Identiy chart

Learning through experiences: Week 14

            My sister, Yolanda, recently arrived back to Japan after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and we had passing conversations about living in Japan and how we were raised differently than most Americans.  In one conversation we had about  Japan is a very different than American, she described the experience of first living in Japan as “you have culture shock and then you have Japan.”  Japan has different ways of doing a lot of things, for example, if a subway is filled with people and two people are standing face to face to one another they wouldn’t acknowledge one another like we would in the States.  This cultural difference is confusing to me, but it makes sense when one considers that they avoid making direct eye contact with one another, because it is considered aggressive, instead they gaze at each other, as to avoid being seen as aggressive.  Another thing that relates to eyes is how in Japan no one wears sunglasses in public, even when the sun is beaming, because it is considered to mean that they are hiding something.  This serves as another example of how an object can create different meanings, because in American sunglasses are thought of as stylish and a means to protect one from the sun.   It was interesting because Ann said that you would see a lot of Japanese people driving with sunglasses on, but when they would be in public they would take them off. 

            In another conversation we talked how in Japan recycling is taken very seriously to the point that buildings are built in a certain direction so that the sun rises behind them.  The purpose of this is because dryers use a lot of energy to dry clothes, so by everyone hanging clothes it reduces the use of energy country wide.  Japan is very focused in creating a very sustainable community and it shows by how they recycle.  A particular day of the week will be designated to recycle certain materials, one day plastic, next paper, another garbage, lastly glass.  The containers would be dropped off and within the hour they are collected.  Because residents didn’t have a container of their own to put on the corner for trash days, the person at home during the hours, usually the woman, would have to take out the trash, something that we in America give a weary eye on.  But in Japan it makes perfect sense, because of the environment that they live in.  When my sisters and their children came to visit on the April 15^th weekend, I told her that my trash is in the freezer and without a look of confusion she instantly understood the logic of it.  Because I recycle I have food scrapes and those food scrapes creates a smell if left out in the open and since they are scraps I only take out the trash once a week, so putting the trash in the freezer is essential so that  my apartment doesn’t smell of rotten eggs and other unpleasantries.  She understood my perceived strangeness because she experienced living in another environment that was strange to the current environment (America).  By experiencing something different she was able to gain a better understanding of individual differences.

            Yolanda has two children, boy (10) and girl (7), when they came back to the States, they looked at the signs and were happy that they could read them, when they were lost Yolanda said maybe I should ask for directions and the girl said, ”That’s gonna take forever,” then Yolanda reminded her that the people here speak English.  Sometimes we, in America take for granted how powerful language is, language can make you feel a part of society at large or can exclude you from participating.  Upon being able to read the signs, Yolanda’s son said, “So this is how people that aren’t from America feel.”  Simple statement, but it shows the understanding and compassion that he was able to learn by being a foreigner to a distant land.  Adult learning is the same as child learning, their experiences are the major factors on what they learn.  Learning weather formal or informal is learning nonetheless, what is learned in one can be used in all settings, weather formal or informal to educate anyone at any given time.  The outcome is the same, but the methodology used is the difference.

Filling in the Literacy Gap

Li: Week 13

This week we read Li’s (2001) article, “Literacy as situated practice,” which depicts how a child, Amy, learns literacy through learning from visitors in her parents’ restaurant, as her parents are Chinese immigrants who knew no English upon coming to Canada.  Although she learned how to count, read, and her ABC’s, she experienced what the author called “literacy shock” in which the way that she learned was different from the way she will be formally taught in school.

