Service Learning Project Link

Nessa, Raquel and I used facebook for our service learning project. Below is the link to get to the Allan Johnson page, where you can also see our other connections.


Service Learning Final

Promising Practices

Kliewer; Citizenship in School-Reflection

 "How do we erase those negative attitudes?"


I feel like this is always the question being asked about any topic we discuss. Whenever we discuss a topic in class we always end up asking up how do we help and how can we change this. It seems like it is such a simple question, but the answer is so complex. Directly towards this reading, I feel we just need to continue showing that people with developmental disabilities are fully capable of being in a classroom and learning, just as the people who judge. If we show those who judge, that the disabled people are able to do the same work as they do, then I think it will help them to be less judgemental.

While reading this article, I looked back into my life. I wanted to see if I had judged anyone without realizing it. I couldn't think of anything. But it did remind me of a argument I continually have with one of my friends. I HATE when people use the word retarded and he knows this, but continues to use it. I confronted him about it and about how as my friend he should respect I HATE it and not use it around me, and he tells me that he doesn't see it as a derogatory word. It frustrates me.

I also wondered if people judged, because they don't know how to teach developmental disabled people, or if they believe that they need to be taught differently. I found a video on it.




I have no idea why, but this blog had a lot of trouble posting. I didn't realize it didn't post the entire thing, until today. :(

How to Improve Thinking Strategies for People with ID/DD: Ten Techniques...

Kliewer; Citizenship in School

 "How do we erase those negative attitudes?"

I feel like this is always the question being asked about any topic we discuss.

Pink~Raise Your Glass LYRICS~New Single!!

Pink wrote this song to celebrate being gay and being different. I think it's a great song!
To read what she says about her new song, click here.

Gender and Education

• ''In fact, upon entering school, girls perform equal to or better than boys on nearly every measure of achievement, but by the time they graduate high school or college, they have fallen behind. (Sadker, 1994)''
• ''The socialization of gender within our schools assures that girls are made aware that they are unequal to boys. Every time students are seated or lined up by gender, teachers are affirming that girls and boys should be treated differently.''
• ''When different behaviors are tolerated for boys than for girls because 'boys will be boys', schools are perpetuating the oppression of females. There is some evidence that girls are becoming more academically successful than boys, however examination of the classroom shows that girls and boys continue to be socialized in ways that work against gender equity.''
• ''Teachers socialize girls towards a feminine ideal. Girls are praised for being neat, quiet, and calm, whereas boys are encouraged to think independently, be active and speak up. Girls are socialized in schools to recognize popularity as being important, and learn that educational performance and ability are not as important. "Girls in grades six and seven rate being popular and well-liked as more important than being perceived as competent or independent. Boys, on the other hand, are more likely to rank independence and competence as more important." (Bailey, 1992)''
• ''Yet gender bias in education reaches beyond socialization patterns, bias is embedded in textbooks, lessons, and teacher interactions with students. This type of gender bias is part of the hidden curriculum of lessons taught implicitly to students through the every day functioning of their classroom.''
• ''"Rather than identifying learning problems, school personnel may be mislabeling behavioral problems. Girls who sit quietly are ignored; boys who act out are placed in special programs that may not meet their needs." (Bailey, 1992)''
• ''Gender bias in education is an insidious problem that causes very few people to stand up and take notice. The victims of this bias have been trained through years of schooling to be silent and passive, and are therefore unwilling to stand up and make noise about the unfair treatment they are receiving. "Over the course of years the uneven distribution of teacher time, energy, attention, and talent, with boys getting the lion's share, takes its toll on girls." (Sadker, 1994) Teachers are generally unaware of their own biased teaching behaviors because they are simply teaching how they were taught and the subtle gender inequities found in teaching materials are often overlooked. Girls and boys today are receiving separate and unequal educations due to the gender socialization that takes place in our schools and due to the sexist hidden curriculum students are faced with every day. Unless teachers are made aware of the gender-role socialization and the biased messages they are unintentionally imparting to students everyday, and until teachers are provided with the methods and resources necessary to eliminate gender-bias in their classrooms, girls will continue to receive an inequitable education.''

