RE: Race to the Bottom

So I am not actually sure what I understand about this article. As I read it I was thinking that I was not getting the point of the article.

From what I got was that the school system in Ontario has cut out any information about racism. Why? I don’t get the point, especially when it comes to history. I don’t agree with that at all because some students think that racism has come far enough that they really don’t have to think about it, but it has not completely dissipated.

I think that we definitely need to continue to teach the students what has happened in our history and why we work so hard today to make sure that everyone (not just women) have equal rights. In smaller cities there is not as much of a problem with races, but in larger urban centers there is a larger variety of ethnic backgrounds. This specifically is why we should still make the student understand what racial societies can become.

So taking information of racism out of the curriculum will not teach the children about the harmful effects, but it will inform them that it is something of the past and they don’t have to worry about it anymore.

RE: Girls and Schooling

First off I have to admit, that I did skip a few paragraphs here and there. I can’t help it, when something starts to annoy me I have problems sticking to it. Anyway, this will be short and sweet today. Right to the point.

So I read most of the article and I can’t help but think that yes some women have a point in what they are saying about women’s rights. Really though, even if we don’t get paid the exact same amount in all jobs, it has come much more equal than 40 years ago. We should be thankful that we are able to do what we do every day.

I tried to think back to any male teachers that I might have had that rubbed me the wrong way. I thought about the way that they treated me or the way that they acted around me. Two, yes that’s all that I could think of through at least 14 years of school. One teacher just made me a bit uncomfortable when we were around him. Did we think of doing anything about it. No, we just went on with our lives. He still teaches today, I, or one of my friends could have easily got him fired. Obviously it would have been unnecessary since he has not had a complaint about him yet.

The other one just always picked on the guys to help him with anything, always based everything on sports and all the stuff that would really upset some of the girls quoted in this article. I got through the class, not really enjoying it and now am happy.

Times are still changing. Its not something that can happen over 1 year or less. Its will take many more years to come. By the point that we actually find ourselves equal the men will have something to fight against and then all the women will have to change. It’s a life cycle.

re: BOOB TUBE

Well this article only reminds me of the fact that my parents limited my television time to only one hour a night, this was on weeknights. I think that it is not just about the television changing the child’s behaviour. There is so much going on in the world today that the next generation is confronted with that we were not. Yes some of us had to deal with divorce and other problems, but I think that there is much more to deal with now then we had to worry about when we were children. And the boob tube isn’t completely to blame.

Yes times change, as well as what weapons are used. What drugs are out their. When I was a student in Jr. High I know that I didn’t think about drugs, and when I heard about them I don’t remember understanding what anything really was. The difference is that I would hear about the ‘natural marijuana’ where as now the students can actually make whatever chemical that is the new high. That chemical is usually starting at the jr. high age, if not lower. Like I have said before and will say time and time again….It all starts with the parents and what they instill in their children.

Last but not least. What was that cut on Sesame Street? I think that the only reason why kids are finding problem with shoes like this (ex: Bert and Ernie being homosexual) is because parents or other ‘smart’ people are looking way to much into it and teaching their kids how to find something that his not necessarily there at all. We all know that if you look hard enough you can find whatever your little heart desires. Either way I attribute shows like this and many of the other ones that had ‘bad implications’ to who I am and strive to be today. They definitely helped me with my ABC’s and 123’s!!

WHY KIDS NEED VIOLENT ENTERTAINMENT
I understand where this guy is coming from and he made some very strong points that I agree with.

One thing was the comment on the "over gendered under socialized, half-naked, half-witted, and raging against a frightened world” Isn’t that most of our students today. In different ways most of the student I know, or knew in school often felt that they were at least one of these. I know that there were always gender rolls that were unknowingly forced on students, and socializing was not always a choice but something that you either had or didn’t. I was always thinking that I looked funny and didn’t quite fit in and definitely never smart enough…even if I was. These comments were and are a safe way of letting out inner emotions that may or may not be accepted.