            This article opened my eyes to something I couldn’t put into words or into comprehension.  The article expressed the handicaps that children from poor families with little education experience or just immigrants of people that didn’t speak the language of the country they are emerging into experience when they learn the language and attend school.  I know I never thought about the specifics of how people are taught language, I just took it matter of factly that people learned the same way I learned, but not al people are in the right situation to learn.  This was an eye opening reading which helped me understand the intricacies, better understand, on second thought, the intricacies that other people have in regards to learning language.  Although the literacy gap is created how can we address this to help all people that develop literacy shock?  We can’t rely on the parents because they aren’t adequate sources to go to because they don’t know the language and we can’t put more pressure on educators because they can’t possibly know all the languages and other differences in the student faces.  A possible solution could be literacy workshops, where people that speak common nonpopular language help teach the student to move towards reading and writing in a more formal manner.  By investing in the children hopefully it will pay off in the future and benefit the parents too as they learn from the child.

Untraditional ways to reach nontraditional students: Week 12

Week 12: Untraditional ways to reach nontraditional students

            After reading some of the posts I remember reading learning may not take place when we “want” it to and how learning may occur after a class is over.  This past week I did an environmental audit and redesign of Graduate Student and Family Housing (GSFH) the place that I reside and GA at.  I interviewed four students two graduate students and two students with families to get gain insight to their experience at GSFH.  It was interesting learning how they view the environment and with their insights I designed a way to get more people involved with the community, by enhancing what already brings people together and combining it with other methods to generate more interaction.  A common place people meet each other is through washing their clothes.  While washing clothes residents see one another and over the course of seeing them consistently it increases their chances of talking to one another.  Because the laundry room was a place where people naturally met, I suggested creating crafts for their children so instead of going home while washing clothes they would be more likely to hang around and do something with their children in the common area, which would increase people interacting.  Because this is a mostly family environment by targeting the kids to get them involved will get parents involved too.  I’ve seen kids play with other kids and remember when I grew up how my parents would meet my parents, without me they were less likely to have met.  My same experience is seen here at GSFH on a consistent basis.

            Also while reading the posts today I read how Joanna and Chris are posting information in restrooms and the instructor, Barbara Mullins Nelson, state how effective it is.  It’s effective because people have to be stationary while in the bathroom and the bathroom is a staple in the environment it is in.  So not only are people in the environment, but they are engaged in the environment.  I thought about how we at GSFH could place laminated flyers with information on top of washer lids so that residents can learn about different things about sustainability and other interesting information, even how to get rid of certain stains.  Maybe this will have the same effect as flyers in the bathrooms.

Bilateral learning: Week 11

          This week the article by Klein  (2008), From Mao to Memphis, talked about how Chinese fathers engage with their children.  Chinese fathers focus on teaching their children to be successful academically and develop morals to help continue the family legacy, in a way.  The fathers felt that there was a lack of moral development in US schools so they would fill in the gap, also the learning gap when they felt their children weren’t learning enough.  Although they were involved at home they weren’t visible at school events so a disconnect between them and the parents was created.  On a trip to Washington they came in contact with American parents and had a mutual learning experience.  Through that interaction and interaction with their kids in the American educational system they began to understand their coworkers better, because they understood how they were taught and how they grew up.

            People often say the children are our future, but the children also speak volume on the present state of things.  The way the children learn is because of the present people in power influencing how they learn and what they learn.  People often complain about the violence and harmful messages on tv, but it’s not the young people that are putting the messages out their it’s the older generation that controls the media.  Although it targets the younger generation and they generate ratings and make it popular and profitable for those that control the media, other generations are watching it too.  True if people didn’t watch it is likely not to be on tv, but if it wasn’t on tv people couldn’t watch it.  While living in a society that promotes individual choice and responsibility, it is harmful to the society at large when people begin to point fingers and not being able to determine the source… Is it the chicken or the egg?  Is it the people watching the shows or the people creating the shows?  Is it purely entertainment, thus not harmful because a person can separate fiction from reality or is it seen as a real life representation of what actually happens in society?  No matter the logic an argument is made to justify why they watch certain programs like the Bad Girls Club, which to the untrained and naïve mind thinks reflects reality, but in actuality doesn’t.  When will five or six people live in a mansion or in one place for that matter, with no job, no outside contact with no friends, boyfriends, and girlfriends as a source of outlet, in an environment that they are new to.  The answer only on tv.

