Recinceptualizing Down Syndrome

• The article I read this week was called “Citinzenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome”. The article was a great read! I really enjoyed being able to learn about special education. It is not a field that I really see myself in, but now that I understand the importance of integrating all learning types into the classroom, I think it is so important that every teacher learns at least a little bit about special education. Mia, the person who this article focuses on primarily, talks about how she was segregated from her other peers and put in “special Ed” classes. These classes did not interest her and she was frustrated. After she graduated, she later returned to take content classes, such as journalism. She now writes for a Self Advocacy newsletter for  people in the Down Syndrome community. I thought this story was very inspiring and really opened my eyes to the issues of grouping students like that. Who are we to deny someone from taking a class thy are interested in? It’s proven that children learn better with all sorts of learning levels in classes, so why not integrate? I think, and the article kind of confirms, that it is a societal and judgment issue. We have a stigma against people who may be different then us, and it seems easier to just group them all together and let someone else’s take responsibility. But that does nothing to better society. I think that kids can be really mean, but that also if they are exposed to people with different abilities and are able to work with them in a safe space, it can help teach them empathy and work to desensitize them to these differences.  A quote that I loved from this article was “dialogue cannot occur between those who deny others the right to speak and those whose right to speak has been denied to them”. We need to take into account people who’s voices may have never been heard in order to become better educators and build better citizens of a global society. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.today.com/today/amp/tdna122258

This is an article that I thought was really special about visibility in the Down Syndrome community. Lucas was voted Gerber Baby of the Year! I hope that we can continue to normalize the special needs community, because there is no reason why we can’t all just work and be together! 

Separate and Unequal

Separate and Unequal really resonated with me. The idea that Brown V. BOE suddenly fixed the racial and socioeconomic divide in education is false. Yes, integration crossed the first hurdle, but we still have a lot of work to do. In this article, Hebert suggests “Schools are no longer legally segregated, but because of residential patterns, housing discrimination, economic disparities and long-held custom, they most emphatically are in reality.” I don’t doubt this to be true. Just attending my service learning project has allowed me to see that a school of 68% Hispanic children, is funded far less because of the area it’s in and the public it serves. He also states, “If you really want to improve the education of poor children, you have to get them away from learning environments that are smothered by poverty.” To me this is a no brainer. Children need to learn and grow in an environment that inspires them. I’m not saying that when you are poor, you have no inspiration, but when a child looks out the window and sees “cash for gold” stores, liquor stores, and not a patch of green in sight, it can change their aspirations. 

     https://www.the74million.org/article/integrating-schools-by-income-not-race-why-more-cities-are-embracing-an-idea-whose-time-has-come/

This is a really interesting article I found on how Cambridge, Mass is integrating via socioeconomic status. Basically turning all of their schools into “magnet” schools and allowing parents to have a say in where their child goes, instead of based on what area they live in. It has allowed for a greater diversity and funding for all schools. 

In the Service of What?

     This article explains to us the importance of Service Learning and how it can have a profound effect on ours, and others education. Throughout this semester we have all had the pleasure of volunteering and I didn’t really realize until I was doing it how it really tied all of our learning together. To be able to see things in action that we were talking about in class has helped cement the learning in my mind. This article also states that service learning “fosters an authentic experience based learning opportunity”. This is exactrly what service learning has done for me and the article provides real data of how it has changed students lives. 
     I think if we made service learning a curriculum requirement, we would see young people who are more in tune with the challenges of the world and engaged in the critical thinking process that allows us to feel empathy for others. I think the most profound part of the article for me was when Mrs. Johnson’s class has to actually reflect on their experiences and it causes them to become more meaningful. It is not enough to simply volunteer, sometimes, we have to reflect to really develop that empathy for the community we are helping. Reflection, although not the star of the show so to speak, does cause students to gain a deeper understanding of their work. 