I also noticed that he was talking about Tarzan and how there was violence but that it helped his son to want to climb a tree like his friends. When I think about many of the nursery rhymes or other Disney movies there was so much violence. The important thing is that most people don’t focus on any of the violence but the happiness that over powers it.

It’s funny that Gerald says people may be just trying to pull themselves out of an emotional trap, isn’t that why we all see movies or read books. To try to ignore whatever is happening during your life at that specific point and time. Not to mention maybe the students are just reading comics for fun. I asked my husband and my brother about why they read comics. They thought that they were cool, they told a story and they were just fun to read.

I think one of the main things to do with kids is not to make such a bid deal about how wrong things like this may be. It’s like when kids swear for the first time. If you make a big deal about it then they will definitely say it again, just to get a reaction. But if you ignore what they just said, they will most likely forget all about it.

DYNAMITE!!

I find that too many people are trying to place the blame on the influences of mass media. I strongly believe that we cannot stop what our children are being exposed to. Therefore, why not try to develop a sense of understanding and self fulfilling happiness.
My main problem is that there are parents out there that have the need to buy their children’s love. I don’t have children yet but many of my friends do and I can see from other areas in my life that no one wants to say ‘No’ to their children. Instead they just buy them what they want or give them anything to compromise for the absence of the working parents. They feel guilty for their absence and need to buy their kids love because they are working so hard to give them the perfect life. What’s left after their bedroom is full of toys that will never be enough…a spoiled child that will grow up thinking that what they have is never enough.
I grew up looking at all the silly magazines. I always wanted the new thing that there was out their, but I seldom got it. Once in a blue moon my mother gave into what I desperately had to have to fit into the cool crowd. Other than that she made me learn that I would not die with out it. Most importantly she made the time to love me and provide me with the emotional response that I think kids need, but don’t necessarily get.
Children will be bombarded with these types of ads for the rest of their lives and into adult hood. They just have to learn to differentiate the things that are just material for money sake or something that they could really use. They may just realize how to be happy with what they get instead of the need to replace it in 2 months, or less.

As I am read this piece I was constantly reminded of the High school that
I went to here in Lethbridge. I think that I learned more about the
clicks that were in the school than anything from my courses during
school. Not only were the clicks overwhelming in the hallways, but they
were imported into my classrooms as well. Even though teachers tried not
to take sides or become friends with only certain students I am sure that
they would be surprised to know how bad they actually did the above
mentioned.

Not only are there the core subjects that we are required to take, but
there are the options and the after school activities as mentioned in the
article. The funny thing is, by the time you are in High school your
after school activities probably wont be any different than the ones that
you have come to know over the last many years. Therefore, the peers that
you have become friends with is just a given and you will probably hang
out with these peers during school hours as well (if you are in the same
school). Options however are entirely different. You have to take your
chance with these and hope that you have chosen one that the cool or the
popular people are in. If you take the wrong one you will automatically
be considered uncool (as the teacher of that option usually is as well).

My last rant about the system comes specifically from my high school.
There was a large religious population at the school that I had to deal
with. Yes they were nice people, but you never fit into the group unless
you were a part of the religion. Your other choices were to join the
people (with the bad label) on the bricks smoking or wander aimlessly
about the school trying to find something to do. The worst part about
this was that half the teachers were also a part of that religion,
therefore favored the exact students that controlled the hallways. The
extracurricular activities involved the same group and no one seemed to
mind.

What is up with only congratulating the football team anyway, yes there
are other groups supporting them if they want to or not. Never once did I
see an assembly for the band that was to travel to the states for a
competition, but every Friday the football, basketball, or some other team
was to be chanted at during the ritual gathering of the popularities.

I hated High school for the exact reasons in this article…I will never be
that teacher that I had to deal with. I want to be the teacher that will
accept that there are differences in the students and that they will have
different choices of what they think is fun. Hopefully I will be able to
incorporate that into my lessons at one point or another.