aesthetics in the class - reflection on "what to look for in a classroom" by alfie kohn (02.28.24)

 Blog Post #6

Reflection on “What to Look For In a Classroom” by Alfie Kohn

As an artist who specifically adores working with interior spaces in her compositions, I often find myself asking how the spaces we occupy reflect our identities. Consider the posters on your wall, the organization of your pencil case, the amount of crumbs hidden in the crevices of your laptop, and wonder how these minute details reflect who you are. I am of the personal belief that a space well loved is a cluttered collage of the people, music, art, literature and more that make us. As a society we design every aspect of our lives and the classroom is no exception. Alfie Kohn’s text, entitled “What to Look For In a Classroom” is a perfect example of how something as simple as the seating arrangement or the classwork used to decorate a space can make or break a classroom environment. Before the teacher even says a word, before the students file in, the tone of the classroom is already set by the objects and arrangement found within. It is crucial and integral that we design the space for our students, and invite them into a space that reflects the reality of the classroom. 

Take the arrangement of seating for a great example of this. Kohn warns against the practicality of desks in rows. The impression that twelve desks in symmetrical rows gives is one of impersonalness, cold and calculated and extremely academic. Students who walk into a class where the desks are in rows feel their stomachs drop with dread as they imagine the isolation, the lack of creativity and the hair pulling amount of work that is associated with this time of classroom setup. On the contrary, a student who walks into a class where the seating is arranged in groups will feel invited and warm, understanding the implied collaboration and excitement that comes with peer work. From a single glance, a student’s perception of the class, before it has even begun, is radically different. That is why it is so crucial for us as educators to create a space that is well loved for our students. No matter the age, students can tell when a teacher is fully engaged with their job, as it is so often reflected in the setup of the classroom. All of my favorite classes in highschool were deeply loved spaces, rooms with delicate lighting, an abundance of student’s work and a smiling face at the door each morning. 

With this post I’ve included a hyperlink to a video on aesthetics, which is the artistic principle of why a design looks the way that it does! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF8kz-mTIp4 

To Share in Class: As a society we design every aspect of our lives and the classroom is no exception. Alfie Kohn’s text, entitled “What to Look For In a Classroom” is a perfect example of how something as simple as the seating arrangement or the classwork used to decorate a space can make or break a classroom environment. What does a “well-loved” space look like to you? What did your favorite classes in school look like? Why is it crucial as educators to create a welcoming and warm environment for our students?

diary of a chatterbox - reflection on "troublemakers" by shalaby (02.21.24) (sorry this is late!!!!)

It may not come as a surprise that I’ve always been rather chatty. The need to make pleasant conversation between classes and shout cheerful greetings across the dining center is as integral to my DNA as the color of my eyes and the lilt of my voice. I can hardly restrain myself from making quiet comments in class and my internal dialogue talks my own ears off daily. It may not come as a surprise that my teachers have never been fond of this habit. Always asked to quiet down and avoid unnecessary commentary, a cornerstone of my learning journey has been understanding that talking…a lot admittedly, can be a strength. 

Shalaby’s text “Troublemakers” is a fascinating reflection of what we teach our children. We lecture to deaf ears about the importance of standing out and making a difference yet we enforce the rules and ensure that our children become followers rather than leaders. One of my art professors once taught me that you must first learn the rules to then break them. Shalaby, I believe, is dealing with a similar dilemma in her text. How can we expect our students to make waves if they exist within the school system in fear and misery? Shalaby offers the explanation that our troublemaking students, those who go against the grain, are teachers in their own right. They are trailblazers. They are the future of change.

