Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Racial Identity!

         Racial identity has never been something I had ever thought of. It was almost a non-issue for me. I was born and raised in a fairly racially diverse society. I had never thought of any difference between my black friends and my white ones. We were all just kids who liked playing baseball and getting dirty. And this was my life until freshman year of high school when I moved to Wisconsin.
        My high school graduating class consisted of one African American and the rest where white. The fact that I wasn't around any black students was the first aspect that started to change my racial identity. The seconond came from the terrible biased local news that comes out of Milwaukee. For four years I watched the news in Milwaukee closely, because of my brother who attended Marquette University lived in the city. And the majority of the crime, that was publicized, that was committed in the city was committed by African Americans. This altered my views of the African American community.
       I initially came into the city in the Reintegration phase of racial identity. I was questionable other races. But as I spent more and more time around the city,  and not just Marquette's campus, i grew more more comfortable with others races and I am slowly advancing up through the stages of racial identity. I feel that I am more into the Immersion stage. I am becoming more comfortable with other races and more aware of my own race at the same time.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

White Privilege

          White Privilege is a term for the 'benefits' white people receive on a day to day basis versus the benefits not afforded to black people. These benefits range anywhere from the ability to buy nylons to if you go to prison or not. Most white people, me being a white middle class teen, rarely notice white privilege. And as much as it pains me to say this, but we tend to view it as the norm. White Privilege is can get pretty disgusting; according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, African American woman are four times as likely to die during childbirth due to lack of access to prenatal care when compared to White woman. This shows how dangerous this racism can get, and yet people still don't even think about White Privilege. This needs to change. And as soon as more people take notice of this it will. I have faith in our fellow Americans. This change has to start in our children; we raise them on ideals that we learned from our fathers that they learned from their fathers, and as much as you don't want to believe it, some of their ideals spawned during a dark time for America. We need to seek out the most moral path and teach our children to follow it.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Service Learning

      When I first heard about service learning I was a bit anxious. And when I finally chose where I wanted to do service learning, Milwaukee College Prep, I became even more so. To be completely honest, I hadn't ever been in an environment where, from what I have seen, there are 100% African American students. I grew up in many different places but for the most part they where mostly white. And the idea that I would finally able to be involved in an environment where whites were in the minority was pretty exciting. After initially meeting the students, and after they realized that I wasn't Mr. Reed's (the white gym teacher) son, i noticed that they weren't any different from kids that i had gone to elementary school with. Initially it was a hard to get used to dialect the students use, which the teachers try to stamp out, but soon it became interesting to me. And these past few weeks that I have been service learning, I've seen that these kids are exactly the same as I was when I was their age.
     Milwaukee College Prep is a charter school in the heart of  Milwaukee. It's located in a part of town that Marquette University told us not to venture into. But this school is a beacon of hope in one of the worst public school systems in the nation. The kids that I have talked to, 4th and 5th graders, all know what college they want to attend and what they are going to have to do to get there. Another interesting feature of the school is that the uniforms the children wear are based upon their grades. The A students, who get special privileges, wear black polos, the average students wear read polos, and the students who misbehave and are in danger of being suspended wear large buttons on their red polos. This shocked me at first, that the school would basically require the students to tell others their grades. But after awhile I grew to like that idea; if this would have happened to me it would probably have caused me to work harder in order to get to wear that black polo.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Reflection on Power and Control of Schools

Obviously no one is going to argue the point that the key to a child's success is a good education. But what does get argued, quite often, is what the best way for a child to receive this education is.

 The clear top contender would be a private school with a good track record that can also teach children a thing or two about the morals the parents hold dear. But this is usually not an option which leaves parents to choose between possibly failing public schools, sometimes questionable charter schools, and homeschooling.

Homeschooling is a choice that is becoming more and more popular with parents. It's is convenient above all other choices, it gives parents more hands on time with their children (something that is happening less and less), and it lets parents control what their children are exposed to, which can sometimes be a little much in many public schools. But this is also biggest downfall to homeschooling. The events that occur within the confines of the school building shape children into, hopefully, mature adolescents. If a child is stuck at home they are going to be deprived of all the sociality that surrounds school. School is a place where friendships are created and life experiences happen, I wouldn't be who I am today had it not been for my public school education.  I also wouldn't want to learn calculus from my mom. 

The next choice are Charter Schools. A Charter School is a school established by a charter between a granting body and and individual group. They operate under much of the same rules as public schools do but usually have higher standards. They may also specialize in things like the sciences or math. Some charter schools have a bad reputation because they tend to pop up all over the place then fail right away based on poor business plans or things of that nature. But there are a few good ones out there. For example, I do my Service Learning at Milwaukee College Prep., which is a charter school in Milwaukee, and every time I get to view a class I am amazed. The children seem advanced and well behaved and the school's plan for getting those kids into college is amazing. From first grade on the children start to think about college and that is their main goal. It's awesome to  see that in a city with some of the worst public schools in the nation. Charter Schools, when they are reputable, are a very good choice for children who want to receive a good education. The only downfall is that many parents often times do not even know about them.

The next choice is the local public school. Public schools are often hit or miss. The public school I went to was incredible. I received a great education from teachers that were more then willing to help and I also made some great friends along the way and had experiences that shaped me as a person. But in a city like Milwaukee, often times the public schools flat out suck. And the sad part is that so many parents do not know they can send their children elsewhere. So these children end up attending a terrible school that affects the the rest of their lives.  Under No Child Left Behind parents are entitled a voucher that is the equivalence of how much it would cost to receive a public education. They can use this voucher for paying for a private school education. But often times it just isn't enough. Although it is a sufficient start.

Overall in these bleak days of education, there is a shinny light in those Public Charter Schools that are taking the initiative in getting our kids to college. The word simply needs to spread.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Warriors Don't Cry Reflection

           "God's warriors don't cry, 'cause they trust that he is always by their side." These words were said to Melba by Grandma India right after Melba broke down when she realized that her life was changing and would never be the same again. Grandma India tells her that she is going to have to be tougher then the average teenager if she was going to get through this year at Central High School.
           This idea would have to be echoed by all those at Central and across the country that were fighting this same fight that Melba currently was. At this point, Melba's grandmother seems to be the only person who really understands the importance of the struggle that currently surrounds Melba and the Little Rock Nine.
           Grandma India gets her strength from her faith. She tries to teach others that they can find strength through these trying times by seeking out the Lord. This is shown clearly when she calls Melba "God's warrior." This quote sets up the whole context for the book and possibly foreshadows what will be Melba and the rest of the the Little Rock Nine's driving force: their faith.