Teaching Boys and Girls Separately by Weil- Talking Points #7

"One reason for this, Giedd says, is that when it comes to education, gender is a pretty crude tool for sorting minds."
 When I read this quote, it made me laugh. Male and females think differently from one another. They both have different opinions on different aspects. I feel as though we should not separate male and females due to the gender of them. When we both have males and females together, there is a different environment as if there was just males and males; females and females. When there are males and females together, it is a good way to understand concepts on where male and females come from. It is also a good way to ask why they have both have a different way of thinking. 


"The data do not suggest that they’re clearly better for all kids. Nor do they suggest that they’re worse. The most concrete findings from the research on single-sex schools come from studies of Catholic schools, which have a long history of single-sex education, and suggest that while single-sex schools may not have much of an impact on the educational achievement of white, middle-class boys, they do measurably benefit poor and minority students."
One of the things that I noticed even before I read this reading is that the majority of single sex schools are catholic schools. I still do not understand until this day of this concept. Is it because of the reason due to to abstinence. Having two single sex schools has nothing to do with this concept, because either way males will stay date females and females will still date males. From the last time I recalled, I do not remember anything from the bible that said about having single sex schools. I personally do not think it's right. Why do parents have to waste thousands of dollars for their children to go to a single sex catholic school, where chances are they are still going to find a person to date throughout their high school years. If parents think that's the best way to go, then they are wrong. Students get the same education when they are in a male and female school.


“Coed’s not working. Time to try something else.”
I personally disagree with this comment. I have to admit that I sometimes get bored at school when I work with all girls. It's interesting to hear at times what's on the males minds, since they think differently than us. It's good to hear on what they have to say, since they think completely different than us. I personally feel that coeds does not work because the females and males do not make an effort to listen to each other's ideas. I feel that it has to do on teamwork and working as a team. Once they figure how to do that, it will be fine cooperating. 

A Particularly Cheap White Wine- Wise: Talking Point #6

"According to a national study by the General Accounting Office, less than four percent of scholarship money in the U. S. is represented by awards that consider race as a factor at all, while only 0.25 percent (that's one quarter of one percent for the math challenged) of all undergrad scholarship dollars come from awards that are restricted to persons of color alone (1). "
    When I first saw this quote, I was in complete shock to look at the percentage. It makes me sad that we still have this racial thing going on thinking that the whites are better than anyone else. White people automatically get scholarships before black people do. I feel like our world still lives in this old fashion mentality, to the point where people need to face equality. It bothers me to the point where it comes to scholarships. Scholarships is about the grades and education of the person, it should not be based on the color of that person.


"Additionally, to suggest that race-based scholarships are some unique and illegitimate break with an otherwise meritocratic system is preposterous. Fact is, there are plenty of scholarships that 
have nothing to do with merit per se, but about which conservatives say nothing: scholarships for people who are left-handed, or kids whose parents sell Tupperware, or the children of horse-
breeders, or descendants of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, among many thousands of such awards (3). "
   I personally knew that there were these types of scholarships before, but I just think that it's interesting how they come up with these types of scholarships. Honestly, what is the point on having a scholarship for being left handed? Whatever happened on receiving scholarships for academics and studies? I just think that it's interesting how we live in a world that to me is giving out free money to pay for a tuition to go to school. The purpose of a scholarship is to earn money for what you deserve because of school. I mean if I could, I could apply for a left handed scholarship since I'm left handed.

"In effect, these are not scholarships based on race, but rather, scholarships based on a recognition of racism and how racism has shaped the opportunity structure in the U. S. Because race has
been the basis for oppression, and continues to play such a large role in one's life chances, it is perfectly legitimate to then offer scholarships on the basis of that category which has triggered the
oppression. If people of color have been denied opportunity because of their race, then why is it so hard to understand the validity of remedying that denial, and its modern day effects, by also

making reference to their race? After all, that was the source of the injury, so why shouldn't it also be the source of the solution?"

    Honestly, I find this 100% discrimination. Scholarships are suppose to be based by how well you do in school, not by the color of your skin. I feel bad for the black people because they can't really do nothing about it. I feel like society will never  change. It's always something that has to relate to discrimination. I don't understand why America and our government can be equal, and just have equality to both sides. African people need more of the scholarships than us because of the poverty, and the cost of the education. 

In Service of What?- Kahne & Westheimer- Talking Points #5

   I found this article very interesting because it relates to the topic of service learning. Service Learning is a way to help out the community, and to also help children who need help. There were a couple of quotes that I found interesting from the article.

 "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". I personally enjoy doing service learning. I get to work with children that face a little bit of difficulty in the area of rhyming and learning their syllables. I just love the look on their faces when I teach the first graders a technique on how to rhyme, and their faces just bright up. It makes me feel so good about myself because I am helping them face a challenge that they have a problem with. While me being a service learning tutor, I am helping the community by going to the elementary school and by helping them tutor, and spending some time with them for an hour and a half. 

