One of the events I attended was the Beyond Tolerance 4 event. I attended this event mostly because I didn't know anything about LGBTQ issues. The school that I attended prior to coming to NYU was a very conservative private school, and so these sorts of subjects or questions were simply not mentioned, let alone discussed. For this reason, I was excited to attend this event, to learn more about the young LGBTQ community here in the city.
The event started with a session dedicated to tabling. Several different LGBTQ organizations in the city gathered with tables, fliers, and information for any LGBTQ youth who were still looking for help or for a community. There were several difference groups dedicated to specific ethnic groups, but represented were also different organizations, shelters, or even churches who offer services to LGBTQ youth. I spent this time walking around, picking up fliers, and learning about the different communities there are in the city. It was exciting to see how many different organizations exist to help youth who may be struggling.
The next part of the event was composed of two different sessions, which we chose from a large list of options. The first session I attended was titled "How To Be A Youth Activist For Queer Rights." I wish that I could have had a brief description of the session before attending it; although I did learn some things from attending the session, I had hoped to maybe learn more about policy, rights, or advocacy. Instead, the session was held by an organization called Everyone Allied Against Homophobia, and essentially taught those of us who attending how to run a successful Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA). The two college students who led the discussion brought us through a series of activities meant to ignite discussion about the purposes of GSAs, as well as the best ways to run an efficient GSA. As an example, one of the activities we did was a "choose your own adventure" activity, for which we were split into smaller groups. We were told to pretend that we were the members of our school's GSA, and were given scenarios from which we had to make decisions about what to do as a club. Based on these decisions, the series of scenarios continued, until it was determined whether or not we had made good decisions and thus been an effective GSA. In the end, I found that GSAs are plagued by many of the same issues that most other clubs struggle with, and as one of the Co-Presidents of a club here at NYU, this information was not especially new to me. However, I did enjoy hearing some different perspectives about some of the issues GSAs typically face.
I found the second session I attended, an intergenerational panel, much more attune to my own interests. The panel was literally intergenerational, with panelists ranging from their mid-twenties to their sixties. The idea behind the panel was to give those of us who attended the session a chance to hear different perspectives on what it was like to grow up gay/lesbian/queer, as well as to learn about things different panelists struggled with as they were growing up. To start, the woman moderating the event asked the panelists to tell us about their lives when they were young, and to tell us their "coming out story." The panelists then answered questions from those who attended the session.
This part of the session was, for me, probably the most interesting aspect of the entire Beyond Tolerance event. As I heard about the different ways in which the panelists had struggled with their senses of identity, and as I learned about how they came out to their friends and family, or what "coming out" even meant to them, I thought about how multifaceted this aspect of one's personality really is. As a straight person, I'll admit that my identity as a girl/woman was not something I thought about frequently as I was growing up. There were some panelists who said they had always known, and that when they came out to their families, no one was really surprised. There were other panelists, however, who got married, even had children, before they really came to terms with who they were. While some of the panelists seemed entirely comfortable with this aspect of their identity, others seemed as if they were still exploring and figuring things out. Other panelists acted as if they needed prove that it was okay to be who they were. Listening to these stories gave me an insight into lives and a community I had never really been exposed to, and so I learned an incredible amount from attending this event.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Combating Childhood Obesity
This event was a workshop for educators in which three different speakers described different programs which have been created in order to combat childhood obesity. While I didn't walk into the event expecting much (of all the issues we have to face in the classroom, I must admit that childhood obesity wasn't on the top of my list of priorities), I ended up really enjoying the event, and walked away with a far better understanding of the issues at hand.
The first speaker was Dr. Maida Galvez, who works with the Children's Aid Society. She talked about the Go! Healthy Program, the Go! Chefs Program, and the Go! Kids program. Essentially, these programs involve a three-part strategy:
1) Provide education for students and parents
2) Improve what we feed children in our care (e.g., school lunches)
3) Change policies
While Dr. Galvez did briefly mention fitness programs for children, as well as ways in which her organization has advocated to change school breakfast/lunch policies, in her presentation, Dr. Galvez focused most on the second part of this strategy. She started by presenting and analyzing a typical elementary school breakfast/lunch menu, pointing the weaknesses and faults in the menu. She then went on to describe the foods and menus that she and her colleagues have developed. The menus featured such health strategies as eating more fruits and fibers, incorporating fewer sugars, and providing non-meat sources of protein. Next, Dr. Galvez talked about how none of this can happen without additional training and education for school cooks. To this end, she described several programs her organization has started implementing in a few schools, programs which have been met largely with success. Honestly, most of the food Dr. Galvez described sounded amazing, and I wondered whether it would really be possible to utilize these strategies in a typical public school cafeteria. No doubt the extra training, as well as the food made from scratch, would cost public schools additional funds they may not have to spare. Dr. Galvez addressed this issue only briefly, stating that the foods on her organization's menus are not much more expensive than the processed foods they currently serve, and that the benefits of giving children healthy meals far outweigh the burden of extra funds.
The second speaker was Dr. Michael Rosenbaum, who talked about two more experimental projects he has developed and implemented. Dr. Rosenbaum talked first about the complications of obesity, emphasizing that looking overweight should be the least of one's worries. Instead, he spoke of the dangers of later developing adult degenerative diseases such as heart diseases or diabetes as a result of poor diet and exercise habits during childhood. The two projects Dr. Rosenbaum mentioned specifically were The El Camino Project and the Reduce Obesity and Diabetes (ROAD) Program. Both of these projects were more experimental in nature, as he set them up like empirical studies (with control and treatment groups) and used to them to test and refine his theories. Both projects, unlike those of Cathy Nonas, focused more on exercise and fitness than on diet. One thing I found interesting especially about the ROAD Program is that he used this project to gather information on ethnic differences, and incorporated self-esteem scales into the program data. In terms of the ethnic differences, Dr. Rosenbaum found that people from different ethnic groups respond differently to various school exercise and diet strategies. For this reason, there is no one school exercise program that will fully benefit students from every ethnic group. At the end of his presentation, Dr. Rosenbaum mentioned that he is continuing research on this subject, working to learn more about these ethnic differences, as well as why they exist.
