Claudia Mendoza
English 1100 3J
October 24, 2015
Prof. Young
3 Citations that peaked my interest from Jonathan Kozol's "Still Separate, Still Unequal: America's Educational Apartheid":
Words, in these cases, cease to have real meaning; or, rather, they mean the opposite of what they say.
"'If people of New York woke up one day and learned that we were gone, that we had simply died or left somewhere else, how would they feel?' ... 'I think they'd he relieved,' this very solemn girl replied."
Equality itself-equality alone-is now, it seems, the article of faith to which most of the principals of inner-city public schools subscribe.
Claudia Mendoza
English 1100_3J
Prof. Young
24 September 2015
Do you agree that Social Class is related to Education?
Jean Anyon decided to conduct a research on Education according to Social Classes. In her research she includes Behavior in a classroom, attitude towards learning grammar, and attitude towards science. According to Anyon, the education of the schools students attend to differ based on Social Class. She separates Social Classes and Schools by four categories. These four categories being: Working Class, Middle Class, Affluent Profession School, and Executive Elite Schools. These categories go from the "poor" to the "rich", and based on how these social classes can influence the type of schools your child attends. Having reviewed "Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work" by Jean Anyon, I disagree with her claims that teachers provide different instruction.
She doesn't have all the data in her research wrong, but one weak spot for this research would be the time. This was release on 1980 and we are now in 2015. When I attended elementary school, middle school, along with high school it was from 2002 to 2015. It is about 20 years apart from the research to when I started attending school, you may say it's not much but the difference may be vast because of the advancements of society.
I attended elementary school, School #18 in Paterson, NJ. It was a Working Class School. It may have been similar to how Anyon described but it was also different in a way that would contradict her general outlook on a Working Class school. Some rules that apply in working class schools are "no talking back", and "follow rules". These aren't different than my school, or any schools I attended. School #18 may not have been the best school in Paterson at all, but you learn a lot of things from there. There were a lot of issues with behavior in my school but we had all we needed. We had Texas Instrument calcuators, and we were one of the schools that first had a Smart Board. I don't know how schools ran back in 1980 but now the government is very involved in education and gives "poor" schools a big budget.
As far as teaching skills, I'd say my teachers were pretty good. They taught well, taught us to use our creativity in our writing and even math! They taught ways to remember the multiplication table easier, and made us write journals to enforce creative writing. They asked a lot of questions, which at that time was annoying because, I couldn't exactly explained how I solved a problem, I just did it. They made us work independent as well in "centers" which are groups. School #18 was a good school as far as I'm concerned. They teach differently than what Anyon would describe the education in a working class school.
She mentions that teachers focus more on students' behavior when they're from working class, and I'm going to be honest, that may be correct. That's why they bring in teachers that are more tougher to working class schools. My school had teachers that would legit throw a book on the floor if we didn't listen. As far as talking back, the teachers at School #18 would call someone to take the student to the office. If it's a bad case, they would suspend a student. The teacher's though, wouldn't focus vastly on our behavior, they would focus on our improvement. It would be unfair if they only focus on behavior. Moving on to a middle class school in 8th grade, was very different. It wasn't crappy looking like school #18, it was big, and it had lockers. They taught well, but I realized sometimes School #18 made it easier by teaching us tricks to remember stuff.
I believe all students should have the same type of education though. I don't see why they can't teach us the same stuff if at the end education will get everyone far. It just depends on the students' potential and their effort. If they want to really go ahead and become someone big in life they could. Just as how a kid can go from the ghetto to wearing Audemars Piguet; a rich kid can go from wearing Louis Vuitton since birth to wearing a construction uniform.
"In one of the working-class schools, the class had a science period several times a week. On the three occasions observed, the children were not called upon to set up experiments or to give explanations for facts or concepts. Rather, on each occasion the teacher told them in his own words what the book said. The children copied the teacher's sentences from the board."
"Work tasks do not usually request creativity. Serious attention is rarely given in school work on how the children develop or express their own feelings and ideas, either linguistically or in graphic form."
"Their criteria were: whether the student spoke clearly, whether the lesson was interesting, whether the student made any mistakes, and whether he or she kept control of the class. On an occasion when a child did not maintain control, the teacher said, 'When you're up there, you have authority and you have to use it. I'll back you up.'"
