Friday, December 4, 2009
feeling good
The school principal liked the video, and he wants to show it to the kids and on school tours. I am looking forward to hearing what the art teacher says.
pretty darn close to being done with this project
I am a little excited and hesitant to show it to the principal today. I would also like to show the art educator to see what she thinks. I hope that they approve, and it meets or exceeds their expectations. Same with members of my class, but I am accountable to them to a lesser degree. I have my own expectations that are still very restless. I will wait to hear feedback.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
lazy writing, lazy teaching
"Black man with a scruffy face," my friend wrote, "what kind of description is that?" Even though I don't know the pop cultural reference, I understand her dismay. What in the world are writers thinking with that kind of lazy writing.
What are some teachers thinking with lazy teaching. Although I was nostalgic about my teaching experience with the small school housed in a nightmarishly chaotic middle school in my last posting, I did not bring up Ms. X. Let's just say, she was not exactly organized.
After my son was born, I began teaching as a native language reading intervention teacher. I started it as a program from scratch. That is, after helping all the teachers start all their assessments. And one other thing, half the time I was subbing for Ms. X. She was a special ed teacher who shared a room and had a penchant for plastic surgery. She was a little nutty, and she kept no plans that I ever saw. Luckily, her assistant, Mr. G, was a grounded if young and fairly inexperienced teacher. He was wonderful with the students. Together we always managed to throw something together. But these students deserved so much more. When I went to the principal to complain, she silenced me. She used everything in her power to keep me from voicing anything about what was happening in that classroom. Ms. X had a dispute with her and the union was involved. It was so sensitive that she wanted to show me that I had no right to speak up for my program and the children that I was supposed to be serving nor the children in that ill positioned class.
That's not even that bad of a story, but imagine year after year of being told to copy the board and that's "writing." Imagine worksheet after worksheet and that's "learning." I think the best things I did was bring them authentic and beautiful children's literature and let them tell stories (about movies or whatever) that they could then write about.
What are some teachers thinking with lazy teaching. Although I was nostalgic about my teaching experience with the small school housed in a nightmarishly chaotic middle school in my last posting, I did not bring up Ms. X. Let's just say, she was not exactly organized.
After my son was born, I began teaching as a native language reading intervention teacher. I started it as a program from scratch. That is, after helping all the teachers start all their assessments. And one other thing, half the time I was subbing for Ms. X. She was a special ed teacher who shared a room and had a penchant for plastic surgery. She was a little nutty, and she kept no plans that I ever saw. Luckily, her assistant, Mr. G, was a grounded if young and fairly inexperienced teacher. He was wonderful with the students. Together we always managed to throw something together. But these students deserved so much more. When I went to the principal to complain, she silenced me. She used everything in her power to keep me from voicing anything about what was happening in that classroom. Ms. X had a dispute with her and the union was involved. It was so sensitive that she wanted to show me that I had no right to speak up for my program and the children that I was supposed to be serving nor the children in that ill positioned class.
That's not even that bad of a story, but imagine year after year of being told to copy the board and that's "writing." Imagine worksheet after worksheet and that's "learning." I think the best things I did was bring them authentic and beautiful children's literature and let them tell stories (about movies or whatever) that they could then write about.
Friday, November 27, 2009
bauhaus font
This font was invented in the 20s, and this version was copied by my slightly letter-obsessed son. I tried to videotape this literacy event, but it is against the rules at the MoMA.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Becoming Visible, or it's complicated
“Whether or not we are aware of it or not, the United States is surely composed of a plethora of perspectives. I am reminded of this. . .Even with well-intentioned educators, not only our children’s legacies but our children themselves can become invisible. Many of the teachers we educate, and indeed their teacher educators, believe that to acknowledge a child’s color is to insult him or her. In her book White Teacher, Vivian Paley openly discusses the problems inherent in the statement that I have heard many teachers—well-intentioned teachers—utter, 'I don’t see color, I only see children.' What message does this statement send? That there is something wrong with being black or brown, that it should not be noticed? I would like to suggest that if one does not see color, then one does not really see children. Children made ‘invisible’ in this manner become hard-pressed to see themselves worthy of notice.”
Delpit, L. (1995). Other people’s children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: The New Press.
As a teacher of urban children who are mostly children of color, I concur with Delpit and her point in the above quote. What we need to acknowledge as well is how the system set up failure with the NCLB policies where kids are being ignored because their test scores aren't close to be proficient. Yes, I was at a school where they told the teachers bluntly to focus on their special ed students who would be able to be pushed up to the level that "counts" as being proficient in content areas. Excuse me, children need to be seen and responded to despite their test scores.