The final speaker was Cathy Nonas, who works with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Cathy spoke about the different strategies the NYC Department of Heath and Mental Hygiene is using to motivate people to improve their diet habits. These programs include the Healthy Bodegas Initiative, which offers benefits to bodegas that sell healthier food and snacks, the Health Buck, $2 food stamps that can only be spent at Green Markets, and Green Carts, food carts that offer benefits to vendors who will sell fresh fruit and vegetables in less-served neighborhoods. In addition to these, she mentioned the "Are You Pouring On the Pounds?" ads they created, as well as several other similar initiatives. Finally, she talked about the changes the Department is attempting to make in more general policies, such as changes in the health code at day care centers, school food standards, and the availability of competitive foods (e.g., vending machines) in public schools.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this event, as I walked away with information and ideas I hadn't considered before. I'm realizing now that although student health should be of utmost importance to school educators and administrators alike, these health issues are typically forgotten in lieu of other concerns, such as student test scores. However, a student's health greatly influences every aspect of his/her life, including his/her emotional well-being and academic performance. I now believe that these issues should be brought to the table and discussed more often, and that changes should be made so that students can form healthier diet and exercise habits.
The first speaker was Dr. Maida Galvez, who works with the Children's Aid Society. She talked about the Go! Healthy Program, the Go! Chefs Program, and the Go! Kids program. Essentially, these programs involve a three-part strategy:
1) Provide education for students and parents
2) Improve what we feed children in our care (e.g., school lunches)
3) Change policies
While Dr. Galvez did briefly mention fitness programs for children, as well as ways in which her organization has advocated to change school breakfast/lunch policies, in her presentation, Dr. Galvez focused most on the second part of this strategy. She started by presenting and analyzing a typical elementary school breakfast/lunch menu, pointing the weaknesses and faults in the menu. She then went on to describe the foods and menus that she and her colleagues have developed. The menus featured such health strategies as eating more fruits and fibers, incorporating fewer sugars, and providing non-meat sources of protein. Next, Dr. Galvez talked about how none of this can happen without additional training and education for school cooks. To this end, she described several programs her organization has started implementing in a few schools, programs which have been met largely with success. Honestly, most of the food Dr. Galvez described sounded amazing, and I wondered whether it would really be possible to utilize these strategies in a typical public school cafeteria. No doubt the extra training, as well as the food made from scratch, would cost public schools additional funds they may not have to spare. Dr. Galvez addressed this issue only briefly, stating that the foods on her organization's menus are not much more expensive than the processed foods they currently serve, and that the benefits of giving children healthy meals far outweigh the burden of extra funds.
The second speaker was Dr. Michael Rosenbaum, who talked about two more experimental projects he has developed and implemented. Dr. Rosenbaum talked first about the complications of obesity, emphasizing that looking overweight should be the least of one's worries. Instead, he spoke of the dangers of later developing adult degenerative diseases such as heart diseases or diabetes as a result of poor diet and exercise habits during childhood. The two projects Dr. Rosenbaum mentioned specifically were The El Camino Project and the Reduce Obesity and Diabetes (ROAD) Program. Both of these projects were more experimental in nature, as he set them up like empirical studies (with control and treatment groups) and used to them to test and refine his theories. Both projects, unlike those of Cathy Nonas, focused more on exercise and fitness than on diet. One thing I found interesting especially about the ROAD Program is that he used this project to gather information on ethnic differences, and incorporated self-esteem scales into the program data. In terms of the ethnic differences, Dr. Rosenbaum found that people from different ethnic groups respond differently to various school exercise and diet strategies. For this reason, there is no one school exercise program that will fully benefit students from every ethnic group. At the end of his presentation, Dr. Rosenbaum mentioned that he is continuing research on this subject, working to learn more about these ethnic differences, as well as why they exist.
The final speaker was Cathy Nonas, who works with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Cathy spoke about the different strategies the NYC Department of Heath and Mental Hygiene is using to motivate people to improve their diet habits. These programs include the Healthy Bodegas Initiative, which offers benefits to bodegas that sell healthier food and snacks, the Health Buck, $2 food stamps that can only be spent at Green Markets, and Green Carts, food carts that offer benefits to vendors who will sell fresh fruit and vegetables in less-served neighborhoods. In addition to these, she mentioned the "Are You Pouring On the Pounds?" ads they created, as well as several other similar initiatives. Finally, she talked about the changes the Department is attempting to make in more general policies, such as changes in the health code at day care centers, school food standards, and the availability of competitive foods (e.g., vending machines) in public schools.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this event, as I walked away with information and ideas I hadn't considered before. I'm realizing now that although student health should be of utmost importance to school educators and administrators alike, these health issues are typically forgotten in lieu of other concerns, such as student test scores. However, a student's health greatly influences every aspect of his/her life, including his/her emotional well-being and academic performance. I now believe that these issues should be brought to the table and discussed more often, and that changes should be made so that students can form healthier diet and exercise habits.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Conversations of Color
After the Dance & Movement Workshop that I attended on October 15, 2009, there was a one hour Conversations of Color that I attended with Karla Rodriguez & Jessica Hom.
The questions that were raised at the meeting were:
1. how are your definitions of diversity similar to each other? how do they differ?
The questions that were raised at the meeting were:
1. how are your definitions of diversity similar to each other? how do they differ?
2. why did you come to conversations of color today?
3. how do your definitions/ideas about diversity compare to your family's? to your friends'? to your religious institution's?
4. have your definitions/ideas about diversity changed since coming to nyu? how?
5. is diversity valued at nyu? what can/should the school do to promote diversity?
6. how comfortable are you talking about issues surrounding diversity? why is it such a difficult issue for some people to talk about? how do we create space so people can have these conversations openly and honestly?
7. what are some issues you would like to explore in conversations of color this year?
