For my last blog, I chose to take a closer look at Sesame Workshop located on the web at http://www.sesameworkshop.org/home.  This site is an additional educational site that goes along with the ever popular Sesame Street program on PBS.  I have to admit, I was impressed with their expansion since I was a child.  Their mission statement reads, “We are committed to the principle that all children deserve a chance to learn and grow; to be prepared for school; to better understand the world and each other; to think, dream and discover; to reach their highest potential”.  The website, as well as the show, definitely lives up to that statement.  On the website I found four initiatives:  Health and Wellness, Respect and Understanding, Literacy and Numeracy, and Emotional Wellbeing.  These are the areas that programming and educational resources reach.

When I was a child I only remember letters and numbers sprinkled with a few “be kind to others” type skits.  Now on Sesame Street and Sesame Workshop we see a broader theme to cover acceptance of others worldwide.  I am impressed that Sesame Street and Sesame Workshop are reaching out to at least eighteen countries outside the U.S.   Their programs explore other cultures in America as well as abroad in a fun way using their most popular characters such as Big Bird and Grover.

Sesame Street and Sesame Workshop are also exploring issues that separate and divide those of us in the U.S.  They have done shows and listed resources for bullying and economic difficulties. Children from lower income families have always seemed to struggle more in education.  Sesame Workshop media and related programming are attempting to lesson that gap by educating young children on how to cope, how to handle stress, and even teaching simple financial basics.

Personally, I think I will be checking out this website more to educate my own children at home and in my future classroom.  Sesame Workshop is geared for young children, but we all can learn from it.  Acceptance of others, bullying, and learning to cope with circumstances are things all of us need from time to time.  However, as a teacher I know I will have at least one student who deals with some of these issues almost all the time.  I believe this site can give me insight on how to help and guide that student to cope and achieve a sense of wellbeing. 

Sesame Street. (2011).  http://www.sesamestreet.org/

Sesame Workshop. (2011).  http://www.sesameworkshop.org

Multiculturalism

America is definitely the melting pot of the world.  In the last few decades there has been more of a focus on multiculturalism and how best to teach all cultures and their part in creating America.  It's a difficult task.  You want every ethnic group to be proud of their heritage, but also to be proud to be an American.  It seems the more focus on multiculturalism that is promoted the more segregated we still become. 

When I was in high school we didn't have a lot of focus on multicuralism.  We learned about different cultures in social studies and geography, but honestly there were few other ethnicities where I grew up.  I learned more from exchange students that I befriended than I did in a classroom.  There were about 5% African Americans in my school and they honestly blended in with all the white kids.  If there were any issues I was not aware of them, but I was also a little naive.  In my system I guess the "white" history was taught and no one questioned that.  Perhaps that was a means of social control, but it could have just been the way it had always has been.

Three decades later it is a big deal.  In the news we hear lots of debate on immigration especially hispanics crossing the borders of Mexico to America.  The country is torn on whether or not we should let illegal immigrants to stay in America, allow them equal rights especially to government aid programs, and eventually become citizens.  This definitely carries over into our school systems.

I work in a school that not only has a good sized hispanic group, but a varied ethnic group in general. There are also various economical backgrounds.  My school is considered the closest there is to an inner city school in my county system.  Several of my teachers do their best to include a study in cultures where it is applicable in their classrooms along the lines of Adam Waxler.  My own children, who are younger, also come home and tell me about other cultures they learned about at school.  However, I am not sure a specific curriculum goal is in place in my school system.  I believe the teachers pull it in as they can like Waxler.  I think more curriculum could be put into place to serve all the students better and create a mutal respect for all cultures.

