Blog 11: The Final Blog (review)

My big three for the semester are:

1). From the Johnson/S.C.W.A.A.M.P. group work, "People don't want to look because they don't want to know what it has to do with them and how doing something about it might change not only the world but themselves."- This came from one of the first group activities where we were pulling important quotes from the Johnson reading and I think it truly reflects what we focus on in this course, why we are so resistant to accepting our mistakes within a classroom setting. The problem originates from how we as a society cannot stand the feelings of being uncomfortable and having our societal positions of power questioned therefore we refuse to hear the injustices our ignorant actions cause. This stood out because it's essentially what we were building off of throughout the whole course and how we can begin to open our minds and start being more self-aware of our contributions to societal ignorance. 

2). Group slideshow on Rose's How Structural Racism Works- I really liked being able to analyze Rose's Ted Talk and learn more about structural racism and compare it to what my understanding of the colorblind ideology is. Hearing how she sums up the reasoning behind it as "..because I can't see color it's not my fault and it's the fault of those who are being discriminated against." That statement showed me how ignorant as a society we are and how "not seeing color" is just an excuse for us not to accept the fact that we have contributed to systemic and structural racism. The consequences from the examples of the redlining, culturalization, and the HSRW project illustrated to me what denying one's privilege leads to within our society

3). Jodi DiPiazza "Firework" video- I remember having to hold in tears when first watching this in class. Coming from the perspective of an intended special ed major seeing the girl be able to do something as special as that may have been the most meaningful thing I saw. The way that her parents talked about not being sure of how she would be treated differently because of her autism but being able to see that her disability is not her identity but is just a small aspect of who she is as a person reminded me of why I wanted to pursue special ed in the first place. People's identities are so much more than just their disabilities and Jodi showing everyone that was awesome. 

Overall, I think everything I was able to learn about this year has changed my perspective to my teacher disposition. I think going forward I am will be a more self-aware teacher by being able to recognize my privilege and see past the surface when talking about injustices within the classroom. 4 Ways to Teach Students About Social Justice Issues provides approaches similar to the ones we learned in learning out to have conversations about social justice and the value of it in a classroom.

Blog 10: Woke Read Alouds "They, She, He Easy as ABC"

Ki from Woke Read Alouds argues that students' pronouns should be respected on the basis of respect and empathy as she delves into the reading of "They, She, He Easy as ABC". Ki goes over how using correct pronouns essentially is a way of displaying respect and consideration for young children's peers. Ki goes on to further explain how sometimes it takes awhile for kids to figure out their pronouns and how it can be an intimidating thing for students to learn about, whether it be the young child going through a changing identity or it coming from a friend. Also, the topic of making quick assumptions was brought up and Ki helps explain how sometimes those assumptions can make our friends feel uncomfortable. Ki breaks it down to it being simply how we want our friends to feel good because they make us feel good and everyone deserves to feel good about themselves at the end of the day.

I think the way that Ki broke down pronouns was super respectful and appealed to the younger groups so it didn't intimidate or confuse the students in a way that made them. Ki even kept the footage of when they made a mistake mispronouncing a name/identity and created a new footage to admit they were wrong. They talked about now that they were more aware of this mistake they were going to use it to become better and more respectful instead of letting that make it fester into a negative feeling. Being uncomfortable with making mistakes helps us create changes that are positive.

I think its important to think about how we as teachers can create an environment that allows people to maintain and expect that same respect from their peers. Especially for those who are going into secondary majors the solution won't be to read books and reeducate from read alouds. It's important to start to think of way we can create accountable and respectful atmosphere in our classrooms. Trans Inclusive Practices in the Classroom NYU discusses creating more open and inclusive language for particularly people from the Transgender community within the classroom setting.

Blog 9: Hyperlinks for Hehir and "Examined Life"

Hehir and the "Examined Life" video discussed the different types of stigma and ableist assumptions that surround their disability. Similarly, the video from Matt's Foundation deals with the concepts of stigma against those with Down syndrome. Reflecting on the Hehir reading, many of the main points reflect how the negative connotations around disability in a classroom setting prevent students who have disabilities from receiving the proper support and accommodations that allow them to succeed within a classroom setting. In "Examined Life" Judith Baker and Sanuara Taylor speak about Taylor's perspective and experiences about being disabled and how it impacts the way she is perceived by the outside society. As soon as I read and watched the reading and video, I immediately remembered the video from Matt's foundation discussing the stigma around people with Down syndrome. 

The video talks about how the girl in the video is perceived as unable to do all the things someone her age can be doing (drinking at a bar, living alone, etc) because society perceives her as unable to do that. It leads to her never even trying to attempt to do any of these things because people have always been telling and treating her as if she can’t. She encourages people instead to expect that she can so she will. It relates to Hehir’s writings about ableist assumptions within the classroom as he discusses how because of the assumptions made about students with disabilities within the classroom prevent them from their disabilities being properly accommodated and properly addressed. Due to this, those students are never given the same opportunities to succeed within a classroom setting. Baker and Taylor in “Examined Life” expand upon the stigma of disability within society and how the idea of assistance within our society and we as a society neglect the idea of assisting others. 

The main connection all three of these pieces of media possess is they deal with the idea of addressing the various stigmas that surround their disabilities. They all share how they are perceived as not as capable as able-bodied individuals. They are looked at as problems to fix rather than actual individuals who just need a little help within a society that perceives them as not actual people.

It’s here that we can ask ourselves how we have contributed to this stigma. In one way or another, all of us have had ableist assumptions about members of the disabled community. So how can we start to hold ourselves accountable when we start having these ableist assumptions? I think it’s important to start with what Baker said: “Do we or do we not live in a world where we help each other with basic needs ...and when did our needs need to be decided upon as a social issue?” We need to tackle the issue of thinking that people with disabilities won’t accomplish or live the same lifestyles as able-bodied people just because some people need a little more help than others. We are a society that is built off centuries of support from our peers and it's time we start acknowledging it.