What is often lacking are those counternarratives in schools, and they do exist, where kids and their teachers are doing great things. As a teacher, I take issue with those who have never taught condemning the schools and all the ways they are failing. Many who struggle daily do make a difference.
I saw this as an opportunity to reflect on my final years of teaching before coming back to school.
Situated in East New York
It was the year that high-stakes testing counted for third graders in New York, when they were told if they did not pass the test they could not move on to fourth grade. Summer of 2003, when I moved to Brooklyn, Celia Cruz, the Cuban born salsa singer, died. Especially in Latino communities, like the one I was about to start working in, young and old danced to her music as they mourned her death.
I remember East New York as a place alive with beats. Passionately loud, singers wail from passing cars and churches from the early hours throughout the day. It is an area of concentrated poverty. Burned out buildings flank bodegas that sell everything from ice cream to umbrellas. The rhythmic Spanish of the Caribbean is spoken here. My father, the son of an Italian immigrant, played in Highland Park, walking distance from my old school. A huge sign on a middle school with a few uninspiring murals attempt to welcome those who enter. The small bilingual elementary school founded by parents is housed in this larger school. The hallways ring with bells and over the loud speaker there are frequent and long interruptions. Sometimes students add to this chaos by pulling fire alarms, banging on doors, and starting fights. Their external world often mirrors the internal world of the children who experience death and loss in staggering numbers. With the experience of grief, life can be stressful. Within this noisy larger environment, there are some dedicated teachers and students working to make change.
Complicated Classrooms
In my tiny shoebox of classroom, 11 feet by 30 feet, where a year of teaching and learning took place, my students’ cultures and languages were multiple and new to me, as was Brooklyn and life on the East coast. I noticed my students in this particular third grade growing with awareness of their outside worlds as well as of their internal ones. One student in particular was experiencing turmoil about his mother who had died when he was 4 years old. I encouraged his exploration of his loss through writing during integrated themes such as the study of Mexico and the Day of the Dead. As our relationships grew and changed, my belly did too—because I was pregnant.
This classroom was not a simple place, but it was interactive. On one of the small sides of the shoebox room was the door, and, on the other side, there was a thin window. Instead of blinds, I hung a bright green scarf in the window. Also on that side of the room was our carpet area that had a two-seater orange pleather loveseat. We held our daily community meeting on that carpet, and we rotated the spots daily on the mini-couch. I learned lessons along side my students in this classroom—there was not enough room for me to stand in front of them anyway as the light filtered through that small corner window.
Lessons in Reading the Word and Writing the World
Students’ ways of reading the world are diverse as Freire reminded us. A simple game illustrates this concept. Apagón was played by my class with their dance teacher. When she turned off the lights, she would say a word. The students had to freeze and with their bodies form a way to express the word. One time, she said “iglesia” [church], and many of the students took positions that were recognizable as prayer, with hands folded and kneeling. However, one of the students lifted her arms to make a V. Davina, this African American student, sang in the choir. A simple activity encouraged expression of diverse readings of the world and the word.
Such readings show up in poems as well. Naming the word and the world is powerful for students. The language of metaphor helps students articulate their voices to a wider audience. Likewise young musicians learn to read music in order to begin to perform new possibilities. A few of my students, with the help of their families and teachers, went to study music at Julliard on the weekends, and one student was spotted by an accomplished jazz musician who began to tutor him on the trumpet. This was the student who had lost his parents and was near the edge. Accessing symbolic resources, such as poetic language or musical abilities strengthens school literacies—writers creatively conceptualize and convey ideas with whatever they bring in their "backpacks" to school. Speaking in metaphor, we articulate our sense making with powerful voices.
Learning to Look, Learning to Breathe
So how do educators let those students become visible with all the constraints and mandates around us? There are spaces, special schools and classrooms, where this is encouraged. We look closely at our students and take moments daily to breathe and be with them where they are at, with what they are dealing with, and make decisions. I look back and know that I had many times when I needed a poem posted that said, "Breathe, you are alive!"
Delpit, L. (1995). Other people’s children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York: The New Press.
As a teacher of urban children who are mostly children of color, I concur with Delpit and her point in the above quote. What we need to acknowledge as well is how the system set up failure with the NCLB policies where kids are being ignored because their test scores aren't close to be proficient. Yes, I was at a school where they told the teachers bluntly to focus on their special ed students who would be able to be pushed up to the level that "counts" as being proficient in content areas. Excuse me, children need to be seen and responded to despite their test scores.
