Michelle, July 19th Facilitation Questions

Billings (2006)

1. Billings states that for teachers in urban environments to be “heroes” is not enough and so she coins the term, culturally relevant. This echoes our previous reading of Gorski where he refers to the “think globally to act locally” concept. How do you see yourself implementing this ideology in the classroom (secondary, early ed., math, history, etc.) after reading through the article? Are Billings ideas realistic?

2. The reading points out that there are “school dependent” students that can succeed despite their schooling and “school dependent” students that are dependent on their school for being successful and achieving their goals.

How do you successfully approach the latter, after he or she has gone through a sea of substitute teachers resulting in an unstable foundation of education? What steps would you make to differentiate your curriculum and engage the student?

Orozco (2001)

1. How does identity as a minority student influence one's academic success? "Is an immigrant who identifies herself as Mexican more likely to do better in school than one who self-identifies as Chicana?"

2. "An ethnographic study of a number of immigrant schools in Miami found that three factors were consistently present in such schools. First administrators tended to deny that the school has problems with violence or drugs. Second, many of the staff members exhibited "noncaring" behaviors toward the students. Lastly, the schools took lax security measures."

Why do these attitudes exist within urban public schools? What are the benefits of ignoring such social realities? How can teachers assist in the highlighting of educational realities in order to change them?

3. Despite the structural constraints Latino youth face within America, what role does agency within the schooling experience play in the betterment of Latina/Latino life? How can teachers do their part in the creation of equitable lifestyles for all?

Perry (2003)

1. “How can I aspire to work towards excellence […] I still will not be able to get a cab. I still will be followed in department stores. I still will be stopped when I drive through certain neighborhoods. I still will be viewed as a criminal, a deviant, and illiterate”

Perry addresses the some of the dilemmas African-American children face as they are working towards high academic achievement. Which other groups came to mind that possibly face these same dilemmas? How are they also stigmatized?

The narratives Perry chose exposed the inhumanity of slavery and the harsh inequity of education for African Americans, which narratives or tools would you use to discuss the groups discussed above?