Question
12:54 PM |
0 comments
Ok, so after class I was thinking...again very rare haha.....but if teachers should learn to speak another language to communicate better with students who came to America, shouldn't teachers of other countries learn English if we decide to move there and attend school or other public areas??
Just a thought...
"In an instant, they agreed to give up the language (the sounds) that had revealed and acentuated our family's closeness."
8:33 PM |
2 comments

Aria by Richard Rodriguez
Argument: The argument in this piece is that having to learn and practice an unfamiliar language at school and at home can potentially harm your relationship with your family. It's like all these years of you growing up so closely knit to your family by the ways of communication have been completely changed due to the language barriers in schools. (ex. Ricardo is now Richard) Basically, you have to change who you are and what makes you, you in order to succeed.
Quotes:
"- the clash of the two worlds, the faces and voices of school intruding upon the familiar setting of home."
This quote made me feel bad because I could not imagine someone coming into my house and, in an instant, changing my relationship with my family. (whether they knew it would happen or not)
"After English became my primary language, I no longer knew what words to use in addressing my parents."
I would feel so lost if I did not know how to talk to my parents, or if everytime I would speak in a way that was once comfortable for all of us, have them correct me in an unfamiliar language. I appreciate the author for writing this because I never thought it was this life altering for someone to be forced into another language.
"We remained a loving family, but one greatly changed. No longer so close; no longer bound tight by the pleasing and troubling knowledge of our public separateness."
This quote was important for me to include in my entry because it showed that by this family speaking a different language that they were unique. They were happy with joking around with each other's broken English. They were happy being who they were and proud of their individualism. No matter what experience they went through, they remained loving, but they were no longer as close. The father stopped speaking as much and became shy. This surprised me because he was the one who agreed to speak English. I think because, to his children, he knew a lot of the English language; now that his children and wife were progressing so much faster than he was, he didn't feel as included.
Questions, Comments:
I enjoyed reading this article because, again, it helped me realize what it is like not to speak fluent English. My boyfriend is from Brazil and there are so many times when I get frustrated with him because he doesn't understand what I say or what I mean and vise versa. I feel bad now that I get so upset because he really tries. I help teach him and he is getting A LOT better, and he even started teaching me Portuguese.
I felt that this was a pretty easy read. Not because it was short, but because I could relate. I understood where he came from because my boyfriend tells me all of the time. It takes a lot of patience and you can't expect anyone to be an expert in something so unfamiliar in an instant.
This related to Delpit...everything Delpit says we shouldn't do is being done. Trying to teach everyone the same way wil not work....it just doesn't happen like that! Everyone is different (clearly) so we need to think of new ways in helping everyone understand.
Talking Points #1
4:54 AM |
1 comments
110 People Who Are Screwing Up America - Goldberg
Context: This article was about how Golberg believes that Jonathan Kozol is one of many people who are screwing up America. Kozol's attitude towards education is very liberal and that education should not be politically neutral.
- "Kozol is the patron saint of today's powerful liberal educational establishment."
Argument: Goldberg argues that Kozol's attitude towards education is too liberal. Goldberg finds it "alarming" that so many of "Kozol's education techniques are used all across America from high school to pre school." He feels that Kozol's ways of teaching has children not even questioning their heritage, but just believing in this liberal way to where they are blinded by it.
Evidence:
"Kozol is a fierce opponent of traditional learning, which he says deadens children's souls."
This quote says a lot about the article because it shows many different things. It shows that Kozol has a problem, basically, because the way teachers have been teaching for years is somewhat not good enough in his eyes anymore. This quote also shows how Goldberg likes the traditional ways. This quote leads into the passion Goldberg has in writing this piece because he feels so strongly about Kozol's ways of teaching.
Other Issues: I find this piece to be worth reading. I dont mind change in the way of constructing your classes, but if you are teaching with ur head set on liberal ways without being open to anything else, then there is a problem. Open-ness is key in society....you can't live without it.
Jonathan Kozol- Amazing Grace.
Context: This artical was about many poor (and when I say poor I mean like nothing!!) cities in NY, as well as this lady's journey through these cities with a little boy who seems to know the streets pretty well.
Argument: Kozol's argument in this piece is that it is hard to be poor living in the poorest cities in NY. You get treated like the garbage that surrounds you. You learn not to depend on the little resources you do have, such as hospitals and welfare. You are on your own in these cities; you want something done, you go do it, you need money, you get it the best way you know how.
Evidence: "Either you wait for hours until someone cleans the room or else you clean the room yourself." This quote made me sick because I can not imagine being so ill that you can barely move and not being treated for hours or days. I can't believe that you walk in to a dirty, bloody bed and have no one there to clean it. Like I said before, you want something done you do it yourself.
I mean that quote alone gives you a pretty good idea of how bad things are there. I thought I had it bad, but I was wrong. People are infested with AIDs all around and there are children walking the streets with these infected people. You have prostitutes harrassing your children when they pass. Children know more about the bad things around them than the good that is everywhere else because to them there is no good, there is only bad. Having three different locks on your door with 3 different keys to open them is insane! I couldn't imagine living in fear all of the time. Always wondering if my child will be shot tomorrow or catch some rancid disease. Even children have to worry about their parent's health and whether they will have a mom in the morning....this article made me so depressed thinking about the children and how so many people don't deserve the life they live.
L<3ve my V.I.P.S placement!!!
9:32 AM |
4 comments

Oh My Lanta!!! I am soooo happy I was able to choose where I wanted to go and who I wanted to be with!!...I love it! there are 4 kids (soon to be 5) from ages 3 to 5. They all have autism and 3 out of 4 don't even speak. They are the cutest kids in the world! We sang and danced, played and split up into stations! I wanted to stay the whole day!!!!!!! I can't wait to go to the zoo!!!!!!!!!
AND!!!.....Ms. Prudy Janis is an animal lover as well....and she lives on a farm.....I'm thinking new bestieeee HAHA....just playing....I'm a dork.
Silly Ol' Me
8:01 AM |
0 comments

Well my name is Angelica, but I like to be called Angel...lately I've liked Angelica because it sounds more adult. Haha!!
I am a dancer at To The Pointe of Performing Arts. I take ballet, tap, jazz lyrical, and hip hop.
I have recently just become a hip hop teacher for ages 7 to 17....
I graduated highschool ranked number 9 in my class and this is now my 2nd year at RIC...
I don't really do much beside eating, sleeping, and dancing and going to school.....but that doesn't bother me because I like to be busy.
I LOVEEE animals!!!! They are my obsession! They're so cute!! :)
I'm going to grow old having so many pets...I just know it.....
The name is Angelica I go to RIC. I'm silly, loud, mean on occasion, impatient, but caring and a heck of a good listener!!
Dance, Laptop, My Room, Grilled Cheese, Pizza, Harry Potter, Tim Burton Films, Animals....:)