What is often lacking are those counternarratives in schools, and they do exist, where kids and their teachers are doing great things. As a teacher, I take issue with those who have never taught condemning the schools and all the ways they are failing. Many who struggle daily do make a difference.
I saw this as an opportunity to reflect on my final years of teaching before coming back to school.
Situated in East New York
It was the year that high-stakes testing counted for third graders in New York, when they were told if they did not pass the test they could not move on to fourth grade. Summer of 2003, when I moved to Brooklyn, Celia Cruz, the Cuban born salsa singer, died. Especially in Latino communities, like the one I was about to start working in, young and old danced to her music as they mourned her death.
I remember East New York as a place alive with beats. Passionately loud, singers wail from passing cars and churches from the early hours throughout the day. It is an area of concentrated poverty. Burned out buildings flank bodegas that sell everything from ice cream to umbrellas. The rhythmic Spanish of the Caribbean is spoken here. My father, the son of an Italian immigrant, played in Highland Park, walking distance from my old school. A huge sign on a middle school with a few uninspiring murals attempt to welcome those who enter. The small bilingual elementary school founded by parents is housed in this larger school. The hallways ring with bells and over the loud speaker there are frequent and long interruptions. Sometimes students add to this chaos by pulling fire alarms, banging on doors, and starting fights. Their external world often mirrors the internal world of the children who experience death and loss in staggering numbers. With the experience of grief, life can be stressful. Within this noisy larger environment, there are some dedicated teachers and students working to make change.
Complicated Classrooms
In my tiny shoebox of classroom, 11 feet by 30 feet, where a year of teaching and learning took place, my students’ cultures and languages were multiple and new to me, as was Brooklyn and life on the East coast. I noticed my students in this particular third grade growing with awareness of their outside worlds as well as of their internal ones. One student in particular was experiencing turmoil about his mother who had died when he was 4 years old. I encouraged his exploration of his loss through writing during integrated themes such as the study of Mexico and the Day of the Dead. As our relationships grew and changed, my belly did too—because I was pregnant.
This classroom was not a simple place, but it was interactive. On one of the small sides of the shoebox room was the door, and, on the other side, there was a thin window. Instead of blinds, I hung a bright green scarf in the window. Also on that side of the room was our carpet area that had a two-seater orange pleather loveseat. We held our daily community meeting on that carpet, and we rotated the spots daily on the mini-couch. I learned lessons along side my students in this classroom—there was not enough room for me to stand in front of them anyway as the light filtered through that small corner window.
Lessons in Reading the Word and Writing the World
Students’ ways of reading the world are diverse as Freire reminded us. A simple game illustrates this concept. Apagón was played by my class with their dance teacher. When she turned off the lights, she would say a word. The students had to freeze and with their bodies form a way to express the word. One time, she said “iglesia” [church], and many of the students took positions that were recognizable as prayer, with hands folded and kneeling. However, one of the students lifted her arms to make a V. Davina, this African American student, sang in the choir. A simple activity encouraged expression of diverse readings of the world and the word.
Such readings show up in poems as well. Naming the word and the world is powerful for students. The language of metaphor helps students articulate their voices to a wider audience. Likewise young musicians learn to read music in order to begin to perform new possibilities. A few of my students, with the help of their families and teachers, went to study music at Julliard on the weekends, and one student was spotted by an accomplished jazz musician who began to tutor him on the trumpet. This was the student who had lost his parents and was near the edge. Accessing symbolic resources, such as poetic language or musical abilities strengthens school literacies—writers creatively conceptualize and convey ideas with whatever they bring in their "backpacks" to school. Speaking in metaphor, we articulate our sense making with powerful voices.
Learning to Look, Learning to Breathe
So how do educators let those students become visible with all the constraints and mandates around us? There are spaces, special schools and classrooms, where this is encouraged. We look closely at our students and take moments daily to breathe and be with them where they are at, with what they are dealing with, and make decisions. I look back and know that I had many times when I needed a poem posted that said, "Breathe, you are alive!"
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
identity piece
So what does it mean that my story seemed like it was told from the point of view of my son? Not really sure about that.
buildings and layouts
So my son spent a half day at a Sony computer lab, and, when I asked him, he reported he was on the 4th floor. Somehow the fact that there was a big elevator figured as importantly in his retelling as the fact that he spent time on computers. This from the boy who has to know about how many staircases there are in any new building, whether there is a ground floor or basement. Anyway, he was happy about the trip.
Monday, November 9, 2009
30 letters in español
The ch, ll, ñ, and rr have sparked many questions, as have the use of accents. Why isn't every letter able to have an accent? Just the vowels in Spanish...This is from a child who was fascinated by the & when he was 3, so we are really moving recursively.