In a small group, we discussed these questions. The most important topics that were addressed was the issue of diversity at NYU. First, my small group addressed our concerns and feelings about these topics when it came time to speak in a whole room discussion. Speaking on the issue of diversity, my group and I raised the fact that many of us are learning the importance of diversity in all of our current classes. NYU, as one of the most prestigious schools in the nation, in NYC for that matter prides itself on having such a "diverse population". We then asked ourselves what a "diverse population" meant. Diverse means diverse in different ways. It means varying cultures, backgrounds, socioeconomic systems, gender, home life and experiences...not simply race.
I saw my old ASL I professor, Randolph Mowry, and my advisor, Victoria Carr were also present at the meeting. Randolph Mowry brought up such an interesting perspective on diversity and how people see him. He said that at first glance he looks like a typical white male, a symbol of power in America. If people would actually get to know him, people would learn that he does in fact bring diversity; he is gay, grew up in the lower class family bracket, and signs. It was interesting to hear others' opinions on this issue. Victoria urged my table (Jessica, Karla, and I) to take action towards this and mentioned how proud of us she was for attending the event as we were her students in one of the greatest programs at NYU. We spoke of the issues that we spoke about on the first day of classes, the meaning of a multicultural education and its impact on our students. We think that NYU should practice what they preach.
This was one of the first conversations that actually sparked my interest in social justice. People began asking questions of what NYU can really do to change the diversity at their school. It was a challenging question to answer, even from such a varied group of students. We spoke about the students in the room were all students who wanted to hear what others had to say. How were we to get this word about the importance of diversity to others not physically in attendance at the meeting? One of the same recurring quotes was brought to the table - There is power in numbers.
I pose a question for my fellow students -- If NYU should value diversity and actual represent a diverse population, how would NYU accept students of different socioeconomic statuses? How can that issue be actually raised to NYU?
We were also encouraged to host our own conversations of color meeting. They welcomed suggestions about any issues we wanted to discuss, which I thought was such a valuable resource. I invite all my other classmates to attend at least one on any topic they find interesting and are passionate about. People who are willing are also able to host one, so if you're interested you should inquire!
In a small group, we discussed these questions. The most important topics that were addressed was the issue of diversity at NYU. First, my small group addressed our concerns and feelings about these topics when it came time to speak in a whole room discussion. Speaking on the issue of diversity, my group and I raised the fact that many of us are learning the importance of diversity in all of our current classes. NYU, as one of the most prestigious schools in the nation, in NYC for that matter prides itself on having such a "diverse population". We then asked ourselves what a "diverse population" meant. Diverse means diverse in different ways. It means varying cultures, backgrounds, socioeconomic systems, gender, home life and experiences...not simply race.
I saw my old ASL I professor, Randolph Mowry, and my advisor, Victoria Carr were also present at the meeting. Randolph Mowry brought up such an interesting perspective on diversity and how people see him. He said that at first glance he looks like a typical white male, a symbol of power in America. If people would actually get to know him, people would learn that he does in fact bring diversity; he is gay, grew up in the lower class family bracket, and signs. It was interesting to hear others' opinions on this issue. Victoria urged my table (Jessica, Karla, and I) to take action towards this and mentioned how proud of us she was for attending the event as we were her students in one of the greatest programs at NYU. We spoke of the issues that we spoke about on the first day of classes, the meaning of a multicultural education and its impact on our students. We think that NYU should practice what they preach.
This was one of the first conversations that actually sparked my interest in social justice. People began asking questions of what NYU can really do to change the diversity at their school. It was a challenging question to answer, even from such a varied group of students. We spoke about the students in the room were all students who wanted to hear what others had to say. How were we to get this word about the importance of diversity to others not physically in attendance at the meeting? One of the same recurring quotes was brought to the table - There is power in numbers.
I pose a question for my fellow students -- If NYU should value diversity and actual represent a diverse population, how would NYU accept students of different socioeconomic statuses? How can that issue be actually raised to NYU?
We were also encouraged to host our own conversations of color meeting. They welcomed suggestions about any issues we wanted to discuss, which I thought was such a valuable resource. I invite all my other classmates to attend at least one on any topic they find interesting and are passionate about. People who are willing are also able to host one, so if you're interested you should inquire!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
South Bronx Food and Film expo
South Bronx Food and Film Expo
On December 5, I attend the South Bronx Food and Film Expo at The Point- where community and creativity connect. I started the morning off by registering for the event, and walking around the lobby that was set up like an expo. The expo consisted of different organizations based in theSouth Bronx marketing their work in the community. Each organization provided useful pamphlets and photos of events they have conducted prior to that day. The organizations were dedicated to promoting healthy eating by locally growing fruits and vegetables for their community.
After walking around the expo I entered into theresp film screamscreening room where we watched several films that promoted healthier eating habits. The two main films that were viewed were “What’s on your plate” and Fresh”. The film that stood out to me the most was “What’s on Your Plate.”
“What’s on your plate” showed the journey of two 11 year oldNew York City Public school Ohio US
The girls’ science teacher stood out to me in this film. He did such an amazing job explaining to the students what calories are. He did this by giving groups of students different foods to light on fire with his supervision. What the students found from this activity is the longer it takes for the food to fully burn, the more nutrients and energy it provides to use. The less time it takes to burn the more empty calories it has.
Based on these girls’ admirable work there is a curriculum for teachers to use in their classroom. This curriculum can be food on the internet at www.whatsonyourplateproject.org . A curriculum like this could by useful and interesting to teach our students about the concept of healthy eating and we are what we eat.
On December 5, I attend the South Bronx Food and Film Expo at The Point- where community and creativity connect. I started the morning off by registering for the event, and walking around the lobby that was set up like an expo. The expo consisted of different organizations based in the
After walking around the expo I entered into theresp film screamscreening room where we watched several films that promoted healthier eating habits. The two main films that were viewed were “What’s on your plate” and Fresh”. The film that stood out to me the most was “What’s on Your Plate.”
“What’s on your plate” showed the journey of two 11 year old
The girls’ science teacher stood out to me in this film. He did such an amazing job explaining to the students what calories are. He did this by giving groups of students different foods to light on fire with his supervision. What the students found from this activity is the longer it takes for the food to fully burn, the more nutrients and energy it provides to use. The less time it takes to burn the more empty calories it has.
