1/20/10
TED 3380
The Shame of the Nation: 5-4-3-2-1
5 - After reading The Shame of the Nation, I think Jonathan Kozol wants his readers to remember how terrible schools are and not every child goes to a nice, wonderful, and clean school. Kozol talks about some very low income schools and all of the terrible learning styles the students have to deal with. In my view, the primary thesis or philosophy of The Shame of the Nation is that there are some terrible schools and neighborhoods that need so much help. People need to stop living their lives not knowing or caring about people who live and go to schools in low income areas. Kozol talks about how America could afford to help these low income schools but chooses not to. I agree with every issue Kozol talks about in his book. Every child deserves to go to a great school that will teach them correctly and everything they should learn about.
4 – 1.) Page 5: “These were eloquent and straight-talking people who did not equivocate in speaking of the damage done to children by their racial isolation in the poorly staffed…up to now, with equanimity.”
2.) Page 15: “Leaning on her elbows on the picnic table, with a sudden look of serious…What’s it like…Over there-where other people are.”
3.) Page 43: “During the 1900s, physical conditions in some buildings had become so dangerous that a principle at one Bronx school, which had been condemned…rotted and glass panes were falling in the street…that served the truly poor.”
4.) Page 53: “Which of these children will receive the highest scores- those who spent the years from two to four in lovely little Montessori schools…or the ones who spent those years at home in front of a TV or sitting by the window of a slum apartment gazing down into the street?”
3 – Struggle (page 5) - a task or goal requiring much effort to accomplish or achieve
Maladjusted (page 14) - badly or unsatisfactorily adjusted, esp. in relationship to one's social circumstances, environment, etc.
Minority (page 29) - a group differing, esp. in race, religion, or ethnic background, from the majority of a population
2 – The reading did not remind me of something else that I have read, however, after moving to Waco I have had many experiences with what the book is talking about. Since I am an education major I work with students in school in Waco. Every school I have worked in here has been a low income school. Two connections I have with the reading are first, last semester I read to a boy named Ricky every Wednesday and Thursday. He went to Doris Miller. This school is made up of mostly black and Hispanic children. Every time I walked into Doris Miller it killed me to see how poor some of these children were and the kind of equipment, bathrooms, and other things in the school that should not be so run down. A second connection with the text is when I thought about my freshman year when I was in TED 1312. I would go to a school and tutor a boy there for one semester. It was through the Baylor program. We would work with reading and spelling. This school was a low income school too and it was really hard to see what these children had to go through and what kind of facilities they learned in.
1 – What are some actions we can take to help these low income schools?
5 - After reading The Shame of the Nation, I think Jonathan Kozol wants his readers to remember how terrible schools are and not every child goes to a nice, wonderful, and clean school. Kozol talks about some very low income schools and all of the terrible learning styles the students have to deal with. In my view, the primary thesis or philosophy of The Shame of the Nation is that there are some terrible schools and neighborhoods that need so much help. People need to stop living their lives not knowing or caring about people who live and go to schools in low income areas. Kozol talks about how America could afford to help these low income schools but chooses not to. I agree with every issue Kozol talks about in his book. Every child deserves to go to a great school that will teach them correctly and everything they should learn about.
4 – 1.) Page 5: “These were eloquent and straight-talking people who did not equivocate in speaking of the damage done to children by their racial isolation in the poorly staffed…up to now, with equanimity.”
2.) Page 15: “Leaning on her elbows on the picnic table, with a sudden look of serious…What’s it like…Over there-where other people are.”
3.) Page 43: “During the 1900s, physical conditions in some buildings had become so dangerous that a principle at one Bronx school, which had been condemned…rotted and glass panes were falling in the street…that served the truly poor.”
4.) Page 53: “Which of these children will receive the highest scores- those who spent the years from two to four in lovely little Montessori schools…or the ones who spent those years at home in front of a TV or sitting by the window of a slum apartment gazing down into the street?”
3 – Struggle (page 5) - a task or goal requiring much effort to accomplish or achieve
Maladjusted (page 14) - badly or unsatisfactorily adjusted, esp. in relationship to one's social circumstances, environment, etc.
Minority (page 29) - a group differing, esp. in race, religion, or ethnic background, from the majority of a population
2 – The reading did not remind me of something else that I have read, however, after moving to Waco I have had many experiences with what the book is talking about. Since I am an education major I work with students in school in Waco. Every school I have worked in here has been a low income school. Two connections I have with the reading are first, last semester I read to a boy named Ricky every Wednesday and Thursday. He went to Doris Miller. This school is made up of mostly black and Hispanic children. Every time I walked into Doris Miller it killed me to see how poor some of these children were and the kind of equipment, bathrooms, and other things in the school that should not be so run down. A second connection with the text is when I thought about my freshman year when I was in TED 1312. I would go to a school and tutor a boy there for one semester. It was through the Baylor program. We would work with reading and spelling. This school was a low income school too and it was really hard to see what these children had to go through and what kind of facilities they learned in.
1 – What are some actions we can take to help these low income schools?
Ashely,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your 5-4-3-2-1 responses. I especially appreciated your quote from Pineapple (pg. 15) and your question is one that needs to be asked by all educators. As teachers we can help low income children by committing ourselves to culturally responsive curriculum and teaching. As citizens we can be activists on behalf of all children to make sure that schools and society provide equity in meeting their diverse needs.
Hey Ashley!
ReplyDeleteI totally understand your connection to when you tutored students in 1312. I remember going to CCMS and seeing the demographics of the school and hearing their statistics (grades, TAKs, free/reduced lunch, etc.). It was sad to know that I grew up 20 minutes down the road in a predominately white town that had so many nice things when there were schools so close who would've cherished what our school threw out.
Amber Merenda