Christensen-Extended Comments

After reading Kelsey's Blog, it helped me understand and grasp the reading much more. She starts by saying all she can think about is her god children watching these shows and with my son on the way it made me wonder what impressions these are going to have on him. No one really realizes how early children develop a sense of understanding for things even when they don't really understand them at all.

As a huge Disney fan, I've always seem to notice the small things in the movies that are brought up by this reading. It has always bothered me that the majority of the princesses are white. Or that they all have meaningless tasks throughout the whole film with no purpose while the prince runs around and is praised for nothing. As a feminist, my favorite part of Hercules was always;

 



While Meg is a woman in distress she knows she doesn't need a man's help which confuses Hercules beyond belief.

Kelsey also writes about how the movies show that in order to be happy, a woman must change herself in order for the prince to come. I couldn't disagree with this idea more. I've always felt and made it a point that I am the only person who controls my happiness. I will not allow anyone, let alone a man, to take happiness or any other emotion away from me.

While I still love these movies, and will continue to watch them only with a different sight in mind, I won't be the parent to not let my son see them because of the message it portrays. I will, however, not allow him to feel superior just because he is male. And I will most certainly not allow him to take away or control someone's emotion just because others do it on TV.

While these shows and movies do have an impact on a child's belief and ideas, I do believe it is the parents job to help them see the right in these wrongs.

Aria - Quotes

Rodriguez writes an eye opener about our society. While his entire piece can be quoted and great points made from it I'm only going to address a few.

"Of course, my parents complied. What would they not do for their children's well-being? And how could they have questioned the Church's authority which those women represented? In an instant, they agreed to give up the language (the sounds) that had revealed and accentuated our family's closeness."

This quote almost saddens me. It makes a great connection back to Delpit and power. The church has power and is using it to make the children fit into our society. Who are the parents to question the power of the church, which to them may be questioning the power of God. The parents, which can be guessed to be immigrants, know they hold no power or very little power that they know better than to question someone's authority. Especially if it is being portrayed as their child's best interest, what parent would say no?

"(Stripped of any emotional content, the word simply became a name for those Americans not of Hispanic decent.)"

By his language being taken away from him so is the emotion and feeling that comes with it. Now, Spanish words are just words. He may still understand them, for now, but their meanings are gone. Their memories of the words are gone.

"Today I hear bilingual educators say that children lose a degree of 'individuality' by becoming assimilated into public society. )Bilingual schooling was popularized in the seventies, that decade where middle-class ethnics began to resist the process of assimilation- the American melting pot.)"

I couldn't agree more. I think it is important for children to have a sense of individuality, especially if it can come in the form of another language or culture. I feel it is important for children to be able to have a sense of selfness while in a group of others that are all trying to be made the same.

"Supporters of bilingual education today imply that students like me miss a great deal by not being taught in their family's language."

"After English became my primary language, I no longer knew what words to use in addressing my parents."

These two quotes together truly sum up what Rodriguez is trying to say in the reading. Keeping the family's language alive is so much more important than to just be able to speak two languages. It keeps everyone connected by what they have in common; their culture, their background, their family.  After he was forced to make English his primary language he lost one of the biggest connections he could, the connection with his parents. He no longer had a to call them. The ones he used before became painful and unfamiliar. And the ones associated with our society just didn't feel right.


I truly believe it is important to keep a culture alive. While it is beneficial to be able to speak English and speak it affectively, it is important to keep one's identity as well. Rodriguez makes this point by saying, "I would have felt much less afraid." Because he wasn't being addressed in a language he was familiar with, and he was the one being forced to accommodate to something else he felt afraid, as we can imagine many children being forced into assimilation are.

 

ACT

After yesterday's class and knowing I am retaking the ACT's I thought I'd post a few links to help anyone interested in taking the ACT over the CORE, and saving some money.

Act Home Page

Test/Registration Dates&Fees

Test Locations

The website does refer to high school information because it is more common for a high school student to take the ACT, however putting in college information when it asks for school information shouldn't cause any complications with registering or taking the test.

McIntosh+All Lives Matter - Connection

In 'White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack', McIntosh talks about the privilege the white race and male gender have that has become unspoken of. She focuses in on things in her life she hasn't noticed is different for those of another race. She starts by stating that male privilege is trying to be brought down by feminists, but no one is really making a movement for white privilege.

