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.