Based on these girls’ admirable work there is a curriculum for teachers to use in their classroom. This curriculum can be food on the internet at www.whatsonyourplateproject.org . A curriculum like this could by useful and interesting to teach our students about the concept of healthy eating and we are what we eat.
Urban Word
Urban word
On Saturday October 3rd I attended Urban Words Preemptive Education Language, Identity and Power annual mentor, teacher educator and community activist training program at NYU’s Silver Center. The day started off with registration and breakfast, followed by all the participants meeting in a room where David Kirkland kicked off the day.
His kick off stood out to me. He started speaking about language and liberation. The first activity he provided us was a language variation activity, where we worked in groups forming sentences with words that only contained two syllables. This activity made me feel limited with what I could say, as well as forced to think of new ways to search for words to say. I also noticed myself speaking at a slower pace than I normally do and feeling less confident when speaking with my peers. After this, he led us in the “coin game”. For this game we were split up into 3 different groups: gold, red, and blue. What I learned from this activity was the language of the gold group was valued most. The gold group was given more advantages and had good luck. What I learned from this is that people are afraid to be moved into the bottom because they know how hard it is to work your way up to the top group. The only way people were allowed to move from the blue or red group to the gold group was to lie and cheat. We played several rounds of this game. At the end of each round the team with the most points was awarded being able to pick a rule that all the other groups had to follow. This relates to the point of how urban youths language will be less valued then middle and upper class American’s language.
He then went on to show us a song called “U Turn”, written by a student. This stood out to me because it was a beautiful written piece of poetry that had many poetic elements. Instead of this student’s teacher being proud of his work, the teacher was upset about his spelling. As a teacher it is important for us to find value in everything our students do.
At the conference I attended the workshop Between the Beats: Finding and Creating Stories in Hip-Hop Music presented by Crystal Belle, a current high school teacher inMonday, December 7, 2009
Dance and Movement Workshop
I attended the Dance and Movement Workshop on October 15, 2009 for 1.5 hours in the Greene Building at NYU. The sponsors of this event were Suzanne Carothers, Darrell Hucks, and Freddie Moore. I wanted to attend this workshop because I wanted to learn how to incorporate dance into my future classroom because I realize the importance of physical movement for kids. I knew that dance is a great channel for students to express themselves but I had no idea that there were actual dance standards that could be integrated into the curriculum!
We also learned how to validate and incorporate the students’ cultures through developing dances that allowed freestyle or dances from specific cultures. Freddie is an incredible dance professional who holds in-class workshops at different classrooms during the year. Through the help of a CD of neosoul Nursery Rhymes and Freddie’s effective strategies, we all contributed to the creation of a choreographed dance that represented a little bit of all of our personalities and cultural identities. This CD and dances can be used to understand the children’s backgrounds and also learn about who they are. I related this event to the Multicultural Case Study which encourages us to really get to know our children; I feel that dancing is a great route to achieve this.
Another valuable lesson I got from this lesson was over the many misconceptions teachers hold about their students while they are working or listening. My immediate response to a student who looks like they are restless or wandering is to think that the child is not listening or being a bad student. I learned, however, that children have various ways of listening and just because they are not sitting or listening how you want them to, it doesn’t mean that they are not learning!
The Red Party!
I attended this event in the Bronx with Samantha on November 21, 2009 for 3.5 hours. This event was sponsored by the Dreamyard A.C.T.I.O.N project which works towards providing a community resource center for teenagers in the Bronx and hosts events like the Red Party to raise awareness about AIDS and HIV. This event focused on helping the teenagers realize that the part in the Bronx that they live in has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS out of the entire New York City. For this reason, they were conducting free testing all throughout the party. The majority of the teenagers that were there got tested and received condoms and preventive measures to hopefully stop the spread of HIV.
During the party there was music, chips, soda, and best of all-their friends. It was interesting what a big effect the comfort of friends had on this whole experience. I lingered in the waiting room area for a little bit where they were showing an MTV documentary on different teenagers who had AIDS. Through my various conversations, I focused on making them feel less nervous and congratulate them for being brave and responsible for getting tested. Although they were nervous, much of the anxiety was eased because the event created a comfortable environment for them since their friends from school or the Dreamyard A.C.T.I.O.N project were there to support them.
Throughout the party there was also an open mic session that allowed these amazing teenagers to express themselves through poetry, singing, or rapping. So many of them had such powerful words and some of the performances even gave me the chills. Open mic allowed me to see how passionate and knowledgeable these students were about HIV; it also made me realize that these teenagers eyes have seen more in their lifetime than I have. Their words were so passionate and were driven by the desire for social change.
At the end of the event, the A.C.T.I.O.N group presented a documentary about their trip to Washington D.C. this last summer. Their purpose for that project was to interview people who had HIV/AIDS in the area and also bring awareness through protests. I was so amazed at what these students did there and how they pulled this Red Party together.
Although the topic of HIV and AIDS can not necessarily be studied in depth at the Elementary level, this night showed to me how powerful students can be and the amount of social change they can bring to their community and to the world. I am definitely looking forward to attending their next event.
Korean Peace Day
I attended Korean Peace Day on Thursday, December 3rd for 2 hours at the Silver building at NYU. This event was sponsored by the National Coalition to End the War, Veterans for Peace, Korea Peace Campaign, Alliance of Scholars Concerned about Korea, Freedoms 4 North Korea, and Nodutdol.
The event started by munching on Korean food like Jun, Kim-Bap Sushi, and Korean dumplings which were absolutely delicious! Professor Henry, who is a professor at NYU, then gave us a brief history about North Korea and brought awareness to the recent controversial events involving North Korea and the Obama administration. In April, North Korea tested a rocket and was then singled out by Obama and accused of firing missiles; later being named as the exemplar violator of the U.S. Non-Proliferation Regime. Professor Henry spoke about how “raising suspicion of the suspect [Korea] adds to the tension” and how important it is for the United States and Korea to stop being enemies.
