Boston Ballet Dance Program for children with Down Syndrome

Look at this video. It's beautiful how children with disabilities are able to perform Ballet when the opportunity is given to them without any judgements of their physical/mental condition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkWlpYK77SA

Diversity Event

The Mixer – April 8, 2009.
Sponsored by ALLIED.

This was a great event. The purpose was to tell others in/outside RIC about ALLIED and what it stands for. Many staffs and also people from other schools were invited. After some of the first members of ALLIED told their experiences and why they keep coming back, the guests had the opportunity to introduce themselves, make comments and ask questions. Well now I want to say why this event was so important not only for me but also for all that were there. I would start by telling what is ALLIED.
ALLIED started in 2006 as a small group with only 8 members. But now as of spring ‘09 there are around 34 members. What first began as a small group of students gathering together and advising each other, now has become an official class.
ALLIED is for students in the educational field. The class meets every Wednesday during the free period (12:00 – 2:00 pm). But the most important is that ALLIED is a diversity class and is constituted by “unrepresented” groups (LGBT, parents, African Americans, Latinos, Asian, etc.) in RIC. There are also white people in the class. So you may ask what a white person does in an unrepresented group. Well, s/he may be white but could also be a parent, or low-class, etc.
When students are ask why they keep coming back to ALLIED they say when they are in the class they feel like being at home and feel comfortable been with others that are in the same situation. Anybody in the education department can register for the class. If you do, you will not regret it. In ALLIED you get the advise you need as what classes to take, how to prepare for the PRAXIS, how to manage stress, what to do if you are failing a class, etc. And you also get FREE LUNCH every class. NOW, want to know who is the teacher of the class? Dr. Bogad. This is a 1 credit class and it’s free. So PLEASE get enroll so you can experience it yourself. If you want more info. Get in contact with Dr. Bogad.

i think this event can be related to:
Johnson: because we talked about many issues like how it feel to be part of an unrepresented group and how to advocate for yourself--"use the words"-2-find soultions and make a change.

Delpit: while talking about different strategies of how to speak up for your rights, the rules and codes of power are taught.

Carlson: there were many people who identify themselves as LGBT. During this event i could hear some of their experiences and how good they feel for been part of a group (a class like ALLIED) where many others are going through the same situation or something similar.

What Can We Do?

Becoming Part of the Solution

Allan G. Johnson

Johnson argues that the problem of privilege and oppression is not part of the past but that is happening now, in the present. In this article, Johnson offers a variety of actions every individual can perform in order to become part of the solution which would led to a big change not only in our society but in the whole world.

* "The problem of privilege and oppression is deep and wide, and to work with it we have to be able to see it clearly so that we can talk about it in useful ways." (p. 138)

In order for us to make any change about this big problem, first we need to recognize the problem exist and that each of us have something to do with it, directly or indirectly. We can't get deffensive because it can not take us anywhere. Then we have to talk about the problem, "use the words" as Johnson always says, so we can find solutions. Then we must ACT and finally, change would come...
PROBLEM-> see-> talk-> analyze-> solution-> ACT->->->->->CHANGE!!!!!!!!

* Myth 1: "It's always been this way , and it always will." (p. 142)

This is what most of us think. Don't want to sound rude, but after reading this part of Johnson article, i realized that most of us are really ignorant. I have to say i used to think that way, but reality is that when God first created the world nothing was the way it is today. Things have changed with the pass of the years and because majority of us are affraid to avocate for ourselves and work together so the world change and become what it was at the beginning.......not full of oppression but tolerance......

* Myth 2: "Gandhi's Paradox and the Myth of No Effect" (p.145)

Long-term + Short-term Work 2 soften = CHANGE!!!!!

Many of us think that one person's effort or action can't make any difference in such a big and complicated world. But i remember a saying dominican people always use, "drop by drop fills a glass". This is what Johnson argues in this part of his article, that the effort of anly one person can't do so much but what if another person take action and then another one, and so on... Is there any possibility of change? what Johnson is asking us is to work first by ourself and then collectively.

This world is crying for a change. We need to take action and stop complaining or getting deffensive. We need to recognize there is a big problem out there which is affecting every single individual. It doesn't matter if you are a privileged person or are part of the oppressed group, all of us need to work together. We need to have faith that the change would happen and be patient because, as Johnson mantions in his article, this is a long-term work...

Citizenship in School:

Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome

Christopher Kliewer

The author argues that all children deserve the same education, it doesn't matter if he/her has any health or physical condition. What matters is education equity.

• "I started to notice that I didn't like the classes I was taking called special education. I had to go through special ed. almost all my life. I wanted to take other classes that interested me. I had never felt so mad, I wanted to cry. (Peterson, 1994, p.6)

It is sad that many children are placed in classes that they don’t even want to take just because they are considered to be disable. Sometimes these kids are placed in classes below their educational level. How can they keep learning if the opportunity is not given to them?