He also tends to invent letters like the xo that he came up with last year. Kind of an ñ type thing--evidence of metalinguistic thinking.
He also tends to invent letters like the xo that he came up with last year. Kind of an ñ type thing--evidence of metalinguistic thinking.
We are back to the love of letters
There are short obsessions and long loves in our lives. Letters are the longest most enduring passionate affair around here. Not that tools aren't still around, but they have been knocked off the pedestal.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Anonymity of Cyberspace
I guess this is a follow-up to the last posting. There was another interaction by email with the ex-friend I wrote about that was cold and disturbing.
This has really led me to start thinking about some of the strange interactions that I have had online. Not that those same interactions can't be had on some level in live interactions (meat space, or whatever you want to call it) but somehow it is easier to be cruel or rude when people are physically distanced.
Cyber-bullying is something that must be more chronic now than ever. With films like Mean Girls we see a dramatization of what some people lived through in high school or middle school. Whatever you call it, there is some level of pressure that teens go through and, in negotiating their identities, they sometimes exercise power and position others as inferior or not worth their attention.
For me, it was hard to have this happen as a secure grown woman, so I cannot imagine what young people have to navigate in this online participatory culture.
This has really led me to start thinking about some of the strange interactions that I have had online. Not that those same interactions can't be had on some level in live interactions (meat space, or whatever you want to call it) but somehow it is easier to be cruel or rude when people are physically distanced.
Cyber-bullying is something that must be more chronic now than ever. With films like Mean Girls we see a dramatization of what some people lived through in high school or middle school. Whatever you call it, there is some level of pressure that teens go through and, in negotiating their identities, they sometimes exercise power and position others as inferior or not worth their attention.
For me, it was hard to have this happen as a secure grown woman, so I cannot imagine what young people have to navigate in this online participatory culture.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
new ways to hurt old friends
Another reason to dislike facebook. This one has blown me away and sent me searching for a zenlike "letting go of ego" kind of thing (that and starting to practice yoga again). Being ignored.
An old friend who recently joined facebook ignored me. Twice. This leads me to wonder about the pain it must be causing younger women. I did not see that coming. And I know now that I really do not want to be her friend if that is how mean she is. We do have 6 friends in common, including her boyfriend, making it even more uncomfortable.
An old friend who recently joined facebook ignored me. Twice. This leads me to wonder about the pain it must be causing younger women. I did not see that coming. And I know now that I really do not want to be her friend if that is how mean she is. We do have 6 friends in common, including her boyfriend, making it even more uncomfortable.
Monday, October 26, 2009
yesterday was a sun day
Marcello was tired and cranky. We decided that we could not go to the Bronx Zoo with our friends. Yet we were dying to get out on such a golden fall day.
We decided to go to the Guggenheim Museum to check out the Kandinsky show. Well, the art did not go over so well. Marcello liked the shapes and colors, even the texture. However, about the third bend in the Lloyd Wright building, he was pretty restless. So imagine our surprise when we saw children laying on the floor doing art. Horray.
Marcello did not take up any of the "suggestions" like a "white zig zag" or a "picnic" that we looked over quickly. He started to draw our building. A woman named Shannon started to ask him about his piece at some point. She said his piece reminded her of one of the prints called "into the dark" by Vasily K. So we went to discuss the piece on the wall and he was not too interested, although Shannon was right that M describes our basement as dark and stinky (such a hyperbole--it is where the garbage and recycling are).
So, in the middle of this conversation, he asked about their basement. She claimed that it is not accessible to patrons, just people who were there. This upset him, and he ran off. Down the spiral. After apologizing, I ran after Marcello yelling across the spiral "Stop!" So he is almost a floor down and his dad was only halfway down, when I found the stairs. I grabbed him, and we all continued down to find the cafe and then the bookroom. So I tried my best to engage him in a Picasso book. He was still grumbling about the basement. Along came a man to open a panel, and I grabbed the opportunity for Marcello to ask this guy a question about the basement.
Little did I know, this guy was an engineer. It all happened so easily. Marcello and I inquired, and the man said, "I can show you." We happily headed down. The luck! We saw the man's studio, computer, tools, and even ran into Shannon on our way out. It was the first time anyone had ever had such a tour! Shannon was headed into the art ed room. We waved and were ready to head out on this high note. Sorry, no photos--our digital camera died.
We decided to go to the Guggenheim Museum to check out the Kandinsky show. Well, the art did not go over so well. Marcello liked the shapes and colors, even the texture. However, about the third bend in the Lloyd Wright building, he was pretty restless. So imagine our surprise when we saw children laying on the floor doing art. Horray.
