Blind Side

This is a movie that I really enjoyed the first time I watched it. I liked that it gave an example of a young Black boy from the projects that made it out. I thought it was a good inspirational film that would show our youth that the possibilities are endless. However, after looking at it through a more critical lens, I have noticed some unsettling messages. The overall message I now get from this film is that, given the charity and assistance of generous Christian families, people can escape poverty and conform to norms. This insinuates Black people, in particular, are incapable of succeeding without the excessive assistant of others. Oppression of minorities is an issue in our society, but the solution offered in this movie to end oppression is not realistic. Many teachers struggle with this issue. Teachers usually enjoy helping others, and find it difficult to bear when they are aware of a detrimental situation in a child’s life that there is nothing they can do to improve. As a teacher that plans to teach students from low income neighborhoods like Michael’s, I expect to be faced with this but I am not sure how I will deal with it. Ideally, I plan to insist that my students use their unfortunate situations as motivation to set goals and pursue them. But I know this is a lot easier said than done.

I enjoyed the parts in the film where Mrs. Tuohy realizes the privileges she and her family have. Among these privileges are access to literature and a bed to sleep in. There are some things that we assume all people have, but teachers must be aware of privileges we have and how they compare to those of our students.

 It is vital to get to know our students, and this film expresses this well. The teachers realize that Michael performs better with oral assessments than traditional tests. After making adaptations Michael is more successful and the teachers have a better understanding of what he has learned. By the end of the film Michael is no longer illiterate. Effective teachers use a variety of forms of assessment and make modifications and adaptations to increase student learning. It is also important to include the use of multiple intelligences in the classroom.

There were instances of racism in this movie. For example, after Michael and S.J. were involved in a car accident the paramedics did not administer first aid to Michael’s injury. Teachers must be conscious of the move they make in the classroom to ensure all students are given the opportunity to succeed. This includes the questions raised and who they are directed to. Body language is also something teachers need to be aware of.  There were also racial slurs throughout the movie. In a position of authority, teachers cannot allow students to use racial slurs. Ignoring them is just as bad as saying them. It is best to establish that students must be respectful of others at the beginning of the semester.

When people from low income neighborhoods become successful and make it out, it is difficult to go back. Some people fear rejection or judgment, similar to how Michael was treated when he went back to Hurt Village. From my experience, there will always be people that will be jealous of your accomplishments, but there are far more people that will be there to congratulate you. This movie instills fear in people from disadvantaged neighborhoods that there is this dichotomy: succeed and be rejected or remain in poverty and be accepted. Rather than focusing on the negative attitudes Michael’s former neighbors have toward him, the movie could have included some positive encouragement from them.

Dangerous Minds

Students are bused in from various neighborhoods to attend school at Parkmount High School. PHS is located in a decent neighborhood, surrounded by nice homes. Some of the students that are bused in come from poorer neighborhoods. This emphasizes the power that White people have over the minority groups.

An unqualified teacher, Mrs. Johnson, is assigned to teach an academy class. This implies that these students do not deserve a quality education, a common vehicle for the oppression of minorities. All of the students in this academy class are either African American or Hispanic.

Mrs. Johnson has internalized dominance as she invites students that win her poetry contest to accompany her to a nice restaurant. Two of the three students invited were unable to come because they had to work. The one student that was able to go felt the need to take out a loan he could not afford so that he could wear something appropriate to the restaurant.  Mrs. Johnson has the privilege to go to restaurants without having to buy special clothes. She is also more respected. This is evident in how the server addresses all of his questions to her as if she were the only person sitting at the table.

There are several stereotypes that I observed in this film. One is that Black parents do not value education. Based on my experience, this is not true. The Black parents I have met have encouraged their students to stay in school. School provides these students with a place to go so they are not getting into trouble and a high school diploma provides them with opportunities to get a better job. Teachers must work with parents, so it is crucial for both parties to understand they have a common goal, which is the success of the student. This is why I plan to communicate with parents on a regular basis, reporting when students are doing well and when they are not doing well.

The assistant principle has complicity as she recommends pregnant young women drop out of school to attend a parenting program. I understand her concern that students may romanticize pregnancy, and in turn, more girls will try to get pregnant. However, there are better ways to address teenage pregnancy than kicking out the pregnant girls. I learned a lot about practicing safe sex in high school. In my opinion, it is best for students to be educated on the other risks that accompany premarital sex, such as STDs and helps students better understand their anatomy. Many students do not receive this education in the home. It is not the responsibility of a Math teacher, like me, to teach sex education, but I would definitely advocate for a program to be implemented in my school.

Guess Who

The Jones family is a middle class African American family. Mr. and Mrs. Jones both work in white collar jobs and have tried to raise their children to be color blind. This may be important to them as they probably did not want to limit their children to fit into the stereotypes in society for black females. As black people have been systematically oppressed, the Jones' wanted their daughters to realize they had the same opportunities as White females. However, Mr. Jones never considered the other side of the coin. Color blindness is no longer appropriate when considering a mate. Biracial couples are not the norm and stir up a bit of controversy in the Jones home. Mr. Jones is so disturbed by the fact that his daughter is dating a White man that he lies to his coworker, telling him that his daughter is dating a Black man named Jamal. According to Mr. Jones, Jamal went to Howard University, which is a Historically Black University, he played basketball, knows the Cosby’s and his parents live in Atlanta. This is probably the type of man Mr. Jones envisioned his daughter to be with, which exposes his cultural capital. Mr. Jones is prejudiced against White men because he fears that his culture may not be passed down to his grandchildren if they are raised by a White man.

