Comments for Classrooms for all

Comment on The ethics of TV ‘experiments’ by Rebecca_J

Rebecca_J — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 03:45:52 +0000

In regards to this experiment spreading racist attitudes, I was struck by when the crying girl hugs the black actor and is saying “I’m so glad this wasn’t real.” It was just wierd…because it WAS real, it is a real thing that happens. This particular situation wasn’t “real,” but this experiment wouldn’t have been conducted if it wasn’t happening “for real” somewhere.
Sorry if I’m not expressing myself very well

Comment on Youth Sexuality by Treating girls differently « Liberation in the Classroom

Treating girls differently « Liberation in the Classroom — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:14:29 +0000

[...] Liberation in the Classroom Where do anti-oppression work and classroom work meet? « Youth Sexuality [...]

Comment on Youth Sexuality by Alan

Alan — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:40:54 +0000

Concise rundown, Peter, of our culture’s sexuality “score sheet.” Damned confusing isn’t it? Is it any wonder that adolescents struggle with identities and behaviour? The question, it seems to me, is how to create a safe path for exploration of self-identities. The chaotic culture of American schools seems the least likely place to find such a path. The reason is primarily that teachers, especially those over age forty, reflect the uneasiness, uncertainty and intolerance of American society. Meanwhile, adolescents are sorting things out for themselves. And that is as it has always been.

Comment on So, who are you? by Peter

Peter — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:29:55 +0000

The homophily one is interesting. There’s the type where all my friends think the way I do, and there’s the type that involves some measure of self-protection. The school where I attended college had very low minority rates, and the small handful of black students did often seem to spend time together. But in an nearly all-white school, although I cannot speak for anyone else’s experience, this makes sense to me.

White people don’t often understand what it feels like to be the ‘only’, as Peggy Macintosh points out in her essay “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” as condition number one:

1. I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.

Find the entire essay here:

http://www.case.edu/president/aaction/UnpackingTheKnapsack.pdf

Comment on So, who are you? by Dollface

Dollface — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:58:22 +0000

Great post, I’m glad my post on gender roles inspired you.

I think it’s really important to address gender and cultural stereotypes in the classroom because, as you said, it’s a great way to encourage students to examine and question norms and institutions that we all take for granted.

You bring up a fascinating point about homophily. I’ve definitely noticed students (even at a collegiate level) self-segregating themselves along lines of gender, race, ethnicity, and even to a small degree, religion and class.

Comment on Does that darn teevee reflect our culture? by Mary Walker

Mary Walker — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 06:42:08 +0000

Hi Peter — your post reminded me: I read an article awhile back (not sure where — it may have been the Wall Street Journal) about discussions at one of the military colleges (might have been West Point) about the national debates in the US on torture. The article claimed that a lot of the supporters of torture-under-certain-conditions would refer to the TV show “24″ as a fictional example of when torture could be condoned.

I found this interesting because it showed how media examples have become part of our language for how we discuss issues. In the olden days, people would argue using examples from the Bible or from classical literature. Today, people argue using examples of movies and TV. Media provides us with a common cultural context and language for having these discussions.

Comment on Becoming sustainable people by Bytes: Grantees in the News by Great Bay Foundation Blog

Bytes: Grantees in the News by Great Bay Foundation Blog — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:59:01 +0000

[...] Robert Chambers delivered his remarks at the FertileGround Conference, this blogger offered his thoughts on Bonnie CLAC’s [...]