Marcello did not take up any of the "suggestions" like a "white zig zag" or a "picnic" that we looked over quickly. He started to draw our building. A woman named Shannon started to ask him about his piece at some point. She said his piece reminded her of one of the prints called "into the dark" by Vasily K. So we went to discuss the piece on the wall and he was not too interested, although Shannon was right that M describes our basement as dark and stinky (such a hyperbole--it is where the garbage and recycling are).
So, in the middle of this conversation, he asked about their basement. She claimed that it is not accessible to patrons, just people who were there. This upset him, and he ran off. Down the spiral. After apologizing, I ran after Marcello yelling across the spiral "Stop!" So he is almost a floor down and his dad was only halfway down, when I found the stairs. I grabbed him, and we all continued down to find the cafe and then the bookroom. So I tried my best to engage him in a Picasso book. He was still grumbling about the basement. Along came a man to open a panel, and I grabbed the opportunity for Marcello to ask this guy a question about the basement.
Little did I know, this guy was an engineer. It all happened so easily. Marcello and I inquired, and the man said, "I can show you." We happily headed down. The luck! We saw the man's studio, computer, tools, and even ran into Shannon on our way out. It was the first time anyone had ever had such a tour! Shannon was headed into the art ed room. We waved and were ready to head out on this high note. Sorry, no photos--our digital camera died.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
I found this quote very similar to what I wrote in my reflection
I forget why I picked the word forged, but it was also used in this quote cited in the Ginsburg piece:
Maybe here the authors, Fry and Willis, are referring to the acceptance of Aboriginal art into high art galleries and international art shows. It is rather stunning--my husband saw a show in Utrecht and bought a book about it in San Francisco. Thus, the dominant culture can appropriate a local practice of painting with acrylics and remove it from the context. On the other hand, media such as radio or tv and video are made to be hotter, and they can target local audiences or pan-indigenous audiences in a distinct manner.
Making a new culture which knowingly embraces the future is a more viable form of cultural bricolage (by this we mean the making of a culture by a process of the selection and assembly of combined and recombined cultural forms). Resistance to ethnocide is not seen as trying simply to defend an existent cultural identity but the forging of a new one which rejects the models sought to be imposed. Radio, televison, and video have become significant media in this cultural strategy. And what is particularly significant is that these media break the circuit of producing products for circulation and consumption within the culture of dominance (as opposed to works of art). Aboriginal radio, video and TV producers are producing ideas and images that circulate in their own cultures.
Maybe here the authors, Fry and Willis, are referring to the acceptance of Aboriginal art into high art galleries and international art shows. It is rather stunning--my husband saw a show in Utrecht and bought a book about it in San Francisco. Thus, the dominant culture can appropriate a local practice of painting with acrylics and remove it from the context. On the other hand, media such as radio or tv and video are made to be hotter, and they can target local audiences or pan-indigenous audiences in a distinct manner.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
my eyes flew to the tv screen
I was having tea with two lovely women during a break from the conference on Saturday when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was an ad about 16 different ways that fake wood could be built into a bird house, little wooden figure, etc. Handy Manny has a new tool bench. . . .
Oh, and I just found out it cost $100! I'm more glad than ever that we do not have a tv. He also told me that he loves the store "Toys 4 Us"--and that was pretty funny, especially since we never go there.
We missed the special on Sunday night where he had a family reunion, and I felt weirdly guilty because I know what joy it would bring. I have a feeling that we'll hear about Manny's motorcycle trip somehow even if we didn't see the special.
Oh, and I just found out it cost $100! I'm more glad than ever that we do not have a tv. He also told me that he loves the store "Toys 4 Us"--and that was pretty funny, especially since we never go there.
We missed the special on Sunday night where he had a family reunion, and I felt weirdly guilty because I know what joy it would bring. I have a feeling that we'll hear about Manny's motorcycle trip somehow even if we didn't see the special.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Who are we and what are our questions about changing schools
I am thinking of what people are talking about in terms of education for this upcoming century. I do agree that it is out of date and that it is not teachers fault, but we do all need to consider the divides.
To quote Suarez-Orozco and Quinn-Hilliard:
"Gardner suggests
that precollegiate education will need to encompass the following skills, abilities, and understandings:
(1) understanding the global system;
(2) the ability to think analytically and creatively within
disciplines;
(3) the ability to tackle problems and issues that do not respect disciplinary boundaries;
(4) knowledge of other cultures and traditions, which should both be an end in itself and a means to interacting civilly and productively with individuals from different cultural backgrounds—both within one’s own society and across the planet; (5) knowledge of and respect for one’s own cultural traditions;
(6) fostering of hybrid or blended identities; and
(7) fostering of tolerance and appreciation across racial, linguistic, national, and cultural boundaries."
