Post #10

 Ginwright's Argument on Healing the Youth

    Ginwright's argument in this article is that schools need to take a healing centered approach to learning. Trauma centered engagement has not proved to be effective, therefore he tries to convince youth workers to steer away from this approach. I think the most important and powerful aspect of Ginwright's article is that he understands we are not defined by our trauma. He argues that yes, healing means acknowledging our trauma, but there are ways to heal without sulking in it. When youth workers shift the focus on healing ourselves, then the youth realizes that they are not defined by what bad experiences have happened to them. Healing centered approaches are focused on forming an identity, fostering our well-being, and building critical reflection. Not only do these approaches benefit young people, but they also rebuild the knowledge of youth workers and help them in their own healing processes. Ginwright makes it clear that this version of healing is political. For example, when young students are encouraged to speak out on issues that impact them, they feel empowered. He uses school walkouts and peace marches as ways to speak out. Obviously, the fact of the healing centered approach being political will not sit right with many Americans. However, I do appreciate Ginwright's honesty in the fact that these viewpoints have to do with policy, which might make it at least a little easier to convince people that healing our youth is important. Ginwright's article is convincing, moving, and impactful. 

    Acknowledging social justice in a way of providing students with hope to succeed in their lives is something that I will do in my own classroom. My only concern is how do we do this effectively? Especially as a white person, I want to be able to make my future students of color feel accepted and that they can confide in me. I think that the only thing missing in Ginwright's argument is clear examples of how teachers can include these healing approaches in our classrooms daily. 

Hyperlink: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_ways_to_support_students_affected_by_trauma 

(This article provides more of the guidance I was looking for in my last couple of sentences).

Post #9

 Semester Highlights

1. The first reading that really stood out to me was Delpit and the card game that we played in class. Reading this at the beginning of the semester gave me an important lens to look through in regards to how the culture of power impacts us daily. Delpit allowed me to see that not every group of people is provided the rules and codes of power, and we really do have to teach it to people to ensure some sort of equality.

2. The Rodriguez reading-centered activity where we could not verbalize our thoughts to classmates, had to write our ideas down, and listen to directions through hand motions also stuck with me. I think this partially ties into Delpit's idea of the culture of power. As someone who fits into the culture of power and understands its rules/codes, this activity humbled me as soon as I could not understand what language Dr. Bogad was speaking. I got to understand how some English language learners feel in our society.

3. "When students begin school in such different systems, the odds are set for them" is a quote from Literacy with an Attitude that will definitely remain in my mind. This quote not only encapsulates everything we have learned this semester, but emphasizes the idea of how hard it is to move up in society. We need to stop making children feel like their fate is whatever idea society has set out for them, and we need to encourage them to feel like they can do achieve whatever they want.

Blog #8

 Hyperlinks related to Gender in Schooling

Hyperlinks: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/tennessee-governor-signs-drag-show-restrictions-into-law

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/after-school-shooting-some-trans-tennesseans-face-backlash-2023-03-31/

    Both of these articles indicate real world issues revolving around the LGBT+ community. The Rhode Island guidance for nonbinary and transgender students and the video that teaches about respecting pronouns are positive examples of how to advocate for these groups of people. Honestly, it is refreshing to see these pieces of media considering the amount of controversy in the news regarding these groups of people. One of the articles I linked has information about the current anti-drag laws that are being enacted in some southern states. This hit the news at the beginning of March, and sadly, we ended the month with another school shooting. As soon as I saw the early articles leaking information on the shooting, there was discussion about how the shooter identified as transgender. I had a feeling that the far-right would immediately name this to be a transgender issue. I began to see articles on my feed titled 'Transgender Shoots Christian School." We have already seen southern policy makers pushing anti-LGBT legislation with the argument of 'needing to protect their children.' Rhetoric began about how transgender people are mass shooters, and other outlandish statements such as this spread. Tennessee residents who identify as transgender are being targeted when attending church since the event (the Reuters article goes into more detail). Personally, I do not care in any way how a person wants to identify. I am thankful that I live in a state where I do not have to worry about these issues as much and be scared for drag queens, transgender people, or gender nonconforming people. Unfortunately, I was not surprised at the backlash these groups got after the Nashville shooting, which says a lot about our state of the world. I was also not surprised that politicians once again disregarded the brutally murdered students and teachers to talk about how LGBT education is 'dangerous for kids.' What I really want to know is how they could possibly believe that an AR-15 in a school is less damaging than they/them pronouns.