Euthanasia Presentation

Euthanasia

2018 Election and Gender

The 2016 election had a huge impact on a lot of social justice issues. It shown a light on many topics, that were maybe not spoken about as much before. Women, particularly those effected by sexual assault, were moved to action by the president’s words and rhetoric, to speak out about these injustices, and to run for office. Women have long been attacked by men in spots of privilege and power, and we are starting to take that power back. The outcome of the 2016 election fired up passionate women in the Democratic Party, to run for office in 2018, and to vote in those who truly represent them. 

     In the article by Stacy Abrams, we see women having to defend their right to even run, within their own party. Instead of the party welcoming diversity, they were trying to stifle it, for fear of being beaten by the opposite party. Women are starting to challenge the incumbents because they are sick of the status quo. The article goes into talk about a lot of amazing women who are running in races where they are not thought to be “viable” candidates. Nevertheless, these women push through because even if they lose, they have maybe made it easier for the next woman. It is a community fight. This article made me think of Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us. For so long we have had this one idea of politicians, and women have typically been removed from that. Just like we are not simply princesses in a cartoon, we are also able to be part of the political arena. 

     The Soloway article was a very powerful read. I remember having the same reaction as her to the Access Hollywood tape. It was disgusting and awful, but at least now people will know how gross Trump is (not that that ended up mattering...). But then people actually started defending locker room talk and it broke my soul a little. The author also shares my sentiment of how can men be allies to women while talking about them as if they are objects behind closed doors. This election highlighted, to many women, that we need to keep fighting for our right to be in the same space as men without being treated as though we belong to them. I also found it interesting how when the author asked her male friends if they called out people shaming women as they would someone using racist terms they said no. I think this has a lot to do with how accepting we are of toxic masculinity and locker room talk. Boys will be boys they say, but all that does is pave the way for the Brock Turners of the world to think it is ok to have sex with an unconscious women because consequences don’t exist to them. The Me Too movement has begun to hold men to their actions and create an idea that if you do something harmful to women, it will be shouted about. Men who abuse power are no longer entitled to a safe space. And again, although the outcome of the 2016 election was anti- feminist, it did help fire up a feminist movement that may not have existed otherwise. This article had me thinking of “11 and Gender Fluid”. This young girl is fighting her own feminist battle by deciding to take something masculine (like trousers, or a hat) and telling the world that she can be a woman and also use clothing that men would typically wear. 

Gender Norms

      This article was a very interesting read on how very young people view and explore gender norms. I love that we are living in a day and age where this is becoming more acceptable and there is conversation around the trans and gender fluid community and how to best serve them, especially in educational settings. I would like to think that as educators, we can all be as open and caring as the parent is in this articles, but I know that is not the truth and there will always be people who push back on the idea of gender fluidity. 

     The mother in the article genuinely enjoyed the transformation she was watching her daughter go through and was very supportive. Children are so pure and, the child in this article was no exception. She had a style in mind and went for it, and her mother encouraged her. This is the ideal relationship children should have with adults in their life. Encouraging them to live their best and happiest life. 

     This is hard though when we do live in a world where from even before a child is born, we obsess over gender.  With baby showers, gender reveals, pink nurseries for girls, blue for boys, etc... I feel like we are placing so many expectations on very young children and when they feel different from hose expectations it can be very difficult.  

      The Human Rights Campaign has an alarming statistic that states nearly half of  transgender male teens have attempted suicide and 29.9 percent of transgender female teens have attempted suicide. This makes me so angry to read that children are being made to feel that their gender matters so much to others that they can’t live any more. No child should ever have to feel like suicide is a better option than living their truth. I truly hope we can all be like the mom in this article and learn to accept all ideas of gender. 

Here is a link to a trailer for a documentary that I really loved on this subject. If you have a spare hour and a half, it is incredible and worth a watch! 

Unlearning the myths that bind us

As most of you know who have been reading my blog, I have a daughter. So I was SO happy to read this piece this week.  I too have a bone to pick with cartoons and just kids stories general. Most of them are AWFUL. And especially, as the author states, the older ones. I refuse to let my daughter watch any of those old timey cartoons because of the gross racism and sexism involved. 