This shows idealism on the part of Gardner, but I do take issue with who seems to be able to access this curriculum. I do agree that the topic of globalization is one that is being discussed worldwide on all levels, but I do think we sit in a position of privilege as university students who can read, go to conferences and so on about the subject.
I have many thoughts on how to change schools, and I am in a position to make little changes in my thinking every day by reflecting and acting on those ideas.
To quote Suarez-Orozco and Quinn-Hilliard:
"Gardner suggests
that precollegiate education will need to encompass the following skills, abilities, and understandings:
(1) understanding the global system;
(2) the ability to think analytically and creatively within
disciplines;
(3) the ability to tackle problems and issues that do not respect disciplinary boundaries;
(4) knowledge of other cultures and traditions, which should both be an end in itself and a means to interacting civilly and productively with individuals from different cultural backgrounds—both within one’s own society and across the planet; (5) knowledge of and respect for one’s own cultural traditions;
(6) fostering of hybrid or blended identities; and
(7) fostering of tolerance and appreciation across racial, linguistic, national, and cultural boundaries."
This shows idealism on the part of Gardner, but I do take issue with who seems to be able to access this curriculum. I do agree that the topic of globalization is one that is being discussed worldwide on all levels, but I do think we sit in a position of privilege as university students who can read, go to conferences and so on about the subject.
I have many thoughts on how to change schools, and I am in a position to make little changes in my thinking every day by reflecting and acting on those ideas.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
you gotta know when to hold them/ know when to fold them
Remember that song?
So instead of being the rain on the pop cultural parade, my strategy with my son is to give wide exposure on media rather than censor what he sees. This seems like a contradiction to our lack of tv. In fact, the thinking behind that was just that the time spent on bad programming (my husband and I, yes, I admit it, watching multiple King of Queens episodes or reality show--not my thing).
I want him to see the wonderful moving films from international sources that clearly present many worldviews. I know even though there is extraordinary diversity within the film festival, there are still intense scrutiny of these films, thus limiting the range of what is represented. We (my husband and I) do think the pleasure we take in viewing films should be shared.
I do think down the line that we should point out some of the mechanics of production as seen in the editing of (Hate) Machine. And we need to get into the concepts and questions of critical media literacy that are linked to on that page of the Media the Matters website.
Additionally, not just issues of transparency and distribution are salient, but perhaps who gets to consume films is a question to pose. For example, who can see a film in a theater? It is absurd to wish that I could see Broken Embraces / Los abrazos rotos by Pedro Almodóvar, the Spanish director. I make meaning in some way from having seen nearly all of his films. Why? That is completely indulgent.
Back to the point about what is worth doing. So I am informed by my experiences with my brothers friends at Hollywood High, the CUNY school in Harlem for acting, and his friends in showbiz. The fact that my brother and friends are in the business so to speak has given me insight into what the young actor/actress, writer, director, or producer goes through to get into the field. A huge sea of disparity there to the beautiful people and the zillions of young wannabes ("throw a stone and you'll hit a writer. . .do me a favor, throw it hard.") in Hollywood. The reality and its effects make for a strange unreality where the tanner, blonder, richer, and younger you are the better (breasts, nails, tans, lawns are fake in that desert climate). . .This makes for strange make-overs on all levels for these people in show business. What D/discourses should I actively critique with my son? It is possible to begin to ask about what position the people who are brown are playing in films, the Spanish speakers, the women, gay people, etc. . . Difference is organized as certain way in general that does not necessarily hold in international, independent, or alternative films.
There are ways to battle through choice encounters with people, materials, ideas, etc. I can pose questions without beating anyone over the head with critical media lit. When I see essentializing and marginalization, I will try to call attention to it, and then exposing my son to a range of multiple languages, differences, etc would be a reasonable approach to this. However, this certainly requires diligence on both ends.
So instead of being the rain on the pop cultural parade, my strategy with my son is to give wide exposure on media rather than censor what he sees. This seems like a contradiction to our lack of tv. In fact, the thinking behind that was just that the time spent on bad programming (my husband and I, yes, I admit it, watching multiple King of Queens episodes or reality show--not my thing).
I want him to see the wonderful moving films from international sources that clearly present many worldviews. I know even though there is extraordinary diversity within the film festival, there are still intense scrutiny of these films, thus limiting the range of what is represented. We (my husband and I) do think the pleasure we take in viewing films should be shared.
