Blog 4

This quote by Lisa Delpit, “[Teachers] should recognize that the linguistic form a student brings to school is intimately connected with loved one’s community, and personal identity.  To suggest that this form is “wrong” or, even worse, ignorant, is to suggest that something is wrong with the student and his or her family,” mirrors an idea that will be very important to me throughout my education and into my career.  Delpit is trying to show that the way in which someone acts and speaks cannot be the sole factor in determining one’s abilities and strengths.  This behavior is highly reflective of someone’s family life and does not necessarily correlate to their potential in the classroom.  For example, just because a young boy whose mom is a doctor speaks more eloquently than a girl whose parents didn’t go to college does not mean that the young girl is any less intelligent than the boy.  Both students should be shown and treated with respect and be given the same opportunities to succeed in the classroom.  In other words, you can’t judge children on their background.  The background from which a child comes from does not portray how well they will do in school.  If the child feels that they are accepted just the way they are, then they will be willing to try and learn in school.  If the child is put down and constantly being corrected because they are not like everyone else, they may not be as willing to try and learn new things.  Children need to be accepted and feel like they belong in order to succeed in life.

Blog 3

Descriptions                                                                              Interpretations

Many children were playing together.                                  These children may enjoy playing with                

                                                                                              others rather than by themselves.

Some children were playing by themselves.                        They may prefer being by themselves.

Some parents were watching their children                         These are the more protective parents.  very closely.

There was a group of middle school kids                             They are learning how to build         

playing football.                                                                    relationships with each other.

Teenagers were skateboarding.                                             They enjoy getting together outside

                                                                                               of school.

There was an old lady reading.                                             She enjoys the outdoors and the            

                                                                                               presence of children.  The children

                                                                                               remind her of when she was younger.

Through this experience of observing people at a park, I learned many things about myself.  I learned that I enjoy the outdoors rather than being stuck inside all of the time.  While at the park, I liked that nobody was consumed by technology.  The children were running around the playground and having so much fun.  The middle school children and the teenagers were playing together and not worried about who was texting or tweeting them.  I also realized that it is important to step back from school and work every once in a while and just enjoy the great outdoors.  The children were all carefree and not frantic about their homework or what grade they got on their tests.  They took a step back and were appreciating life at its finest.  I learned that some children may prefer to play alone and not always be part of a big group.  Many of the children that were playing together were using their imaginations and making up games while others were enjoying being by themselves.  It was also nice to see all of the kids so happy.  Additionally, I observed that there were many elderly people at the park.  These people were just sitting and watching the children at play.  When I am older I hope that I am still able to enjoy the outdoors.  I hope that I can feel happiness from observing the children and teenagers, even though I may not be participating.  Finally, many parents were watching their children very closely at the park.  It was good to see the parents caring for their children while still allowing them some freedom.  Sitting at the park brought me an inner peace that I carried with me throughout the rest of the day.

Blog 2

The quote by Lisa Delpit, “We do not really see with our eyes or hear through our ears, but through our beliefs,” has a very deep meaning when applied to the real world.  We are not guided by our senses but rather by our beliefs.  In other words, a life without beliefs would just be a continuous stream of meaningless stimuli.  Our beliefs give meaning to our experiences and allow us to understand what we are seeing and hearing around us.  People who have positive beliefs and honest morals are able to see the good in life and the decency in the people around them.  For example, a person with ethical morals and positive beliefs would be able to recognize that the people around them are generally trying to be good and helpful.  Even if what they do is not perfect or particularly effective, you would understand that they were trying their best to help.  Additionally, your family, friends, and the environment in which you were raised also affect your beliefs and how you see the world.  If you were raised in a loving and caring environment with supportive people, your beliefs may allow you to have a more positive outlook on the world.  Your mood can also affect how your beliefs allow you to see things throughout life.  If you live life always looking for and expecting the worst in people, what you see and hear around you will always be negative.  Clearly, your response to the situations around you are greatly affected by your morals and outlook on life.