Sunday, March 27, 2011

Tim Wise

Nicole Pickering
A Particularly Cheap White Wine
Tim Wise


1. As for racism, it is typically defined in two ways, both as ideology and practice.
     1. Racism is definitely both ideology and practice. People all over the world are racist and sometimes it can be a practice for them. It seems like these ideas are balancing everything out and making it so it is even for everyone. Balance is being presented in this situation.


2. "White students are twice as likely as their african american or latino counterparts to be taught by the most highly qualified teachers and half as likely to have least qualified instructors in class." 
     1. I was not a fan of this quote at all. It definitely stuck out and caught my eye. It is saying that white students are pretty much taught by highly qualified teachers and the rest of the students are left behind with nothing. It is not like that at all. 


3. It ignores the fact that the average white student in the U.S. attends school with half as many poor kids as the average black or Latino student, which in turn has a direct effect on performance, since attending a low-poverty school generally means having more resources available for direct instruction. Indeed, schools with high concentrations of students of color are 11-15 times more likely than mostly white schools to have high concentrations of student poverty."
     1.  I believe that if performance in school is being affected because of poor kids then something isn't right with that picture. No school should be like that and kids definitely shouldn't be treated that way. It is no ones fault if they are in poverty, but really, what can be done? I also found this quote a bit over the top because the performance in schools should not be determined by how much money someone has.




This piece was easy to read. I understood it very well, but some of the quotes were very disturbing. I know that most of this is really going on in the world, so I think that was why I was able to understand it so easily. But the way that this piece is written makes it sound so much worse. 

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Kahne & Westheimer

Nicole Pickering
In the Service of What?
Kahne & Westheimer


1. In contrast, much of the current discussion regarding service learning emphasizes charity, not change".
     1. Charity is a very good thing, especially when it helps those who need it most. I feel that providing people with clothes, food, shelter, warmth, etc. is an amazing thing. The providers should feel great about themselves too. People who realize and recognize the existence of inequalities in society has a lot more value. 


2. Educators and legislators alike maintain that service learning can improve the community and invigorate the classroom, providing rich educational experiences for students at all levels of schooling"
     1. Taking part in a service learning project is very helpful and can be important. When people take part in these kinds of things a lot is done. Help is being provided to those who need it and the ones who are getting the help definitely appreciate it. I completely agree with this quote. Service learning can improve a lot in the community and it is also a way to meet new people and have fun. It can help people who really need it and you can also have fun while doing it.


3. "Those who focus primarily on charity believe that, to be properly educated in a democracy, students must undergo experiences that demonstrate the value of altruism and the dangers of exclusive self-interest."
     1. This quote shows that one should not always think so much of themselves. People in the world must realize that there are others out there that are less fortunate than them. I believe it is a great thing to think about others, but the way this quote is putting it, it is making it seem like it is forced. This quote isn't one of my favorites because it seems like it is implying the wrong thing.



This piece of work was very confusing to me. I did not understand a lot of it and it was difficult to read. I sometimes felt i was reading the same thing over and over again. Volunteering is very important, though. You are able to help others who need it most and it's a good thing when you know you are doing the right thing.