Extra Blog Post #1

The First Amendment of the U.S. constitution says that Congress should not make any laws that infringe on an individual’s personal religious beliefs.  According to the Constitution church and state should be kept separate and because schools are state and federally funded I do not believe that religion should have any part in the school system other than any extracurricular clubs students would like to have. The Constitution has clearly stated that there should be a separation between religion and government and I think that should be held up no matter what. This nation was created under Christian beliefs, but today this country is not a Christian country. It is a melting pot of a variety of religions and it is impossible to incorporate every religion into our government without offending someone. Also, it is extremely important to keep government and religion separate so there will not be any bias beliefs or behaviors towards a certain group of people or certain policies that are intact or are in the progress of being put in place. I think that there are certain people who have respected what the constitution has laid out, but I don’t think it is as widely accepted and respected as it should be. Most people I come into contact with still believe that our nation should be centered on Christian beliefs and while I understand the importance of someone’s personal beliefs in their life, I disagree having a whole country follow a belief system and not everyone agree with that belief system.  I have seen religion present in schools by the different extracurricular clubs and activities. The middle and high school I went to only had FCA and that was because I lived in a very conservative southern Baptist area. I would like to think that if other people had wanted to started clubs that had to do with other religions like Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. that the school system would support them, but in reality they wouldn’t. Of course they would have let students create the clubs, but the  administrators and/or teachers would have more than likely made a few discouraging remarks about how they wouldn’t have any members or how the clubs were too different to be accepted by their peers. Unfortunately, some of my peers in my high school felt as if their beliefs were not welcome or accepted by others.

If I attended a school that upheld religious beliefs that were not my own, I would feel out of place and depending on how different my beliefs were, I might feel unwelcome to express them and be myself. When I was a senior in high school a guy I was sitting next to in class was an anarchist and we talked quite a bit how he never felt like he could be himself and express his beliefs and the few times he did he got such negative responses from students and teachers that he never really opened up.  As a teacher I would have different lessons about a variety of religions and beliefs and be sure to create a “safe space” atmosphere for everyone so they feel like they can express their beliefs whatever they might be.

EDUC 2120 Blog #10

I think the Teaching Tolerance website is a great website for teachers. It gives a wide variety of topics to be discussed in the classroom, many different age ranges for the lesson, and good activities for children to do that will help them think as critically as possible about certain topics and issues. One of the tabs on the website is for classroom resources and this page allows teachers to search for any subject they want to give a lesson on. I noticed that with each lesson there is background information, objectives, essential questions, and activities for the children. There was a "What Makes Family" lesson that I came across that was one of my favorites. That lesson is about the different factors that make up a family and the variety of families there will be. For example, a child might be raised by a mother and father, aunt and mother, two moms, two dads, a single parent, etc. There are specific questions like, "What makes a family?" and "What’s it like to grow up with no family?" that will hopefully open children's eyes to the diversity of families around them. That lesson also has them learn about Michael Oher, who was a black teen adopted into a white family, which will also help decrease their narrow view of family. This is a very useful website that helps teachers teach and talk about what people consider the "hard topics." And because it is a trusted website, teachers do not have to be worried about how educational the lesson plan is. This is a website that every teacher and parent should use. Parents can use this website to look for different activities for their children as well as different ways to talk about real life issues children face in their daily lives.

EDUC 2120 Blog #9

I believe that the greatest risk factor for youth is sexual behavior. Adolescent sexual activities is a growing risk factor for modern students, ages thirteen through eighteen, with surveys in 2009 of high school students indicating that forty-six percent of students have had intercourse, at least once. The risk isn't just of a moral impact, be it sex before marriage or other religions and society “laws”, but also contributes to teen pregnancies and the spread of deadly STDs. Though recent surveys show an increase in sexual activities amongst minorities, considerably African Americans, doesn't mean greater deal of effort should be focused on them. Instead I believe an equal amount of time and effort should be directed towards all youth, whether they be at risk, high risk, or regular adolescents and should be taught alongside substance abuse awareness. Substance abuse is by far one issue that kids must confront today with a greater challenge, than kids of previous generations. Because of the popularity of altered states of consciousness produced by these substances, adolescents tend to fall under one of two categories: the compulsive users and the experimenters. These drug related obstacles lead the child to unhealthy and serious long term issues. My personal goal for my classroom is to create and opening environment for each child so they at least know, and hopefully, feel comfortable enough to come to me and talk to me about these issues and much more. I believe that by the time I become a teacher, there will need to be sexual education classes implemented in the upper level elementary classrooms, like fourth and fifth grade classes, because statistics are showing that puberty is starting earlier which means students will start experimenting with their bodies and engaging in some kind of sexual relationship with another person. I also believe that there should be more emphasis on how harmful drugs are for a person. I think some educators might be too afraid to talk about drugs and alcohol to children because it might peek their interest to try some, but I believe that opposite. I believe that schools and teachers need to be honest and open about the effect of drugs and alcohol on a person and that more than just one or two weeks out of the school year should be dedicated to drug free awareness programs.