I do think down the line that we should point out some of the mechanics of production as seen in the editing of (Hate) Machine. And we need to get into the concepts and questions of critical media literacy that are linked to on that page of the Media the Matters website.
Additionally, not just issues of transparency and distribution are salient, but perhaps who gets to consume films is a question to pose. For example, who can see a film in a theater? It is absurd to wish that I could see Broken Embraces / Los abrazos rotos by Pedro Almodóvar, the Spanish director. I make meaning in some way from having seen nearly all of his films. Why? That is completely indulgent.
Back to the point about what is worth doing. So I am informed by my experiences with my brothers friends at Hollywood High, the CUNY school in Harlem for acting, and his friends in showbiz. The fact that my brother and friends are in the business so to speak has given me insight into what the young actor/actress, writer, director, or producer goes through to get into the field. A huge sea of disparity there to the beautiful people and the zillions of young wannabes ("throw a stone and you'll hit a writer. . .do me a favor, throw it hard.") in Hollywood. The reality and its effects make for a strange unreality where the tanner, blonder, richer, and younger you are the better (breasts, nails, tans, lawns are fake in that desert climate). . .This makes for strange make-overs on all levels for these people in show business. What D/discourses should I actively critique with my son? It is possible to begin to ask about what position the people who are brown are playing in films, the Spanish speakers, the women, gay people, etc. . . Difference is organized as certain way in general that does not necessarily hold in international, independent, or alternative films.
There are ways to battle through choice encounters with people, materials, ideas, etc. I can pose questions without beating anyone over the head with critical media lit. When I see essentializing and marginalization, I will try to call attention to it, and then exposing my son to a range of multiple languages, differences, etc would be a reasonable approach to this. However, this certainly requires diligence on both ends.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Handy Manny
Here is a brief break down on my dilemma with the show Handy Manny. Flicker, the newest (tool) character on the show, is not pictured here.
Handy Manny is the main character of a television program that inhabits the fictional community of Sheet Rock Hills. Notably, he speaks Spanish during the episodes. In fact, code-switching occurs whether the episode is aired in Spanish, English or Italian. We have contact with all three of these languages in our household, although we are English dominant. This makes the show an "educational" one because we are encouraging the use of Spanish, in particular. There are a few bilingual tools, Felipe, the philips head screwdriver, and Flicker--both speak Spanish. Felipe is bilingual and Flicker is "learning English" but seems to speak mostly Spanish. The latter is a new character and seems to rile some people by his lack of proficiency in English (crazy English only people).
So emergent bilingualism being an area of my studies and my personal life, any show that has the potential to encourage love of Spanish in our English dominant society is good.
But what about the stereotyping? There is a long and quite well-documented history of all of the ways that Hollywood, and animated films and programs, stereotyping according to gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomics, sexual preference, etc. There are countless examples--see that part of Long Tack Sam for an Asian American example, but Latino actors have had a history of being positioned as passionate, theives, etc. So how different is it to be a handyman? Manny is always seen with his baseball hat on and is of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent. There are other characters on the show who are stereotypical. You can meet abuelito, a gardener, or Mr. Kumar an "interesting" Indian man who speaks in spoonerisms, the china shop owner in purple pants. Hmmmmm. Mrs. Portillo, an older "Mexican" lady, calls on Manny for home repairs. She owns a chihuahua named Carlos and a chameleon named Maurice. Mayor Rosa is a Latina. Mr. Chu, the principal of Sheetrock Hills Elementary School, has slightly slanted eyes. How is this good for kids? Damn, I just wish I did not have to critically analyze this show.
The voices of the characters are not all played by people of that background. In fact, according to a friend, many characters on Dora that are supposedly Spanish speakers are voiced/played by white actors. Arg!
Why are three of the anthropomorphic tools "girls"? Well Dusty, the saw, is rather gender neutral. Squeeze, the pliers, has a high pitched voice and eyelashes in some drawings. While the tape measure, Stretch, is able to count well, he is also the color fushia with some purple. This makes him a female, according to my son.
My son and I can talk about why this is not necessarily so. He likes pink, in fact, but it does nothing to the hoards of pink things targeted and consumed by girls. But I digress.
