Bell Hooks

Bell Hooks, otherwise known as Gloria Jean Watkins, is an American author, feminist and social activist.   Her writings focused on race, class and gender and their ability to produce oppression and domination.  Bell focuses on adressing race, class, and gender in education, art, history, sexuality, mass media and feminism.  She focused a lot of her work on racism and sexism towards black women, something she had seem far too often and had enough of.  Racism and segregation was something Bell also discussed.  She grew up in Kentucky and went to a segregated school for much of her life, eventually going to an integrated one, where the majority was white people.  She had experience racism first hand and she wanted to educate people that it wasn't the right thing to do, as well as the right way to think.

Her will to educate people on social justice and attempt to make the world a better place shows how influential and positive Bell Hooks is.  Her most famous book, Aint I A Woman, is an inspiring book which discusses the education system, media roles, sexism, racism and other issues black woman face, and many other important issues people should be educated about.  She has taught at multiple colleges, including the ivy league school, Yale University.  She is a very educated and influential woman who has for years just tried to educate people on racism and other prejudices that go on in the world, specifically black woman.

Learning is Like a Road Trip..

Learning is like a long road trip.. you hit bumps and may brake down along the way.. but once you get there, it was all worth it :)

           
Learning and education does not always come easy, we all can vouge for that, but in the end, we all know it was all worth it.  Getting a diploma, whether it be high school, college, or any education after that, is something that you can look at for the rest of your life and be proud of yourself and your accomplishments.  It's something NO ONE can ever take away from you, regardless of where life may lead you.  I know when I receive my diploma in May, I am going to feel extremely happy and proud of myself.  I did't have to go to college, but I chose to, and that is something that I will never regret.


In this Course I definitely learned a lot.  I had never taken an education class before nor been aware of how difficult teaching can be.  I think many people don't take it as seriously as they should and think teaching is just a simple piece of cake.  In my eyes, it takes a very special person to be a teacher.

1) Teachers have to be EXTREMELY careful about what they say and preach in a classroom these days.  Students are more diverse than ever; so many things said, even if unintentional, could upset many students without even meaning to.  Teachers have to stay neutral in many things and keep their opinions to themselves.

2) Teachers shouldn't be based on test taking results.  They should be based on what type of teacher they truly are.  A teacher has to be kind, caring, respectable, and passionate about what his/her are teaching.  They also need to be sympathetic and realize this isn't a perfect world and unfortunately difficult and bad things happen sometimes to students.  A great teacher looks at ever student equally and has the desire to teach each student as much as they possibly can and have them learn to their full potential

3) Low income areas many times have less experienced teachers who don't care as much about the students and their education.  It's sad because many of these students don't do well in school, and it's really not their fault.  Many come from poor or broken homes and don't have anyone pushing them to do well or go the extra mile in school.  A lot of these schools are unsafe and not up to date at all with technology and design like other schools that are located in upscale areas.  These children from these schools are more likely to not graduate and end up doing negative things on the streets rather than getting a good education and using their full potential.

Overall, I learned teaching is far from easy.  It's a very professional job in my eyes, and I saw that truly come out when I was observing.  It takes a kind, very patient person to be a teacher.  Teachers can change the world because they're educating and changing students in it.  A teacher has to want to help make the world better and have the desire to better children and their education.  :)

Why In Social Justice So Important in the School System?

Social Justice plays a major role in school systems these days more than ever.  There is so much diversity and so many different types of teachers and students, that if we didn't consider and treat each other equally, school would be a constant struggle, as well a very ackward situation.  I think everywhere in the world should preach social justice; the world would be a much better place.


Teachers need to be aware now more than ever, every student may be completely different than each other.  There's so many races, ethnicities, cultural beliefs, values, morals and social statuses.  A teacher has to recognize and accept this, and treat every single student equally, which they are.  Even faculty needs to practice social justice in order to make the atmosphere of the school in general, peaceful and happy.  There is no room for racism, stereotypes, or predjudices in schools and their shouldn't be.  Children learn better when in a comfortable and happy environment, where they can recognize that they may be different than their peers, and that's completely okay!  It makes school more exciting and interesting because they can all learn from each other and see cultural things and experiences that other children may have! :)

Do We Still Practice Humanism Today?

