“ One More River to Cross”

“ One More River to Cross”- recognizing the Real Injury in Brown:
A prerequisite to Shaping New Remedies
By Charles Lawrence

Premise:
Education
Impact
Fairness
Segregation
Label
System
Separation
Self-perpetuating
Black
White
Color
Equality
Social
Remedies
Tradition
Rights

Argument:

Lawrence argues that we must decide , after almost three decades of life under the rule of law set forth in Brown, whether that decision should be tallied in the won or loss column in black America’s struggle for equality. We must keep truths about the issue in our minds at all times.

Evidence:
1- Black children are Injured by the existence of a System of Segregation, not Merely by Particular Acts That Result in the Segregation of Schools.

2- Segregation is Self-Perpetuating: Once established, it will not disappear of its own accord, and its elimination requires Affirmative Action by the State.

3- We must continue to demand that the affirmative disestablishment of the system of segregation be recognized as a Constitutional right.

I found this piece very hard to understand. I fell that the vocabulary and sentence structure made it hard to keep on task throughout. The main points where clear with headings, but apart from those main ideas where unclear. It was lengthy to a point where interest was lost. I clearer strait forward piece of the same information would have been more approachable therefore more understood.

Oakes

Jeannie Oakes’ Tracking: Why Schools Need to Take Another Route

Premise:

· grouping
· Low -ability
· tracking
· levels
· opportunity
· ability
· high-ability
· experiences
· fail
· succeed
· privileged
· education
· curriculum
· change
· teachers
· resources
· time
· evaluation
· record
· alternatives
· gap

Argument:
Oakes’ argues that unless teachers and administration believe and expect all students to learn well, they will be unlikely to create school and classroom conditions where students believe in their own ability and exert the effort it takes to succeed. We need to minimize or diminish the ability gap in order to create equal opportunity for success in both high and low ability as well as average ability whose best interests seem to get lost along the way.
Evidence:
1 “… oppose tracking because they believe it locks most students into classes where they are stereotyped as “less able,” and where they have fewer opportunities to learn.” There is no use of equal opportunity in this process.

2 “ The reason for this may be that because they’re more likely to fail, they risk more by trying.” The high-ability student have stronger learning experience because they have already made it to the top learning class and are not afraid to fail but only succeed, where lower levels are scared to think outside of the box because classes are taught in a different approach.

3 “ The gap between them and more successful students has grown wider –not only in achievement but in attitudes toward school and toward their own ability to succeed.” Distinction and separation of levels created differences in attitudes and success.

Wrap up:
I thought that Oakes’ piece brought up an interesting topic , one that has made me curious prior to reading this piece. The reading was pleasant in with it’s basic vocabulary and strait forward points. The separation and titling of each major topic throughout was helpful in organizing my thoughts on the piece. Oakes’ opinions and idea attracted me as while opening my eyes to new angles of the subject.

In The Service Of What? The Politics of Service Learning
By Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer
Premise-
· service learning
· morals
· citizen
· strategies
· input
· helping
· caring
· values
· relationships
· society
· goals
· accomplishment
· direct
· indirect
· reach
· interact
· beliefs
· volunteerism
· compassion

Author’s Argument-

Kahne and Westheimer argue that the whether or not the act of service learning is based moral, intellectual, and or political grounds is a issue grabbing the attention of teachers, policy makers, and academicians who take seriously the idea that learning and service reinforce each other and should come together in American’s schools.
Evidence-
1. “ In addition to helping those they serve, such service learning activities seek to promote students’ self-esteem, to develop higher-order thinking skills, to make use of multiple abilities, and to provide high order thinking skills, to make use of multiple abilities, and to provide authentic learning experience…”
2. “ These categories can help clarify our understanding of the possible relationships between service learning activities, their outcomes, and the goals that motivate their design.”
3. Various goals of service learning- “ ..we create opportunities for changing our understanding of the other and the context within which he or she live” and “ They stress the importance of civic duty and the need for responsive citizens.”

I felt that this piece of literature was somewhat difficult to read and that it’s main points could have been made much clearer with a more organized format. The various topics jumped around while simple idea where expand to make seem more complex resulting in difficult understand. I thought the ideas where interesting in that I would have never though about service learning in such a complex and depth focus. I found the topic random in a sense and shocking in another that this issue was even one discussed formally. I did not enjoy this piece from what I got out of it, so I look forward to the discussion where I hope to take a lot more from it.

Talking Point 4

Linda Christensen’s Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us
Premise-
Idealistic
Unlearn
Myths
Media
Self-image
Stereotypes
Patterns
Justice
Popular Culture
Consumption
Winning
Goals
Magic
Ignorance
Recognition
Change

Christensen’s Argument-
Christensen argues that a secret education shaped by cultural stereotypes creates unhealthy and unjust standards for the development of self-image from the pattern they reveal. This education is not only expressed through the media but surrounds society from all angles, and we do have the opportunity to make a difference to abolishing these idealistic ideas being sold.
Evidence-
1 “ When we read children’s books, we aren’t just reading cute little stories, we are discovering the tools with which a young society is manipulated.” Everything from movies to magazine teaches their viewers a secret education, which results in shaping the cultural stereotypes we develop as our own.
2 We have to learn how to “unlearn the myths” in order to change the unhealthy and unjust ideals we are taught. We need to rebel against the ideals that we are taught to be the answer to all aspects and problems of our world. As we rebel we need to start using such powerful media and environments to teach the realistic and just ways in which out lives should be lived and actions we should take.

3 The goals and magic revealed in this secret education are unrealistic and unhealthy to the developing minds of individuals. They create degrading ideals such as beauty equals power, people of color represent insignificance, and magic can transform your life. These images create a picture where only materialism and status can bring you joy and success.

Comments-
I feel that Christensen’s article provided very informative facts into the already broader topic of media influence I was familiar with. I found the reading itself to be strait forward and self explanatory, with helpful headings to indicate subtopic changes throughout the piece. The detailed examples made it clear as to how a “secret education” is taught through a hidden formula that implies the ingredients for the cultural stereotypes that are base society on today.