Bell/Jones Readings -Facilitator-Gabrielle- 6/30

For these questions, it’s important to think critically about your own experiences and use them as evidence… we don’t want to drift too far off into theoretical mumbo-jumbo… I don’t know that we’ll discuss every question, but the sub-bullets are mostly follow-up or clarifying questions.

·      Bell explains that “all people are or have been oppressed,” and it is often easy for us to think of experiences in which we have felt oppressed.  However, it is usually more difficult to speak from our experiences in a dominant group: In what ways have you been part of a dominant group in which you passively or actively have participated in oppression?

o      Why is this a difficult question…?

o      How might this affect you in the classroom as a teacher?

·      Given the definitions in both articles, how do you define interpersonal oppression?  What does it look like?

o      How do you define disrespecting or mistreating someone?

·      Jones argues that government is the gardener and holds the ultimate power to decide, act, and control our resources. Bell also explores the role that YouthBuild has to play in undoing oppression. 

o      Why do you agree or disagree with these arguments?

o      Where do you see yourself fitting in?  Which “I” do you think you most can affect? As educators in general?