Shalaby uses the metaphor of the canary in the cage to discuss students who act out. Shalaby states that like the canary, who died detecting CO2 emissions to protect miners, our stereotypically troublesome students are a reflection of our greater faults in the education system. For me personally, this claim resonates deeply. As mentioned, I tend to be a bit talkative. For most of elementary school, I was labeled a problem because of this. My teachers were constantly exacerbated by my inability to focus or keep quiet. I was written off as a “Chatty Kathy” and left to my own devices. I was never offered extra help or pulled aside to see where this constant distraction was coming from. I was finally diagnosed with ADHD in the middle of my fifth-grade year. With this information, an entire world of privilege opened up.  Suddenly, I was bright and talented, with praised of my writing and my ability to speak publicly. Suddenly, my education was just as important as the other, neurotypical students.

Why do I tell you this story? Well, in the context of Shalaby and the other texts we’ve explored in class thus far, I think it’s crucial to note that troublemaking students are, more often than not, a reflection of the school’s faults. For me personally, I was a reflection on the poor quality of support for students with learning disabilities. Maybe because I was a young girl rather than a young boy, or maybe because my school did not provide educators with the proper training to detect and support my ADHD, I suffered as a result of my school’s system. Like Shalaby claims in her preface, I was a canary, alerting of poor support systems and a lack of understanding about my learning disability. I was fortunate enough to have an incredible fifth-grade teacher, who understood immediately that I needed extra support. I think what Shalaby is trying to claim in her text, is that as future educators, we should strive to develop our skills in detection and analysis. We should work to understand that students who speak out and “cause problems” are incredibly valuable and offer a perspective that other students may not. We should work to encourage the daydreamers, the chatterboxes, and the fidgeters. We should work to encourage. 

Within this post, I’ve attached a hyperlink to a video essay on undiagnosed ADHD in women! I find the topic absolutely fascinating, and I love a good video essay, so I hope you all can enjoy it as well!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO6mEVu9yFo 

To Share: Shalaby uses the metaphor of the canary in the cage to discuss students who act out. Shalaby states that like the canary, who died detecting CO2 emissions to protect miners, our stereotypically troublesome students are a reflection of our greater faults in the education system. What is a canary in a coal mine? How do we discuss “problematic students?” How can you personally connect to this text? 

why i hate capitalism - reflection on "the academic and social value of ethnic studies” by christine sleeter (02.11.24)

 Blog Post 4 - 02.11.24

Reflection on “The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies” by Christine Sleeter

Capitalism kind of sucks. In Western culture, capitalism dominates every aspect of our existence. Everything is bought and sold, the TV shows you watch are littered with advertisements, the streets are lined with billboards telling you to buy, and the schools you attend prepare you to join the working class. Often, especially in spaces with leftist political views, we hear a lot of dialogue around systems. Systematic oppression, broken systems, the capitalist system - the list goes on. If you’re anything like me and politics are a recent yet fixating new discovery, the first thing you realize about the current political landscape is it all comes down to systems. Also, nothing is user-friendly - the discussions around these systems are polluted with lengthy vocabulary and feigned academia. This frequently leads to repeating the same phrases with no understanding of what these “systems” are and therefore no understanding of how to dismantle them. In this short essay, I attempt to break down the intertwined relationship between our capitalist society and our school systems. 

What is a system, in the political sense? Definition-wise, a system is the way a government is organized and the process that governmental officials must go through to make a decision. Essentially, the system is how lawmakers decide which laws are in favor of their political ideology and therefore which laws get passed. This can change depending on a few variables, including but not limited to who holds the presidential office, which party is in control of the House or Senate, and what the political climate of the country looks like at a given time. Systems are politically designed processes that govern how you and I live our lives. Take the phrase, “the capitalist system” for example. This phrase refers to the social organization of work and education that filters the general public from school to the working class. In ClassDismissedMovie’s video on the history of American schools, he explains how this system was put in place. 

The education system is flawed and designed to be flawed. Horace Mann himself described the education system as the “great equalizer.” It is intended for students to learn that work is long, arbitrary, and boring but required. It is intended to dissuade students from asking questions. It is intended to encourage students to be controlled, to be quiet when not spoken to, and to learn that they are always wrong next to their superiors. It breeds perfect workers for a capitalist society. 