     The author made some really wonderful progress with her students, which gives me hope that maybe we can undo all the damage done by these stereo types. When we simply point out the racism and injustices, kids are more likely than not, to see it and share observations that they found in a very articulate manner. The author also states that it is troubling to realize how much of your psyche has been manipulated by the media, but once you see it, you really can’t unsee it. Like taking blinders off. Another reason I think this class is so important is because it is training us to see those injustices and call them out, just as the author was doing with her students.  

     Another thing this author did that I loved was that she was teaching her students to go beyond the role of “keyboard warrior” and actually taking action. Don’t get me wrong, I think writing is important but, it doesn’t get as much done as strong action. 

     What children read and watch really does effect them. I always watch movies before I let my daughter watch them (she’s still young enough that if I can shield her from garbage than why not?), and I have found many of the princess films troubling. Disney really has a lot to undo in that department. Of course as a child I watched them, and it probably did change my opinion of myself as a girl. I hope to raise my daughter with as little of those stigmas as possible. Luckily, we are seeing a massive shift in the media to portray woman as equals to men. One movie my daughter likes to watch LITERALLY every day is Moana. Yes, watching the same movie every day is a tad annoying, but I love the message of Moana. It is easy to digest for children and Moana is not a princess, and has no love interest. She is a young girl who is trying to save her Island. She is never portrayed as a damsel in distress. It’s really a great movie. And Disney hired Polynesian actors and musicians to keep it culturally accurate. If they can keep making movies like this, I would be happy to take Luna to see them. Here’s a little snippet of one of the scenes in Moana. 

“Aria”

     I read the Rodriguez piece this week. I learned a few important things about how different the world can be for a child where English is not the primary language spoken at home. The author speaks of a private individuality and a public individuality. In his private home, he was able to speak Spanish and relate with his family in a different way from his peers and teachers at school. But his public individuality, at first, was shy and reserved because of the language barrier.  I think that this can sometimes, to an ignorant person, make a teacher believe that the student with the language barrier is somehow lazy, or not participating in class, when in reality, they are working twice as hard to process the information in an unfamiliar language. I can’t imagine how scary it would be for a first grader to be away from their parents all day AND not speak the same language as the teacher.  

     When Rodriguez goes onto to talk about how his parents stopped speaking Spanish in the home to help the children assimilate, it was very moving. Essentially giving up their way of life to make sure their children don’t fall behind, is very inspiring. But it also saddened me to hear how his life changed, it seemed like he lost a connection with his family that he really didn’t need to loose. There could have been other ways to help his assimilation other than deny his family of their culture. But Rodriguez sees the silver lining in all of this. He understands the necessity of assimilation and how it can positively effect a child’s life. This is an important part of the conversation for bilingual educators. Assimilation may have changed his private life, but his public life suddenly started to become easier. I guess what I really took away from this was that teaching children who are bilingual comes with a set of challenges, not just in the classroom, but also their sense of self and culture has to be factored into the conversation. 

     This video is actually from Sesame Street (I know, but I have a 1.5 year old so I watch a lot of it). I’m always impressed by their ability to take a really tough topic and turn it into something fun for kids. The feeling of having “two me’s” is something the author echoed, so I found this little song to be a lighthearted take for kids to better understand. 

Amazing Grace

I was struck with the weight of this week’s reading. I grew up in New Hampshire, in a fairly nice area. When I read Kozol, I was just dumbfounded that children have to grow up under those circumstances. We see commercials on television to help children in third world countries, but the way that this area of New York was described, did not sound much better.  Kozol paints a grim picture with his writing. And it is simply fact. He immersed himself into incredibly impoverished areas and gets to know the children and learn their struggles so he can help solve them. In the case of Amazing Grace, he spends much time in learning of the healthcare system that the children and adults have to use in the area. Honestly, it sounded like something from a horror film. Patients having to clean their own hospital rooms of blood before they are admitted and often wait days in the waiting room to be seen. If it were not fact, it would be almost unbelievable that this is America. In my opinion, and I think Kozol would agree, this is leaving people to die because they are poor and society has not placed enough value in these people’s lives.  

