"Unlearning The Myths That Blind US"

I really liked this reading. It is definitely my favorite from what we have read in FNED so far. The topics that come up in this reading are ones that I think about on a daily basis. Every day when I wake up and get dressed, trying on outfits is always a problem for me. I don’t think I ever look in the mirror and say I really like what I am wearing. Instead, I think of things in my head like is this weird? Would this person wear this? I think I saw a pretty girl in a magazine wearing these kinds of pants with this shirt. I find myself always judging from what I have seen on TV, in magazines, and so on. It actually scares me and I wonder if I really have my own style or even my own opinion. In the reading the girl named Justine says “It can be overwhelming and discouraging to find out my whole self-image has been formed mostly by others or underneath my own worries about what I look like are years of being exposed to TV images of girls and their set roles given to them by TV and the media.” In the reading it says that this actually depresses Justine and it almost gives me the same feeling.  Obviously when you’re little you don’t realize what movies and TV shows are “secretly” teaching you. But as I got older I started to really see that all the princesses in Disney movies were skinny, beautiful and white. And I have to say that when I saw the previews for the recent Disney Movie “The Princess and The Frog” it put a smile on my face to see that the princess is African American. It gave me hope that our society really is changing. Although it may be a slow change, I believe we’ll get there some day. Of those who heard about this movie, seen it, or seen previews, did you feel the same way? That this little thing of, making an African American princess in a Disney movie, could be the beginning of more change for us or a little step?

"Why can't she remember that?" Meier

This author, Terry Meier, talks about bilingual and multicultural students around the United States that try hard every day to balance out their lives. As the years go by more and more children know more than one language. This is most definitely a good thing although as a child it can sometimes be very hard. There are so many children that are translators for their parents and other family members. They are usually the translator in between their parents/guardians and teachers. There are many things that a teacher can do that can help out children like this. One of the points they talk about in the reading is the importance of storytelling. Children are getting smarter and smarter. Entering a kindergarten classroom in the school I do my tutoring at, I was very surprised to see these children reading short books and understanding completely. This was only because I remember being in kindergarten and just playing in the sandbox and coloring for only half a day. I was also surprised in this article where it said, “Linguistic research reveals that, by the age of 3, the vast majority or children all over the world have mastered all of the sounds and most of the complex grammatical systems of their native language or languages”. Is it me, or does this sound young?

A very big part of a bilingual child’s development is social interactions. It seems that children are learning a lot from each other as well as parenting and educational matters. I grew up in a neighborhood filled with kids and when I think of my childhood I always think about the kids I grew up with. We all learned things from each other. Some things which were good learning experiences and others which were not. It’s really important for children to have social development because it can affect many things.

"Amazing Grace"

This short piece called "Amazing Grace" by Jonathan Kozol is very powerful. It gives us, as people not living in as bad of conditions as these people, a better look at the way low income people have to live. We all have some knowledge, from different sources, that places like the Bronx are filled with poor people that live in terrible circumstances. If you really take the time to learn about their circumstances it makes you feel grateful for what you have and appreciative. There is so much information in this piece that is very shocking. I really enjoyed reading this and learning a little bit more about this topic.

1. The first quote that really stood out to me was, "In 1991, the median household income of the area, according to the New York Times, was $7,600." I know that this was over twenty years ago and money was a little different back then but supporting a family on seven thousand six hundred dollars is rediculous. When food, clothing and everything else comes into play that is almost nothing.

2. The second quote that had an impact on me was one where a father is talking about how he goes to sleep freezing on a December night with his family. "You cover up... and hope that you wake up the next morning. " "Says a father of four children, one of them an infant one month old, as they prepare to climb into their sleeping bags in hats and coats on a December night." That is really unimaginable that people have to live like this. Especially with a one month old. Babies are so fragile and sleeping in freezing weather is not something they require at their first months in the world.

3. The final quote that really tugged at my heart was when the little boy Cliffe takes the man to the park and looks up at the bears in the tree. My first thought when this was introduced was that little kids must have been playing around and got the stuffed animal bear stuck in the tree. Then when Cliffe says "I say a boy shot right over there" I was very surprised. I can't even imagine witnessing something like that at the age of seven years old. I just don't know how some people that live in places like this are able to ever smile again. But they do.

My name is Janelle. I am from Bristol Rhode Island and I am a commuter student at Rhode Island College. I love being home and spending time with my family, friends and dogs. I went to Bristol-Warren public schooling and attended Mt. Hope High School. I have been a cheerleader since I was eight years old and now cheer for an All-Star Cheerleading team called "Out of Control All-Stars". I live on the water and love boating and swimming. I work on a Golf Course and I am also a babysitter. I love being around children and teaching them to learn is something that I am really looking forward to.