Class Reflection 7/26

Today we watched "School Days" Part Three in class. Having already seen this film, I was able to focus more on the effects racial equality within the school had on other types of injustice that were rampant in education. The Brown v. Board of Education decision effected not only race relations within the school system but it also paved the way for women, Latinos, and those needing special education. It is crazy to think that these movements only occurred 50 years ago. Who knows how far we will go in the next 50 years. In moments of despair when things seem stagnant and hopeless, it is important to reflect on these historical monuments in our past and examine how far we have come in this country. Granted, things are far from perfect today, but they are better than yesterday.

Our group discussed how often we allow our social conceptions of students to effect our biological notions about them. For example, boys are more frequently diagnosed with AD/HD. Society's definition of "over-excitement" has caused parents to bring students into physician's offices and get their children medicated. Our sociological prescriptions force doctors to make biological diagnoses. What if this overwhelming amount of "AD/HD" is just boys being boys? Do we really need to get them hopped up on Aderol in order for them to behave the way in which society deems as "correct?"