Schooling children with down syndrome

 Quotes on Kliewer's

 “Schooling Children with Down Syndrome"

“Fundamental to constructivist teaching is a respect for each student as both an active agent in the learning process and an essential member of the learning community.”

This quote is mentioning that in all classrooms students need to be treated the same and have it be known that each person brings something unique and special to each classroom  no matter if they have a disability or not. I feel like if the teacher respects all of the children in the classroom, then kids will respect one another instead of having them ignore or not listen to everyone’s ideas.

“Vygotsky found that the culture of segregation surround people with disabilities actually teaches underdevelopment of thinking through the isolation of children from socially valued opportunities… altering the culture of disability requires that a child be recognized as an active learner, a thinker, and a problem-solver, but this cannot occur apart from relationships that allow for such engagement.”

 I chose this quote because it is basically saying that if we separate students in classrooms we are pretty much taking away the opportunities. In classrooms the students who do not have a disability are getting a better education, and the ones who do are getting that taken away by getting taken away and getting less of an education. I can relate to this because I know that when I was in elementary school I would get taken away to a different room when it was time for reading groups when all I wanted to do was prove that I could actually read and that when the teacher had the rest of the class reading books together, I could do the same. It made me not want to read even more because I was never given a fair opportunity. This also relates to LGBT in a way with Geri Augusts’ Safe Spaces article because these problems are also not given the same opportunity. And how people feel insecure about this in schools too and feel abnormal because schooling makes this happen.

"How absurd to be judged by others at all, especially by those who have never experienced a disability or who are unwillingly providing us with support or who don't listen to the voices we have.

Personally I know when I was growing up in the public school system, there were always those kids who would make fun of those with disabilities. Honestly I do not know how a person could be so rude and do this. I agree with this quote because people all have something about them that they cannot change. You should never judge someone because of who they are and in this article it does a good job of stating this. All people need to worry about themselves unless they are positive and are willing to only make others and themselves better at succeeding in life.

 TALKING POINTS-  I thought that this article had many great points. Is there a way that one day LGBT and disability issues in schools will someday change? Hopefully one day when we are teachers learning all of this can help us and we can change this. I feel like if in a classroom and being a teacher if you bring the whole class together as one on even the first day when no body knows each other, everyone will be accepting of everyone no matter what the situation.

TALKING POINTS #7

TALKING POINTS #7 - BROWN VS. BOARD OF ED.

Before the Brown Vs. Board of Education trial, all schools were segregated. Some people thought that this was completely ok, and others thought the opposite. After reading the article by Bob Herbert, and the videos from Tim Wise, i learned that many of the things that happened back when this trial began also is continuing to happen in today’s time period.

Back when this trial began, people of color had to fight for being able to have schools and had to fight to even get supplies as stated on the website of historical backgrounds of this case. This relates to today’s time period because in the article it mentions how even in today’s schools the poor schools do not have the supplies and they do not have the resources that the “white” schools as someone would say have more. I feel like it is so unfair. It’s not right that just because there are wealthier areas in this country they should have better schools. It’s not that town or cities fault and the kids should not have this taken out on them because they do not have the funding. It mentions in the video that the ones that do not see this as a problem are the ones who are not living on the rougher side of this. More the whites and the rich.

Also things that have no changed from the Brown vs. Board of Education case is that there has always been “denial”. For instance in the video it mentions that white honestly do not think that there is a problem with how much better they get treated. In the trial whites did not think that there was a problem that other minorities did not have what they did. We are still in denial today. In the video it mentions how 2/3 of whites think that blacks are treated equally as them when it comes to education, housing, and employment. Honestly cannot say I am one of these people. Going to my service learning alone makes me realize that I am more privileged.

This country has a lot of work to do if we ever want to stop racism and become a better place. Honestly what does it matter the color of skin. It doesn’t. we are all human so who cares if someone has a darker tint, I guess it is something that I will never truly understand.  I feel like it all goes back to the article by Peggy McIntosh White Privilege, because although white people do not see it they always get the upper hand in almost every situation and this needs to change. It should not matter if you go to a commuter school and are black like the video says, if you want to be president because a white person could do that and it would be the opposite. Once again everyone needs to realize we are all human.

 

TALKING POINTS- I feel like people talk about change and it never happens. If only there was a way that we could actually make a change when it comes to situations like this because it actually does bother me that there are still race issues in 2013. WE ARE ALL HUMAN.