Source: Multicultural Education in Pluralistic Society by Donna M. Gollnick and Philip C. Chinn

EDUC 2120 Blog #8

I moved around quite a bit when I was growing up, but my family finally settled down in Gainesville, GA, which has a population of 33,804, a month before I was in eighth grade. I basically consider that where I grew up and while it is technically considered an urban town is has some country-like characteristics. While Gainesville is very commercialized it can also take someone who lives on the outskirts of town about thirty minutes to actually get into town. The closer into town you live, obviously the busier it is and the more you can do, but I prefer living on the outskirts of town because of the quieter community we have. I lived in a small subdivision, but a few miles down the road there were a few farms, so some days I might get stuck behind a tractor while other days there is no traffic. I could always see cows and horses from my bedroom window and my brothers usually harassed the cows on the weekends with their friends. I didn't really hear that many stories about the landscape influencing the day to day lives of my neighbors, but he one thing people always mentioned was that trucks were the best vehicle choice because they "get the job done." Growing up in a smaller community definitely impacted my values and way of living. I value family and we make time to hang out together, even if it's sitting on the front porch talking. Because I was raised in the Bible belt and my daddy was a preacher, Christianity and church have always played a huge part in my life. And because it has always been a huge part of my life, for awhile I assumed that it was a huge part of everyone's lives. I definitely enjoyed growing up where I did because it was a slower paced environment where I could enjoy the simple things in life.

Source:http://censusviewer.com/city/GA/Gainesville

EDUC 2120 Blog #7

I was raised in Southern Baptist churches and I am a current active member of one in Dahlonega. People think that Catholicism is pretty much the same as Baptist, Methodist, etc., but they are very wrong. There are slight differences between the Baptist and Methodist denominations, but Catholicism "branches out" the most between the three. Going into the Catholic service I had preconceived notions and beliefs about Catholicism and I quickly noticed that what I believed was very true. I was raised to have a personal relationship with the Lord, but Catholics do not believe that. They base their faith on good works and deeds instead of the personal relationship. They believe that doing and saying good things their whole life will give them a spot in Heaven instead of accepting Christ as their Savior. Another belief I had that was reinforced was that they do not speak directly to God, but through a priest. They use the priest as a middle man to confess sins, ask forgiveness, etc., instead of going straight to the Lord. Again, this goes back to not having a personal relationship with Christ. The last thing I noticed was that Catholics consider Saints to be very important and sometimes even pray to them. While I appreciate any person who has had an impact on Christianity and religions in general, Baptists do not necessarily believe in holding Saints, or anyone, to the level that Catholics hold them. Baptists believe that in doing so, it takes away the importance and value of Christ as our Savior. Those were the three main differences that I saw between Catholicism and Baptists/Methodists. The dress was the same and people were very friendly and definitely welcomed me. I did enjoy worshiping with the Catholic church even though I don't necessarily believe in some of their practices.

EDUC 2120 Blog #6

I never realized how privileged I am by not being physically disabled. I am able to walk anywhere, read anything, and see anything I want to. Unfortunately, not everyone is as blessed as I am. Because I am on campus a lot I decided to notice what kind of accessibility there is on campus for a physically disabled person. As I was walking around Newton Oaks and Dunlap this week I started noticing that while there are a few things that help people with physical disabilities, like elevators, there is definitely not accessible enough. A few of the things I noticed in Newton Oaks were that the bottom floor is the only floor with automatic doors, the bottom floor of classrooms are either stadium seating and don't have tables in the front that are wheelchair accessible or the classrooms are filled with desks that some people might not be able to get into, and the doors to the bathroom are extremely heavy and they push while going in, but you have to pull to get out and for a person in a wheelchair, the restrooms are not easily accessible at all. I also noticed that there are not many ramps for wheelchairs and if there is one, it is usually laid out in a maze-like fashion which make it difficult and time consuming for people to use.

One particular building on campus that is not really accessible to any individuals with disabilities is Memorial Hall. They do not have braille on any signs in the building, almost their entire building is not wheelchair accessible, and they do not have a lobby area with someone that can direct people where to go. A good example of someone not being able to participate in an activity is being able to cross the stage used for graduation in Memorial Hall. The stage is not wheelchair accessible, therefore, if a person is not physically walk across the stage, they will miss out on that unique opportunity of receiving their diploma like everyone else.

As for making the more accessible, the college would have to invest in building and installing all of the necessary things to make this college completely accessible, like elevators, ramps, and signs with braille. Because Newton Oaks is one of the newest building on campus it is more accessible to individuals with disabilities, but the other buildings on campus need to get it together!

EDUC 2120 Blog #5

Other than my parents, my grandparents have had the most influence on my gender identity. Growing up whenever I wanted to play with my brothers' friends and have my "tomboy" moments my grandma would sometimes intervene and bring me inside to bake cookies with her or help do the dishes. She would always make comments about how little girls should always wear pretty dresses and act lady-like. It wasn't until a few years ago that I actually was comfortable not being the perfect lady like she wanted me to be.

Honestly, I don't really pay that much attention if someone is acting like the other sex. If they're comfortable being whoever they're being then it's not my place to make a big deal about it. But I definitely do think that guys have a harder time than girls if they are guy. If a guy is more feminine, regardless if they are gay or not, they get picked on, treated differently, etc. because they do not have the manly persona that society says they should have. Girls are more compassionate and understanding, so it is less common for girls to be rude or put down a person who identifies with the opposite gender of who they are. Also, I have heard many times from guys that, "It's hot to see two girls going at it." I feel as if society puts a double standard on heterosexual guys and girls and it is still there even for LGB people.

My gender identity is definitely a woman. I am not the most feminine woman in the world and I have my tomboyish attributes, but at the end of the day I still identify myself as a woman. As for my thoughts about other people's gender identity, as long as they're happy being who they are. For me, it doesn't matter if a male identifies himself as a female or female identifies herself as a male. As long as an individual in comfortable with their own personal gender identity I could care less about all the other technicalities.