1. "Amazing Grace" by Jonathan Kozol:
Jonathan Kozol, in Amazing
Graces, discusses the hardships that the families living in Mott Haven face
on a daily basis. One hardship that stuck out to me was the fact that Mott
Haven is a dumping ground for unwanted things. The residents in this district
do not have a say-their voice is powerless. Here is a quote describing an
example of this:
“The place that Cliffie is referring to turns out to be a waste incinerator that was put in operation recently over the objection of the parents in the neighborhood…The waste products of some of these hospitals, she says, were initially going to be burned at an incinerator scheduled to be built along the East Side of Manhattan, but the sitting of a burner there had been successfully resisted by the parents of the area because of fear of cancer risks to children.”
This example connects perfectly with Allan Johnson’s article Privilege, Power, and Difference. A
quote from page 10 sums it up perfectly:
“…Privilege is always a problem for people who don’t have it and for people who do, because privilege is always in relation to others. Privilege is always at someone else’s expense and always exacts a cost. Everything that’s done to receive or maintain it-however, passive and unconscious-results in suffering and deprivation for someone.”
The families
of the East Side of Manhattan had enough power to say no to the incinerator and
its deadly implications. The people of Mott Haven did not have enough power to
stop the incinerator from going into their community thus they paid the price in this power struggle.
2. "Aria" by Richard Rodriguez:
In "Aria" by Richard Rodriguez we learn the struggles faced by those who don't speak English and their place in society. Richard’s family, after a visit from the nuns,
decided to only speak in English in their home. Their once knit family became
separated and indifferent. They lost their communication and identity. This is
a perfect example of yet again Johnson’s article Privilege, Power, and Difference. I hate to use the same quote but
I think this quote shows just how much power, privilege and difference play “important”
roles in society.
“…Privilege is always a problem for people who don’t have it and for people who do, because privilege is always in relation to others. Privilege is always at someone else’s expense and always exacts a cost. Everything that’s done to receive or maintain it-however, passive and unconscious-results in suffering and deprivation for someone.”
Richard tells us that he wanted to hear that he had the right to speak English. This is the an example of power, privilege and difference. Why should anyone need to hear that they have the right to speak the English language? We all live in America-a melting pot of ethnicities, cultures, races and people.
3. "Safe Spaces" by Annemarie Vaccaro, Gerri August & Megan S. Kennedy:
The article Safe
Spaces discusses how it is important for us to create classrooms that are
safe for the LGBTQ community. They need to know that when they are enclosed in
the four walls of their classroom that they can be who they are and not be
tormented for it. A classroom should be a safe haven. This reminded me of Kozol’s
description of St. Ann’s church in his article Amazing Grace:
“St. Ann’s Church, on St. Ann’s Avenue, is three blocks away from the subway station. The children who come to this small Episcopal church for food and comfort and to play, and the mothers and fathers who come here for prayer, are said to be the poorest in New York.”
“The beautiful old stone church on St. Ann’s Avenue is a gentle sanctuary from the terrors of the streets outside.”Just as the children and their families of Mott Haven found a "Safe Space" in St. Ann's Church so should our classrooms be for LGBTQ students.
4. "I Won't Learn From You" by Herbert Kohl & "Five Reasons to Stop Saying 'Good Job'" by Alfie Kohn:
Both of these articles have one thing in common they discuss
the culture of power in the classroom. Thus, my connection with these two
articles is with Lisa Delpit’s piece Other
People’s Children. Delpit discusses five codes of the culture of power (taken
from Dr. Bogad’s handout-“Working Through Delpit”):
- Issues of power are enacted in the classroom.
- There are codes or rules for participating in power; that is, there is a culture of power.
- The rules of the culture of power are a reflection of the rules of the culture of those who have power.
- If you are not already a participant in the culture of power, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier
- Those with power are frequently least aware-or least willing to acknowledge-its existence. Those with less power are often most aware of its existence.
While I could make connections with each of these codes I would like to
focus my attention on the first code “Issues of power are enacted in the
classroom” and the fourth code “If you are not already a participant in the
culture of power, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring
power easier.” I feel as if these two codes are in great relation to both Kohl’s
and Kahn’s articles.
“Issues of power are enacted in the classroom”: Kohl talks about
various students and how they have chosen to “not-learn.” These students know
that the teachers are in control of the classroom but refuse to let that be the
standard. Instead, they would rather not learn from the teacher so they can
hold the power in their hand. I am seeing this first hand in my Service Learning
classrooms, especially in my ELL class. On many occasion power is missing from
the classroom. This is evident when the teacher raises her voice and yet the
students are still screaming and yelling.
“If you are not already a participant in the culture of power, being
told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier”: Kohn
discusses that saying “Good Job” can in fact encourage bad behavior. If we are
not direct, precise and explicit in our instructions we could end up saying “Good
Job” when in reality a firm “Sit down” is necessary.