Mennonite: Comparing apples to tangerines: Week 10

            By having less they have a better community.  Sometimes we as Americans are so consumed with life (work, family, school, technology, etc.) that we lose sight of our what really matters by having all of these things.  Only when we lose these things do we find a sense of peace and understanding… At least that was the case for me.  I remember going through undergrad having a busy life and felt that I was fulfilling my life’s goal, which I was, but I was still missing something in life.  The article talked about the Mennonite society, in which they live off of very few luxuries like farming technology (fertilizer).  Their lives center around a higher purpose of their religion and not the ways of the world.  It seems that the US tries to control nature and the world by figuring it out and creating technologies that helps us live comfortably.  In doing so, adverse effects take place to the environment like pollution, recycling, poor diet and exercise, and a society based on one upping another person, which does what is right for one, but detrimental for another and society at large.

            It’s interesting to hear how people say how America is the greatest country, but haven’t lived abroad, how America is the greatest country, but have problems with education, how America is the greatest country, but doesn’t provide health care as a fundamental right to all people.  How America is the greatest country, but is behind the world in education and environmental concerns.  How can America be the greatest country when others are ahead of us?  How can America be the greatest country when many American’s rarely travel to another country?  Often we see the good in ourselves and the flaws of others, we make others look worse to better ourselves, but it’s not the accurate or right way to approach how we compare ourselves.  We can’t compare an innovative capitalistic society valuing the here and now to a society that lives for the afterlife my living modestly and establishing religion in every facet of their lives.  Instead of comparing, we can learn how to create a society that lives with content instead of excess and wants.  We can learn how to live off of less and find peace in life, rather than the insatiable appetite for more and more.

Costa Rica (S'12): Week 9

Before spring break I met with a person in the study abroad office about my interest is becoming fluent in Spanish.  I had done a little research to see how much it would cost and looking at some of the course descriptions prior to the meeting, but because I am in grad school I had a lot of questions how I would go about applying.  Although I am pretty much dedicated to going I felt that I would be losing ties that I have with family and friends, but I would be gaining another language to communicate in along with a wealth of an experience to remember with new friends and a new sense of culture.  After my visit, to the study abroad office, I received the clarity I needed to go forth with to solidify my decision.   Now all I have to do is go through the process of applying as a grad student and defending why I feel that it is important/relevant to study abroad to get funding.  I plan on going to Costa Rica in spring 2011.

            This week we read, ”Learning language for work and life: The linguistic socialization of immigrant Canadians seeking careers in healthcare,” and it was a good read because I was able to get a heads up on how I would feel as an immigrant (per se) to Costa Rica having to learn Spanish to be able to be successful.  The article surprised me because once the immigrant settlement agency (ISA) group worked in the hospital they learned that their acquisition of English wasn’t needed in the urban hospital and they needed to learn different ways to communicate via nonverbal communication and pick up the language they were unfamiliar with through their peers and residents.

            This realization made e realize although I will be taught Spanish I have to learn how to communicate nonverbally to be more successful.  Often times I think of verbal language as the only way of communicating so when I overlooked it, it shocked me at how important nonverbal communication is to get a message across.  Although I may not be able to quickly acquire the Spanish language I feel that I will be able to get around in so facet, which put me to ease.

            Another interesting aspect of the study that I found was that the cultural difference between the cohort and the status that they wanted to achieve caused conflict between their cultures.  Many of the women in the study, whom were married, reported that their husbands did not want them to pursue an education because it was not the norm of their culture, but then the women wanted to have better pay in a field they are familiar with, so education was the way towards it.  The status they were moving towards valued independence and education, while it appeared their culture valued women to be focused on the family, which decreased the likelihood off women pursuing education.  Although I am not a woman, they faced challenges that they did not expect, which made me think about what challenges am I going to be faced with that I can’t phantom until I set foot in Costa Rica?

After reading the article, I was excited in the challenge of having to learn Spanish in a Spanish speaking country with few opportunities to speak English in the community.  Although I may not have a heads up on the challenges coming my way I am excited to take them on.  Hopefully by August I will have everything in order and ready to come January.

