Reflection 8

My mother and father always taught me to love myself, no matter what anyone had to say. People are always going to have something negative to say about you. Whether it’s about your skin color, religion, social class, sexuality and gender. They both showed me the beauty and the cruelty of this world. Growing up, I went to Private school all my life. That doesn’t for one second mean that my family was wealthy. When I turned 4, my father was arrested and taken to jail. He was there for 8 years. They took everything we had. We were forced to move back into my grandparent’s house because my mother didn’t have the means to support us alone. She worked 3 jobs at one point, just so we could stay in school. Kids would sometimes make fun of me because I didn’t have the best of the best. I was just a young girl, so I really didn’t understand why money was so important or why because I was a girl, I was expected to have certain things. At this point, everyone was going through there puberty stage, but not me. So I wasn’t counted as one of the “girls”. I was always playing with the boys and being ostracized by the girls. The media tells people that if you have boobs and beautiful hair and all these fancy things then boys will flock to you. Not everyone grows and changes at the same time. Magazines showing skinny and “perfect” are making young girls want to grow up to fast. They try to act like them; dress like them and even change their whole outlook just to fit in. TV shows are showing over sexualized woman. Girls begin to think that if they want boys to notice them, they need to be sexy and flirty. They throw their childhoods down the drain and replace them with a fake lifestyle. Nowadays, it’s not shocking to hear about a 13 year old already having sex with multiple partners. When I was 13, I was still playing dolls and dress up with my friends. I look around me and I’m scared what my daughter or son will have to deal with in the future. I’m glad my parents taught me that “when it’s my time to grow and shine, the world will not turn and leave me behind.” There is a time and place for everything. Parents need to be more open with their children and let them know this as well. Without some control, situations like these can get worse in the time to come.

Reflection 7

There are many cultures in the world today. Though they are different in many aspects; they share a common ground, a rite of passage. Reading the three stories, I was in shock to see how, for example, in facing Mt. Kenya, girls and boys become part of a tribe. In my culture a girl goes through a quinceanera. This is a coming out party for a 15 year old girl. This welcomes the girl into society as a young woman. But in facing Mt. Kenya, it wasn’t so sweet. The girls are basically mutilated. Even though it might bee seen as an atrocity to me, in this story it seemed like an honor. In the Gikuyu tribe, this is the way they establish there womanhood or manhood. The ceremony brings the tribe together and almost everyone is involved in it. They have special rituals and dances in order to celebrate the coming of a new person into the tribe. On the other hand, in sitting quietly, a boy talks about his experience becoming a man. They would have to enter the forest and hunt the forest thing, only then would they be deemed a man. The ones who were going through initiation would have to sleep in one house together. They would gather around and listen to the sounds of the forest at night. There was no room of crying or sadness, they had to show the elders they were men. They would cross the threshold of a woven fence and were faces with the forest thing. Only those strong enough to defeat him were allowed to stay. Once they were accepted, they would live on the other side of the wall for four years. They called it the world of men. The Sambia from New Guinea were interesting as well. They were simple farmers who were sometimes nomadic. The sambia believed that male semen is the source of life. In order to get the semen to work properly, they must go through a sort of initiation process. They live in the men house for 10 years and learn the secrets of the men. They teach them to have fellatio with other men, telling them they must swallow the boys semen in order to strengthen there own. I was very disturbed when reading this passage. I am all for the respect of everyone’s culture and individual rites of passage. I thought this was rather grotesque and saw little connection to education. one thing they do have in common is the way the elders teacher the younger ones to pass on the tradition.

Reflection 6

The Little rock nine will forever be remembered in history for their outstanding courage. The little rock nine were a group of black teenagers in 1957 from Little Rock, Arkansas. They were trying to enter Central High School. When they made their first attempt, they were barricaded out by the national guard. This was because schools were going through the integration process. Blacks were now allowed to cross into all white schools. Most of the blacks were bused from their neighborhoods to the white communities. Many people had difficulty accepting this change. Emotions and characters were going to be challenged. Even though integration laws were passed, many of the white town members did not think it was right. The nine black students attempted once again to enter Central High. This time they were surrounded by angry town folk , students and police. They all lined up at the entrance waiting for their chance to scream obscenities at the nine. They held their heads high and continued on there way. People were shouting horrible things at them, throwing things and just hollering to scare them. Many times they feared for their lives but still maintained the composure to continue going to school. Once of the nine was so fed up with all the taunting and cruelty, she dumped her chili on a white student and was ultimately suspended from Central High. I would have been scared to death if I was one of the nine. Walking toward the school, surrounded by gunmen and angry rioters would make me feel as though I was walking to my death. I would never have been able to sustain enough composure toward those who taunted me. I probably would have been suspended like the girl. I have a hot temper when it comes to teasing and disrespect. I would’ve gotten myself into a lot of trouble with my big mouth. I look up to the nine for being able to get through such a horrible time. It would have been such an amazing sight to see. I hope that people learn a thing or two from the Little Rock Nine. Instead of being so caught up in our world, we should stand back and take a look at what someone else is going through. We can find strength and motivation from stories like the Little Rock Nine.