There is a key importance in recognizing that you are part of a system. The only way to break free from oppression and make real change is to understand that you are not a person, you are a cog in a greater machine. Everything around you is created to keep you subordinate. So, what can you do? How do we dismantle and rebuild these systems? I believe the answer is education. 

Education is the root. From the moment you are old enough to communicate with others, you are thrown into the school system and become part of this system. As future educators, however, we have the opportunity to dismantle these systems from the inside out. As we enter our careers, I urge you to ask questions, to break the rules, and to educate others on the system they are a part of. The more we learn, the harder we are to control. 

Within this post, I’ve included a link to an incredible video essay on capitalism and Christian culture, which is a great watch if you are looking to learn more about how these “systems” are upheld. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbZo4x0NbbI&t=2760s

To Share: What is a capitalist system? How can we dismantle systems? What is the importance of education when discussing capitalism and the intersectionality of oppression and education? How does the current school system teach obedience?

racism, incels and bone structure - reflection on "the four i's of oppression" by luna malbroux (02.04.24)

 Blog Post 3 - 02.04.2024

Reflection on The Four I’s of Oppression by Luna Malbroux

Let’s chat about bone structure. If you have unfortunately stumbled upon the weirdest parts of Reddit on a cold, dark night, you may be aware that there is a social phenomenon in which we as humans use skeletal structure to defend our varying beliefs. We assign meaning to the space between our brow and hairline, to the placement of our cheekbones, and the protrusion of our lips. Communities all across the world use bone structure as a valid and explanatory reason for the differences between certain groups of people. This is especially common in online spaces, specifically ones where prominent bigotry and bias can be found. In Luna Malbroux’s discussion of the Four I’s of Oppression, this type of prejudice can be loosely defined as biologism. Biologism is the interpretation and understanding of human life from a strict “biological” viewpoint. It ignores the prevalence of social construction and argues that everything in life, who ends up in the one percent of society and who struggles on food stamps, is predetermined by your biology. It is an increasingly dangerous type of thinking in the modern age. 

Popular leftist Youtuber Contrapoints, also known as Natalie Wynn, proposed a theory on this topic in her video essay on the Incel community in 2019. Wynn states that “Once bigotry and self-loathing permeate a given community, it is only a matter of time before deep, metaphysical significance is assigned to the shape of human skulls.” (Wynn, Incels, 6:07, 2019.) Essentially, the moment prejudice enters a group of people, the members of the community will rely on biologism to defend their viewpoints. In Wynn’s video, she discusses the relationship between bone structure and the Incel community. Within online spaces such as Reddit and FourChan, bigotry is a deep-seated foundation that can mutilate with the rallying of envious and raw groups of non content people. Men who have never had a close relationship with a woman, men who are deemed unattractive by Western ideals and therefore allow their loneliness to rot within themselves and contort into deep hatred for the opposite gender. Men who feel so angry, alone, and hopeless that they turn towards violence against themselves or others. 

Why do these men feel there is truly no other option? Why do bigots and racists defend their beliefs as “scientific” or the “way God intended?” Why do groups of transgendered men and women tear each other down in online forums under the guise of “helping?” It all comes down to bones.

Admittedly, all is a bit of an exaggeration. There are a multitude of societal, cultural, and environmental reasons why bigotry can grow within communities of lonely, angry people. However, it is genuinely shocking and concerning to me the amount of bigotry that can stem from the human skull. Incels for example blame their inability to interact with or entertain women on the space between their eyebrows and their hairline. They claim that they are biologically doomed from the beginning with no escape and that those few inches of bone can be assigned all responsibility for their celibacy. On the contrary, it is popular in spaces with heavy racism that bigoted people will claim that the African American skull is biologically inferior to that of Caucasians. Scientists and politicians used the bone structure of skulls of various races to defend and determine which racial groups belonged where in society. 

Though we know that race is a complete societal construct, it is almost impossible to argue with those who believe in biologism. There are a few good debates to be had with someone who wholeheartedly believes that social hierarchies are the result of predetermined bone structure. 