• “How absurd to be judged by others at all, especially by those who have never experienced a disability or who are unwillingly providing us with support or who don’t listen to the voices we have.” (p. 72)

This is totally true. I think no one can determine the capacity of a person, even if he/she has any disability, but the person himself. As the quote states, nobody who hasn’t go through something similar as these individuals with Down syndrome, can’t comprehend how it feels neither determine the educational level they are able to acquire.

• “If you came into the room and were told there was a retarded child in the class, a child with special needs, I don’t think you would pick Lee out. The kids really agree that he’s as capable as they are. Intellectually the same.” (p. 83)

When children with any disability are isolated, I mean placed in a specific classroom all together, and separated from those who are considered to be normal and capable, this creates a serious problem. The opportunity of having the same education as all others kids is taken away from them.

Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work

Jean Anyon

The author argues that wealthy schools offer a better education and also prepare students so they can get better jobs than those who attend middle and working class schools. Anyon considers this to be a hidden curriculum. The author used examples of different schools to illustrate the influence of economic status in a child’s education.

• Working-Class Schools.
“In the two working class schools, work is following the steps of a procedure. The procedure is usually mechanical, involving rote behavior and very little decision making or choice. The teachers rarely explain why the work is being assigned, how it might connect to other assignments, or what the idea is that lies behind the procedure or gives it coherence and perhaps meaning or significance.”

• Middle-Class Schools.
“In middle-class school, work is getting the right answer. If one accumulates enough right answers, one gets a good grade. One must follow the directions in order to get the right answers, but the directions often call for some figuring, some choice, some decision making.”

• Affluent Professional School.
“In the affluent professional school, work is creative activity carried out independently. The students are continually asked to express and apply ideas and concepts. Work involves individual thought and expressiveness, expansion and illustration of ideas, and choice of appropriate method and material.”


The three quotes above show the difference between the education children acquire this depending on their economical status. For instance, there is a big gap between the education a working-class student and an upper-class student receive. All this is because of money. It doesn’t matter if the poor kid is intelligent and have the desires to succeed in life, the opportunity is denied to him. Expectation is another big problem affecting our schools. Most people expect a rich kid to do better in school than a middle-class or lower-class kid. I wonder how they can think that way. I know a rich kid has more input and more tools around him to use and become a very intelligent person. But can intelligence only be acquire with money? What if the same tools are offered to a poor kid in school? Wouldn’t he be as intelligent as the rich kid?

ANITA HILL IS A BOY

Tales from a Gender – Fair Classroom
Peggy Orenstein

The author argues that gender equity activities need to be included in schools’ curriculum. This can teach students we all are human and deserve the same respect no matter is we are men or women.

• “Women are one-half of the world’s people; they do two-thirds of the world’s work; they earn one-tenth of the world’s income; they own one one-hundredth of the world’s property.”

I love this quote. All it says is true. We women do most of the work, starting from home-work. Most of us have to work and also take care of the kids and the house. But we don’t get pay as well as men. We are considered we don’t qualify for certain jobs but we do can bring men to this world.

• “It disturbed me that although girls were willing to see men as heroes, none of the boys would see women that way.”

This is so true; men don’t want to recognize we women sometimes can be equally or better than them is some aspects. Some just don’t recognize it because they think that by doing so they can lose their “power – position”.

• “The boys definitely resent it, … . “They think Ms. Logan is sexist. But you know what I think? I think that it’s the resentment of losing their place. In our other classes, the teachers just focus on men, but the boys don’t complain that that’s sexist. They say, ‘It’s different in those classes because we’re focusing on the important people in history, who just happen to ne men.’ ”
Sometimes I think most men are so ignorant. How can the even think the most important people in history were men. Did they forget about those women who fought not only for women’s rights but for men’s rights too, for instance, Rosa Parks? Or did they forget about the woman who brought them to this world who happens to be a hero in their own history just for carrying them inside her belly for nine months and then take care of them until they were around 20 years old?

This has been one the best papers I’ve read in this class. It’s not because I’m a women but because it says the true. I hope teachers like Ms. Logan keep teaching kind of thing to students so one they this world change.

“One More River to Cross” – Recognizing the Real Injury in Brown:

A Prerequisite to Shaping New Remedies.

Charles Lawrence


The author argues that segregation and discriminition still exist in America. To ilustrate this problem, the author presents the case of Brown vs. the Board of Education. He explains how discrimination is affectiing our school system.

• “The mere placement of black and white children in the same school does not remove that brand imprinted by years of segregation.” (Pg. 283)

nowadays many of our schools are mix and whites, blacks, and latinos children can take classes in the same classrooms, one still can see white privilege and how different black and latinos are been treated by some proffesors and school staffs.

• “We must Devise and Demand Remedies That Go beyond Mere Pupil Placement.” (Pg. 287)

This quote is very explicit and direct. In other words what it is saying is that we need to reconignize that the problem exist so we can find solutions. As Johnson says, we need to use the words in order to make any change.