I am not that conflicted, in the end. As a parent who does not allow much media consumption, I have to pick my battles. I am not going out to get a tv. We have to explain so much right now (why did we move, why can't he go to 1st grade with his friend, etc) that I can't really burst his bubble on this show. The tools are constant companions and play things, so much so that they are not seen as toys. We'll see where this goes, how long it lasts, and if I begin to get him thinking critically about the characters.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Critiques of Pop Culture
I need to examine Handy Manny and the media culture with the same scrutiny that I would subject this to:
"Barbie looks like a model, Bratz look like tramps, and Moxie Girlz look like girls." http://bit.ly/17zSz1
Thanks to Karen Wohlwend for that. I think Moxie Girlz look just like Bratz for the record.
"Barbie looks like a model, Bratz look like tramps, and Moxie Girlz look like girls." http://bit.ly/17zSz1
Thanks to Karen Wohlwend for that. I think Moxie Girlz look just like Bratz for the record.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Q: Mom, why don't we have a television?
A: We don't think it's that important. And we can watch tv on our computer.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
animoto video
Here is a bunch of old family photos, a weird combination of weddings, me acting like a mobster (see older post about my apparent contradictions), and a lot of my brother and I.
remember hope?
There is a vicious targeting of young people (Van Jones and Yosi Sergant) with progressive ideas who are in positions to make some of the change we hope for. It is not clear what is happening with Sergant and his position as director of the National Endowment For the Arts. Sergant was the key grass-roots organizer in the effort to back the Obama campaign with artists like Shepard Fairey who produced the iconic HOPE/CHANGE/PROGRESS posters.
Culture matters. This guy Beck seems to be trying to knock down the grass-roots organizers who have influence and support the agenda of the present administration.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
a few pieces from the Huffington Post
I nice political rant about what I have also been pretty melancholic about, especially since my dad is going broke with the cost of treatments for his prostate cancer. My cousin is also recently was diagnosed, and it is about time we get busy and stop letting insurance companies and others treat medicine like business.
It is also about time for another social critique from Michael Moore, and this time it is about WALL STREET and how they got away with murder. So his latest documentary, "Capitalism: A Love Story," sounds like it will be a must see.
It is also about time for another social critique from Michael Moore, and this time it is about WALL STREET and how they got away with murder. So his latest documentary, "Capitalism: A Love Story," sounds like it will be a must see.
fake Italian stuff
Of the 2 sides of my family, my mom's side (Czech) and my dad's side (Italian), I relate more to the Italian side. This is probably because that side had continued contact over the years with our family in Sardinia. I have problems, however, when I go to international potlucks. Yes, I can bring Italian food, but my grandmother died when my dad was 10. The men of the family made wine and olives. So my authentic recipes are ones from my aunt that she learned to do herself in the States.
I did hear lots of stories when I went to Sardinia, and I have heard stories from relatives living in the States. This oral storytelling and acting got handed down somewhat. I would like to think that I have it in my blood. And I do have an uncle that told stories about the mob in Chicago.
I do sort of have a weird relationship with films and mobster romanticization. On a political level I am against the mafia for what it is. In Italy, the mob takes out judges and tries to rule from a dominant position of constant threat. On the other hand, I have to admit that when I saw it, I liked Lena Olin in a movie about her as a mobster. So far, I only felt that way for that movie. Reservoir Dogs was weirdly entertaining too. Steve Buscemi as Mr. Pink helped.
I did hear lots of stories when I went to Sardinia, and I have heard stories from relatives living in the States. This oral storytelling and acting got handed down somewhat. I would like to think that I have it in my blood. And I do have an uncle that told stories about the mob in Chicago.
I do sort of have a weird relationship with films and mobster romanticization. On a political level I am against the mafia for what it is. In Italy, the mob takes out judges and tries to rule from a dominant position of constant threat. On the other hand, I have to admit that when I saw it, I liked Lena Olin in a movie about her as a mobster. So far, I only felt that way for that movie. Reservoir Dogs was weirdly entertaining too. Steve Buscemi as Mr. Pink helped.
Monday, September 14, 2009
recent art
I don't know if I have such a good sonic text tonight, but I will post some recent art. We are Handy Manny all the time here, so those bits about Play and Performance from the Jenkins piece resonate. We do not have a tv, so this obsession started because of exposure to a dancing tool box full of animated tools and then youtube. It matters little to my son if the show is in Spanish, English or Italian.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
it's moony outside
Said last night as we exited from our building into the night air.
**This photo is actually the north pole.
So often I almost miss the brilliance of a new word or song that my son likes to say, like the title of this post.
One morning he woke up singing several different refrains of
suco suco suco suco
brano brano brano brano
I've since figured out that it is his version of the phillip glass music that goes with this reamimation of 4 sesame street animation clips edited together. That music must have been something I would have never put together except that the suco part has something to do with the circles. . .
** I did not take this photo but appropriated it from google images of mooniness.
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