Reading Kozol is very eye opening. He records the injustices of the poor in an honest approach. He was criticized for not having enough statistics in his work, but to me, statistics don’t give you the same sinking, sick feeling that hearing of these accounts of what people have to go through first hand. I implore everyone to take the time to read this Amazing Grace piece. It did leave me with the question of, what can be done? And I think it really starts with changing your mind about poverty, and trying to change others. Calling out injustices when we see them, and not supporting those who are part of the wage gap. Also, as educators, we need to get rid of any sort of predisposed notion we have of poverty, and educate every child with same investment. 

USA, Land of Limitations- Nicholas Kristof

     I very much so enjoyed reading this piece. Not only was it impressive writing, but it was incredibly accessible to both sides of political spectrum. I think relating to people is the most important way to get them to understand your point. So, to the authors credit, I found that impressive. I appreciated his metaphor of height in relation to income mobility. This fact is a very sad truth and pretty depressing to think about. This idea that in America all you have to do is work hard and you’ll rise to the top, is, in my opinion, pretty obsolete. If you are not set up for success, usually by your parents and their wealth, it is likely that you will have no economic mobility.

     Kristof goes into to also describe the vilification of the poor. There is an idea that has been placed into America’s mind that somehow if you are poor it is because you have done something wrong or are a bad person. This is just simply not true. Kristof’s description of his friend Rick sounds like the typical working class person. Stuck in a cycle of poverty, and the punishments that go with it. This morning I was watching CNN and I was struck by a story that I thought correlated with this perfectly. A school principal in New Jersey was trying to fix the problem of school bullying. He noticed that most of the children being bullied were poor and had dirty clothes. Students would skip class because they had no clean clothes. Let that fact sink in. It is not these high school kids fault that they have no access to a washer and dryer, but thy are being punished for it. And ultimately their education is suffering, thus making sure their economic mobility suffers. The principal of this school decided to take the old football lockers and turn them into a free laundry mat. How incredible! Not only is it great for the kids who need it, but also for the kids who are volunteering at it to keep it going. That sense of community can be life altering. Here is a link to the video and article. Principal Cook is making sure that poor children can have pride in themselves and learn with dignity. I would imagine that Kristof would support his idea as a way to undo some of the damage done by classism.

“Students pick out their favorite detergent in the new laundry room”

     As future educators we need to take into account poverty and how that can add an extra layer of struggle into the mix for children. And we need to know that poverty is not a measure of how much worth someone has. I’ll end with a quote from Kristof that I think sums it up pretty well, “So let’s just drop the social Darwinism. Success is not a sign of virtue. It’s mostly a sign that your grandparents did well.”

About Me

Hello! My name is Nicole Ayres and I am excited to be able to introduce myself.  I am a currently enrolled at Rhode Island College as a secondary education major with a concentration in history.  My hands are what you would consider "full".  In addition to my studies (and most importantly), I am a mom to a toddler named Luna (yes, like from Harry Potter), a mutt named Barley, and two hairless cats (Kreacher and Gollum).  We have fun at my house :)

My summer was spent mostly at the beach and bringing Luna to all the fun places she was too small and newborn-ish to go to last year.

I work part time at Flatbread Company (the best pizza place EVER).  Prior to having Luna I worked there full time as a manager, but decided to go back part time after having her.  I have worked with the company for about 6 years and my husband and I met there.  He currently manages the kitchen and we have a great time collabing with local farmers and brewers.  To say that pizza is a part of our life is a little bit of an understatement.  My daughter will probably be able to hand stretch a dough by the time shes two. 

Im looking forward to all this class has to offer and getting to know a little more about teaching through the service learning project.  Thanks!