• “It is nontheless important that we keep these self-evindent truths clear in our minds. Too often we have been sidetracked in our struggle because we have lost sight of our goal, or accepted the oppressor’s definitions, or mistaken the means for the ends”. (Pg. 293)

All of us who reconigze the existance of discrimination in our school system and want to make a change, need to keep fighting no matter what. Each individual has the right to be treated as any one else, it doesn’t matter the color of his’her skin or background. We need to fight to create equality in our society.


I found this article a little dificult to read but is is very interesting. I agree with the author’s argument about segregation and discrimination in our schools. I hope one day we don’t have this problem any more. I have experienced discrimination myself since I came to this country and school was not the exception. I can tell myselft how difficult and frustrating it is for a child to go through something like that.

In The Service Of What?

Kahne and Westheimer argue that service learning is vital in the education of a child. Our school system is aware of this and most of our school had made service learning part of their curriculum. But there are two kinds of service, the one made for charity and the other which is made for change. In some way, both have the same intentions, help needed people and also educate students involved in the process. Besides the similarities, there are differences between these two types of services, as which of the two would be the most beneficial for our society and which would serve better as a reinforce in a child personal and educational development. Here is where the big question comes, “In the service of what?” .This is the question many educators have being asking themselves at the time they introduce service learning in their classrooms.

• “Service learning makes students active participants in service projects that aim to respond to the needs of the community while furthering the academic goals of students.”

This quote explicitly says how vital service learning can be in the life and education of a child. At the same time a child help those in needs also learn.

• “Mr. Johnson had his students participate in community service projects of their own choosing. For example, one student worked in a center for babies whose mothers had high levels of crack cocaine in their bloodstreams during pregnancy. … By finding and engaging in community service activities, Mr. Johnson explained, students would interact with those less fortunate than themselves and would experience the excitement and joy of leaning while using community as their classroom.”

This quote is an example of service learning as charity. As students help those “less fortunate” they can learn. But some of the problems when doing service learning as charity are that sometimes it is a school requirement and the students end up doing it for obligation and that when obligation is involved no reflection on what is being done is made.

• “Working together, Ms. Adams and her students identified issues of common concern and then voted to focus their energy on the issue of homeless. … They developed action plans to aid relief efforts for homeless in their communities and raised funds for two homeless advocacy groups the class had selected. During whole-class and small-group discussions and also writing, they reflected on the readings, on what they had learned from the invited speakers, and on their own experiences while working on the project.”

This is an example of service learning done for change. When students participate and collaborate to make some change in their community more leaning occur because as the quote above mentions, there is reflection involve. This kind of service is long-term and is more beneficial for the community.


After reading this article I found myself asking in what kind of service I was involve while I was in high school. I remember it was required to do service learning in order to graduate and when I was in 12TH grade my English teacher had us go to a child daycare near by the school twice a week. There I had to help the kids with their reading. To be honest, I liked to go and help them because these were poor kids who needed the help. I think my experience can be considered as charity but today I think in a different way and if I had to do service learning again I’ll do it because I want to make some change in my community.

Taste of Culture ' 09

Sponsored by LASO.
I had the opportunity to participate in this activity which was held on Friday 20, 2009 at the Ballroom (Student Union). The purpose of this activity is to gather people from different cultures so they can have a good time as they enjoy Hispanic food and music. There were Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Africans, Americans, Guatemalans, and much more. I had a great time that night. The food was really good. They were playing Bachata, Merengue, Salsa, and all kind of Hispanic music. There were also many performances by some of the members of LASO. Below are some pic's so you can take a look…

Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us

Linda Christensen


Christensen argues that children cartoons and media have a big influence in children since a very early stage. This is known as a “secret education” which with the pass of the time makes one become in a person that oneself don’t even know.

• “When we read children’s books, we aren’t just reading cute little stories, we are discovering the tools with which a young society is manipulated.” (Pg. 126).
• “The impact of racism begins early. Even in our preschool years, we are exposed to misinformation about people different from us.” (Pg. 126).
• Children’s cartoons, movies, and literature are perhaps the most influential genre ‘read’.” (Pg. 127).
• “My student don’t want to believe that they have been manipulated by children’s media or advertising.” (Pg. 128).
• “Indians in ‘Looney Tunes’ are also depicted as inferior human beings. These characters are stereotypical to the greatest degree, carrying tomahawks, painting their faces, and sending smoke signals as their only means of communication. …We begin to imagine Indians as savages with bows and arrows and long black braids. There’s no room in our minds for knowledge of the difference between tribes, like the Cherokee alphabet or Celilo salmon fishing.”

The quotes above reflect the way we’re all manipulated since a very early stage in our lives by the media. And personally, I have to admit the media plays a big role in my life. Since I was a kid, I remember playing with Barbie Dolls and all I wanted was to look like them, be skinny, and have long beautiful hair, etc. but since I was a little fat the influence Barbie Dolls had in my life were not good at all, my self-esteem was really low and even today I’m dealing with that problem. But besides toys and children’s cartoons, we are exposed to movies, TV shoes, music videos, and all kind of media, that have bad influence in one’s life. As one of the quotes mentioned above says, we are being manipulated by the media.