Blog post 4: Opinion on "Waiting for Superman".

 

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     In the early 80's Jean Anyon wrote "Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work". Jean was concerned for the way children were being educated. Over 30 years have gone by. In 2010 a documentary was created called "Waiting for Superman" about our ever failing school systems. 

     I was disturbed to see that not much has changed. We are still battling issues of a failing education system in the richest country in the world. In this documentary they showed some of the worst reading scores in our country. Our nations own capital was at the top of this list.

  Why has nothing changed? Millions of children are dropping out of school, and the ones who graduate are hardly prepared to go on to a four year college.  Waiting for Superman analyzed these questions and many more, the results were alarming.

     The documentary showed how even though one teacher in a district may not be doing a great job, another may be doing a good job, they are both getting paid the same. The one doing the bad job can not be fired due to tenure. 

     These teachers with poor teaching skills will continue to teach our children.  Maria, the mother of Francisco, only realized that her own education was poor growing up when she went to college. Her college education taught her more about the system. If you are lucky enough to get your child into a charter school, your child may have a chance. The lottery system is used to pick each student.  Most of us send our children to public school and hope our children's teachers are doing a good job.

      I moved my family last year to Bethlehem, not a big city like New York City or Philadelphia, but a city just the same.  Many children that attend my sons school come from a housing project. I bring this fact up because of a struggle I faced last year with a teacher in the district.  My son was barely getting homework and was not feeling challenged enough. When I met with his teacher to ask why, she told me because most of the children come from housing and the parents don't care. The homework wont get done, so why bother.  I made her send home extra work each day for my son and worked with him at home. I also experienced "bad teacher" issues when my children were in a suburban district.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             I do feel while the school system does fail at times, so do parents. I can see this as an epidemic we need to handle as leaders, as parents, as teachers,we all must protect are children from falling through the cracks of the system.

Blog 3: NLH school experience

Northern Lehigh High School

     Today the student body ranges from around 625- 650 students. This is not a drastic climb since the day I walked down the hallways. I grew up in Washington Township, right outside Slatington, Pennsylvania. This is where my hometown school is located. I moved here when I was 18 months old. I am originally from El Salvador, but was adopted into a Caucasian, Protestant family. They moved here to get away from all the growth and change taking place in New York City. I became a suburbanite. My parents home was the first in the neighborhood, other than an old farm house dating back to the 1800's. The town had its perks, It was quiet and nothing bad ever happened, but it was quiet and nothing ever happened. Far away and tucked away from the rest of the world we were.

     My parents had money and I lived In a great neighborhood. Growing up and going to school would not have posed such a challenge to me, had I not felt so different from everyone else.  I knew from the first day of school that I was the 1 percentile.  My mother would have to constantly fight with my kindergarten teacher, who for one reason or another treated me very different from the rest of my classmates. Things eventually died down and I spent the remainder of my elementary years without too much incident. Junior High was a whole other animal. Children at the beginning of puberty, trying to come into their own. It can be a fragile time for most. It is where everyone starts being lumped into categories based off status and looks. Its where I got my first real dose of racism. Riding home on a bus and being called a "Spic" for the first time is something you never forget when you're a child. The feeling of not always fitting in grew greater and greater. I eventually began to not like school. By the time I went to High School I wanted to be anywhere else but there. I forced my parents to  send me to half day Vo-Tech, this is where my increasing passion for art flourished. I also fit in better, it was more diverse, ethnically speaking.  My parents still made me take college prep classes at home school, but all the while I don't remember speaking much to any guidance councelor. There was not much guidance for those who were not at the very top of the academic chart or on a sports team. I was officially a Vo- Techer. Vo-Tech students were labeled  as outcasts. If you went to full day Vo-Tech and received your education there, the learning requirements were minimal. They did not expect much from these "inner city" children. I can relate this part of my schooling to Jean Anyon's "working class shools" concept. NLH would be "The middle class school" as Anyon would say. 
    
     So the rest of school I became this fragile shell of existence. The best years of my life, not really. I was tired of all these labels. I was me, but not one person could see the real me in this existential form of isolation. The remainder of school was a bit of a blur,   I can tell you that I took my diploma and ran out those doors, I could not wait to be free. I could not wait to break free.    

Interview

 A Behind the Scenes Interview With CCC's own Sabrina Pilotti.

                                                                                          By: Arely Pellegrino

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     Former Bucks County Native finds her way to Cedar Crest College by way of the Forensics program.  Sabrina Pilotti is an enthusiastic 19 year old with many plans for her future.  She is a full time student who enjoys living on campus, and is in her 3rd semester of college.  Sabrina sat down with me to share a little more about her life and her ambitions. She spoke candid on many different topics, including why she switched her major.

 

Arely: What made you switch your major Sabrina?

 

Sabrina: I switched my major after finishing my Bio lab in Forensics. I just did not feel it was the right path for me. I decided to switch my major to History with a minor in Theater.

 

Arely: That is an interesting switch and very different from Forensics. What made you decide on these two field of study?

 

Sabrina: I have always had a long time enjoyment for History. Especially the colonial period of America, such as Jamestown, Virginia and Roanoke.

 

Arely: I agree Sabrina, The colonial period is an interesting and important piece of history. Can you share a little bit about your minor in theater? What sparked your interest?

 

Sabrina: I did technical work in high school. I worked backstage with lighting. 

 

Arely: What is the next step for you after you obtain your BA? Is grad school in the picture?

 

Sabrina: I definitely plan to go to grad school. I would like to work in the field of history research.

 

     Aside from hitting the books and curtain call, Sabrina has many hobbies and interests. Sabrina enjoys photography and may be seen snapping photos. She enjoys capturing pictures of her cat Oliver and nature. Sabrina also enjoys spending time with her two childhood best friends. Sabrina is just one of many Cedar Crest College alumni with a great head on their shoulders and a positive outlook.

 

  

 

 

                                                           

 



 



Art and I

                                                                                                                                                                            No matter your age or background, we all have the ability to create art. Art lets us be who we are and express our emotions. I have created art since I was a little girl, it was my outlet from the world around me. Drawing and painting or whatever form of medium, there is no wrong way.

     I have found myself back in school for many reasons, one of the biggest reasons happened last year. Last year I had the opportunity to do volunteer work as a face painting and caricature artist and dress in costume. I worked for a really great group called Pediatric Cancer Foundation of The lehigh Valley. I have to say, my first day on the job I was nervous. I didn't know what to expect, but the children were super amazing, and all my fears washed away the moment I stepped through the doors. They were so excited to see a new visitor. I was Pixie and my magic was my art.When I broke out my crayons and other art supplies their eyes lit up. We laughed and made pictures together and with a few strokes of a brush they became puppies and tigers. I loved how I could connect with these children and bring a smile to their face. I got to know these brave little children well. The ones that were too sick to leave their rooms, I made special visits to. I would make special pictures of whatever they wanted to decorate their rooms with. I knew that I had found a special way to use my talent, but wanted to develop this further. Having had a desire to go back to school, I was ecstatic to learn there was such a field as Art Therapy. After much research, I was positive that this was the area of art I wanted to study.
     I look at art as medicine for the soul. Being back in school is the next chapter in my life and the degree I am studying holds so much significance to me.