"We affirm strongly that teachers must have the experiences and training that will enable them to respect, diversity, and uphold the right of students to their own language." This was the decision made in the Executive Committee of the Conference on College Composition and Communication in 1972. Should college students use diversity in their writing? Yes, they should. Believe it or not when students use nonstandard English or a different language, they sound like themselves, and not a robot. Their soul resonance sounds throughout the sentence. It sounds as if they put their identity into their writing.
In America, we have FREEDOM OF SPEECH, or so they tell us we do. In movies, actors say "Fuck you motherfucker, this is bullshit", "Yo momma...", , and Sofia Vergara says, "AY DIOS MIO" in her Columbian accent. The writer is the one who wrote it though, movies ain't free, and it takes a lot of people to make a movie. So why can a film writer express himself/ herself through a script and we(college students) can't? Bullshit. A film writer's vision is their movie. Why can't I make my movie with a BIC Atlantis, and FIVE STAR paper?
Diversity teaches us facts about different situations and an outlook of everything a student has experienced. If a student wants and needs to explain a situation in their own way, they should have the right to. You can't force them to sound monotone. Where would the fun be from writing or reading? If I was doing a paper that I enjoyed I would like to write freely on my emotions and past. I wouldn't like to sound like Siri only stating facts based on statistics, or not sounding like myself and sounding monotone. Words are used for emphasis and to express emotion on the content.
Like I mentioned previously, words have the power to express emotion on the content (prompt). "Wouldn't you know
Would you rather have Kendrick Lamar's 'Alright' lyric's rage as: Didn't you know? We've been hurt and down. When our pride was hurt we were wondering, 'where do we belong in this world?'", it doesn't sound bad but his emotions of rage and desperation to get his point across isn't there. What the people felt when their pride was low can't be comprehended with Standard English.
January 28th by J. Cole, real words, but if you were to put this in Standard English, it'd be sounding like a plain and boring debate on why during the Ferguson incident, there was no black heroes (like the president), but only basketball players, and rappers that spoke out about it on TV. You wouldn't feel the disappointing and aggressive sound of Jermaine's lyrics. That's why we have music in the world, and if they have a positive message in the song people tend to listen and hear with their hearts more. So why can't OUR writing be the same? What if there's a writing prodigy to be discovered throughout college?, but couldn't be discovered because teachers would have us write in Standard English.
Now I ain't got no gavel, but I believe that the Executive Committee of the Conference on College Composition and Communication did the right thing in 1972. They were specific on how teachers should respect and allow students to express themselves using diversity with Foreign language and non-standard English in their writing. If we didn't have this solution, there'd probably be a less number of interesting books in the world to read today.
Identity
makes you, it’s your characteristics, your uniqueness, the perception from
others, and it’s WHO YOU ARE. Parts of your identity are elements that you were
born with and taught. It is your religion, your age, your social class, your
job, your gender, your origin, your race, and your culture. It is what others see once they see you for the first time. Identity IS
the distinct characteristics that define you as a unique individual as well as
from the perception of others. Gloria Anzaldua, a Chicana lesbian feminist,
wrote an article called “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”. It’s an article about her
language, which people seem to clean out, but to Anzaldua her language is her identity.
To me, my gender is my identity.
“I
will no longer be made to feel ashamed of existing. I will have my voice:
Indian, Spanish, white. I will have my serpent’s tongue – my woman’s voice, my
sexual voice, my poet’s voice. I will overcome the tradition of silence” (Gloria
Anzaldua, How to Tame a Wild Tongue, page 261). Women shouldn’t feel the need
to be silent when not spoken to or when trying to express a thought. The quote
above is a perfect example of how women shouldn’t be scared to hide their
voice, thoughts, and actions. There’s supposed to be equality in the world. Just
because I’m a woman doesn’t believe I’m going to aspire to how others think
women should be or act. My voice is MY voice and I shall use it how I want to,
even if it’s something you won’t like to hear, or things “ladies shouldn’t say”.