     Humanism is a theory that says we should respect and be kind toward everyone.  It focuses on human values and concern for one another.  "It stands for the building of a more humane society through an ethic based on human and other natural values in the spirit of reason and free inquiry through human capabilities" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanism).  Looking at the present day, I feel humanism isn't practiced much.  The majority of the population in my opinion is rude and could careless about one another.  I find people now more than ever, not saying thank you or waving when I let them pull out in front of me, not saying thank you when I go out of my way to hold a door for them and not helping the elderly or people who may have fallen and need help getting up.  I feel like it's such bad karma for people who do these kind of things, and that there going to get something back twice as bad later on in life.
     I think the world would be a much better place if we all practiced humanism.  There'd be peace, respect, kindness, helpfulness and a will to have positive morals and ethics.  Something interesting I found was, is humanism against the Christian world view?  Christians feel the need to recognize humanism is NOT the same as humanitarianism.  Humanitarianism is being kind to people, something Christians feel they should be more than anyone else.  Christians also recognize discuss that there is a difference between humanism and the humanities, something Christians also think should be a main interest of theirs.  Christians find humanism contrasts to the Christian world view because each of their final realities is different.
     I personally like the theory of Humanism.  I think it's a great way of living and wish everyone followed it.  The world would definitely be a MUCH better place.  If everyone acted kind and repected each other, everything would be so much better.  I think Christians have no reason to be offended at all.  Christians practices are a lot like the humanism theory be being polite, caring and respecting others.  Even with me thinking this theory is a great one, there's a few things I'd change slightly.  Humanists think children should not be forced to learn, and that they will learn when they are ready.  I see where they are coming from, but much of the time this is not a positive solution.  Many children will become lazy or underestimate themselves and not want to do work just so they don't have to learn and do any work.  That will do nothing but damage themselves in the long run and negatively affect their education, as well as motivation.  A focus that somewhat goes hand and hand with this, but I find more positive is that they think self-fulfillment is the main focus of education.  It's a great thing to teach children, and anyone for that matter.  If you're not happy with yourself and your own life, then you're not going to be happy at all in general, regardless of what awesome things like money or fame may come your way.  Self respect and enjoyment is something many of us forget about these days.  We are too busy make everyone else happy and doing what we need to do to succeed in life, that much of the time we forget about ourselves.  Life is too short to be anything but happy, so finding your true worth and enjoyment in life should be everyones goal!

How Can Teachers Help Special Education Students?

     Teachers these days face a list of problems and issues on a daily basis.  One major problem is special education students and students with learning disabilities.  Teachers need to learn how to accomodate these students appropriately, without making them feel left out, uncomfortable or embarrassed of their disabilities.  Students with learning disabilities and who are in special education classes are much of the time just like everyday kids.  They may just have ADD or ADHD, something tons of children have these days.  Some students may be autistic or have different cases of downsyndrome, and this is where teaching gets more complicated.  Teachers of these students need to be seriously patient and understanding of these childrens disabilities.  It's not their fault they have what they may have or may act a certain way that may not be appropriate in a regular classroom.  These children have to be taught in a less restricted environment.
     Additional skills are required for special education teachers.  Many teachers aren't trained in this aspect, so when they teach a class where they may have a student with a learning disability who may not know yet, neither may the teacher.  Once the teacher starts teaching, he or she will not be any help to the child who doesn't understand or comprehend what they're saying.  A good idea for a teacher would not only be to obviously observe his or her students and get to know them and what they are about, but also their learning and ability levels.  A teacher could be the one to recognize that a child may have a learning disability or need extra help in a certain subject, and suggest that they be put in a special education class.
     It's difficult for teachers to recognize and point out what students need help more than others.  Many students, like myself growing up, are relatively quiet and keep to themselves.  It's hard for teachers to see if they need help or be able to tell what's going through their mind.  Every teacher has their own method or way of teaching and doing things, but when it comes to children with disabilities, teachers have to move forward and try their hardest to help these children.  They want to learn, sometimes it may just be difficult for them too.  Leaving out students with disabilities or thinking that they may not even care to learn is an awful prejudice and a teacher shouldn't be teaching if he or she feels this way.
     I think being a teacher takes a special person, but I think being a special education teacher takes a VERY special person.  A huge heart and open arms is how these teachers need to be.  They could be teaching kids who have mild cases of ADD, to teaching kids who have severe cases of autism and downsyndrome, and that is where things can get difficult and at some points even violent.  Something that really upsets and disgusts me is something that actually was just on the news the other night.  A special education teacher accused of raping his 13 year old student.  That is so disturbing and awful that any human on this planet would ever take such advantage of such an innocent and vulnerable child who does not better and many of the time may not even know what he or she is doing.  Someone like that should NOT be a teacher, and I'm guessing there was many warning signs that would have been recognizable before that incident happened.  I hope he goes to jail because someone as sick as that should not be on our streets, let alone in our school systems!

Why Do Teachers Think It's Okay to Teach Racist Things?