One of the most interesting parts of the event was when Peter the Veteran spoke to us. He spoke about the “National Campaign to End the Korean War” and is part of “Veterans for Peace.” Their aim is to reunify the families of South and North Korea. Peter also brought to our attention that every war, including the War in Iraq and the War in Afghanistan, brings bigger devastation to those countries than to the United States. It was very powerful to see that Veterans are working towards ENDING wars and not SUPPORTING them.
The part of the event that I loved the most was when we heard the stories from the people who went on the “Korea for Peace Trip” for 10 days. Three members who went were a Special Education Teacher, a Social Worker, and a Columbia Grad Student. They all spoke to us about their preconceptions they had before going to North Korea and the adventures they had. They told us how they imagined hungry people and marching soldiers; they were also very scared of violence and hostility they might have to face.
Two of the panelists where from South Korea and the Social Worker even grew up there until he was about 11. It was interesting to see how their perceptions of North Korea were completely inaccurate and that they were surprised to see how alike they were. One of them said, “North Korea seemed to be at the other end of the world even though it was only two hours away.” It is sad to see how the same culture can be so far apart from one another. The positive aspect of this trip was that the people involved with the trip on both ends were able to realize that their preconceptions were inaccurate and that there were misconceptions on both sides. This relates to the theme we’ve been learning in class that perceptions and portrayals of people can be extremely inaccurate and hold us back from change.
I was glad over the fact that at the end of the event we were given specific steps or guidelines on how to help this cause. Some of the options they gave us were of signing a petition on their website, signing up for the list-serve, and joining the NY Working Group. These are also feasible things for my future students to do and be part of the change.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Characters Unite
I've talked to my group for the cirrciulum about media sterotyping. What do you all think about the USA television network's campaign called Characters Unite?
check it out here: http://www.charactersunite.com/#/mission
I'm still undecided about it---because a lot of people are posting, but not using respectful language...
The People Speak Premiere
I attended the premiere of The People Speak followed by a reception with the filmmakers and some of the cast at the Rose Theater on November 19th. The entire event lasted 3 and a half hours. The movie was an abridged film adaptation of Howard Zinn’s book, A People’s History of the United States, with interspersed dramatic monologues of testimonials from real people throughout history. My favorite moment in the film was Kerry Washington’s impersonation of Sojourner Truth’s speech on female suffrage. She talks about how Jesus came from God and a woman. “Men had nothing to do with Him,” she says. Women’s rights is just one of the many social justice topics covered in the film.
What is so moving about both the movie and the book is that they tell history from the people’s point of view. Citizens’ perspectives of history are shown. The objective is to listen to the voices that have been underrepresented in mainstream retellings of history. However, one does need to have a solid grasp of U.S. history in order to truly appreciate the film as well as the book. This movie could be a great supplemental resource for students who already have a good understanding of major events of U.S. history. For example, I would show specific clips of the film to my class that pertain to a certain moment in history that we had recently studied.
I really enjoyed the film as well as the reception afterwards. It was pretty exciting being in the same room with the actors and filmmakers and talking to them about the movie. I encourage everyone to watch the TV premiere of The People Speak on The History Channel this Sunday, December 13th.
What is so moving about both the movie and the book is that they tell history from the people’s point of view. Citizens’ perspectives of history are shown. The objective is to listen to the voices that have been underrepresented in mainstream retellings of history. However, one does need to have a solid grasp of U.S. history in order to truly appreciate the film as well as the book. This movie could be a great supplemental resource for students who already have a good understanding of major events of U.S. history. For example, I would show specific clips of the film to my class that pertain to a certain moment in history that we had recently studied.
I really enjoyed the film as well as the reception afterwards. It was pretty exciting being in the same room with the actors and filmmakers and talking to them about the movie. I encourage everyone to watch the TV premiere of The People Speak on The History Channel this Sunday, December 13th.
Beyond Tolerance
I attended Beyond Tolerance's event for Youth Activism and Gender and Sexuality sponsored by NYCORE, held at Vanguard Highschool. I actually saw one of the teens from the Red Party that I attended a few weeks ago. It was pretty cool that the networking that these events were supposed to create was already working out!
First of all I noticed that this school, Vanguard, seemed to be working with their students on some pretty interesting topics. First of all they were studying identity, Brown vs. Board of Education, the origin of Man in Africa, and the diaspora that followed, and many other topics. The evening was structured so that we had a chance to walk around to tables and get information on various organizations prior to our workshops. I found a lot of information, and think it might be really nice to talk to kids about word usage. I found some posters geared toward older kids about the definition of words like Gay, Faggot, Dyke, and others. At the end of the evening there was an open mic(which really shows the power of poetry, song, and dance in our students' lives)- and a teacher shared a poem she wrote to her class about their usage of the word faggot. I'm also thinking about making my classroom a safe space, which I think would be nice for gay families or youth or staff in the building.
The first seminar I attended taught about legal rights of youth and teachers. I learned that students have the right not to be outted by school personnel. Students also have the freedom to present themselves as they see fit, as long as their clothing still fits into the dress code. Additionally, if there are any extra curriculars in place already, a GSA cannot be denied, and the name cannot be changed to something like "diversity club".
The second seminar, I heard from an intergenerational panel. One woman is employed as a paraprofessional in a school. She told of her life, she is in her 60s or 70s. She said she had a crush on a female neighbor as a 4 year old. She also has children. She suggests that elementary school teachers are supportive, and let kids talk about it in their own language (for example "I have two mommies"). I also was able to really notice the identity differences across the generations- the younger people did not think it was as important to tell others that they were gay or lesbian, and the older found it to be a very important part of who they are and think that people need to know. I think this is similar to the identity process that was discussed in the Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? text. We also must respect that our students, their families or our co-workers may be at any point on this spectrum, and we should meet them where they are.
Red Party
I went to the Red Party in the Bronx a few weeks ago. This event was amazing. It was sponsered by the Dreamyard A.C.T.I.O.N. project. Which from what I understand is an organization for teens in the Bronx. They are into social action, and giving back to the community. This event was focused on getting facts about HIV and AIDS out into the teen community, getting teens tested, and also premiering the ACTION project's documentary of their work in Washington DC this summer.
