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.
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