There are traditions that have an absurd rule that men are the head of the
household and whatever they say should be followed. For that reason, men are “supposed”
to be head of household and the only ones who work, the only ones who are
superior to everyone in the household. Times have changed, but there are some
households still following this misogynistic tradition. I’d say things have
changed due to how many single mothers there are out in the world working
for their family, alone, with no one’s help and still manage to raise their
kids right. Women can work too, and they can also be head of household, they’re
not weak and they can still manage to take care of the house and raise their kids’
right.
The
thing I hate the most is when people try to make women feel inferior. For me,
it’s very riveting when men underestimate women, most of the time they’re
proven wrong or if not they at least realize the drive and determination women
have. “I just love bossy women, I could be around them all day. To me, bossy is
not a pejorative term at all. It means somebody’s passionate and engaged and
ambitious and doesn’t mind leading” (Amy Poehler). I’m proud to be a woman, I
take pride in what I am. I am proud that I can create life inside of me, that
my body is durable to allow up to 57 del (unit) of pain. I am proud to have a
broad mind that allows me to handle work and family. That’s why gender is
everything to me, I look up to my mother and all the women that are strong enough
to pull through life without the help of a man. I believe on equality, both my
mom and dad, are authoritative figures in my household, but they have the same
position and authorization for all of us who live with them.
Ultimately,
my identity is that of gender, that of feminism. I have a sexual side, a responsible side, a side with ambition, intelligent side, a creative side, strong side, and
a nurturing side. I, like men, have goals and I’m going to achieve them. I’m not
going to hold back from my creative mind just because it might be overrated. I’m
a big girl now and I say I’m going to make it to something. I can do whatever I
want, whatever my mind aspires to, because I CAN. I know who I am, it’s about
time I show it, and how much I’ve grown. I am a feminist, we make our own
sense, we believe in the equality of the sexes in all realms. This is why
feminist psychology opened broader realms for psychology. My identity is my
gender, and how as a woman, I can explore the world and conquer it; and it
means EVERYTHING TO ME.
Claudia Mendoza
English 1100 3J
Prof. Young
Questions for Reading Response
In the beginning, Anzaldua is in a dentist's chair getting her roots cleaned out. This connects to the overall point of "How to Tame a Wild Tongue", by introducing how her tongue being uncontrollable and wild. Which leads to asking questions to herself about how can you train the tongue to be quiet, bridle it, or saddle it.
I believe her purpose of using Spanish in the passage is to show her language, or her languages that seem to make up everything she is a part of, and how there is a right to herself and others to be heard and their language itself to be demonstrated and not kept silent. Her Spanish use in the passage is very flowing though, being Hispanic I understood most of it, but there are some words I obviously had to use context clues for because I'm not Mexican. The normal Spanish in the passage was understood and she even took her time to translate it and elaborate on it. Her purpose was also to mention that her and other Chicanos' language isn't like other Latinos' language. It is different and deserves it's own category.
Academic English and Spanish are categorized as standard in the passage. The reason being is because it is a formal type of English or Spanish, clean and uncut with no slang. Chicano Spanish is considered nonstandard because it was made after people emigrated from Mexico to America. It is a type of slang from actual Mexican Spanish which is why it would be considered nonstandard. This confused the writer because she thought the language she spoke was very unusual and she was insecure about it, just as other Chicanos were.
Speaking and writing Academic English is a part of identity. This is not just for Hispanics but anyone who has immigrated from another country to the United States. Everyone has to learn English when they get here, because that's what "we came here for" and not knowing the main language of this country would not be proper because it is needed for education and further on in life. Therefore, it becomes a part of your identity as well as your first language.
The only types of English I know is Spanglish which is used by Latinos, English slang which is used by many, the different types of accents that English has succumbed to: like the accent that people from west New York have, the people from the Southwest, and the English with Brooklyn accent.
No, I don't use a secret language to communicate with certain people.
When I talk with my friends, I tend to speak very ghetto-ish like because I was raised in Paterson and all the English they talk there is pretty much slang. When I talk with my family, I either talk Spanish but mostly Spanglish because the Spanish seems to fade away when you grow up and your parents understands more English. When I talk to my professors I choose to believe I talk proper English unlike how I would talk to familiar people.
