Citizenship Education

One of the readings for this week spoke about the way that schools should work towards creating not only intelligent individuals, but knowledgeable citizens as well.  I believe that this is a very important aspect of education as long as it does not try to mold the career paths that the students are aspiring for.  I cannot recollect any time during my educational life where I was told to understand my governmental policies or officials, analyze the laws or Constitution, or perform any type of community service to give back to the community.  I went to a Catholic grammar and high school and only remember History class being the “normal” and robotic type of classroom that is known as the traditional method of education.  I would have greatly appreciated having this opportunity because they would have opened up a new world to me that I feel was only found after I left that type of environment.

The schools in my neighborhood have changed, for the better, since the time that I graduated high school.  My brother is in sixth grade and advised me a couple of month’s back that he has to do 100 hours of community service in order to graduate from grammar school.  I really think that this is a great way for the students to experience how their community actually functions without being shielded from the “real world” around them.  The schools are preparing the students to be more involved in their communities while also being able to comprehend the operations of the United States government.  I believe that this is the best way to “wake up” our nation and get people to be more active and involved in their communities and, most importantly, their own lives.  

After going to Arts High School

I was honestly amazed by our visit to Arts High School.  I was very enthused and happy that I decided to change career paths and become an educator.  While speaking to the current teachers, I heard the positive approaches that these educators have towards their students.  It makes you realize that your attitude, as an educator, goes a long way towards positively or negatively motivating your students.  This really blew me away because it is the same attitude that I want to take with me into the classrooms.  I seriously did not believe that there were many inner city high school teachers who had that type of attitude towards their students.  The student guides also showcased this same attitude.  They were a great help in answering our questions which allowed us to see what types of teaching styles actually work and which ones did not have any affect at all.  They were very professional, mature and knowledgeable.  This blew me away because I don’t remember many of the senior students from my high school having such a good head on their shoulders and actually being prepared for their future.

After leaving Arts, I have a very optimistic outlook towards the future of this country, and world.  I come from the inner city and am so happy to see the positive energy that can come out of an inner city community.  It solidified my belief that there is no truth to the stereotypes that many people have towards the inner city youth.  There are so many young adults coming out prepared for, or already experiencing a successful career path.  This trip to Arts surpassed my expectations and made me very anxious to go back and enjoy some more learning experiences there.

Stop Being a Hypocrite!

I usually post writings on line that have to deal with motivation and spirituality but I am going to take this opportunity to “vent” on our society. When did we turn into a large conglomerate of hypocrites? I have become sick to my stomach with the news these past couple of days. Every single time I turn on this alleged “informational” show I have to hear these news anchors talk about the Michael Phelps “marijuana scandal.” I am not sick of the fact that this is the exclusive story that begins all the newscasts; I am sick of hearing these anchors, sports analysts, writers, talk about how it is “inappropriate behavior” and that he should “know that he is a role model for little kids.” I want to make one thing perfectly clear, YOU ARE ALL A BUNCH OF IGNORANT HYPOCRITES. I get so upset at the fact that many of these anchors or “analysts” talk down on celebrities or athletes when they get arrested or it becomes revealed that they use marijuana or drink alcohol. I say this because most of these individuals are probably doing the same, or more severe, things. These are the individuals who smoke weed or cigarettes and drink gallons of alcohol to “cope.” These are the individuals who snort coke lines like if there were no tomorrow. These are the individuals who verbally, physically, or emotionally abuse loved ones; these are the individuals who have psychological break downs; but then again, they are the ones criticizing Michael Phelps because of a photo that was taken in 2008! I mean seriously is there nothing of relevance to discuss in this world that everyone has to bash on Phelps and act as if they do not have any skeletons in their closet.

If there is anyone in this world that can talk unbiased about a subject such as drugs it would be me. I have never tried drugs and never plan on doing so. There is not enough time in the day for me to bother with doing it. I rarely drink (maybe twice a year) and when I do I only have one serving because I don’t drink to get wasted. Therefore, I believe that I could defend Phelps without anyone trying to say it is because I am about the same age as him and I enjoy the “high life.” This is not the reason that I am venting; I am venting because I will soon be an educator inside a classroom full of young children who will trust me and listen to my advice (hopefully). I do not want to be a hypocrite like these individuals because many kids see how their parents talk about the Phelps situation and then see them fight each other or abuse substances and think “Why should I believe anything they say?” At the same time, many of these young kids are already taking drugs and will become even more rebellious against society because they see the hypocrisy within it. Therefore, why am I going to bash them or Phelps because of their drug/alcohol use? The only thing that I can do is educate these individuals about the harms of those substances and try to minimize their risky behavior and hopefully stop it all together. This is the reason that I call the Phelps bashers ignorant hypocrites because they don’t understand the ways that their words and actions are negatively affecting our youth.