Here is a little video I found. It's silly, but I think makes a point.

Between Barack and a Hard Place

Wise's point about their being a day where people of color can be as "mediocre" as white people and still get hired. He uses an example of Bush and I think that helps to prove that color does not matter, despite what society might see. Also the host mentioning how many children of color may have thought before that they must be a hip-hop artist or a basketball star, but with Obama being president opens up a new view and inspiration for them. It depends onwhether you are willing to work hard enough, not on your color. Brown V.S. the Board of Education says that seperate is not equal. I think that these relate, because by desegragating the schools helped to show that anyone can do anything, as does Obama becoming president of the United States. When Wise says we still need to see how much work still needs to be done, he brings in a very strong point. Even after Brown V.S. Board, and other movements, we still had to move forward to make more changes as we do today after progressing to have a person of color as president.
I have included Martin Luther King Jr.'s, "I have a dream" speech because I feel it highly motivational and relates towards the movement of equality for all.

Kahne and Westheimer- ''In The Service Of What?''- Quotes

To begin this post I want to start with my link, because I think it gives a clear message on what service learning is and how it is used for good.

What is service learning?

''Educators and legislators alike maintain that service learning can improve the community and invigorate the classroom, providing rich educational experiences for students at all levels of schooling. Service learning makes students active participants in service projects that aim to respond to the needs of the community while furthering the academic goals of students.''

This quote means that service learning is an important base step in the educational process of a students goals. But not only that, but it helps to show the importance of helping the community when it is in need. It really shows that service learning is helpful to the service we need to provide academiclly and communially.

''These two service learning projects have much in common. Both provide authentic learning experiences. reflection on matters of social concern, and opportunities for interdisciplinary study linked to curricular goals. Moreover, the goals of both projects have broad-based appeal. They stress the importance of compassion for those in need, and they encourage children and young adults to find ways to help.''"32 While such rhetoric might allow this political scientist to be a trusted advisor to members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, it will not resolve the dilemmas facing practitioners who need to think carefully about the many values that we do not share, about what a radically improved world might look like, and about the different ways one might pursue this goal.''

I feel this quote sums up why service learning projects are important. They help to build compassion, helps others, increases ones education, and inspires people to help out. Reading this part of the article showed me what kinds of service learning prohects there were. I got a better understanding from it.

''If we focus on the "numerous values we share as a community," writes Amitai Etzioni, the founder of the cornmunitarian movement and a proponent ofservice learn-ing, "our world would be radically improved. "32 While such rhetoric might allow this political scientist to be a trusted advisor to members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, it will not resolve the dilemmas facing practitioners who need to think carefully about the many values that we do not share, about what a radically improved world might look like, and about the different ways one might pursue this goal.''

This reference means that we need to discover the best way to go about helping out. If everyone going towards a common value is better or worse than working on improving all of the values that are different. Are the values we don't share worse than the ones we do? I connect this to the article by thinking about which values you to work on and by what way would be most effective.

Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community by Dennis Carlson- Reflection

This article made me think of a video(click here) that I saw a few days ago. The video is about bullying which leads to teen suicide, because you are different.

• How can a state prohibit teaching theirs students about homosexuality? I admit I never had a "class" on it, but it had been talked about and mentioned in classes. I feel like this is saying we can't talk about the Holocaust, because it might make  person with Jewish background feel bad.

• I hate how the article says being gay gives you a loss of respect. Maybe to some that is true, but it is something that is so unfair. A person should have every right to love whom they want without being afraid of the repercussions. I also am reminded of SCWAAMP

I wish acceptance was easier to have in the world. I know people will always have their differences, but it kills me to know that some of these differences will lead to horrible things. I know it sounds a little silly, but if only everyone could get along, the world would be a happier place....if only

Richard Rodriguez "Aria" Responce to Sarah's Blog

"Richard Rodriguez "Aria"

After reading “Aria” by Richard Rodriguez, I really had to think. I had no idea that when people learn English and leave their other language, that a person could feel this way. I’ve never spoke any language other than English, and everyone in my family always spoke English at home and everywhere we went so I have never had to experience a loss of who I was. Someone’s identity covers a lot, and one part is their language that they speak. Their first language is what they identify with first. It comforted them; it helped them feel at home. That’s how Richard was when he had to learn English. He felt he was losing a part of his and his family’s identity.  The way Richard said that, “I considered Spanish to be a private language”.  You could see that he connected with it and nobody ever knew what he was saying to he felt safe in a way, to say what he wanted and only his sister and brother and his parents would understand.

                Back when Richard was in school, the schools would just ignore the kids and have them figure it out on their own. They wanted them to just get what’s going on and what’s expected of them and nobody ever cared about the emotional stuff that goes on in the process of that. Richard didn’t know what to do, or how to feel confident in himself so that’s why he went quiet for about a year.  I found a YouTube video that talks about bilingual education in the schools and what’s going on, and why it was started and when it was started. "

              I completely agree and understood what Sarah says.  I can't iimagine having somebody tell me one day that I could no longer speak English and I had to conform to what they want. To give up everything that I have known just to fit into someone else's standards seems crazy. I felt so much sadness that when the nuns went to his home and asked the parents to speak English to the children. From what I had gathered about Richard, it would be a very hard thing for him to lose at home. The more I read on I saw then pain and frustration he felt by losing the comfort of the Spanish language at home. I really like how Sarah pointed out how people overlook the emotional aspect. Emotions play such a large part in the way a person is. The changes of losing his language effected him emotionally because it was such a big change in his life. I agree that this article was an eye opener to what happens when someone must change their main language. I know a little bit of Spanish, and have no idea what I would do if someone all of sudden said that was what I had to use all of the time. I honestly am not sure I would be able to do it. To suddenly become fluent in another language. I think that this is something that needs to be worked on. Yes, learning English is needed for this country, but not at the expense of losing who your are. If fact I found an article(click here) that says being bilingual is beneficial, in the very first sentence. It goes on, however, to talk about people againist it. Lastly thank you Sarah for your help and the use of your response!

White Privilage: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh (quotes)

"whites are taught to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative, and average, and also ideal, so that when we work to benefit others, this is seen as work that will allow "them" to be more like "us"".
I feel that the author is trying to say that many people do not notice "white privilege" because of the fact they were raised without thinking it was privilege. She says that as children our parents tell us that this is the way your life should be. That it is an average life for a person. Most parents don't point out how we are advantaged because of our skin color. As the article later says, we are not judged on a daily base because of our skin color.
"In any case, we need to do more work in identifying how they actually affect our daily lives. Many, perhaps most, of our white students in the United States think that racism doesn't affect them because they are not people of color; they do not see "whiteness" as a racial identity."I personally wouldn't say that racism doesn't affect me, but it is more that I was not raised in a diverse community and did not see it until college. Overall though I believe the author is trying to say that many white students do need see how racism affects their daily lives. This may be because it benefits the white person, because they are not the one being discriminated against and are less likely to see it. I agree with the author that many people not see that "whiteness" is a racial identity, because it isn't something that is said. I know I am a white student, but in conversation a friend would not say that I am white. It seems like it is something that is known, but not really said.
"In my class and place, I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth."The author brings up a very powerful idea here, by saying that you may not consider yourself a racist, but it may only be on the surface. If by ignoring or failing to see that underlying view does that make you a racist? If you do not see the problem at hand and therefore not working to change it, does that make you seem racist because you are not fighting to change the unfairness of the system. If you saw this underlying issue and ignored it does that make you one?

ME!!!!!!!

Hey everyone!!! My name is Brittany, and I'm in my second year at RIC. This semester is definitely going to be a long one. It's only a few weeks in and I'm already sleep deprived and stressing. I am the treasurer for the Class of 2013 and I am public relations for RSA(Resident Student Association). I volunteer teaching CCD and have done it for 7 years now. I work in the wonderful Donovan Dining Center and surprisingly LOVE it. I think it's mostly because of the people, because we sing and dance all the time and generally have a ton of fun. I love to play softball, dance, and play field hockey. I wish I was a better singer because I do it all the time! That's about it, well that's not it, but it's all I can think to write. Wanna know more, feel free to ask!


~Brittany~