change my view on poverty altogether. I definitely found them to be insightful nonetheless. From the reading, I was able to take a closer and more in depth look at the self-sufficiency standard. While words may affect the heart and mind, a much greater impact can be gained from visual representation; especially with a subject such as this. That being said, it should be of no surprise that I gained more from the Frontline segment. The podcast had more of an impact than the reading, but not enough to stir any emotion. The situation Mr. Puente faced did not seem so foreign to me, as I’ve had friends experience similar situations. I certainly do not discredit it as a source of understanding. As for the video, I’ve already mentioned the effect it had, but now I will share why.

Frontline chose three families, whose situations were described through the eyes of their children; for the most part. Seeing it through the eyes of a nine year old girl, or a twelve year old boy made it strike me that much more. Each family had a completely different situation, and the kids handled the changes differently. While neither of them were happy about being “poor,” I found it more incredible how much pride Britney had in her family. She wasn’t ashamed, she was simply glad her family members were okay (with the exception of her mother of course). Her school’s Nutrition Club idea was excellent, in my opinion.

Kaylie’s mother lost it all in an attempt to further her education. This alarms me, and is unfortunately something our country must work on. Education is so costly, yet without it, we are often doomed to failure. Many employers will not hire those without a degree, pushing families beneath the poverty line. Kaylie’s mother could not afford childcare, and therefore could not work multiple jobs to afford a living as a single parent. Her and her brother Tyler could not even attend school, because they moved constantly. As a result it’s now affecting their futures even more than before. I’ll admit I dropped a few tears when they had to choose which dog to give up for adoption.

Jasmine’s family, though in a shelter, seemed to be making an effort to break free. The argument her brother had with her mother about shoes made me remember situations I’d been in growing up. When my parents first divorced, it was a bit rough monetarily. There were things many of my friends had that my father simply could not afford (I lived with my father). After a while I accepted it, though as a child it was a hard concept to grasp, and we know how mean kids can be. It seems as though Jasmine’s brother hasn’t reached the acceptance point yet.In order to be successful in situation teachers need to have an open mind. They must also be understanding of the students’ circumstances when grading and assigning assignments. For example, a teacher should not assign a project that requires money to be spent on supplies, unless the school can offer them to these specific students for free. Students should not be afraid to come to their teachers for help, or simply to have someone to talk to. Britney’s family had Nutrition Club, and I think schools should implement similar programs, if they are not already established. Teachers and administrators must encourage excellence. It may be good to host an assembly that will accomplish this; if the school can afford it. In turn, the government needs to work more towards improving educational options for those who cannot afford it. A woman in Kaylie’s mothers situation should have had access to grants. What can we do to encourage more attention to be paid to this aspect of education?

Not Enough to Live On

Last weeks group activity gave me more insight into the economic diversity we face in New Jersey. We were forced to focus on various counties and simulate the decisions people must make when deciding upon a suitable location for them and their families. Due to the heightened estimates provided by the self-sufficiency standard its is much easier to see the factors that contribute to the hardships of living. While employment of all adult parties in a given household may certainly help to support one's family, the high cost of living still makes a comfortable living quite difficult. The group exercise done in class helped me to understand the various types of families one may encounter in a given community. A teacher must understand that there might be hardships at home contributing to ones actions in class, such as starvation, close living quarters, no personal space, lack of attention paid to education, absent parents, etc. Teachers must help students to overcome outside obstacles while at school. They must encourage students to strive to achieve their best in an effort to provide for a better future. There are economic inequities that cause each student to differ, and a teacher must be able to cope with varying types of students. Not Enough to Live On explains, in depth, the actual inequities that occur in New Jersey. It also provides charts to better visualize where the variations occur and to what extent. This document provides potential solutions to narrow the gap between what is necessary and what is available (monetarily speaking). It breaks up the family types more extensively, and shows what groups fall at what points on the "scale." 

The Real Cost of Living in 2008

The Real Cost of Living in 2008, while quite lengthy, is a rather useful tool. It aids in our understanding of the economically diverse demographics of the state of New Jersey. As mentioned in the document, the self-sufficiency standard measures the actual cost of living in New Jersey. The self-sufficiency standard is used a means of comparison to the poverty level.

To start, coastal states tend to be much more densely populated that those further inland. New Jersey faces the issue of overpopulation in a handful of its counties. The state is also known for its heightened diversity. By diversity I’m referring to its sociocultural differences, dependent on both differences in heritage and geographical differences. In New Jersey, many new immigrants flock to a neighborhood that will make their transition easier to handle (as with most locations throughout history). In Marlboro (the town I grew up in), for example, most of my fellow residents were either Italians or Eastern Europeans, many of whom originated in Brooklyn. Prior to that I was living in Edison, where the majority of residents are of Asian origin. Head further north to Passaic, and you will find a heavily Latino community. Unfortunately, communities heavy in minority tend to be more likely to face greater economic instability. If one generation cannot fund education for the next, the cycle will continue. Fortunately our society values education as highly as it does, paving the way for a much improved devotion to working around the issue. That being said education is certainly not equal across the board, as many communities cannot afford the same luxuries as others.

In addition to the cultural differences the state contains, there are typical familial differences to contend with as well. Not all families are set up the same. Some may have two parents and two kids; some may be single parents with three kids. Though less common but still possible, there are families in which grandparents are added to the household as well. The number of people in the household will greatly increase ones cost of living. This document emphasizes the self-sufficiency standard for those who are single parents. For that reason, it does not help us to understand other family types to the same extent. The poverty level, according to the article, is a bit too low, that being said there are still families who fit the mold. What this article will help to do is to show us which families may better benefit from extra educational assistance. We as educators must make our own efforts to narrow the gap, to improve the education experience, so job attainment will be made easier, and provide more stable pay.