Ableism In Our Schools And Society

    I wanted to start off with the definition of Ableism, because it was a term I was not aware of.  I knew of the discrimination against people with disabilities but was not aware there was even a term for this type of discrimination.  Ableism is a system of thinking that harms disabled people in so many ways.  Ableism is a type of oppression because it hinges on the idea that people with disabilities are less valuable than a nondisabled person.   Many individuals may not recognize they exhibit ableist attitudes or behaviors, often due to unconscious biases.  Nonetheless, these attitudes can still significantly impact people with disabilities. 

    In this week's article Eliminating Ableism in education by Thomas Hehir, the author starts off by discussing the case of Joe Ford, son of Joe and Penny.  Joe was born with a disability and both his parents had to advocate for him in order to provide  the proper education he needed to succeed.  He described this as entering the world of ableist assumption.  The need for parents or guardian to have to advocate for their  children with disabilities.  Penny seeks advise from adults with disabilities that would guide her in the fight to give Joe the proper education he deserves.  She was once told this statement that is so powerful, so sad but very true.  "Don't assume he has the same educational rights as every other child.  you're going to have to fight for that."  It should not be this way; parents should not have to fight to ensure that their child receives the services and education they need and are entitled too but the reality is that they do. Penny and Joe advocated for their son Joe and in his senior year his Scholastic Aptitude scores place him within the top 5 percent of his peers.  He received acceptance offers from numerous competitive schools but ultimately chose to attend Harvard College. This was a great accomplishment but it took the advocacy by his parents to and a lot dedication from Joe to show that he was capable of obtaining such achievement. 

     I decided to read The Education of students with learning disabilities because it is the more common disability amongst school-aged children.  Dyslexia being the most common disability, by definitions dyslexia is a learning disorder that includes trouble recognizing language sounds and how they relate to written language.  These students need more intensive help and may require some accommodations in the classroom.   Reading improvement for these students can continue throughout their schooling, but we need to remain providing the intensive help and accommodation that are required in order for the continuous  reading improvement.  Research shows that many students with learning disabilities receive relatively low levels of services and do not receive the classroom accommodations they require.  The best option for these students is inclusive classroom but not only that, educators need to figure out the best way for these students to effectively learn the curriculum.  They may need some accommodations like audiobooks, allowing extra time on assignments,  or accessibility to technology.   The problem is that not all schools are able to provide these accommodations, therefore these students remain to have lower levels of educational attainment.  

                                                          How Dyslexia affects Learning

    There needs to be a focus on ending ableism and as educators it is important to take some steps.  The first being recognizing that it exist and having more conversations about it.  This relates to  the reading by Armstrong and Wildman about colorblindness.  It is also crucial to gain  knowledge about the challenges that people with disabilities encounter and how we can support them.  First we need to recognize that it exist, awareness is the key to combat ableism.  The dynamics of privilege and power are part of the reason why this is the less spoken of all discrimination.  Those who have the power to write policies, design school rules or curriculum tend to be privileged non disabled professionals.  Most times they do not see how their policies, rules, or curriculum affect the disabled student.  This is why it is necessary to have people with disabilities take on more powerful roles in society because they can relate to the struggles, especially in the schooling.  Increasing the representation of individuals with disabilities in influential positions also inspires students to recognize that they too can pursue their aspirations with dedication and hard work.   

     

    Diversity is a also key to ending ableism in the schools.  Including students with disabilities in the classroom alongside individuals from diverse racial and ethnicity backgrounds is essential.  Increased diversity fosters understanding and acceptance among students, promoting inclusivity and equality.   Employing Concepts of universal design to schooling is just as important, to design school buildings with the idea that people with disabilities will be using them.   Lastly Special education needs to be specialized, special educators need the skills to recognize what each student needs and be able to accommodate and modify instructions to assist students with disabilities to learn the curriculum in the classroom. The primary focus should be addressing the unique educational needs of each student and ensuring they receive the support and resources they need to thrive academically.  I came across this interesting video on how educators can approach ableism by formatting instruction, and shifting mindset of both educators and students.    https://youtu.be/FDsx6TJmx8Q 

 

     

 

    

                                                           

                                                            Literacy With An Attitude

                                                                        Patrick Finn

                                                                      

    We would all like to believe that we can all get equal proper education, all it takes is hard work and dedication to succeed.  Unfortunately, the reality is that there is a great educational divide between the rich and the poor.   Social class is a major factor affecting education.  The higher you are in the social class, the greater opportunity you have to access quality education.   The lower working class tend to live in lower income neighborhood where schools have limited funding, larger class sizes, lack of resources, and less experienced teachers.  All these factors affect the education that these students receive.  We are depriving these young students the opportunity to succeed academically and to build a better future for themselves.  

    The author Patrick Finn discusses this reality in his book.  In the reading he tells us a little about his first teaching job in a black Neighborhood in Chicago.  He discusses how he was schooling these children to take orders; his main priority was to take control of his classroom.  He did teach them to read and write a little better, but he would give them easy assignments that were not too challenging and were time consuming in order to keep them busy.  What he considered good students were his obedient students who were able to follow directions and orders.  This was so sad to hear because in some way he failed these students, instead of teaching them to become successful in life, he was teaching them to follow rules and take orders.  It is very unfortunate, but the reality is that there are many schools and teachers doing the same things.  They are not doing it purposely, but they are faced with so many challenges including behavioral problem, lack of resources, amongst many other challenges.  This is a real problem in public education mainly in the working-class schools.  There is a misconception that the students are lazy and do not want to learn when in fact it is the opposite the majority want to learn and succeed.    

