This diagram, from Cushman (2003) seemed to me to be a very appropriate way to end the semester. As teachers, I do believe we are in a sort of agreement with our students.
All posts by Kaitlin M Flynn
“Just Say No” Just Doesn’t Work
“In the school settings, teenagers draw conclusions about alcohol and drug abuse from what they see and hear from their friends, classmates, and teachers. When schools establish drug and alcohol policies that clearly state expectations and penalties regarding use by students, they help reinforce the fact that underage drug use is not an acceptable form of behavior.” (from Phillip [2006])
I chose this passage as my MVP not because I think it is valuable or a fresh take on the subject of underage drug and alcohol abuse; I chose it for the opposite reason. This is, in my view, an extremely simplistic and trite view of substance use prevention in young people. BUT, it is overwhelmingly the most common and practiced method/school of taught among parents and educators! This passage is, in the text, part of a conclusion and stated as one of the major takeaways of the chapter. To me, it represents a very broken system that is actually a driving force in the problem of underage drug abuse!
Young, Gay, and Absolutely Singular
“Perhaps the single most defining characteristic of sexual-minority youths’ intimate relationships is that they have no single defining characteristic: the types of casual, intimate, platonic, and romantic relationships these youths pursue with same-sex and other-sex peers are as diverse as the youths themselves.” (from Diamond and Savin-Williams)
This passage sums up the most important point of this article very simply. Sexual minority youth can, like any other group, be studied. However, sexuality across the lifespan cannot be examined categorically. There are countless factors in the formation of sexual identity, orientation, and relationships which exist on a sliding scale and not as yes/no answers. Continue reading Young, Gay, and Absolutely Singular
Racism is now a national emergency.
“Their futures are hopeless. All but a few will remain trapped in generational cycles of poverty and crime-infested neighborhoods. Their lazy, drug-addicted, government- dependent single parents care little about their schooling. Consequently, they inherit from their families and communities a staunch carelessness for learning and educational attainment. More appealing to them are guns, gangs, fast money, and one pair of career options (either becoming rappers or professional athletes). They are to be feared, stopped and frisked, and mass incarcerated, as they are the antithesis of law-abiding citizens.” Harper et al. (2014)
This is the heart of the problem, and now this is more relevant than ever before. Now, we are at a point as a society where a failure to dispel this characterization of minority men in America may have absolutely disastrous consequences. In America under Trump, before he has even been inaugurated, hate is becoming tolerated. Continue reading Racism is now a national emergency.
Empathy: Key to Immersion?
“As many of our cases indicate, SIFE often have intensive social and emotional needs as well as academic ones. These needs stem from their lack of experience in a formal school setting, their academic difficulties in New York schools, and for some, the traumatic experiences and unstable living conditions they had in their native countries and in the United States. Many of our clients required counseling or other supports, but few received them. When they did not receive these supports, they became disengaged with school and had behavioral issues in and outside of the classroom. A number left school as a result.” (from Advocates for Children reading)
This so, so important. Oftentimes it is not a focus, but if anything the social and emotional needs of ELLs are even more important than academic needs at the the beginning! This is an issue that gets at my sense of empathy. Especially since working with a little girl who speaks only Arabic in a class of English speakers and a teacher who does not seem to like her.