I am going to have to side with Lil’ Wayne (as much as you all will not want to) on a certain quote that he made that pertains to this situation. Many individuals are bashing on Phelps because he is “supposed to be a role model” but as Lil’ Wayne stated in an interview with Katie Couric: “I’m not an example for people on how to live their lives, and never in my life would I set out to be an example for people on how to live their lives. If you need an example on how to live, then you shouldn’t have been born!” Weezy is absolutely right and I agree with him 100%. Why is it that every celebrity or athlete has to take on the responsibility of being the “role model?” I believe it is because parents are scared of taking on such an important responsibility. That is why we see so many rebellious children who have horrible relationships with their families. First, a parent is supposed to be the role model for their child. They are supposed to set the example instead of waiting for another individual to set one for them. Second, society should spend less time trying to make children follow “role models” and spend more time letting them be individuals. I could not imagine telling my kids, “Hey you see that guy/girl on the TV? I want you to be just like him/her!” The parents, family members, or friends that do this are creating a world full of followers (who will succumb to peer pressure) and destroying the sense of individuality that will enable everyone to be an INDIVIDUAL! Let’s stop being hypocrites and starting being honest!

Awaiting the Beginning of the Journey!

   I believe that I have many assumptions about Newark that may not be completely true.  I have grown up in Jersey City my entire life and I understand the hardships of coming from a low-class, urban community; but I actually have not really liked being to Newark so much.  I believe it is due to the neighborhoods that I would be around when I would go to Newark.  I have not been around “good” neighborhoods in Newark and that is mostly where my assumptions come from.  I am used to seeing gang activity, drug dealers/addicts, and many other negative activities that would make an individual feel uneasy.  

   Many of these assumptions have gone away after learning about Arts High School and viewing their web site.  I am now very enthusiastic and anxious about my visit to this exquisite school.  They show me a different side of Newark that I ignorantly believed did not exist.  I guess that now I think back and I tell myself, “How could you think of Newark that way?  How do you feel about the fact that some individuals think of Jersey City in the same light?”  I guess this experience will show me the promise that I believe is within my city and will help me work harder towards getting children in my city a better opportunity to succeed in life.  This is similar to my answer to the question, “What is the relationship between schools and educating citizens?”  I believe that the schools should assist in erasing the ignorance of the citizens; at the same time, they both have to work in unison in order to create a prosperous and intelligent community.  

How can understanding demographics help us better understand teaching and learning?

I believe that understanding communities’ demographics is very helpful for us as educators.  Sometimes educators just pass of a student as a “lost cause” or someone who “will never learn.”  We have to look past these assumptions and stereotypes and take up the challenge of finding ways of teaching that will get through to these students.  The demographics allow us to take up this challenge and, at the same time, view different aspects of our students’ lives that are not always available by conversations with them or their parents.  For example, a student might come from a household that does not greatly care about education because both parents did not graduate from high school.  The student might not care about going to school and may be confrontational when you approach to have a conversation about it.  If you knew the demographics of his neighborhood, then you would probably see that a high percentage of adults dropped out of school.  This would help you take a different approach to teaching the student and allow you to try and enforce some enthusiasm towards his/her education.

Understanding demographics also assist us in building a lesson plan that will get relevant information across to the students.  Since I am a Health and Physical Education major, I would be very intrigued to look over the demographics in the community in order to teach subjects that are strongly affecting my students.  If I were to teach in Newark, in my Sexual Education class, my main focal point would be “AIDS Prevention” because Newark “has the highest AIDS caseload, at 8,021, of New Jersey cities” (Sidney, 2003).  Unfortunately Newark’s sexual education programs are funded by the governments Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage programs so it will difficult for me to properly educate students on the proper ways to prevent the spread of AIDS.  But it is still very important to understand the demographics of the community you teach in because you will be able to positively affect it by educating the students in topics that are currently affecting them and their community.