I was shocked to go into work and watch CNN Headline News and find out that Orange High School, the school I attended before transferring to NC School of Science and Math, had a school shooting today.
This is the article from CNN.com.
I can’t even express the thoughts that went through my head as I heard about this. I have friends who teach there, and the siblings of some of my friends are still in school there. Wow…this REALLY hits home for me.
For my class yesterday, we had to search for and define “culture”, particularly in respect to our fields of study within education, and our background. I defined culture by saying the following:
a set of beliefs, norms, or standards; actions and traditions for a specific group…there are several different types of culture (popular culture, dominant culture) and these might be specific to a certain racial and/or ethnic group, social class, religion, etc; and this culture may be learned and/or socially constructed.
After talking about our definitions of culture, we were broken into small groups of 5 or 6 where we had to talk about our individual culture, in terms of our career. We weren’t given a specific set of questions/topics to cover, but we were told to explain our background and to define our culture.
As I talked about myself, I talked about my race, educational background, and cultural differences that I had experienced from living in Athens and living in North Carolina. This sparked some questions, as people really wanted to understand what the differences were and how they had presented themselves to me. I was comfortable with my answers and my explanation of my own culture until the person after me began to describe her culture, and she included that she was a Christian.
My discomfort was not in the fact that she mentioned that she was a Christian, but more in the fact that I had not mentioned that I was. I most definitely felt convicted in some ways, in that I know that being a Christian is important in my life; however, it wasn’t “important enough” for me to mention it. As I thought further, I realized that I had sold myself short in terms of what the question was asking- that I limited myself, and thus excluded a very important aspect of my life.
I suppose I find this all to be very interesting (and I’m still trying to piece it together, so if this entry seems to be a bit disjointed, that would be why), because I have never considered my faith to be a culture, or to be an aspect of my culture. Surely it is, but I’ve never expanded my thinking to embrace this.
I don’t know what all of this means, but I’d like to see your comments..
“Of what value is the grace that I profess to have received if it does not dramatically change the way I live? If it doesn’t change the way I live, it will never change my eternal destiny.”
~C.H. Spurgeon
I’ve been playing catch-up with the news, but I want to know your opinion on the following things:
1. Survivor Tribes to be Divided by Race
This season, the different tribes for the CBS reality show Survivor will be divided by racial/ethnic groups. There will be a White Tribe, an African-American Tribe, a Hispanic Tribe, and an Asian Tribe. This could be interesting. And people are in an uproar about it. I’ve never really watched Survivor, but my classmates are thinking of having a weekly viewing session…so that might put me in the mix.
2. Louisiana Bus Driver forces Blacks to sit in the back
So, there are claims that a Louisiana school bus driver assigned all of the black students to the two back seats of the bus. Apparently the white students on the bus had lots of space, some having seats to themself; while the 9 black students had to sit in the 2 seats with the older children holding the younger children in their laps. I wonder what will become of this. This also makes me think of when I used to ride the bus home from school and my bus drivers (all of whom were black) used to ask us why we would always sit in the back, reminding us that there was a time when we had to sit in the back.
3. George Mason University does away with SAT Scores for high achievers
I was really excited when I read that George Mason University has decided to drop the SAT and other standardized test from their admissions requirements for students who are high achievers. The above article states that students who earn a 3.5 gpa and are in the top 20% of their high school class won’t have to submit those test scores with their applications, because the school feels that these tests are a poor indicator of academic achievement. George Mason might be starting a trend- similar to how UNC did when they decided to make the early decision admission non binding. We’ll see what happens. However, I think it’s interesting that schools are realizing something that a lot of people knew all along- those tests don’t REALLY test what you know.
So, it’s been a crazy week in my world. If we generally talked on IM, then you know that I haven’t been hanging out on instant messenger over the last few days…because…THE MONITOR ON MY LAPTOP DIED. And that might seriously make it official that CCI Laptops are the worst things offered by the University of North Carolina. I’m currently in the market for a new laptop and if anyone can recommend a place where I can acquire one for fairly cheap, you just might be my best friend.
