In the Service of What?

By Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer


In this document the authors Joseph Kahne and Joel Westheimer  argues that service learning is important in our schools and the community. They believe that the selfless concern for the well-being of others while doing service learning, will help students develop social sensitivity, with the hope that their values and beliefs will be transformed while doing so. This they believe will  build character and help to prepare students for the world ahead. However, though these are great attributes for one to posses they think that it should go much deeper than just that.
Kahne and Westheimer thinks that when service learning is done it should cover moral, political and intellectual domains. From the moral domains the students will give charity and while giving this charity they learn to care about what it is they are doing . They're not just doing just because it is the right thing to do but over time will care about the individual/ individuals they are working with and their circumstances. From the political domain those providing the service should look at it as their civil duty. That "volunteerism and compassion" is a way of giving back to the community and that this demonstrates citizenship.For the political domain students need to also look at the cause of the depravity for the less fortunate and the ways in which society on a whole can address and improve said conditions. Finally, the intellectual domain should bring forth experience based-learning. it promotes interdisciplinary learning and it encourages students to do more critical thinking.

Linda Christensen
"Unlearning The Myth That Binds Us"

In this document the author Christensen argues that the media is a distortion and that they way we are conditioned to act and think is based on the what we are fed by the media. Her belief  is that it is  not one targeted media source that contributes to this. We are influence by multiple media outlet and majority of the times we don't realize this. Methods used by the media to instill it's messages in us are: TV shows, commercials/ advertising, billboard, music, the books we read etc.
Her belief is that it starts as early as watching cartoons as children, that there are undertones of several different messages going on when we view these programs. At first glance it might seem as if we are watching a silly little cartoon or a wonderfully enchanted fairytale with the most beautiful ending ever. However, after taking a closer look one can observe discrimination on so many levels. from racism, gender inequality to the perception of what body type is right and accepted.
Take for instance the disney fairytales. These princesses sit around and wait for a prince charming to come around and sweep them off their feet. This i think teaches young women what to think of themselves and give an unrealistic expectation of what a relationship should be like. It also teaches boys to objectify women. They carry this image and way of thinking into their adult lives which leads to an array of problems.
Another thing that bothers me is the fact that the leading characters in these children cartoon are always muscular and tone or have an hourglass figure and are well endowed. Young girls and boy see this and thinks "this must be what i should look like." Again, this gives an impractical expectation to who's watching it. We can't all look like that and for the most part don't look like that. This image is also carried into adulthood if the proper guidance is not there to sway them to a more realistic point of view. Sadly, these misconception leads to one not accepting who they are as an individual. Some may have low self esteem,  body dysmorphia, eating disorders and i think it definitely contributes to the steady rise in cosmetic procedure.
Like Christensen's students i haven't been the same since reading this document. I started looking into things deeper, i've become more aware of the programs my daughter watches and i ve never been one to follow fads but i am able to identify the ways in which the media pulls people in to do so.
I really like this piece and would love to do this with my students one day






https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xAbAeZ-Gog

"Speaking the unspeakable in forbidden places: addressing lesbian, gay,

Bisexual and transgender equality in the primary school"

Alexandra

In this article the author Alexandra argue that “the primary school is often thought of as a place of safety and innocence; a place where childhood is both nurtured and sheltered, and attempts to address what are seen as ‘adult’ issues are sometimes seen as intrusions into or threats to this safety zone."

I completely agree with the writer that this is the case in most primary schools. I think this is a mean of not over exposing children and maintaining their innocence for as long as they possibly can. What I agree with even more is the fact that they chose to introduce the "No Outsider" project at this stage. The fact of the matter is that this is our reality. This is the society we live in and it is becoming more and more acceptable for lesbians, gays, bisexual, and transgender to express themselves freely without being reprimanded. When our children learn about this at this stage in their lives. It allows room for tolerance. It prevents them from being or seeming ignorant and won't be so taboo to them when they come in contact with it such a situation.

"Sexuality is seen as a ‘special area of life’ and one that should be reserved for adulthood." This I believe to be true but with the programs children watch today there is way more exposure to sexuality due to the undertones in these programs. They are even more intrigued by sexuality because of this. So why not each them consciously and appropriately in schools instead of them learning it through subliminal methods.

Terry Meier

"Why can't she remember that?"

This author Terry Meier argues that educators should try to get students involved, interested and connected in the literary experience. To do this they should shift the focus from the meaning of  the text to the experience of the reader. That this should begin at the kindergarten and preschool level because it is gravely important to their development and will impact their level of education as adults. Her belief is that children who don’t have early book reading experience learn through interactions with their family, community and culture. They are unused to the reading patterns that’s mainly used in the classroom and at times consider it to be monotonous and may become perplexed by it. She thinks that because of this it is important for the teacher to use materials the students can relate to. for example reading books colored characters for colored children and books with both spanish and english for bilingual children. By doing this they will be able to identify familiarity between the characters and their lives. Teaching the readings in a clear and detailed manner and making the books come alive through using props such as dolls, puppets, recordings etc. will make the book reading experience pleasurable and intellectually engaging.

One quote in this article that stood out to me is “I turn the pages, book after book, and ask where are we?” this resignated with me because i can completely relate to this persons concern. I had a similar experience when I took my daughter book shopping. I wanted to get her a book that she could relate. I went through rows after rows of books. Most were fairy tale depicting the perfect life with characters not of her race. After a while of searching I was pleasantly surprise to find a counting book with a black family doing day to day activities while they counted. I was happy to get my daughter this book because she can relate to the characters and what they were doing. She won’t have to look at the other books and think that she’s not valued because her people is not represented in them. On the positive side I can see this problem being addressed in today’s society. One example of this is the Disney animated musical production “The Princess and the Frog.” This is Disney’s first production featuring a black princess. The plot told a more realistic story that I think people of color can relate. I also think in shows children of color that they too can grow to be great because they are just as good.

http://www.philnel.com/2014/03/17/boundaries/