Wednesday, September 24, 2014

The Silenced Dialogue-Delpit



The Silenced Dialogue” Delpit
Quote 1:
Benjamin e. Mays, president of the prestigious, historically black Morehouse College for over twenty-seven years, proclaimed that the purpose of a college education is not only “to train the mind to think, but the heart to feel . . . the injustice of man-kind; and to strengthen the will to act in the interest of the common good.” This quote explains how education is not just being book smart but more so learning the importance of freedom, equality, humility, love, etc. If we want the society and the world to be a better place we need to concentrate on the education that is not just book smart. We need to educate children on positive, beneficial ways of living. We definitely need to get rid of any gaps between people with differences.
Quote 2:
“I myself have come to a viable synthesis of perspectives. But both sides do need to be able to listen, and I contend that it is those with the most power, those with the majority, who must take the greater responsibility for initiating the process.” This quote explains how the people with the most power need to use it responsibility. The people that have the majority say need to be conscious of all the perspectives. Every person has an important role in changing ways but especially the people who hold the majority decision. They must make sure they are looking out for a greater good and not just being selfish.
Quote 3:
“I prefer to be honest with my students. I tell them that their language and cultural system is unique and wonderful but that there is a political power game that is also being played, and that if they want to be in on that game there are certain games that they too must play.” This quote explains how race, culture, gender, etc. are all qualities that people have to compensate for. Progress still needs to be made to have equality within all these qualities that people have. People realize they must play games to get where they need to go because society will not accept them fairly. This is unfortunate and not fair to people. Although progress has been made through the years, there is still a lot of issues that need to be faced.   
Comment-I would like to mention how the first quote stuck out the most to me because it shows that teachers play a strong role in education and they can make a positive impact and difference with hard work, passion, and dedication.
Image: http://www.jnyintheclassroom.com/images/ui/nen-america-needs-good-teachers.jpg
This hyperlink is a random video I happened to watch and I found it a funny coincidence because all the students seemed to say how a good teacher has all the qualities that this reading discussed.  A teacher should be someone who connects with the students, relatable, fair, respects opinions, has a personality with the class, and approachable, just to name a few.

White Privilege-McIntosh (Attached Files)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlsS8J4HH78

^the link to go with McIntosh


^the image to go with McIntosh

White Privilege-McIntosh

White Privilege - McIntosh
This author argues that privilege can be just as harmful as racism. You barely ever here "oh i am privileged" it is always "There is racism." People do not realize not only is there racism in the world but there is also an unearned sense of privilege for many. Just like being black and having racism is how it is to be white and have privilege. Both are unearned, not fair, and wrong. People tend to not realize how it all works, especially the privilege aspect. Not only is privilege is race but also in sex. Men seem to be more privileged over women. Men have the upper hand in most situations. Race and gender are just two areas in society that have privilege issues. Most of these privilege issues are engraved into society and the culture of everyday life that people are oblivious to it. Or people that do see it want to get rid of racism and sexism but still do not seem to admit to being privileged or wanting to change their privileges. Privileges can be so camouflaged that they are easy to forgot or not realize. Many times people are not taught to see there privileges, and I can totally see what McIntosh means by this. Before reading this article I would have never looked at society is this way. As a white individual I take everything for granted, not realizing the other perspective of things. This brings up a new problem of who is actually going to want to get rid of their privileges after all. A lot of people would have to change their ways of thinking and active for that to occur. With all this being said the first and most important step to start progressing into a positive direction is to stop denying the problem.
Question: Does anyone else agree with me that they have never thought this way about white privilege before and it has really altered there way of thinking?

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

My Bio...

My name is Betsy Heidel. I am a sophomore at RIC, majoring in Physical and Health Education. This class seems like it is going to be interesting, informative, and fun. My faith and family are my life. I love to spend time with my family and friends, surf, go to the beach, play sports, participate in physcial activity, go on adventures, and enjoy music. I want to help others through teaching wellness and this class will help me do so. Let the games begin!