There was an open mic where teens shared poetry, and raps, some were personal and others were focused on giving statistics. I found out that this zip code in the Bronx 10456, has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS per person. Some of the teens were really concerned about the test results, and what happens if they have HIV. The questions they were asking really made me want to learn more factual information about HIV, so that I could appropriately answer the questions.
I think this event just really showed me that teenagers have SO much energy, and willingness to help others. Additionally they have valid concerns about HIV, and not a lot of information has been made available. I picked up some pamphlets which I think I could adapt for elementary school students. I think I could talk to kids even as young as first graders about how HIV is transmitted(omitting sex for younger students if parents would object) but certainly it would be important to talk about how its transmitted not by sneezing but by other things like blood transfusions. We would also talk about the impact for this in the classroom- that if someone is bleeding we don't touch their blood and we always wash our hands if we have been bleeding.
Beyound Tolerance: Youth Activist!
Name of Event: Beyond Tolerance 4
Organizer : NYCoRE & NYQueer
Location: Vanguard High School
Time: 4:30 - 6:30pm.
I also got a chance to take part in the workshop this past Friday. But I went to the one called “How to be a youth activist for queer rights”. The facilitators were college student from Columbia University and Barnard (Everyone Allied Against Homophobia). Their main focus was on the purpose of the Gay Straight Alliance clubs in the high schools. They named three real goals of GSA
1. Safe Social Space
2. Support
3. Activism (mobilization)
The workshop helped in realized that fortunately for most of the high school in New York, they are supported by the administration and by their fellow peers. But they have taken on the responsibility in looking at larger national issues such as gay marriage and rights.
The workshop also got me thinking back about my old high school. We did not have any clubs that addressed issues of gender or sexuality, nor was it ever really talked about. I had two friends that came out to me my junior year of high school but never told the rest of our class. I remember one of them telling me, “I knew something wasn’t right since I was in second grade”. There were two things that struck me about his comment that he thought his experience wasn’t “right” and that he was aware of this from such a young age. It was not until he went to college where he was fully able to come out, and be comfortable with his own identity. I have always thought of my high school as progressive in many ways, but it wasn’t. The issues of sexuality in Thailand are one that I have never quite understood, Thailand is notorious for the sex industry but sex education is limited. People travel from all around the world to get a sex change operation but gays are still discriminated against and looked down upon. Unfortunately I don’t see this trend changing anytime soon either, which makes me very upset but I’m not sure if I will see any real transformation within my lifetime.
So as an educator when should I talk about this issue? How would parents feel if I taught their children that gender is a social construct?
NYCore Open Invitation Dinner
Jessica, Hannah, and I were very interested in the entire social justice action and its application in schools and attending the NYCore invitation event, in hopes of learning more about what we can do to participate and learn about social justice.
There was a man who did a spoken word about Queens, his hometown. It showed how powerful culture, identity, and experiences are part of children and its the teacher's duty to help bring about a child's identity to the surface. Spoken word is one way to do that. It was such a blessing to see him perform two of his pieces.
If anyone remembers the play titled "Recess" that Joan was asking us to watch last semester, I just caught a glimpse of the one woman play by its creator and actress, Una. It was amazing. She has such heart and passion. Her different voices of playing out how students act and react in school, how some teachers may not know the entire story behind one child's life and mistreat them was really vivid by just one character. Una jumps out of one character and into another by changing her stance, voice, and perspective. I would love to watch Recess in its entirety.
There were different tables and at each different table, one group from NYCore would come around, speak briefly more about their purpose and what they do, in order to ave get more people involved, as part of their open invitation night. There were many different groups, such as one group that would advocate for LGBT teens. There are also groups that help new teachers, since the first year as a teacher is one of the most difficult. We were even allowed to come up with topics that we would want to discuss, as if the topic is recurring, they'll make a session about it in order to help us.
The different groups that anyone is able to participate in NYCore. I recommend looking into it, especially if you want to become a radical educator in New York!
There was a man who did a spoken word about Queens, his hometown. It showed how powerful culture, identity, and experiences are part of children and its the teacher's duty to help bring about a child's identity to the surface. Spoken word is one way to do that. It was such a blessing to see him perform two of his pieces.
If anyone remembers the play titled "Recess" that Joan was asking us to watch last semester, I just caught a glimpse of the one woman play by its creator and actress, Una. It was amazing. She has such heart and passion. Her different voices of playing out how students act and react in school, how some teachers may not know the entire story behind one child's life and mistreat them was really vivid by just one character. Una jumps out of one character and into another by changing her stance, voice, and perspective. I would love to watch Recess in its entirety.
There were different tables and at each different table, one group from NYCore would come around, speak briefly more about their purpose and what they do, in order to ave get more people involved, as part of their open invitation night. There were many different groups, such as one group that would advocate for LGBT teens. There are also groups that help new teachers, since the first year as a teacher is one of the most difficult. We were even allowed to come up with topics that we would want to discuss, as if the topic is recurring, they'll make a session about it in order to help us.
The different groups that anyone is able to participate in NYCore. I recommend looking into it, especially if you want to become a radical educator in New York!
Preemptive Education: Language, Identity & Power
On the weekend of October 2nd, I attended Urban Word NYC's Annual Mentor, Teacher, Educator & Community Activist Training entitled Preemptive Education: Language, Identity and Power. It was a weekend workshop that examined issues that affect today's youth, while providing creative and practical resources to address them. The conference used spoken word and hip-hop as a lens to explore language and privilege, in order to educate the participants on various practices in student-centered pedagogy by providing performances, panel discussions, and professional development. The event was held right here at NYU, in the Silver Center. Although Urban Word sponsored the event, there was a suggested donation for the weekend training of $100. As an NYU student, I was able to attend for free.