    Finn discusses two different types of literacy education, the first being domesticating education.  This is the type of literacy education that the working class receive, the instructions in reading and writing are designed to make students obedient citizens and useful workers in occupation of manual labor and in service sector.  This low level of literacy does not encourage students to use their imagination or creativity, this is where boredom sets in and might cause behavioral problems in class.  This basic level of literacy makes a person productive, dependable, and employable but not enough to seek power.  The second type of education is empowering education, and this is the literacy education the middle and rich class receive.  This literacy is needed for occupations of leadership and power.  When you provide empowering education students are more likely to set goals, seek challenges and take risks.  

    In Chapter two Finn discusses the Jean Anyon who studied fifth grade class in five different public schools ranging from lower income neighborhoods to executive elite rich neighborhoods.  The schools were all located in northern New Jersey and were all subject to the same state requirements however the differences and inequality were undeniable.  The working-class schools some teachers felt that the students only needed the basic simple skills therefore some of the work or assignments were skipped because it required more creativity.  Teachers were concerned about the control of the classroom therefore all the students had to remain seated unless given permission to move.  In the middle-class schools students were mainly provided with knowledge from textbooks, but students still had limited ability to use their creativity.  They were provided with just enough education to allow for a good middle-class job.  In the affluent professional schools students were encouraged to use their creativity and personal development were important goals to achieve.  Teacher encouraged students to think for themselves and to make sense of their own experiences.  Students were also given autonomy and were able to move freely in the classroom.   It is so hard to believe that such differences really exist, it is so heartbreaking and makes you realize why there is such disparities in academic success in our schools.  Education is the key to successful careers and economic success, and we are failing our working-class students. 

    As teachers it is so important to give students tools and the confidence to become self-directed learners who can navigate and succeed in this ever-changing world.  It is important for students to embrace challenges and see them as an opportunity for growth.  This type of education allows for developing problem solving skills, creating more employment opportunities, and securing higher income jobs.  All students should get the best education regardless of social class, this will allow for a bridging in gap of social classes.  I added this powerful documentary Teach Us All, the documentary is about the divide in education between the poor and rich and how as educators it is important to provide and be open to change.  If you decide to watch, I hope you enjoy!https://youtu.be/BElG3joieUE

                                                              

                                                               

    

    In the article Queering Our Schools it starts off by discussing the unfortunate incident that occurred to Sasha Fleischman.  Sasha is an agender 16-year-old whose skirt was set on fire by another student while riding the bus.  This incident mobilized support for Sasha in the community while her family stressed the need for education.  Sasha's dad, who is a teacher focused on how to talk to students about LGBTQ topics.  It is important for educators to have open discussions with children at a young age because it allows the children to understand and also promote acceptance and respect for everyone regardless of their gender or sexuality.  I know there is a lot of reluctance amongst educators and administrators due to worries about backlash from parents, but it is crucial to have these open discussions with students in order to build a school community where all kids feel safe.  

    The big question is "How do we create classrooms and schools where each child, parent, and staff member's unique, beautiful self is appreciated and nurtured?"  While it may entail many challenges it can be can done.  First step is preparing educators on how to talk with students about LGBTQ topics and invite them to talk openly about gender and sexuality.  Educators need to expect the unexpected and be prepared to answer questions that might be tricky to answer. There are books and documentaries with age-appropriate teaching about LGBTQ issues that can be used in the classroom.  There can also be open discussions about the diversity of family structures and encouraging discussions around diversity and respect.  Avoiding using gender to separate students in lines or seating arrangement.  These are just some examples of starting a LGBTQ inclusive classroom, there are many other ways to support student's abilities to connect, collaborate and respect a diverse group of peers in the classroom. 

    The read along video of the book They, She, He Easy as ABC was a great addition to this topic, I enjoyed how enthusiastic and playful Ki is while reading the book.  This book is a great way to introduce younger readers to the idea of gender and pronouns.  The book explored each letter with a different character and each character is introduced through different pronouns and gender.  The reader Ki talks about how important it is to respect people's names and pronouns.  I thought it was great when she paused the video and explained how she mispronounced a name in the book.  She felt the need to stop and apologize for the mispronunciation.  This shows the readers how important it is to call a person by the correct name and pronoun they want to be called.  Names and pronouns are very personal and by using them correctly you are showing that person that you care and respect them for who they are.  

    The key takeaway from both the reading and the video is that we need to educate students about gender and sexuality from a young age, emphasizing the importance of respecting everyone, regardless of their chosen gender or pronouns. We need to prioritize providing a respectful safe school environment for all of our students.  By creating a more positive environment it will help reduce the risk of mental health issues amongst children and young adults and they will be more likely to develop stronger self-esteem, empathy, and confidence.  The goal is to have all students respect each other and should feel safe and happy with their identities and know they are represented and welcomed in the education setting. 

   

  The Teach Out Project Proposal

CHOOSE A TEXT: The article I picked for this project is Teaching Multilingual Children By Virgina Collier. I picked this article because I am very passionate about this topic. I can see the benefits of teaching bilingual education. Being bilingual has been so beneficial in my career in so many ways. I also currently work in school that provides bilingual education to a population of mainly Spanish speaking students. I believe that the bilingual education offered at this school will greatly benefit our students. They will maintain literacy in their home language while learning to develop literacy in the English language.

WHO DO YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH? I would like to talk about this topic

to my older cousin who opposes to bilingual education. He had a son come from

Dominican Republic at the age of three and once he entered the school system,

my cousin refused bilingual education. He wanted his son placed in an all English

classroom. His son did learn English but as a result does not speak Spanish, he

understands some Spanish but does not speak it at all. He will not take advantage

of all the benefits of being bilingual which is so beneficial in so many ways.

WHAT FORMAT MIGHT WORK FOR YOU? I think the individual interview

would be the most beneficial way to discuss this topic because it will allow me to see

his point of view while trying to teach him the benefits of bilingual education.