The first of her quotes that stood out was, "I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege.". This connects to Johnson and Delpit, in the sense that those with power rarely know they have it or realize the impact it has on those around them. They both relate to white privilege because it isn't realized by those who have it. As a white person, I and many others can agree, the things we do as a regular daily routine don't seem to display white privilege.

Reading further into the article, the things that seemed normal are actually seen as privilege. Such as shopping in a store, or even writing a check at the grocery store. As a kid, I always watched my mom write a check for groceries, and even now, I'll write a check for something small just because I don't have the cash and not think twice about it. But reading this through, I was reminded of a video that was played in my GEND 200 class a few semesters ago;



We, as a society, are taught not to notice when we are given a privilege over others. Just as written in 'All Lives Matter'. The problem with all lives matter isn't that it's excluding a race or including them all. Rather than it's not addressing the actual problem at hand.

As important as all lives are, not every race is being 'targeted' (whether one wants to believe in the issue or deny it exists). Watching the news in our country, we don't see too many attacks on those of the white, Hispanic, Asian, native American race by police force as we do the African race.

That being said, yes all lives do matter, however not all lives are in danger. The recent attacks and killings of the African American community show to society that black lives aren't as important or valuable as others.

Something to share with the class is the example of the importance of Black Lives Matter given in the article. I personally feel as though it opens eyes to the real problem with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Kristof - Quotes

Kristof titles his article 'U.S.A., Land of Limitations?, rather than land of opportunities as America is more commonly known as. The reason? America does not have equal opportunities for all who live here, no matter what one may think.

Within the first few paragraphs, one quote stuck out.

'"We have never been a nation of haves and have-nots," Senator Marco Rubio once declared. "We are a nation of haves and soon-to-haves, of people who have made it and people will make it."'

While this is true, and does describe some opportunities for those living in this country, it is not the whole story. This quote means that America is not simply divided into people who have and have succeeded and those who do not have and have not succeeded. Rather, America is a country where some already have and others will have given time and opportunity.

 The second quote that seemed to stand out for me was,

'School might have been an escalator to a better life, for Rick had a terrific mind, but as a boy he had an undiagnosed attention deficit disorder and teachers wrote him off. In the eighth grade, the principal punished Rick for skipping school, by suspending him for six months. Rick was thrilled. By 10th grade he had dropped out of school for good.'

This was important to me because it showed what the school system is lacking, even today. For teachers to just push students off and send them up in grades just so the burden isn't theirs is what truly bothers me most. As a teacher you should care about the education and the message you are sending to these children. If they are being pushed aside based on some type of learning disorder or other reason, you are teaching them that because of this their education and knowledge isn't worth anything to anyone else, therefore, making it worthless for them. The end result? More high school drop outs simply because no one has helped them learn to their full potential.

Lastly,

'Consider that 77 percent of adults in the top 25 percent of the incomes earn a B.A. by age 24. Only 9 percent of those in the bottom 25 percent do so.'

This quote truly depicts what the impact of financial status has to do with higher education. Those in the bottom 25 percent either feel they cannot further their education or their financial status does not allow them to. Some may have to work right after high school to support families, putting college out of their plans. Those that are fortunate enough to go to college do, widening the gap.

A point to share would include a few other quotes from this reading. Quotes that show some people do go above what would be expected of them. Others, further explaining why the life you were born into is what determines your future. As someone who works with elementary children, I've personally seen what home life can do to a child's idea of their future. Some feel because of their race or whether their parent went to college that determines whether they go or not. Some children are experiencing being pushed off by teachers, making them feel they are not capable to learn what is being taught in class. I use my job to tell them their wrong. I help to encourage them to do better and strive for what they want. And watching them come in, waving their report cards, excited to tell me they did better in math or reading than last report card is the best reward I can ask for.



About Me!

My name is Alexis.

This is my junior year at RIC, and I am an elementary education major.

 

I am excited to be expecting my first baby!

 

Not only am I a soon to be mom, but I also have 4 fur babies that I am completely obsessed with. 

 

I am an auntie to two amazing nephews and one adorable niece.

I also have two sisters and one brother that are a major part of my life.

 



 

I've worked for the Boys and Girls Club for four years now and absolutely love my job!

The children are amazing and always make my day at work worth being there!

 

If I'm not spending my weekends with family, I can usually be found at a car show or car club event. While cars aren't really my thing, I do enjoy spending my time with my fiancé and the friends that share this passion.