My View on Racism & Discrimination
After the cross over game, I was surprised that I did not feel as emotional as I thought I would. All that I felt was lucky. And I wondered if people automatically think that I am priveledged because I am caucasian. Should someone as lucky as me feel ashamed because I was provided with many opportunities? I am proud of my family for working so hard, so that I could go to school and not bear the burden of student loans. In turn, I will work even harder so that I can do the same. I feel bad for those who have had less opportunity, but I am glad to see anyone of any background become self-made. I believe that, although its unfortunate, most people are discriminatory of others, even if they try not to be. True multiculturalisim is hard to define, but I think it can be found in most classrooms all over the country. But it will only be practiced if we as teachers make sure that we treat everyone as equals. ( Lisa Rankin, EDI 600 Psychological Foundation of Education, Sep 24, 2008)
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The cross over game brought to the surface differences and similarities in backgrounds and experience. As one "crossed over" one became the focus of the pending issue or state, but in the end, everyone returned to the group, equal members once again, part of a class of people with a similar purpose in mind. I also think it is important to remind ourselves, that our lives can change at any moment. At any moment we can be affected by illness, tragedy, disability, loss, great fortune or promotion. This is the law of the jungle, life is variable, circumstances change, people change, the world changes. We have to be able to adapt. (Linda Gottlieb , EDI 600 Psychological Foundation of Education, Sep 24, 2008)
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In today's class I felt a little sad, when we played the cross over game. You don't really understand how lucky you are until you see the other people who are less privileged. I felt bad for the students who had to cross over a lot more than some other students. It also made me feel a little envy to those students who had a higher SES and their parents were helping them pay for school.I would define my own race as white. I come from a family with mixed nationalities. I sometimes feel ashamed of my race because I feel I get things handed to me easier because of my race. I don't really have to worry about someone following me in the store because of the way I look. In a perfect world people with differences can work together to make a friendly environment, you shouldn't judge someone because of the way they look and you really should put yourself in their shoes before you say anything. I don't think the concept of "race" will ever disappear because it's constantly being put in our faces, whenever we have to fill out a form we have to check the box. ( Melanie Galvin , EDI 600 Psychological Foundation of Education, Sep 24, 2008)
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I really enjoyed yesterday's class. Discrimination is such an important topic to discuss in school because we are such a diverse society. In my school, the demographics are wide-spread. Last year, there was a problem with discrimination between the Jamaican and Haitian students. Although both ethnicities are considered to be African American, students of these ethnicities thought they were superior to the other. To resolve this conflict the teachers worked on several different projects including reading the students the book, Pink and Say. This book was about two boys during the Civil War. One boy was black while the other was white. Although they were of different races the boys helped each other during this hard time. The book showed the children in our school to resolve their differences, because we are all the same.
I really enjoyed the video clip we watched. It was interesting to see that the students that were told they were inferior did poorly in their lesson. They were treated harshly by their classmates on that day; however, the day before they were all friends.
I have been a victim of discrimination in many ways. I am a Hispanic female with a Jewish last name, who grew up in a town that others label as 'White Trash.' The comments people have made have never really offended me. I am proud of who I am and have never felt that anything anyone would say would matter. My background may be diverse but it made me who I am.
I do feel that students with disabilities should be included in regular classrooms. By doing this, I feel that it decreases discrimination in children. From a young age, children learn that people may appear different but that they do share many similarities. (Christine Goldstein, EDI 600 Psychological Foundation of Education, Sep 24, 2008)
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I honestly loved last night’s class, visuals and partaking in an activity for me is always the best way to learn. During the cross over activity I had become aware of how lucky I really am, of how many things in my life I am able to avoid. Never have I ever dealt with harassment, rape, financial burdens and even though I knew how blessed I was it was an eye opener to see how I live compared to my fellow peers. Because of this activity I’ve come to realize my sex, race or religion really don’t have any negative impact on my life, never once have I questioned if I was good enough.
The next half of class when we were able to watch the video of a class divided I was impressed by the teacher and shocked at how quickly all the children assumed their roles as either the privileged or non-privileged. It was so interesting to watch how when told my others who’s better and who’s not people can easily change their minds. These students were all friends with one another but were to quickly change their opinions of their friends just because someone told them they weren’t good enough.
Overall today’s class was a great one, Professor Boyanton once again topped herself again and I am excited to see what’s in store for next week. (Kelly Burns , EDI 600 Psychological Foundation of Education, Sep 24, 2008)
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Yesterdays class was a big eye opener for me. I thought the cross over game was a phenomenal way to see the way people identify with culture. What hit home the most was that I realized how priveledged I truely have been my entire life. Growing up in a white, suburban, Jewish community, I have lived (what I realize more so now than ever) a very sheltered life. I have never felt at risk of crime or that i was in fear of being discriminated aginst becuase I was a minority. Growing up where I did I have never felt that I am a minority; when in relation to the rest of America, I am in fact a minority. I do recall my parents trying, and they still make sure, to reinforce the idea to me that had I not grown up on long island things would be much different. (Lauren Malter , EDI 600 Psychological Foundation of Education, Sep 24, 2008)
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Today’s class is motivating for me. It can make us feel happy and relaxed.... In this relaxing environment, I can easily obtain knowledge and know my classmates. It is a good and creative way to teach. Even one of my classmates said to me, she had thought of dropping this class, because she has to work. But the more she takes the class, the more she likes it. So she decided to continue with this class. From this, I can know how interesting the classes are! In this class, I can say anything that I want to say, I can communicate with my classmates, what is more, if I have questions, I can ask the professor. The students will pay attention to what I said. They respect my opinion and thoughts. Maybe this is true multiculturalism, you are not discriminated by others, also they will respect your difference. (Rong Zhang, EDI 600 Psychological Foundation of Education, Sep 24, 2008)
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