On Friday, there was an open panel and youth performance that was free to the public. The performance consisted of four youth spoken word performers: Jamilla Lyscott, Carvens Lissaint, Ceez, and Thiahera Nurse. They were all between the ages of 16-19. Using their performances as launch point for the panel discussions, both the artists and panelist engaged in discussions analyzing and addressing issues around language privilege, youth voice, and social justice. After watching the performances and listening to the panel, I experienced first hand the transformative power of spoken word and how it functions to reclaim identities and challenge inequities. Although all the performances were startlingly inspiring, Thiahera Nurse's performance of a piece entitled Queens was so powerful that it actual brought me to tears. Queens confronts the hierarchy of women "beneath kings". Nurse's opening line, "I gave my womb back to my mother last night" pretty much says it all (mind you she's 17). As a teacher, I could not help but think about the values we place on language and how it inhibits expression. It made me think about the tension of language in American society. In Jamilla performance of I Be Diaspora, she states, "I am my language". In terms of our coursework on social justice and educational equality, I think the connection is obvious: the values we place on language corresponds to the value we place on our students. If we truly value our students, we have to rethink the way in which we value their use of language and make room for these "languages" in our classrooms.
The second day of the conference consisted of two lectures, two breakout sessions, a panel discussion and a keynote speaker. During each breakout session, participants had the choice of three workshops. I attended Between the Beats: Finding and Creating Stories in Hip-Hop Music lead by author, educator, and artist Crystal Belle and Educator as Actvist: Because the Struggle for Justice Does Not End When the School Bell Rings presented by NYcoRE's Bree Picower and Rosie Frascella.
During the Between the Beats workshop, Belle introduced methods of teaching storytelling techniques using hip-hop music as a model. She explored three songs with us; All That I Got is You by Ghostface, Juicy by Biggie Smalls, and Lost Ones by Lauren Hill. For each song she had a prompt which forces us to explore an element of storytelling. For Juicy, she asked us to listen to the song and think, "Does this story have a resolution?" First we listened to the song and made annotations in the lyrics and then we exercises a turn-n-talk, followed by a class discussion. As a class we concluded that the resolution was in conflict; that although Biggie speaks of his success, he also glorifies violence and struggles to stay true to his roots. The results of the lesson made the question of "Should hip-hip be used in the classroom?" unquestionable. The answer is yes. It has value, and Belle showed me how. In relation to our class, I think it teaches us that in order to be social just in the classroom, we have to reconsider text and use what our students value to teach them what they need to learn.
At the NYCoRe workshop, we discussed and brainstormed the problems we face as public school teachers and worked together to think about possible solutions. Various topics arose such as standards, budgets, and special education. After attending this workshop, I learned that teachers need to organize and become active advocates for their students, schools, communities, and themselves in order to initiate change for social justice. NYCoRe is an organization that is doing just that and serves as a model for teachers who have a passion for and emphasize social justice in their classrooms.
Overall, the conference was an amazing experience. I regret not being able to attend the last day. Urban Word NYC did an amazing job orgranizing and bringing together people on the cutting edge of education. Two thumb way way up! I would check out their website for furture events and more information: www.urbanwordnyc.org
*Number of hours: 10 (October 2nd 7-9 & October 3rd 9-5)
On Friday, there was an open panel and youth performance that was free to the public. The performance consisted of four youth spoken word performers: Jamilla Lyscott, Carvens Lissaint, Ceez, and Thiahera Nurse. They were all between the ages of 16-19. Using their performances as launch point for the panel discussions, both the artists and panelist engaged in discussions analyzing and addressing issues around language privilege, youth voice, and social justice. After watching the performances and listening to the panel, I experienced first hand the transformative power of spoken word and how it functions to reclaim identities and challenge inequities. Although all the performances were startlingly inspiring, Thiahera Nurse's performance of a piece entitled Queens was so powerful that it actual brought me to tears. Queens confronts the hierarchy of women "beneath kings". Nurse's opening line, "I gave my womb back to my mother last night" pretty much says it all (mind you she's 17). As a teacher, I could not help but think about the values we place on language and how it inhibits expression. It made me think about the tension of language in American society. In Jamilla performance of I Be Diaspora, she states, "I am my language". In terms of our coursework on social justice and educational equality, I think the connection is obvious: the values we place on language corresponds to the value we place on our students. If we truly value our students, we have to rethink the way in which we value their use of language and make room for these "languages" in our classrooms.
The second day of the conference consisted of two lectures, two breakout sessions, a panel discussion and a keynote speaker. During each breakout session, participants had the choice of three workshops. I attended Between the Beats: Finding and Creating Stories in Hip-Hop Music lead by author, educator, and artist Crystal Belle and Educator as Actvist: Because the Struggle for Justice Does Not End When the School Bell Rings presented by NYcoRE's Bree Picower and Rosie Frascella.
During the Between the Beats workshop, Belle introduced methods of teaching storytelling techniques using hip-hop music as a model. She explored three songs with us; All That I Got is You by Ghostface, Juicy by Biggie Smalls, and Lost Ones by Lauren Hill. For each song she had a prompt which forces us to explore an element of storytelling. For Juicy, she asked us to listen to the song and think, "Does this story have a resolution?" First we listened to the song and made annotations in the lyrics and then we exercises a turn-n-talk, followed by a class discussion. As a class we concluded that the resolution was in conflict; that although Biggie speaks of his success, he also glorifies violence and struggles to stay true to his roots. The results of the lesson made the question of "Should hip-hip be used in the classroom?" unquestionable. The answer is yes. It has value, and Belle showed me how. In relation to our class, I think it teaches us that in order to be social just in the classroom, we have to reconsider text and use what our students value to teach them what they need to learn.
At the NYCoRe workshop, we discussed and brainstormed the problems we face as public school teachers and worked together to think about possible solutions. Various topics arose such as standards, budgets, and special education. After attending this workshop, I learned that teachers need to organize and become active advocates for their students, schools, communities, and themselves in order to initiate change for social justice. NYCoRe is an organization that is doing just that and serves as a model for teachers who have a passion for and emphasize social justice in their classrooms.