There were many stereotypes revealed throughout the movie. For example, there was a joke in the movie that offended the Jones family: Name three things a black man can never get, a black eye, a fat lip and a job. The stereotype that the majority of black men are unemployed came up a number of times. More stereotypes arise as the movie discretely defines masculinity. In this movie, a real man plays sports. A white man plays hockey, golf, or follows Nascar. A man is supposed to be the head of the household. On two separate occasions, a man states, "This is my house," even though both men were married and their wives lived in the same house as them. The movie sends the message that a women depend on men to provide for them. This is why it is so important for a man to have a good job.

No one wants their culture to be lost. White people have historically been guilty of attempting to alter cultures and influence other groups of conforming to their norms, so Mr. Jones has a legitimate concern. As a person with a White mother and a Black father, it is difficult for me to see the harm in biracial relationships. Because of my racial background, I have been taught to ignore stereotypes and appreciate people’s differences. In my opinion, biracial couples are a beautiful thing.

Furthermore, it is not a secret that there is a shortage of responsible, employed, law abiding Black males in the United States. There is a destructive cycle that Black men often fall victim to. It starts with being brought up in a fatherless home, which leads to the lack of guidance into manhood. These guys grow up with no intentions of being a family man. They have illegitimate children and for various reasons often end up in jail, leaving their children to grow up in fatherless homes. There is a great need for more positive Black male role models in predominately Black communities. As a teacher, I can attempt to provide my students with positive role models by inviting professional Black males to speak to my class. Since I am not a Black male, it will be difficult for me to make a difference, but I will try to assist in breaking the cycle.

The Profession of Teaching

There are many misconceptions about teachers by the general public. I know this because I use to believe them. Some of these misconceptions are that teaching is easy, and teachers are guaranteed summer vacations and holidays off. Due to these misconceptions, teaching is one of the least respected professions. The general public is comfortable limiting funding in education while blaming the education system for issues in society. The media has fostered the distrust in our educators, and I hate to sound crazy, but I am starting to think it is a conspiracy. The media has its political biases and they probably receive dividends from politicians for portraying the schools to be the cause of the societal issues. I have not conducted any research to support this notion; it is just something that crossed my mind.

It is pertinent for teachers to continually strive to increase the general public’s investment in education. Even if teacher salaries were not affected by these increases, students would benefit by having necessary materials available to them in the classroom. On top of the limited salary teachers earn, they must dip into their funds to furnish their classrooms with paper, pencils, dry erase markers, and various other essentials. Just by supplying classroom with more tangible resources, learning would increase. Also, if the school can hire more teachers and have smaller teacher-students ratios students will be able to learn better. This is common sense.

As a future educator, I must take into consideration the working conditions that teachers face. From the perspective a student, I was unaware of the legislation that limits teacher autonomy and the decrease in job security that accompanies it. I hope that I will be able to teach effectively and, without robbing my students by focusing too much on the standardized tests, receive passing test scores. It is very scary and the situation does not seem to be improving. However, I feel confident that I will be successful.

I agree that teachers are underpaid and discredited. It is a well known fact that on average, teachers do not make very much money. I plan to teach because I feel a divine calling to do so, which many teachers do. In efforts to gain credibility as a professional, I plan to go the extra mile to communicate with my students' parents and ensure them that their children are receiving quality education in my classroom. I have faith that things will improve in America's schools.

Local Control, Choice, Charter Schools, and Home Schooling

As Spring states, Charter schools are not required to follow significant state or local rules, which allows teachers more freedom in the classroom. Because of this, I have an interest in working at a charter school rather than at a public school. I have always wanted to teach at an urban school, but I believe I could serve a similar population at a charter school. NCLB has not been successful, and while teachers should be held accountable for students’ learning, teachers should also have liberty to make executive decisions in what and how they teach. If we could find a happy medium, students that weren’t chosen in a lottery to attend a charter school would still have the opportunity to receive a quality education. Even if the students’ achievement on standardized tests is not improved at charter schools, the fact that teachers are not restricted as they are in public schools may improve the teachers’ attitude toward being in the classroom, and improve the learning experiences of the students. Also, the academic achievement of students cannot be accurately measured by standardized test scores alone. The issue of students lacking access to quality education due to recent legislation has motivated me to want to learn more about how I could make a positive difference. 

As I attended school at an urban public school, and have taken teacher preparation courses at UT, I have realized that I was a victim of NCLB. I can remember countless days of TCAP pre-test taking. There was always an unreasonable emphasis on the importance of standardized tests. I enjoyed going to school to see my friends, but I now know that had my teachers provided me with more engaging learning experiences, I would have taken more from my primary and secondary education. I look forward to the challenge of making content relevant to the lives of my students and providing them with better learning experiences than I had. I hope that I will be creative enough to prevent NCLB or Race to the Top from hindering my pedagogy.