And, now that classes are back in session, I’m trying to get back in the swing of being a full-time student…and maintaining a job that seems to have forgotten that I’m a full-time student.
Classes are going well, and my predictions about classes are pretty accurate thus far. Check this entry from August 17 for clarity. The 8am class, is MOST DEFINITELY the jumpoff. I mean really- I’m excited about going to this class and I don’t even consider going to Starbucks beforehand for my classic java chip frappuchino. You gotta love that.
And now, let me proceed to speak about my other two classes:
EFND 8150: Education and Cultural Knowledge
So, I took this class because I was interested in the material. Seriously. But it didn’t hurt that the professor goes to my church AND I took a class with her this summer and got an A. And…to be quite honest, I’m strongly considering getting a Ph.D from this department, and it would be great to have her on my side for application and assistantship purposes.
But all that aside, the class is going to be good. We read a lot of work that deals with theory of education and cultural knowledge (she’s really trying to make us be academics), and she seriously keeps it real. The assignments that we have support what we’re learning, and she doesn’t try to overload us with insane amounts of work. And- you gotta love a professor that will check someone who tries to disrespect them- ON THE VERY FIRST DAY OF CLASS. Holla at me if you want that story. It was a classic.
Additionally, we only have a few books for the class and they aren’t expensive. Once again, I love professors who don’t want to make graduate students go (even further) into debt. I’m not sure how I’ll feel about the books, but they can’t be THAT bad. And if they are, she doesn’t mind if we tell her that they suck.
ESOC 6990: Research in Early Childhood, Middle School, and Social Studies Education
This is the only class I’m taking from my department this semester and it’s the class that I’m (honestly) the LEAST excited about. These types of classes remind me of the ridiculous stats class that I had to take in undergrad for my Soci major.
Anyhow, despite having a horrible time trying to get the book that I ordered for the class to arrive, I think the class MAY be okay. The professor is all about business. She’s a cool lady, a northener with a heavy accent, but she’s got the whole “southern belle” appeal. I was sold on her the first day. What I DID NOT like was that WE ACTUALLY DID WORK ON THE FIRST DAY. Yes. The first day. We covered a chapter of material. I thought I was hallucinating or something. Who REALLY does work on the first day?
We’ll learn more about types of research and assessment as opposed to actually doing research, and we’ll learn about how to really interpret and design research. I suppose this class will be useful when I proceed to the next level. But I guess I’ll just have to see for myself.
Alright…that was a mouthful. Or a handful. Whatever. If you’re reading this and I usually talk to you, send me a text or something. Be encouraged! Peace and Blessings!
So yeah…I’m definitely a sucker for these little tests. But the irony is- I’m right on target with acting my age. I’ll be 23 on September 12th…
| You Are 23 Years Old |
 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view – and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what’s to come… love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You’ve had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You’ve been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax. |
…to school that is. Classes at UGA resumed yesterday, and I’ve gone back to being a full-time student- or something like it. Here’s a review of the classes, thus far:
SOCI 6800: Sociology of Work and Industry
I was excited about this class because I get to go back to my sociology roots. I wanted to take a class similar to this while at UNC, but I was unable to find it at a time that fit my schedule. Anyhow, at UGA we’re required to take content courses to fulfill our social science requirements…so I ended up here.
I think this class will be interesting. We’ll cover some traditional sociological ideas from old-school theorists such as C. Wright Mills and some new stuff as well. I’m really excited about the excerpts that we’ll be reading from a book entitled “No Shame in My Game: The Working Poor in the Inner City“.
Other than being in a mosquito/roach infested classroom located in the basement of an old building, this class is promising. The professor is cool (he’ll be bring coffee every week and told us to bring our jump drives so that he could give us all the articles), the people seem even cooler, and I’ll be glad to get back to my traditional field of study. I’ll keep you posted.