With this post, I’ve included a hyperlink to the video essay mentioned, as well as an example of one post founded on biologism. Please check out these items, they help to deepen the understanding of what I’m grappling with in this post, and also the video essay is incredibly interesting and a great watch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD2briZ6fB0&t=284s

To Share: What do you know about bone structure and biology in bigoted communities? How does biologism appear within the classroom? How can we consider the intersectionality of oppressed groups to self-loathing, prejudice, and biologism? What are the dangers of online spaces in relation to bias?

linguistic racism - reflection on "the silenced dialogue" by lisa delpit (01.28.24)

 Blog Post 2 - 01.28.24

Reflection on “The Silenced Dialogue” by Lisa Delpit

Language is society’s greatest asset. The ability to communicate with one another, to craft sentences and stories that have longevity and legacies is the greatest accomplishment of humankind. To be able to transfer information between one another is an underappreciated facet of life and societal organization. However, language can create social and cultural barriers between us. In the text “The Silenced Dialogue” by Lisa Delpit, language is used to discuss the culture, etiquette, and ethics of power within the classroom. Towards the end of the passage, Delpit explains the discourse around “formal” or “white” English being used within the classroom. This excerpt in particular stood out to me. 

Maybe because in my heart, I will always be a writer before a person, or maybe it happened somewhere between the 50th and the 100th book I read but I care, deeply even, about language. In Delpit’s transcript of a southern black student speaking with a black teacher about language usage, I think it’s crucial to analyze the student’s reaction to “white” English. “White” English is seen as proper, formal, and academic. It’s symbolic of polished marble statues and clean lines and the smell of Lysol wipes. It’s cold, calculated, and analytical. It’s respected. If we compare this to the conceptions of “black” English we can see the clear discrepancies. “Black” English is seen as uneducated, unprofessional, and generally lower class. Intersectionality of cultural issues is present as well here, exemplified by the cycle of black poverty and lack of educational resources. 

I want you to consider this statement: Eurocentrism dominates Western culture. If you recoil from that statement, avert your eyes, huff a frustrated breath - I want you to understand that it is okay to make reconciliation with oppressive systems. Unfortunately, there is no escape from oppression in our society. European influences and narratives are shoved down our throats from a young age. That does not make you racist. However, it does make you part of a greater oppressive system. The first step towards change is recognition. Eurocentrism is everywhere. Take “Classical” art for example - ancient white marble Greek statues that are revered for their “purity,” like Michelangelo’s Statue of David. Yet, like all good art, it is a lie. The marble statues that are known and loved for their white purity, were never intended to be white. They were painted with vibrant hues of the primary colors. 

So, why does it matter? Why should you care about linguistics and classical art and discrepancies in narratives? Does it make a great difference if we adjust our academic language to be more inclusive of differing types of dialects? Well, to put it shortly, yes. It is crucial that our language and our understanding of cultural differences are constantly expanding. A huge part of modern-day segregation is language and access to education. The more we lift up and provide an understanding of different types of dialects across cultures and racial identities, the better we can provide education to those who may not have access to it. Remind yourself of how this passage begins - language can be our greatest tool as a society. 

With this post, I’ve included a link to a well-written article from the BBC on Linguistic Racism that helps to strengthen a lot of the points I’ve made above. Please check it out to help further our conversation on language and race! https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210528-the-pervasive-problem-of-linguistic-racism 

To Share: How are language, the study of language, and different cultural dialects related to race? What is your opinion on the differences between “white” and “black” English, and how do you feel they affect our society? Consider that you are part of a larger oppressive system, that your existence makes you part of a system that holds up dangerous and biased opinions. How does that make you feel? Do you feel that “black” English and “standard” English can exist as one?

envy v.s. jealousy - reflection on "privilege, power and difference" by alan johnson (01.22.24)

 Blog Post 1 - 01.22.24

Reflection on “Privilege, Power and Difference” by Alan Johnson

 