Reflection 5

Culture is a very complicated subject to learn about. Everyone has a different opinion to what “culture” is. The set definition of culture is that it is a set of behaviors, actions and commonly shared things in a defined social structure. A culture has it’s set of behaviors, rules, regulations, etiquette, beliefs and ways of communication. Some people think certain cultures are elite and better than others for ridiculous reasons. There has always been animosity between people of different cultures who try to find superiority in one way or another. Others deemed some cultures were either completely low, like savages or barbarians, and other claimed to be civilized. But how can one be “civilized” if they call others degrading names such as a savage? To me, that is not being civilized at all. On the contrary, only a savage man would claim such atrocities because of silly cultural difference. Adolf Hitler was one of these “civilized” men. He claimed to simply being cleaning the world of impure savage culture known has the Jews. He used a made up science called eugenics for the basis of his discrimination. He would use this process to cancel out the unfit. He would use this information for breeding. He did not want to pass on an unfit gene to a superior raced person. All this was done because his culture claimed superiority over the Jews. Without being open-minded and taking the time to learn about the beauty in every culture, nothing would stop another lunatic from annihilating another culture almost off the face of the earth. I have learned that every culture has its beauty. One should take the time to experience a different culture in full depth. They should immerse themselves into it completely to see how it truly is to live as a part it in. Everyone should do that at least once in their life time. School can only teach you so much. In school, you learn the basics. You learn how to except difference. You learn how to use your knowledge to be able to try and not make a biased observation. Something like culture should be experienced first hand. Then you will really determine if you are being biased or not.

Reflection 4

After reading Chapter one in the book, I have come to a better understanding on the term “diversity”. Miami is a city filled with diversity. Everyone here has grown up with knowledge of difference. I don’t really understand why this class is necessary, but I feel that it would help to further broaden horizons. If you are not aware with what a diverse classroom looks like, then this would be a great class to take. If you want to be encompassed in more knowledge of diversity, this would be an excellent class to take as well. This is a great place to grow up for many reasons. Not one person you meet here will be the same. I’ve meet so many ethnic groups, religions, beliefs and it amazes me. I feel that I would be prepared to handle a classroom of diverse students because I am accustomed to being in one myself. I work in an environment as well that is very diverse, not only the students we teach, but the staff as well. I imagine I could handle it very well. When I first started to work at the school, I was a bit skeptical that I would be able to compose myself to fit every Childs needs. We have low income families, middle class families, Mexican, Haitian, American, African American and a wide range of Hispanic races. I would rather teach a group of mixed races, than have a group of solely one. With diversity you get diverse answers. One child might have an opinion about a story and interpret it one way. Then another child might have a totally different perception all together. As a teacher, I would feel rewarded to have such a variety of ideas, expressions, emotions and thought in my classroom. Discussions would be more vibrant. There would be more chance for the student to express themselves and get a chance to interact with someone new. There comfort zones would be expanded and would allow them to let difference in. I think that would be a great experience for any teacher to have. I feel like this class will give everyone the opportunity to see this first hand. It will indulge us in the information we need to accomplish teaching in a diverse population. It will give a chance to broaden our perspectives and to ultimately be the best teacher in any situation.

Reflection 4

Transformation is a process that everyone goes through. Everyone has a point in life when they go through it. The difference is what happens and how it was transformed. When evaluating the reading on Paradigms and paradigms shifts, one becomes familiar with the meaning behind the terms. Paradigms are the basic, yet influential form of mental models. It is the way a group sees or interprets happenings. It is always believed to be the real truth. It is the point of view of the mass majority. For example, in many religions it is a “sin” to have intercourse before marriage. Based on the religion in which you were raised, you feel a sense of guilt if you committed this sin. Even if you convince yourself that it won’t matter, you will always feel as though you did something wrong. To disobey the doctrine will lead to being looked down upon by you God. With religion aside, everything we do is based on what we have learned to be right or wrong. When you’re a small child, your parents instill in you rules, values, morals, etc. In this reading we also get the definition of a paradigm shift. A paradigm shift is when a paradigm starts to lose its influence; past truths are replaces by new information. This leads to the transfer of truth from one paradigm to another. On the other hand, a personal paradigm shift is when the shift is caused by emotional or unavoidable events. This leads us to reevaluate our life and to question what’s real. I have had a few shifts in my life. I went from believing everything I learned in Sunday school, to actually discovering my own meanings to the morals. I believed the bible was stone and that I couldn’t break any of the rules or I would perish. Now I know that it is not true at all. I’ve learned many things are not what they seem. I have learned that I am my own mind. It is ok to question and ok to search for you own truth. As teacher, I think it is important to go through some sort of shifts in your teaching career. Times change; ideas change. Teachers should always be on the look out for information that can change the whole perspective. We are supposed to be open to new and fresh experiences. Who knows, what you learn could possibly be life changing.