EPSY 6300: Introduction to School Psychology
I enrolled in this class because we’re encouraged to take other education classes- higher ed, social foundations of ed, ed psych, ed admin- just to fulfill some requirements and to be well rounded. When I first became interested in education, I thought that I would want to get my Ph.D in Ed Psych. But times change, and so do our minds…
This class had the potential to be GREAT…but there were some shortcomings. There were only 7 people in the class, and while I’m all about seminars, it’s not what I was expecting for an “intro” class. Of those 7 people, 4 of them were doctoral students in the School Psych program. That wasn’t a deterrent, but what did deter me was the professor basically talking to those 4 doctoral students the ENTIRE class period. I, along with the other 2 students in the class who aren’t in the doctoral program got NO eye contact, NO questions, NOTHING. I left class wondering why I came, and that led me to my next decision: dropping the class.
Classes for grad students are hard to come by outside of their department, but it wasn’t something that I needed- and since she hadn’t created a curriculum for people outside of the School Psych program, I didn’t think that I should take it. If a class is going to be open to all people, you should teach it that way. Anyhow, I figured I could find something else to spend my tuition dollars on…
PSYC 6500: The Psychology of Prejudice
As of now, this class is the winner in the bunch. The professor is excited, the material is interesting (although the books ARE pricey), and I actually know some people in the class; despite the fact that it is outside of my department. It’s a class that has undergrad and grad students (yay for meeting more people), and the professor seems to be REAL. She is all about creating an open classroom environment where we are honest with ourselves and each other, and she started by telling us where some of her own prejudices might be.
We’ll read some good material, some that I’ve read before; from people such as Peggy McIntosh, Beverly Tatum, and W.E.B. DuBois. Reading good stuff for a class is always exciting.
The downfall of this class- it’s at 8am. On Tuesdays AND Thursdays. I might as well be a first year student in Chem 011.
so…that’s the rundown thus far. I’ve got 2 more classes to check out. I’ll keep you updated…
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’”
~Lamentations 3:22-24
This morning as I was driving to work, feeling a little gloomy because I was tired and just a little discouraged in my spirit, I saw the rays of sun shining through the clouds and I was almost moved to tears. It really felt as if God was shining his mercies down on me. I was reminded that as the verse above says, God’s compassions are new every morning; and that God is faithful to us- even when we aren’t as faithful to Him as we should be.
Whatever your situation might be, be encouraged and know that God has not forgotten and that He is faithful. He ALWAYS keeps his promises, and I can truly testify to that.
Be encouraged! Peace and Blessings!
“Yes, God is real; real in my soul. Yes, God is real; for He has washed and made me whole. His love for me is like pure gold. Yes, God is real for I can feel him in my soul.”
I love to read. I started reading at a very young age- my parents say I was around 3 years old, and my life hasn’t been the same since. For years, I received gift cards for any and every possible occasion, and they were always to a bookstore. My parents, while excited about my love for reading were always dismayed at the gift cards because they knew that going to a bookstore with me would be a LONG adventure. To this day, my parents refuse to accompany me to any bookstore, saying, “I mean, Erin, I just don’t want to be there ALL day.”
As a future educator (pending the outcome of these Praxis II Scores- y’all keep praying for that), I understand the importance of reading. And I don’t think that I can begin to explain my frustration when I look at people’s profiles on The Facebook and it says something like “I don’t read/Reading is Wack/etc…” If you’re on The Facebook, chances are you’ve read SOMETHING- and you probably liked it. But I guess it’s not cool to be a reader, or you know, an academic. God forbid you actually use and expand upon the intelligence and abilities that helped you get into college in the first place.
But, I digress. In today’s Durham Herald Sun, I found this article which talks about the Stanford L. Warren Branch Library, on Fayetteville Street in Durham. While I’ve only been in the library once, I’ve passed it so many times in my life; as it’s location is very close to my grandmother’s church. At any rate, the article tells the history of the library, and states that today marks the 90th anniversary of the beginning of public library services for blacks in Durham County.