Afritics: week 7

This week we read DeLany and Roger’s (2004) article, “Black women's leadership and learning:  From politics to afritics in the context of community.”  Although I never heard of the term afritics I readily identified with the term as I felt that it was an accurate description of how not just black women, but the black community in large.  One concept in particular that stood out to me was “that the leadership level and educational advancement they earned were not end goals… but a means to fulfilling their advocacy responsibilities” (103).  I’ve heard many of black peers wanting to get into their respective fields as a route to give back to the community, whether it was related to their field or not.  The article made the connection of how the family upbringing fosters black women to give back to the community.  My family taught me to give back by giving me money to tithe in church and advising that I should share.   A common thing my family taught me was if I was cooking for myself was to ask if anyone wanted something to eat.  So from the time I started cooking I cooked for my brother who is five years older than me because he rarely cooked.  Although it annoyed me from time to time, I understood the importance of looking out for others, because someone would look out for me.  Through the years I learned that in some way or form what I do has long lasting effects on others and myself.  Although I may not be able to trace how I became how I am, everything that I do has an effect on me in ways that I’m not aware of.

Being contempt

Week 6

This week I commented on how I got to know God better after graduating from school, but I didn’t say how I had certain things taken away.  School, friends, the city of Memphis, and other communities/responsibilities I had while attending school.  It wasn’t until when I had little to do that I could focus on pursuing the word.  My last year of undergrad (S’ 09) I felt in my heart that I should be reading the word for myself, but I would always think my way out of it saying that I have more pressing things to do.  When I graduated I focused on working full time to pay for grad school over the summer and fall, but in the spring I didn’t have a full time job and since I already took the GRE “I had time” to do what I wanted to do, which is read the word.  But I was still writing essays to apply for the U of M until February so it wasn’t until after that that I started getting into the word.  When I began reading I wondered why I didn’t do this earlier, but I was glad to have gotten started.  I didn’t know where to start nor did I care, I figured I would get to a passage and it would make sense to my life in some way.  So I just read and reflected and realized that the reason I didn’t read earlier was because I didn’t think I needed to because my life wasn’t in turmoil as I would compare myself to others thinking that well my life isn’t as bad as such and such.  

By comparing what I was doing to others when I should have just worried about what I do and how I could influence others, either the wrong way or in a better way.  Matthews 7:3-5 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in you own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, “Let me remove the speck from your eye”; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  6 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.  After I read that passage I realized that I’m blinding myself by comparing my life to others when really I should be living my own life because living in faith isn’t about beating or being better than others, it’s about being the best you you can be and you can’t be you if you’re comparing your life to someone else’s.  Matthews 7:13-14 Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.  I was leading myself down the broad gate of destruction by comparing myself to others I was around and not those in the word.  Although I do then what I do now, I didn’t have the mindset that I have now.  I didn’t see how the challenges I faced in route to the narrow gate strengthened me and acted as a footstool with the clarity I developed.  I didn’t realize how by having limits set by the commandments made my life easier rather than more difficult, because it was something I couldn’t do.  However by being more critical of my thinking my life has been made easier when things are taken away, living within guidelines and limits rather than wants and desires, led to peace of heart and mind once I started reading and taking in the word.  It’s funny because at the time that I only had a part time job and didn’t go to school I felt like I wasn’t going anywhere in my life, but now I see that being in motion isn’t always the best.  One can be blindly walking the wrong way thinking they are going the right way because they follow the crowd believing that they know what’s right.  Blindly trusting those around them to do the right thing, when what they really need to do is take a step back and think for a second, avoid moving, and then act on what they know is right.  Because Luke 11:28 blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it and Proverbs 14:12 there is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way of death.  So I follow my heart and not the patterns of this world so life I live is the life of the few.

Living the present learning the past

After reading Packer & Ballantyne "Zoos and Aquariums," I not only realized the importance zoos and aquariums have in educating the community in being environmentally conscious, but also how museums are perceived as more educational than the zoos and aquariums, which are perceived as a source of entertainment.  But it made sense after I thought about it because zoos and aquariums are living beings that we would rarely have the privilege to see up close, swimming, and climbing (notice the active verb tense).  Museums are artifacts of the past with meaning, a form of symbolic representation, embodied in the figure of the person that created it, inspired from the time she or he lived in.  Artifacts reflect human culture, a history of man, while animals represent life and the present moment.

Comparing class to BBOs

The Ellis & Scott article, “Community education as a citizen organising for democratic accountability,” was very insightful and gave the makeup of the vehicle for change that is needed in a democratic society.  Being the first to lead a discussion this semester I felt unsure about how to facilitate discussion, but the discussion and threads took on a life of their own once classmates started blogging.  Although I was the facilitator the class took the reading and the questions I presented and made sense of it through their posts.  As I reflect on the article and this class I begin to see similarities that this online class has to broad based organizations (BBO).

This class can be looked at as a BBOs described in the article because the syllabi is the source of the information and there is a person that organizes the course so that the course objectives can be addressed so that people learn adequate information needed for the future.  The discussions allow students to voice their opinions at a time table suitable to their availability and discussions can be asynchronously replied to with seamless break in dialogue.  The class posts information to continue dialogue and shows understanding and different perspectives on a topic, not only increasing the writer’s knowledge base but also that of the class.  This is in essence what a BBO is, a group of people exchanging information and addressing their concerns through perspective, in hopes of bettering the community as a whole, not just self-fulfilling desires.  By coming together in a centralized manner topics and discussions can be had in a routine manner so that when an issue presents itself it can be quickly addressed.  When the organization addresses the issue they can be proactive in addressing minor current concerns and be proactive in addressing future possibilities, thus moving from the current day to day struggles.  In relation to the online class students can be proactive by reading ahead so that they aren’t stressed from having to read for the week.

C&C Erin Brockovich and Soul of a Citizen


Compare

“Stepping out on nothing, hoping to land on something.”  The book and film touched on many situations in which people took a leap of faith with no guarantee that everything would be okay.  In the film Ed talked about the pressure he faced pursuing the case stating that it was going to take $100,000 a month to finance and he would have to take out a second mortgage for his house to help cover the costs.  Ed didn’t have money to invest but depending on what road they took, PB&E could prolong the dispute so that Ed’s business could no longer afford to pursue the claims, because PB&E are a 28 billion dollar company.  Ed took a leap of faith by trusting Erin to find documentation that PB&E corporate knew about the chromium six plums that the factory was producing so that they could pressure the company.  Trusting that Erin would find that proof Ed took a financial risk that could have burdened him with the losses.  Without him taking that risk and Erin following her convictions, thus inspiring Ed to trust her, the case would not have the far reaching affects it had. 

Contrast

In Soul of a Citizen they can’t go into detail about the intricacies that the people who help change their community go through.  In the movie, Erin Brockovich, faced many uncovered problems when trying to do the right thing and bring justice to the people of Hinkley, CA that Soul of a Citizen couldn’t go in depth about. Some of her struggles were caring for her children, making ends meet, being respected, having to educate herself to find the resources/documents to further the case, balancing a relationship,  and most evident not being there for her youngest daughter’s, Beth’s, first words.  Although the fight for justice was tough she was very passionate about justice being served like those stories in the book, but the movie showed a descriptive summary of justice, not just the conclusion, which shows that changing the community/society in which one lives in or is a part of is hard work, but well worth it at the end.  It’s not worth it because of the monetary gains, but because it gave life to the community that was unaware of the wrongs being done to it, Erin became respected by people that looked down on her, her children may not understand now, but what she did will help them down the road because she made herself a better person because she was given an opportunity by Ed who knew she wasn’t qualified but knew she had a lot of heart.  As a result, everyone learned from one another and environmental concerns are taken more seriously as a result, altering the path of the world and future generations.

Identity chart