 "Recognizing the potential of service learning, policy makers, legislators, and educators have promoted initiatives at the local, state, and national levels." I feel like there are more service learning projects now than there were five years ago. There is always some type of service learning project to do. There are more people and children that need more help now a days, and this a way of helping them. Service learning came a long way from how it was many years ago. When there are people tutoring children for to improve their knowledge, it is making a difference in the community. When more people tutor children, the more children are improving and learning fast.

  "Moreover, when asked what they gained from the experience, many students said simply that it taught them "that people can be different" from what you expect." Service Learning makes us think in a different way because of the location on where the elementary school is located. At first, when someone goes to an elementary school, the first thing that they notice is where the elementary school is located, and by that, people tend to judge the elementary school. I must admit that when I first saw the elementary school, I was in complete shock. Just by the location of the school, I thought the students were going to be mean. I was completely wrong by that theory. I absolutely love them, and I am glad that I got the chance to do the service learning project. Tutoring little children is one of the best experiences that I have had. Just seeing them improve weekly just makes me really happy. It is like I am helping them, and that is a good feeling. 

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us- Christensen: Talking Point #4

  I personally thought that this article was interesting. It shows us that the media and advertising has ways on manipulating us to believe what is in the media or in advertisement. This article covers characteristics of a person: white, pretty, ugly, black, etc. It does not just focus on one certain topic, but instead all of  these topics are combined. The teacher made the students critic cartoon characters, and to say their opinion about them.
  "A black Cinderella? Give Me a Break." She wrote: "Have you ever seen a black person, an Asian, a Hispanic in a cartoon?...."Women who aren't white begin to feel left out and ugly because they never get to play the princess." I feel that this is a racism comment because the student is trying to say that a black person can not be a main character in a fairy tale. I disagree with this comment, and the fact that the white girls will feel ugly. This also has to do with jealously. Being a main character is not just all about looks, but also how the person fits the character. I did not like how that student has that mentality of thinking like that. It is actually good that society is changing the race of roles such as Cinderella. Gives other nationalities a chance to take part of these roles. In this generation now, we are seeing all kind of ethnic backgrounds take part of big roles.
   This other student said that "Women's roles in fairy tales distort reality...These seemingly innocent stories teach us to look for our fault. As Tinker Bell inspects her tiny body in a mirror only to find that her minute hips are simply too huge, she shows us how to turn the mirror into an enemy." This comment that this girl is addressing is pointing out self- esteem. The girl is saying that Tinker Bell does not looking at herself in the mirror because she feels fat when she sees herself. In reality, this happens to young adults as well. It is not just because Tinker Bell did that, people started to do the same thing. Young adults do look at themselves and are not happy with themselves in the mirror. Sadly to say, it is very common for everyone.
    "I don't want students to believe that change can be bought at the mall, nor do I want them thinking that the pinnacle of a women's life is an "I do" that supposedly leads them to a "happily ever after." In this quote of what a student said, I somewhat agree with her. When I personally was a little girl and watched a fairy tale, all I thought about was the ending of it, and how the girl always ends up with the guy and live happily ever after. When I would finish watching those fairy tales, it would make me wonder if I would ever find a guy like that. Finding one guy, and everything would be perfect. In reality, it is not. I believe that fairy tales are too much of a dream come true. It's cute and all, but it is not realistic to some people. Some people do find their prince charming sooner than others, and that is normal. It is also about the way a person thinks as well. People need to make their own fairy tales, instead of following not made of characters and actual fairy tales.

Gayness, Multicultural Education and Community- Carlson Talking Points #3

"Within normalizing communities, some individuals are subject positions (white, middle class, male heterosexual, etc) get privileged are represented as "normal" white other individuals and subject positions (i.e. black, working class, female, homosexual, etc) are disempowered are represented as deviant, sick, neurotic, criminal, lazy, lacking in intelligence, and in other ways "abnormal".
 In my opinion, I just don't understand why nobody is treated equally. Everyone should all have the definition on being normal, and no one being abnormal. Everyone is different and unique in their own way, and people should just accept people for the way they are. We can't just judge people from how they act, which part of class they come from, etc. Fairness and normality for everyone.

"Being yourself celebrates individualism and the autonamy of individuals to construct their own lives according to their own values and achieve goals they set for themselves- a deep foundational value in American culture".
I feel that this explains a lot for an individual. Everyone makes up who you are as a person. Everyone individual has their own way of living, their own achievements in life, and what they believe is best for their own self. This is what makes up a persons individuality. Everyone has their own way of living, and it's all about the lifestyle that individual lives in.

"Popular culture may represent identity, but identity also is represented in corporeal form, as individuals actively" live" their identities and make these identities visible in their everyday relations."
The majority of people get their identities from they way they live with relations with people. They way the people live and make out their identity, makes up the type of person that person is. Everyday relations tie down to this because we are surrounded by people, and we are also influences by what is around us the majority of the time.