Envy. In my opinion, the controversial and avoidant nature of prejudice stems from that dark human desire for what others have. To reflect upon your own experience and still long to take from others, to express that cruel human need to stomp your feet and proclaim that “if I cannot have it, no one can.” Alan Johnson’s text, entitled “Privilege, Power and Difference” makes many valid points about the all-inclusive tendencies of bias and the inability to not be part of these larger social issues, however, I feel that after reflecting on his words I’ve discovered a deeper understanding of what may drive these problems. To envy others is to give in to that ingrained fear of missing out on what others have, to react with hatred and bitterness at the state of your own life in comparison with others. 

I ask you to consider a stereotypical bigot - we like to deceive ourselves into believing that bigotry and hatred are the nature of the elite. That those who have more than we will ever see in our lives take pride and joy as they glare down on us common folk with bitterness. However, if we consider those who truly have the most bitterness within their heart we can observe that they are much like you and me. White people who struggle with money and power. Straight people who cannot find romance in their lives and grow cruel because of this. Cisgendered citizens who mask transphobia as feminism or out of “care for the children.” Bigotry is far more common with people who are not content with their lives and are fearful of the progression of society as they consider they may be left behind. It may sound crazy, but I ask you to put yourselves in the shoes of a white man who cannot get a girlfriend and consider how that deep-instilled insecurity may rot away over time and turn to prejudice. The repeated rejection this person will feel begins to contort their opinions and turn their fear into hate. The envy, the gut rolling, eye twitching envy, sits heavy in our stomachs as we realize time and time again that maybe we will never have what other people do. 

Envy is an unavoidable aspect of our lives and in Western culture, we turn away from the phrase and all of its ugliness. Western culture specifically refuses to name envy as it is, breeding communities that harbor that dark emotion into what they consider to be objective fact. Take the incel community for example, men who cannot find love so they defend their poor romantic performance as proof of women being evil succubuses who only care for money. These communities harbor such deep fear and envy that they catastrophize their issues and stray so far from their envy that it becomes fact in their mind. Envy, in my opinion, controls bigotry. The ability to be self-aware about our envious tendencies and our human need to be unique is the truest way to protect against bias. Hate is fueled by fear, inadequacy, and avoidance. I believe that if we will ourselves to reflect upon our envy, and to call our bias what it is, we can begin to dismantle these systems of oppression. 

With this post, I’ve included a hyperlink to Merriam-Webster’s definitions of envy and jealousy, as well as an infographic to aid in the understanding of the difference between these two terms. Please check them out so you can understand the importance of recognizing envy as a separate emotion from jealousy and why it can be dangerous to avoid discussing envy in relation to bigotry!

https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/jealous-vs-envious 

To Share: How do we as a Western society define envy, and what makes it different from jealousy? Consider that when discussing envy, there is no personal loss. There is only a deep want for more. While jealousy directly involves those around us, such as being jealous that someone is flirting with your romantic partner, envy is a much larger and more all-encompassing emotion. Envy is an unavoidable aspect of our lives and in Western culture, we turn away from the phrase and all of its ugliness. Western culture specifically refuses to name envy as it is, breeding communities that harbor that dark emotion into what they consider to be objective fact.  What do you think about the relationship between envy and prejudice? Do you agree with the points I’ve made about envy as a driving force for bias or do you believe this issue may be more related to another topic?

introduction post!

 Hi!

I'm Audrey, and I am a sophomore student here at RIC. I'm currently in my fourth semester, studying Art Education. My goal is to become a high school art teacher one day. I work three on-campus jobs, working in New Student Orientation, Housing, and at the Student Union doing graphic design. When I'm not studying or on call, I'm with my boyfriend and my best friends! I love getting involved on campus and am known to be very....very talkative! My hobbies include painting, boxing, and studying. I've included pictures of my boyfriend and I, my best friends and I, and a cute picture of me with the RA staff. Thanks for getting to know me a little better!