Where I'm From

Where I'm From



 



I am from tire swings, from mud pies, and hay bales.

I am from a farm with cows I fed with my grandpa riding on his tractor.

I am from the apple orchard, and the grape vines that fed us their fruits in the summer.

I am from big Sunday meals and opening just one present on Christmas Eve, from Winklers, and Moffatts, and Langmeyers.

I am from the Saturday morning cartoons, and playing superheros with my older brothers.

From what happens in our home stays in our home and family comes first.
I am from grandparents who raised me as their own.

I am from a home who didn't go to church but knew there was something bigger.  I am from finding God at a track meet with my best friends who are still my best friends today.

I am from Germany and Italy, Cuyahoga Falls, and Marsh Run Road, and making homemade pizzas every Friday night.

From a family who loves unconditionally, fights, celebrates birthdays with parties, and shares laughter. 

I am from loss of loved ones who embedded these traits in us.
I am from a mom who fought til the end to make sure we knew how much she loved us.

I am from an old box of tin type photos and a farm that often calls me home. 

video comparison

     After watching the two videos assigned, I felt the Fox News and Ebonics video reflected a cultural deficit perspective and the video titled What Matter:  Code Switching reflected a cultural difference perspective. 
     The Fox News video depicted the African American language as wrong or a "deficit".  Gerald McClendon;  author of the book Ax or Ask?, was brought to a school to teach students the proper or correct way to speak.  Most students interviewed stated they were just not taught any different and no one corrected them along the way.  This report seemed to treat these individuals as inferior due to the way they pronounced words which according to the article Concepts for Understanding: Educational Learning Theories states that cultural deficit theory justified the belief that certain groups were intelligently inferior to others, particularly to the group in charge. 
     What Matters: Code Switching  on the other hand allowed for students to use their language and were encouraged to learn a "business" dialect to succeed in the coorporate world.  This documentary explained that individuals' lauguages should be accommodated and teachers should try to meet students where they are recognizing that all have the same ability to learn.  The cultural difference perspective is defined as just that- meaning- this theory focuses on people's lives and providing a way of seeing classroom and real world obstacles as misunderstandings. 
     As a finishing point, may I say, that as a whole our nation needs to be less ignorant to other cultures and human beings.  We say we are a tolerant nation and people, yet we discriminate against those around us constantly, for the way others dress, social status, and the way we speak.  As new educators coming up against a system that has many cracks, this obstacle is one of many...  it is our duty to be aware of this tough issues and be as informed as possible and ready to stand in the gap for those young people who can not stand up for themselves.