Thinking Piece #3: Carlson Reading

Dennis Carlson: Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community

Premise:

• Gay
• Straight
• Homosexual
• Education
• “Normal”
• Lesbian
• Techniques
• Structure
• Right vs. Wrong
• Teaching

Author’s Argument:

Carlson argues, “… that these practices are increasingly hard to sustain” (233). Carlson states that educators need to begin to teach that teaching about gays or anything even involving gays for that matter. It is becoming harder and harder for teachers to go against the grain and begin teaching history and knowledge of gayness. Carlson is basically saying the educators should not be afraid to mention the word gay in a lecture, together each educator need to be responsible for “normalizing” gayness in any lesson.

Evidence:

1. “Yet what got ignored in all celebrating was a provision in the bill that prohibits teaching about homosexuality in the public schools”(236). Carlson recognizes that while this so call bill was still pending citizens did not seem to care they were all celebrating what was already in affect and not what was still pending. Citizens did not stand up for teaching homosexuality in the public schools therefore it was never determined wither or not it is right or wrong.

2. “Three techniques of normalization and (hence) marginalization have been of primary importance in this regard: (1) the erasure of gayness in the curriculum, (2) the “closeting” and “witch hunting” of gay teachers, and (3) verbal and physical intimidation for gay teachers and students”(236). There are techniques teachers can use to help support gayness in their lessons. Carlson points out that it is not impossible to incorporate.

3. “… I just don’t know if students are mature enough or whether that’s a subject that in this environment we can deal with” (238). It got to a point where teacher’s/educators are actually leaving out an author/poets past or experiences just because they feel it is “inappropriate”.

Questions/Comments/Point to Share:
Even though this article pointed out some huge issues with teachers and educators avoidance of gayness activities, this article was a very hard read. I continued on and read beyond the required reading and it just complicated it more. I just feel like Carlson used far too many words I rarely hear and he combined too much into this one article. This definitely was a challenging read, so challenging in fact I’m not even sure if my evidence quotes are correctly stated in my responses.

Thinking Piece #2: Rodriguez Reading

Richard Rodriguez: Aria

Premise:

• Bilingual
• Words
• Public language vs. Private language
• Home vs. School
• No escape
• Disadvantaged
• Family
• Teachers
• Learning
• Techniques
• Unfamiliar

Authors Argument:

Rodriguez argues that bilingual students are at a disadvantage when they are not being taught the same language as their family. This is a huge struggle for not only the student but for the rest of his/her family as well.

Evidence:

1. "Supporters of bilingual education today imply that students like me miss a great deal by not being taught in their family's language" (34). Meaning, students who are being taught by their second language causes many struggles and disadvantages for the student.
2. "At first, it seemed a kind of game. After dinner each night, the family gathered to practice 'our' English... Laughing, we would try to define works we could not pronounce"(35). Richard and his family had a fun routine to not benefit himself but it also benefitted the whole family in a fun and more interesting way.
3. "No longer so close; no longer bound tight by the pleasing and troubling knowledge of our public separateness"(36). Richard was very close to his family in the beginning of the article, so close in fact they actually created games at the dinner table just to help out the whole family learns English. Until their children began to know more and more than their parents causing a huge separation barrier.

Questions/Comments/Point to Share:

Rodriguez’s article really reached out to me. He is very straightforward in writing about a student’s true life experience with having two languages. Reading this article made me realize that teachers are very one wayed about the whole language barrier. It is not only up to the student and his/her family to help learn the specified language of the student community, but it is just as equally up to the teacher. The teacher basically needs to make students of all languages, heritages, and races feel welcomed and eager to learn.

Thinking Point #1: McIntosh and Muwakkil Readings

Peggy McIntosh: White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack and Salim Muwakkil: Data Show Bias Pesists in America

Premise:

• White's vs. People of color
• Racism
• Advantages vs. Disadvantages
• Privleges
• Sex
• Dominance
• Oppertunities
• American lives
• Society
• Success
• Failure
• Studies
• Acceptance
• Jobs

Authors Argument:

McIntosh and Muwakkil argue that white Americans believe that racism is no longer an issue in today's society, even though there are still many everyday advantages given to whites.

Evidence:

1. McIntosh-- "As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something that puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, whites privilege, which puts me at an advantage" (1).
2. McIntosh-- "I can easily buy posters, postcards, picsture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys, and children's magizimes featuring people of my race" (3)
3. Muwakkil-- "A study found that applicants with white-sounding names were 50 percent more likely to get called for an initial interview than applicants with black-sounding ones".

Questions/Comments/Point to Share:

I really enjoyed Paggy McIntosh's, White Pribilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, because it was not only an interesting read that was very detailed, but it also was easy for me to understand. Out of all the piece I have read (so far) in my FNED class this would have to be my favorite. McIntosh points out everyday situations in which most white American take for grandted. There was one particular example she gives that really opened up my eyes and it was, "I can chose a blemish cover or bandage in "flesh" color that more or less matches my skin tone" (4). McIntosh not only made her point but also gave a lot of examples the certainly helped me understand.

However, Salim Muwakkil's, Data Show Racial Bias Persists in America, I did not really enjoy his piece as much as I did McIntosh's. Muwakkil's piece is too straightforward. He just consistantly lists statistics but never really gives an everyday experience that his readers can relate to. It was certainly a good read and the two articles related to each other well, however, McIntosh's just seemed to grab my interest more.