Overall, the conference was an amazing experience. I regret not being able to attend the last day. Urban Word NYC did an amazing job orgranizing and bringing together people on the cutting edge of education. Two thumb way way up! I would check out their website for furture events and more information: www.urbanwordnyc.org
*Number of hours: 10 (October 2nd 7-9 & October 3rd 9-5)
Korea Peace Day and DEEP Reportback
On Thursday, Dec ember 3rd I attended an event called Korea Peace Day and DEEP Reportback at NYU for 2 hours. It was a pretty incredible experience as a lot of my classmates have already shared. A professor from NYU gave us a brief overview of the situation in North Korea today. I had no idea that North Korea is the United States’ longest standing enemy. Nor did I know that the Korean War was still going on and no peace treaty has been signed. A veteran talked to us about an organization he is a part of that aims to put an end to the war. What really resonated with me was his explanation of the effects of war on a soldier’s mental health. My uncle, who worked as a doctor in the Vietnam War, unfortunately developed mental health issues because of the horrors he faced abroad. His experience only further supports my beliefs that no good comes from war. There has to be a better, more peaceful way to find solutions to the disagreements that occur between countries, states, and even individuals.
Following the veteran’s speech, three panelists who took a trip to North Korea talked about their experience and answered questions. Their discussion was fascinating. One woman, Sarah, spoke about the surprise she experienced when she realized that the people living were not so different from herself. I believe that this surprise is often faced when people take the time to learn more about others who they feel are so different from themselves. I too have been in this kind of situation and I feel that this concept could easily be brought into the classroom. Everyone, at one point or another, feels that they have nothing in common with another person, culture, or even entire race of people. In the end we’re all human beings who have more similarities than differences, in my opinion.
The event was very enjoyable and I encourage everyone reading this to check out the following website: www.endthekoreanwar.org. Sign the petition and help the U.S. come to a peace treaty with North Korea.
Following the veteran’s speech, three panelists who took a trip to North Korea talked about their experience and answered questions. Their discussion was fascinating. One woman, Sarah, spoke about the surprise she experienced when she realized that the people living were not so different from herself. I believe that this surprise is often faced when people take the time to learn more about others who they feel are so different from themselves. I too have been in this kind of situation and I feel that this concept could easily be brought into the classroom. Everyone, at one point or another, feels that they have nothing in common with another person, culture, or even entire race of people. In the end we’re all human beings who have more similarities than differences, in my opinion.
The event was very enjoyable and I encourage everyone reading this to check out the following website: www.endthekoreanwar.org. Sign the petition and help the U.S. come to a peace treaty with North Korea.
Preemptive Education: Weekend Training Series
On Saturday, October, 3rd, 2009 I had the lovely opportunity of taking part in the weekend training series. I understand that this a while back so it will be a good testament to the ‘enduring understandings’ (wink wink) that I got from this workshop.
The morning started bright and early in the Silver building with several activities led by David Krikland. The first activity we did was called “Real Talk” where we were instructed to talk about two questions
1. Is the US enriched by language variation?
2. Should the US adopt an ‘official’ language policy?
The only catch to this was you could only use 2 syllables words when you spoke. Some one in the group was also designated to be the ‘police’ and call out anyone who used words that were more than 2 syllables. There was incredible change of pace in the way we talked, everyone talked a lot slower. Many people noted that although they felt restricted and limited it forced them to find new ways to convey their message. The change in confidence level also reflected the idea of constantly being policed.
David Kirkland did a beautiful ob of talking about the power of language as he says “Language can be used, and is used as a social/cultural/political currency for exchange of values, beliefs, disposition … It is also an essential part of who we are”.
We moved on to playing a game where we were randomly given coins and they were worth different values. The only two rules were; no talking and no cheating. We were given a couple of minutes to trade the coins before each person wrote up their scores on the board. We were divided into the three groups depending on our scores (low, medium, and high). After a few rounds of the game where the high group was able to make up some rules and the low groups were punished by standing up it was an activity to reflect some of the larger problems in our society today. The game took only a matter of minutes to complete but within in that small time frame there was a lot to be said. The game started out with no choices, you were either in the high, low, medium group and movement between these groups became progressively harder as the game went on. Although the high group did not create new rules that targeted any other group it systematically kept the low group oppressed. Interestingly enough it was the middle group that rarely got any attention. A lot of the participant caught on to the game really fast, we even had a girl who revolted and went to jail because she did not want to take part in the system. It was a good activity to remind educators how this system of oppression has manifested itself and how it is being perpetuated. I just wanted to put in a quote that David Kirkland used “To imagine new ways of being is to already begin to act differently upon the world.”
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In the breakout session I decided to participate in a workshop lead by Crystal Belle called “Between the Beats: Finding and Creating Stories in Hip-Hop Music”. As a high school teacher she showed us how she incorporated Hip Hop in to her English class and how it can be used as a powerful tool to self-reflect, spur conversation about social issues, as well as covering some key writing elements. Some of the songs she had us listening to were : All That I Got Is You (by Ghostface Killah and Mary J. Blige), Juicy (By Biggie Smalls) and Lost Ones (By Lauryn Hill). These were some of the essential questions she had us thinking about
1. Why is important for young people to tell their own stories?
2. How does my environment play a role in the development of my idenity?
3. What elements of storytelling can be discovered in Hip Hop music?
This is Crystal Belle blog: crystalbellepoet.blogspot.com------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The last session I took part in was a lecture by Marcella Runell Hall, “Foundation 2: Hip-Hop, Critical Pedagogy & Social Justice Education”. I knew Marcella prior to this training series through the Multicultural Center for Educations and Program (CMEP), and I had known about her work on Hip Hop Education but it was great to see her talk about one of her passion and hear about all of it again it more detail. Marcella gave us a Hip Hop 101 lesson by looking at its history, hip-hop culture, hip-hop generation, and really looking at how to use Hip Hop as the foundation for teaching Social Justice Education. Marcella addressed many issues that overlapped with what he have been discussing in class such as the different levels of oppression, individual, internal, institutional, conscious, and unconscious. But she talked about Critical Pedagogy, as the process with which can be looked as “habits to thoughts, reading, writing, and speaking which go beneath surface meaning … to understand the deep meaning ... and personal consequence”, she talked about teaching students to engage in the “why?” even though there might not be an answer.
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Here are some recommended reading ...
1. Education for Critical Consciousness (By Paoulo Frieie)
2. Critical Race Theory (By Richard Delgado)
3. Theater of the Oppressed (By Agusto Boal)
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