E. D. Hirsch's article "Toward a Centrist Curriculum: Two Kinds of Multiculturalism in School" was extremely enlightening.  I had not previouly even thought about what kinds of cultural education was being implemented in our schools much less two different kinds.  Both kinds look great on the on-set, but have different outcomes in the end.  Cosmopolitanism in Hirsch's mind, and I have to agree, is the better idea as it sets the stage for mutual respect of all ethnic groups.  The other type, ethnocentrism, focuses on ethnic loyalty.  The result, according to Hirsch, of ethnocentrism is more of a segregation.  I can see the latter form readily.  Perhaps it has more negative results at times and therefore ends up in the news and articles more often, but it is definitely seems more predominant.  Like Hirsch, I would like to see more of a cosmoplotanism taught so our children can be a part of the world respecting all cultures.  As a teacher I hope to promote a more balanced view of all cultures and lead my students to respect the varied backgrounds of American and the world.

Hirsch, E.D.  (1992). Toward a centrist curriculum:  Two kinds of multiculturalism in elementary school.  Core Knowledge Foundation

Kyriakou, Niko.  (2006).  Organizers see 'new civil rights movement' in immigration protests.  OneWorld.net

Waxler, Adam.  (n/d).  Multiculturalism in school curriculum.  ESL Teachers Board

Multiculturalism in Schools

I find multiculturalism interesting.  I remember when people referred to themselves as black, white, asian or mexican.  I'm not sure when the adjective-Americans began, but I remember how it felt.  It was like all of the sudden we couldn't be just American anymore.  We had to be separated somehow and that's kind of what Samuel Taylor kind of hit on in his literature "The Challenge of 'Multiculturalism' In How Americans View the Past and the Future". 

Taylor stated that we have a history created by white people.  When I was in school I don't remember learning about other cultures.  I know very little about Native Americans, African Americans, Asian American, and Hispanic Americans except what I was taught through the white person's point of view.  In my adulthood I have learned more about specific contributions of all people in America.  We have all made a difference, but how do we teach it as Americans when, as Taylor said, there are sometimes losers within these people groups.

Is keeping the whiter history a form of social control?  Keep the other people groups feeling a little less important by showing how the whites in America won?  I really don't know.  All I have to go on is what I have read by Taylor and it seems that it is very difficult to make an all-inclusive history that doesn't offend someone.  Until we can figure out how to be just American that may never happen.

Another issue we have in schools are the societal segregation.  I keep thinking as I look back, why are we still so segregated.  After reading Pithissippi Burning: Race, White Nationalism and American Culture by PJ Tobia it really opened my eyes to how much hate is till out there.  Tobia spoke of the white Aryan groups in the Northwest, but unfortunatley, its not just a white issue.  Every people group has a small grudge or prejudice against another.  Will we eventually be able to put these aside to become one nation?  This may be where a focus on multicultrualism in school may be a good thing.
Many schools promote the students working together.  As they work together they learn that maybe they aren't so different after all. In my own school I see kids hanging out together from a variety of different cultures and it excites me.  Someday we might be just Americans again.

Taylor, Samuel.  "The Challenge of 'Multiculturalism' In How Americans View the Past and the
     Future".  Journal of Historical Review, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 159-165

Tobia, PJ. 2009.  Pithissippi Burning: Race, White Nationalism and American Culture.  The Nashville
     Scene.              

Blog #2 Religion in Schools

Religion has been debated in schools since the beginning of school in the United States.  In the 19th century it was debated between the Protestants and Catholics which form of the Bible to use (www.religioustolerance.org).  In the 1960's judicial decisions began to be made about the separation of the church and state (www.ajha.org).  There has been a fight ever since to have religion completely removed from schools.

In Religion in Schools Debate Heats Up we see how the debate continues on today. I remember prayer in school changing as I attended grade school and middle school.  In grade school we were allowed to pray and even had classroom prayer before lunch everyday.  As I got older and moved to middle school the "moment of silence" was incorporated.  Now even that moment to pray or reflect is being challenged as a breach of the separation of church and state.  Personally I think it is clear that the "moment of silence" can be used or not used at all by the student and it is totally a choice.  It seems that the only reason it is questioned today is that there is still a personal option to choose to pray and therefore an assault on religion.

