You are......... I am????????????

 One must find a sliver of amusement when pondering the state of our education system and the youth which it is intended to serve. The irony is comical to me, honestly. Our youth attend school within a system that most would believe exists to inform and facilitate in their development. Yielding society well learned and adjusted individuals. However, our young scholars face a multitude of challenges daily. Challenges that impede progression socially, economically, emotionally, and educationally. 

These challenges in many cases have become the focus within our education system. Our system has placed an emphasis on our scholars' inabilities rather than their strengths in most cases. It is this fact which I find full of irony and comedic sadness. The expectation is positive progression and success, while highlighting negative attributes and behaviors. We learn in Shannon Renkly’s Shifting the Paradigm from Deficit Oriented Schools to Asset Based Models: Why Leaders Need to Promote an Asset Orientation in our Schools this practice is known as the deficit model.

Renkly points out the deficit model works well in a variety of systems to include business. Agreeing with that point, Renkly also informs one system the deficit model does not work well in is education. We can not expect positive outcomes in our education system if it is focused on negatives. In my opinion the deficit model in education fosters negative experiences for students. While promoting maladaptive mindsets within the students it is intended to serve. Ultimately increasing participation in other systems of oppression to include incarceration and social assistance programing.

If our education system focused on the talents and natural abilities of our students. We would see drastically different outcomes. First, student relationships with education and the adults within the education system would be strengthened. Secondly, students would be more likely to engage in educational courses and work. Lastly, an increased attention to our students' positive attributes and resolution of the challenges they face daily will allow a student the ability to focus and care to learn. As their confidence and educational stamina are elevated, engagement increases and learning can occur. To say a student is not motivated to learn, is an excuse for those whose charge is to educate. 

Students often are unmotivated because their experience(s) within education have been trauma filled. Coupled with a feeling of discouragement and failure, many students may feel hopeless instead of hopeful when the thought of education is presented to them. This is aligned with the asset based model which has many intrinsic benefits for the student, faculty, family, and community within the student’s life.

The Broken Model????

 This reading examines many systems and their validity today. Focusing on the education system. I would say most today have some negative thoughts in regards to the education system within the United States. I am no different than anyone who the last statement is true for. There are two questions that immediately come to mind. First; why do most have negative feelings or thoughts surrounding our educational system? Second; Why have these thoughts and feelings not been addressed? I do hope to gain clarity to these questions. 

The first section of the reading informs us on the history of our education system. Adopted from Prussia; it is rigid and serves many purposes. One of which is to create a base level of education for the public. While fulfilling labor demands of industry. One would think that is a positive purpose for an educational system. Another purpose of our education system as described in the reading “The standard classroom model offered boundless opportunities for political indoctrination”. The Broken Model Ch.2 pg.76. 

So, if I am understanding this correctly. Our education system’s intentions are to fill needs of industry and indoctrination. I mean these can not be the only purposes for our education system. Youth should be learning, creating, questioning theories and all that fun stuff right? Let’s circle back to that question. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, I am looking for answers and only accumulating more questions.

Ok, it’s official. The first section has me feeling all the feels. The second and third sections of this reading did much more of the same. We delve into the trap of efficiency, prioritization and predictability of our education system. I mean really the further I get into this reading the more I realize the education system has many avenues of work to accomplish and bettering the population isn’t necessarily at the top of the list.

 

We learn although early on the purposes our education system satisfied were very well intended and some may argue beneficial. However, society and culture have evolved and our system of education has not. WoW! We have an answer to one of those initial questions. So many of us have negative views or opinions because we live in the time that we do and our system addresses our past as a society. Critical thinking, creativity and self motivation were not important in generations past. The Prussian model which our system is based on oppresses those attributes. As a result the system is no longer serving us collectively. While it does not serve the masses, it does serve industry which drives capitalism. Question two answered, that is why our negative feelings and notions concerning the education system go unaddressed. Is our education system broken?, or simply outdated.

   

Who's Colorblind

 When It Hurts.............................

          Colorblindness is a disability, It must be horrible to confuse or not be able to identify certain colors. I cannot imagine how difficult life must be for someone who suffers from this unfair physical disadvantage.

It is my belief when most think of colorblindness, initial thoughts surround the physical ailment or disability. This week’s reading shed light on several other ailments associated with colorblindness. The colorblindness referenced this week had no association with blues, or grays but all association with whites.

Colorblindness is a term used to make white people in America feel safe and yielding protection from ills associated with the innate privileges garnered simply for being white. Many white people associate being a good or decent person with being colorblind. That notion is laughable to me. It was stated (This is my interpretation) white people often do not think of race because they don’t have to. They are in a sense nose blind to the fact that simply being born affords them luxuries others do not dare think of possessing. 

To be colorblind gives the ultimate excuse not to examine whiteness! Whiteness un-examined perpetuates racism does it not? If this is fact, why do those who consider themselves allies choose to identify as colorblind? There is direct conflict in what is said and action taken. It is my opinion a white person in America cannot be a brother or sister and be colorblind or identify as such. Think long and hard on that one and ask yourself, do you agree with my stance or not? If you do not, what does that say about me or you?

I wonder, If one does not see color in America, what do they see? I personally have never experienced colorblindness in my personal life. White people always react to my black skin in both positive and negative ways. I would wager however some of those same people would identify or align themselves with being colorblind.

We Learn.............................