"I am my language," means that the language someones speaks makes a person who they are. It shows they're foreign, and it shows they're different from an American, as well as the way they were raised being from another country.
The introduction and conclusion connect because they talk about how Mexicans have been through a lot with having to keep shut then to speaking out because they are now in 'America' and not in Mexico. Also how they've progressed about this and kept quiet about it for a long time and it shows their patience.
The language I speak can definitely be a part of my identity because it shows I'm not just American, I'm Hispanic.
Identity for me is very important but unlike Anzaldua, it is not with my language, but with my gender. In the passage by Anzaldua, she mentions, "The first time I heard two women, a Puerto Rican and a Cuban, say the word 'nosotras', I was shocked. I had not known the word existed. Chicanos use 'nosotros' whether male or female. We are robbed of our female being by the masculine plural, language is a male discourse". I was shocked to have heard Mexicans didn't use the words nosotras. It was surprising to see how this sounded misogynistic. My Spanish is like the Cubans and Puerto Ricans where we use nosotras, so it did sound interesting that they didn't use the female being in a plural noun. For me idenitity revolves around my gender than my language. I haven't came across any hardship with my language use but with gender, yes. For the reason I am female I'm expected to do certain things a way a woman is "supposed to do" but men don't have to aspire to the same things we do. I don't know why we are not treated the same as them even though we are smarter and stronger than men in more ways than one. Therefore, identity is very important for me because I choose to believe in the equality of the sexes and having that believe makes me who I am.
Claudia Mendoza
English 1100 3J
Prof. Young
3 Citations
Works Cited
Anzaldua, Gloria. "How to Tame a Wild Tongue." Teaching Developmental Writing. Ed. Susan Naomi Bernstein. Fourth Ed. New York: Bedford/ St. Martin's, 2013. 245-255. Print.
Claudia Mendoza
English 1100 3J
August 25, 2015
Prof. Young
Getting to know me
For starters, my name is Claudia Mendoza, I'm Peruvian and I'm 18 years old. I do have a certain hobby that I do on my free time and that would be art. I'm a moderate artist I would say, and I wouldn't call it a passion because it's not a priority for me to pursue at all. I guess I'd be I'm big on Creative writing, I like talking about certain topics that I'd just let the words flow out instead of having an outline of what to write based on solely facts. Especially when I'm on a computer, reason being is because I'm a good and quick "typer" I would say.
My writing experience in high school wasn't much effective. The teachers taught tricks and such but not something I'd enjoy writing and expressing my point of view, because you can't use "I or me". I'd pretty much the reading in my English classes, and how we only had to write five paragraphs. They'd just teach us to cite and write an essay based on facts and data. In my experience, I had easy classes for English because my teachers didn't do much. Others had to do papers but I pretty much only got five paragraphs or seven done.
I mostly listen to Hip Hop, Pop, R&B, and Rap but I wouldn't say I'm picky with music because I like anything my ears find pleasing. It could be hard core rock and if I'm feeling the beat then I like it. My favorite artist is Beyonce! She's a queen and one of the best, I love her. I do use social media a lot. I have Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram, and I use it so frequently I don't even know how much times I'd look at it. I guess I'd say anytime I'm bored, have nothing to do, or when I get a notification, so pretty much every hour.
The most important learning experience I want to have this semester would be responsibility, leadership, and social advice. I lack responsibility, so I guess I want to better myself by doing the things I need to do on time, and not being late or absent. I am a leader but I want to enforce and gain more confidence in order to lead better and to become a good leader. Social advice I guess would be good because even though I have friends, I'm not exactly the best at making new ones or even dealing with people that are superficial. I'm a nice person but I have this unapproachable attitude towards people I don't have a good feeling about. It's not everyone, I just have this lack of patience. I can't deal with people I have nothing to talk about and I'm not a follower for me to just go where they go.
My friends though say I need to be nicer and not pull an attitude with someone I don't know, but even though that goes against my sixth sense, I need to work on it in order to pursue my business career. Therefore, I have decided to try to be a very very very very nice and friendly person to EVERYONE (good vibe or bad vibe) I meet for the first time. That's pretty much everything about me, and I would honestly rate my writing as a C if it's like high school, but if not then B.