The second issue in Religion in Schools Debate Heats Up is science curriculum.  The debate centered around the Theory of Evolution.  One side wanted weaknesses in the theory to be discussed while the other did not think it was appropriate.  As a person who enjoys science I always question the hypothesis and theories in order to understand it better so I agree that strengths and weaknesses of any theory should be discussed.  It is not a religious debate, but a debate of understanding. 

Should religion be a part of schools?  I don't know what is best for our students in schools.  On the one hand schools seemed safer when God was a part of the day.  On the other hand, we need to be respectful of all religions and those who choose not to believe in anything.  Are we moving towards a country that will soon outlaw any belief.  Perhaps understanding different religions or the lack of belief in anything should be a part of curriculum in order to better understand our world.  However, religious belief is a personal choice.  We can only teach understanding and tolerance.


http://www.religioustolerance.org/ps_pra9.htm

http://www.ajha.org/the-history-of-religion-and-schools.htm

Calefati, J. (2009).  Religion in Schools Debate Heats Up.  On Education US News and Staff.

Innovators and Makers

After reading Innovators at PBS and The Makers of Modern Schooling by John Gatto I was a little unsure how to approach this blog.  There is a deep contrast between the two sites.  In Innovators we puruse people who actually made it their life mission to make a change in education.  In "Makers", it came down to more of an opinion as to why we are sent to school. So I looked at each one closer.

In Innovators we had several individuals who, over the last two centuries, made positive changes to our educational system.  They not only made education accessible to the common man, but also to women and minorities.  However, it was John Dewey who stood out to me the most to me.  John Dewey was an educated man receiving his PhD from Johns Hopkins University in 1884.  Dewey was a philosopher and psychologist making many contributions in his fields.  He also helped to shape 20th century America. (John Dewey: American Pragmatist p1)

In education Dewey put for the idea that education should be grounded in experience.  "In Experience and Education  he stated that education should be based on a child's psychological and physical development and the world outside the classroom." This is a concept that our educational system has attempted to incorporate over the last century.  Dewey's concept basically taught the educators that every child is different, learns differently and their learning is effected by their home and social environment.(Innovators, p2) 

In "Makers" the whole article was basically an opinion of education.  It seemed to state that big industry and its bosses are the creators of the school system and what determines what is taught.   Somehow keeping students down and bored is how the makers want students.  If the kids are bored they will be better consumers and better workers in the factories and industry.  (The Makers of Modern Schooling)

I really didn't see a lot of proof for these ideas and found it offensive.  I've watched the teachers I work with inspire and engage their students.  They are successfully putting their student's futures in their own hands to achieve the goals they want to and that's in a school of mostly below poverty level students.

However, since a part of the discussion was to choose on "Maker" I chose Henry Ford.  Ford like many of his counterparts had a standard education.  He then left home at 16 to become an apprentice in a machine shop.  After working for Edison Illuminating Company, he began to work on his own designs and experiments to later create the Model T and helped to found the modern car industry.  He followed his dreams and goals and made a huge impact on America. ("The Life of Henry Ford")

I don't, however, see how Henry Ford made great impacts on education.  He did develop the Ford foundation which gives grants to education.

Overall I found the "Innovator"s article much more relevent to actually making a difference in education.  The "Innovators" definitely impacted the school system we have today.

1. "The Life of Henry Ford" Retrieved from http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/hf/
2. "John Dewey, American Pragmatist"  Retrieved from http://dewey.pragmatism.org/
3. "Innovators" PBS
4. "The Makers of Modern Schooling" The Odysseus Group, John Taylor Gatto

My First Ever Blog

A new era in my life has just started.  I've decided at 40 to go back to school for a graduate degree.  A requirement for one of my classes with my first ever blog (FOED 6020).  This is a way to write down my thoughts and feelings as I continue through this course as well as a forum to discuss topics.  Sounds interesting so here we go.