Thinking of that, I guess I feel that we’ve gotten a little too comfortable with our situation. I think that we forget that it used to be a crime to teach blacks how to read. I think that we forget that even today, people believe that the best way to hide information from blacks is to put it in a book. I think that we forget that people fought and died for rights and services such as the one mentioned above. Yesterday my pastor indicated that our generation is in a problematic situation because we have, in some ways, been disserviced by our families; taught that we have made it to the promised land, when in fact, we have not. Thus, we have a sense of entitlement; and we feel that we are owed certain things, that we should actually be fighting to achieve.
All that said, I’ma close with some of my favorite books…and I’d love to hear your thoughts and/or your favorite books too!
Some of my Favorite Books (Not in any particular order after the first one):
1. The Bible (yeah, all 66 books, but I’m really partial to the New Testament)
2. The Purpose Driven Life
3. The Dream Giver
4. Savage Inequalities
5. The Autobiography of Malcolm X
6. Pride and Prejudice
7. The House of Mirth
8. A Raisin in the Sun
9. The Souls of Black Folk
10. Invisible Man
11. Native Son
12. East of Eden
Right now, I don’t have much to write about- but there are some things that I want to say. And, I’ll warn you that it is quite random.
things that bother me:
1. The AJC’s Sunday edition is available for purchase on Saturday. So basically, my Sunday newspaper is like 2 days old. I guess I should check the web for news updates.
2. My job tries to charge me $0.15 for a cup of water. Are you freaking kidding me? And then when I bring in our special work cup, you want to check my drink and make sure that I got water?
things for me to be excited about:
1. School starts on Wednesday- AND I like my classes. This time next year I’ll be “Erin Davis, M.Ed”.
2. Football is back on TV. Yes, it’s preseason. Yes, it’s 5th string. Yes, it’s slow. But it’s FOOTBALL!
3. My sisters are following in my footsteps and are trying out for the volleyball team. WHEN they make the team, I might seriously have to venture out to PHX to check them out on the court.
old school songs for right now:
1. “Incomplete” – Sisqo
2. “On Broadway” – George Benson
3. “The Love We Had” – Dru Hill
I suppose I’m in a music mode right now, but recently I’ve been thinking of how the words of Marvin Gaye’s classic hit “What’s Going On” are so true in today’s society. I remember listening to this song in the car with my dad (probably the same car with no air-conditioning that I reference in the previous post)
I know we could all sing the song from memory, but look at some of the lyrics:
“Mother, mother/There’s too many of you crying/Brother, brother, brother/There’s far too many of you dying/You know we’ve got to find a way/To bring some lovin’ here today…Father, father/We don’t need to escalate/You see, war is not the answer/For only love can conquer hate/You know we’ve got to find a way/To bring some lovin’ here today…”
Another song that our parents would appreciate that is true for today’s society would be “Wake Up Everybody” by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. Check the lyrics:
“Wake up everybody no more sleeping in bed/No more backward thinkin, time for thinkin ahead/The world has changed so very much/From what it used to be/There is so much hatred, war, and poverty/Wake up all the teachers time to teach a new way/Maybe then they’ll listen to what you have to say/Cause they’re the ones who’s coming up and the world is in their hands/When you teach the children teach them the best you can.”
And just the other day, Sherrell and I were talking about John Mayer’s song “Waiting on the World to Change”, and how it may be the “What’s Going On” for our generation. Some of the lyrics are:
“Now if we had the power/To bring our neighbors home from war/They would’ve never missed a Christmas/No more ribbons on the door/When you trust your television/What you get is what you got/Cuz when when they own the information ooohhh/They can bend it all they want…”
I suppose we find that art reflects life and that life reflects art. I’m not sure if this is the chicken and the egg debate or the nature/nurture debate, but I guess it’s interesting to see how some things, no matter how much time has passed, will generally always hold some sort of relevance.
“This song was 30 years ahead of its’ time.” ~My Daddy, on “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye
