Celia Suraski FNED 346 Spring 2019 blog

It is very important for every student to feel welcome in a classroom, no matter their ability. That does not always happen and it is very unfortunate. Christopher Kilewer wrote the book titled, “Schooling Children with Down Syndrome”. The chapter I read has a quote from a woman named Mia Peterson. Peterson has down syndrome but can do just as much as other people without down syndrome. “I started to notice that I didn't like the classes I was taking called special education! had to go through special ed. almost all my life. I wanted to take other classes that interested me. I had never felt so mad, I wanted to cry” (Peterson, 1994, p. 6). No student should ever be segregated from their peers solely based on a diagnosis. This can affect which college people go to, what jobs they get, and their entire future. Kilewer also mentions a woman named Judith Snow who is a self-advocate in the disability rights movement. She says, “How absurd to be judged by others at all, especially ...

My Pecha Kucha story is about a kindergartner at my school calling another student the r-word for no real reason, the student who said the word was just annoyed at the other student.  SCWAAMP discusses how certain identities are valued in our culture, being white and being straight are examples these identities. Even though being abled is not included in SCWAAMP, I believe that our society values abled people and the r-word is a derogatory term for a person with a disability, even if it is not used in that context. Johnson talks about how classrooms need examples of people talking about race, gender, class, and sexuality. I believe classrooms need more examples of children with disabilities so it becomes more normalized. Teachers also need to teach why some words are not okay to say about a person with disabilities and why some words, like the r-word, for example, are never okay to say no matter who the person is. Lisa Delpit discusses how “good intentions are not enough” a...

AUTHOR/ CONCEPT Overall claims and arguments Key words Connection to another author? Story from my SL project SCWAAMP Leslie Grinner argues that there are some categories/identities that are most valued (dominant) in our culture and they are privileged, or given more access and opportunity than other categories/identities that are not valued.  These Most Valued categories are invisible to us unless we “tap the glass” to notice they are there. What kinds of things are valued at your SL site? Any evidence of taps on the glass of dominant ideology? dominant ideology privilege tap the glass Johnson talks about same concepts, Delpit’s culture of power My story is about disability and that is an identity and I think being able to valued and taken for granted in our culture. Johnson Allan Johnson argues that it is important to talk explicitly about issues of privilege, power and difference so that we can work towards a more just and respectful world. ...

My service learning placement is at Pleasant View Elementary School in Providence, Rhode Island. The statewide average for students eligible for free or reduced lunch in Rhode Island is 48%. At Pleasant View, 83% of the students are eligible for free or reduced lunch. This shows how few students at the school can afford basic necessities, like lunch. The statewide average for spending per pupil for the 2013-2014 school year was $15,923 but Pleasant View spent $17,049. Pleasant View Elementary spent over $1,000 more than most schools in the state per student and that does show that the school cares about their students. This spending amount is surprising due to how many students have free/reduced lunch. In the classroom that I am in, it is impossible to tell that this school mostly has poorer children. The classroom is colorful and fun and has everything a kindergarten classroom needs, with its many books and helpful posters around the room. My classroom has a bin full of twenty ...

I really enjoyed listening to “The Problem We All Live With - Part One”. Even though segregation was outlawed, it is still very prevalent in today’s society. “The US Department of Education put out data in 2014 showing that black and Latino kids in segregated schools have the least qualified teachers, the least experienced teachers. They also get the worst course offerings, the least access to AP and upper level courses, the worst facilities. The other thing about most segregated black schools, Nikole says, is that they have high concentrations of children who grew up in poverty. Those kids have greater educational needs. They're more stressed out. They have a bunch of disadvantages.” (Ira Glass). Segregation in schools became outlawed in 1954, yet the above quote shows that schools are still being segregated sixty years later. Most schools with a majority of black students are poorer and more disadvantaged and there is no reason that should be happening. All children, regardles...

“In the Service of What? The Politics of Service Learning” by Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer discuss how important community service is and the following three quotes show this. “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” (Kahne and Westheimer). Service learning has the word learning in it for a reason. The participants learn from the community they are working with and that furthers their knowledge. Participants are not only helping others, they are also helping themselves. “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...