Eliminating Ableism in Education

 Eliminating Ableism in Education is a piece written by author Thomas Hehir. This piece goes over the aspects of ableism in schools and the negative effects it has on people with disabilities. He starts the piece by giving a specific example of a mother and her own experiences with a child with a disability in the school systems. Extended Comments: After reading a few blogs one quote used by Kate in her blog really stood out to me. It was her first quote, "Disability only becomes a tragedy for me when society fails to provide the things we need to lead our lives - job opportunities or barrier free buildings" (Hehir 2). I really liked the use of this quote as it best shows that disabilities should not be a defecate to the person who has it but can be due to society doing nothing to help these people in the first place. This quote also connects to Power and Privilege by Alan Johnson. The people in power, or society, aren't using the power and privilege they have in their lives to help them and see them as nothing more than a tragedy. In a similar way Kate’s second quote also connects back to people in power such as educators not using the privilege they have to help. Author Hehir writes, "The pervasiveness of ableist assumptions in the education of these children not only reinforces prevailing prejudices against disability but may very well contribute to low levels of educational attainment and employment" (Hehir 4). 

Here is an article addressing ableism in schools by the Oregon Department of Education.

Aria by Richard Rodriguez

 Aria by Richard Rodriguez is a piece where he is able to write about his own experience as a bilingual student in a US school. He writes about what he saw with his own family and how having to change to English as his “primary” langue affects his life in many different ways. Reflection: While reading this passage I found myself reflecting on my own life and experiences with trying to learn a second language. I tried to best imagine myself in the shoes of Rodriguez and had a very hard time trying to fully understand what he went through. I have always struggled when it came to learning Spanish whether it was in middle school, high school or even now in college. Langue has always been a difficult subject in school, and I even struggle sometimes with literacy classes. To have my native langue ripped away from me in the way he did would be absolutely horrible, not having that familiar aspect of something as simple but also complicated as langue would play a major role on me. I never looked in at myself and realized how much of a major aspect of everyday life langue played and I take it for granted especially in my educational life. I found myself trying my best to imagine having a major part of my life taken away and even not being able to go home and talk in my native tongue. I have really taken langue in a social and educational environment for granted and this passage did a fantastic job of showing what it would be like to have this happen. 

Here is another article going over bilingual learners. 

Literacy with an Attitude

 Literacy With an Attitude written by Patrick J. Finn is a piece done going over social classes and the education that comes along with them. When writing about the different social classes and schools author Finn does a great job of showing the contrasting aspects of each school and how the system can be seen failing children. Whether it be in the working class schools keeping students after the bell for punishments or to finish work Finn does a great job of showing that schools are a direct reflection of social class and staying within those social classes. Connections: This text connects back very well to Johnson's texts when it comes to privilege and power. Finn writes about how different social class areas and schools teach different things. He found that these schools are teaching in a way that students are to stay in their social class roles and continue these traditions of class roles. In Johnson’s text he talks about not knowing power unless taught that power by someone who has it. We can see this within schools as students are taught only what teachers see fit in there social class roles whether it be subconsciously or consciously.

Here is a link to what social classes are.

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