     A major problem these days at every school, in every grade, in every community, is teachers being racist and holding prejudice to certain colors and backgrounds.  Many of these teachers may not even intend to be racist and not even realize they are being it, but once you believe in something strongly enough, it begins to show through one way or another.  No one should be racist or feel the need or right to hold any judgement on anyone, but teachers especially shouldn't.  A teacher for the most part sees atleast one student from every culture, background, ethnicity or someone who holds different beliefs or practices all the time.  They have to be open and accept these things, not racist and arrogant.
     An article that I found online of a case of racism is a case where three teachers picke OJ Simpson, Dennis Rodman and RuPaul for role models for Black History Month at their school.  These teachers were removed from the classroom and accused of racism.  I can't believe teachers would suggest those three men as being influential role models for Black History Month.  It's definitely then not taking it seriously and thinking poorly of the black community to suggest OJ Simpson, a man who the majority of the country think to this day is still guilty for the murder of his girlfriend and her male friend.  He got off not guilty, even though all the evidence presented, such as the "bloody glove," came back to him.  He recently did an armed robbery with other men at a Las Vegas hotel and is now in jail for years for that crime.  Many believe it was his karma.  He did once play for the NFL and golfed on occasion, but overall when you ask people about OJ Simpson, it's not associated with a positive and good-hearted man.
     Dennis Rodman is also not a great African American influence.  He's very bizarre and known for his crazy piercings, tattoos and inappropriate behavior.  RuPaul is a famous crossdresser who is more of a raunchy comedian than a positive influence.  I can see why people would accuse these three teachers of racism.  I mean, how could you not?  It's not funny that they would seriously teacher their students that these three men are positive figures in the black community.  Real role models would be Martin Luthere King, Harriet Tubman or Jackie Robinson.  They all made a huge difference in the black community and played a positive role.  They showed that everyone can and should be equal if people just stop judging others, especially because of their race.
     Teachers have no room to be bias or hold any judgement or racism to their students.  They should be open-minded and welcoming, regardless of the students race, ethnicity or culturally belief.  There is so much diversity these days that a racist teacher isn't going to last long, especially  with it being taken so seriously, which is should.  Teachers promoting racism can also negatively affect their vulnerable students to become racist too, thinking that that's the norm.




References:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7371781/Racist-teachers-choose-OJ-Simpson-and-Dennis-Rodman-as-role-models.html

Facebook Bullying in Schools

     A major problem these days that many students are facing in school is Facebook bullying.  It has become a huge deal and unfortunately even been responsible for multiple suicides.  It's such an awful thing that kids are doing this on all the time and it's so hard for teachers and parents to force them to stop.  Facebook has expanded so much and everyone has one these days.  There are more options than ever.  People can now write on your wall, comment or "like" your status, as well as someone elses status, posts, or even friendships now.  There are so many groups and clubs out there, and many of them allow members to write.  With all of these options, it's no wonder why students in school are constantly bashing each other and teasing each other all over this electronic soap opera of some sort.
     As ironic as it may seem, even Facebook has a page called "One Million People Against Bullying in Schools."  Under the title it says, "What makes one human being hurt another? Do they see something in that person reflected in themselves? Will drawing attention to it there stop people from seeing it in them? Doesn't that make the bully the weaker person for the simple fact that they can't face the frailties within themselves so they target others in... an effort to hide how inadequate they feel" (http://www.facebook.com/pages/One-Million-People-Against-Bullying-in-Schools/356580849687).  I like what this group is saying and I strongly agree.  In my eyes, bullying on Facebook is for cowards.  If you have something to say to someone, the right thing to do is to approach them maturely and confront them of your issues or problems.  Running on Facebook and bashing people just to gain attention is immature.  I understand many of the kids doing it are young and immature, but I think schools show seriously focus on this issue.  Even having just one seminar once a year on Facebook bullying I think would stop a lot of people.  Many children think it's funny and makes them look tough or intimidating, but they need to learn it's not a "cool" thing to do and can seriously hurt many peoples feelings.  The fact that Facebook is so big now is why many people are so bothered when something awful is written about them, because so many people could see it if they wanted to. 
     Many suicides in the last year have resulted from Facebook and that just brakes my heart that these poor children felt that low because of nasty things being said about them that they did the unthinkable.  I think parents shouldn't be shy to look at their child's Facebook page every once and a while to make sure there child isn't participating in bullying or being bullied, because many children wouldn't admit to either.  As much as I like Facebook I do think it has caused a whole lot of problems in my life, usually over dumb things but when it comes to relationships it can definitely hurt one quick.  It's like an addiction, everyones on it and they're on it 24/7.  I hope one day soon we as a culture migrate somewhat away from Facebook.  When that happens I think many people's lives will be much easier and less drama free!