Pushout - Chapter 2 (pg 57-96)
Welcome back, readers!
I'm excited to share what I have read over the week.
In chapter 2, Morris starts the chapter by, again, talking about 2 different students who had been arrested by the police because of actions such as "kicking and scratching, which presented a threat to the safety of others in the school, specifically her classmates and her teacher" and "throwing books, toys, and wall hangings, amounting to a "tantrum"..." Again, as I mentioned in the previous blog, it amazes me how the author draws my attention to the book by starting off with interesting incidents that she had heard about from different people.
I personally felt that she was using logos to appeal what she had researched about preschool. These numbers of percentages definitely gave me an idea of how the numbers of Black children who had out-of-school suspension had increased over time. This would definitely help the readers to be able to image the increase that has happened during the times that the author had mentioned in this paragraph.
"Today, Black children are 19 percent of preschool enrollment, but 47 percent of preschool-age children who have had one out-of-school suspension. Black girls are 20 percent of female preschool enrollment, but 54 percent of girls receiving one or more out-of-school suspensions. Between 2002 and 2006, per-district suspension rates of Black girls increased by 5.3 percent compared to a 1.7 percent increase for Black boys. Among the nation's ten highest-suspending school districts, Black girls with one or more disability experienced the highest suspension rate of all girls (57)."
Generally, when I read this book, I had more upsetting than understanding moments. This book shows how stereotypes of Black students or just people, in general, are so strong, the author pinpoints it out so well. She describes how most people would be imagining a "brown-skinned young woman."
"Even as you read this - no matter your race, background, or ethnicity - your mind is likely floating toward an image of a brown-skinned young woman with her arms folded, lips pursed, and head poised to swivel as she gives a thorough "eye-reading" and then settles into either an eye roll or a teeth-sucking dismissal. Or maybe you imagined her head tilted, her eyebrows raised, and her hands on her hips (one or two, depending on the circumstance). Or possibly you envisioned her face with a scowl, her lips slightly turned up to show just a few teeth (58)."
Honestly, I was really shocked when she started listing all these body expressions that most people would imagine. I think Morris used the strategy of imagery very well here. It was very specific and detailed on how one would imagine a brown-skinned lady when she is showing an "attitude." Linking this to current events, I think most of us are definitely influenced by shows, sitcoms, or even advertisements that happen to appear before a video that we are about to watch on YouTube. When we watch certain shows that have Black females cast in it, we see at least one scene where she puts her hand or hands on her hips, tilting her head, lips pursed, and her eyebrows raised. I personally think the cause (not always in a bad way) of these stereotypes that we have is influenced by our everyday hobbies such as watching a favorite show on Netflix.
Throughout this chapter, Morris approaches more Black girls from different schools, continuing from the previous chapter but for a different reason. She generally asks them how their relationship with their teachers are. They then talk about how their teachers remove them from their classrooms because of their "attitude" and because they are not docile. It is clear that this affects the learning environment, relationships with teachers, and the students' commitment to school. Not only is the relationship between the students and the teachers are downgrading, but the respect the teacher has for these Black girls is also decreasing as well. Connecting this to our school lives right now, at least for me personally, my relationships with my own teachers have never been better. I still have not found the accurate reason for this but teachers here are much more supportive and willing to help with their best ability. In North Carolina, teachers did not show much care towards their students but really treated us like homework machines. As a person who takes human relationship seriously, I could only imagine how tough it would have been for the Black students in their respective schools with mistreatment from their teachers.
"To put Mia's point in a different way, sometimes these girls are triggered by adults "talking down" to them, or speaking to them as if they are not worthy of respect (63)."
It also was devastating to see how these students who were in school were called "slow."
"For Shai in Chicago, it was the suggestion that she was not smart. "[My school is] predominantly White," she said. "Okay, I'm terrible in math. So when little Suzie gets the question wrong, it's like, 'Aww... you got the question wrong.' It's funny. When I get a question wrong, it's like, 'Oh, she's slow. What's wrong with her?' I get so angry, number one, because I already told them I'm bad at math. Number two, because I'm not slow. Like, don't call me slow at all. I take my education seriously. Do not call me slow. That's why I'm at school, to learn... That triggers it. It does not only make me want to fight them, it makes me want to... it makes me want to ask them, why would they say something like that? The fact that I'm the only Black kid in the school, it's like, 'Oh, are we back in the 1950s now?'(87)"
Just by reading what she said, I could tell that she was really willing to learn since she knows that her weakness in math is present. And furthermore, she knows the purpose of why she needs to go to school - to learn. Compared to students today, I have witnessed several students, especially in North Carolina, who do not care about what they learn but just try to get out of school as soon as they can, skip as many classes as they can, or at least just getting a passing grade which is a 65. I think teachers from these schools, that are mentioned in the book, should have more respect towards the students who are willing to learn. There already are teachers who do not show much interest in helping because the students are not either. But like this Black student from a predominantly White school who is willing to learn deserves the respect and help that she needs.
All in all, I am really enjoying talking about schools because I think I have the advantage to be able to compare it with where I used to live and where I am living now. My school in North Carolina had about 1600 students from 9th to 12th grade and almost half of them were African Americans. It is easier for me to read this book because I can relate to it since I have witnessed such situations caused by racism. I love how Morris breaks up sections to talk about different topics with different students which makes the reading much easier and fun. I am excited to share more of my thoughts with you in the near future! I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog!
I'm excited to share what I have read over the week.
In chapter 2, Morris starts the chapter by, again, talking about 2 different students who had been arrested by the police because of actions such as "kicking and scratching, which presented a threat to the safety of others in the school, specifically her classmates and her teacher" and "throwing books, toys, and wall hangings, amounting to a "tantrum"..." Again, as I mentioned in the previous blog, it amazes me how the author draws my attention to the book by starting off with interesting incidents that she had heard about from different people.
I personally felt that she was using logos to appeal what she had researched about preschool. These numbers of percentages definitely gave me an idea of how the numbers of Black children who had out-of-school suspension had increased over time. This would definitely help the readers to be able to image the increase that has happened during the times that the author had mentioned in this paragraph.
"Today, Black children are 19 percent of preschool enrollment, but 47 percent of preschool-age children who have had one out-of-school suspension. Black girls are 20 percent of female preschool enrollment, but 54 percent of girls receiving one or more out-of-school suspensions. Between 2002 and 2006, per-district suspension rates of Black girls increased by 5.3 percent compared to a 1.7 percent increase for Black boys. Among the nation's ten highest-suspending school districts, Black girls with one or more disability experienced the highest suspension rate of all girls (57)."
Generally, when I read this book, I had more upsetting than understanding moments. This book shows how stereotypes of Black students or just people, in general, are so strong, the author pinpoints it out so well. She describes how most people would be imagining a "brown-skinned young woman."
"Even as you read this - no matter your race, background, or ethnicity - your mind is likely floating toward an image of a brown-skinned young woman with her arms folded, lips pursed, and head poised to swivel as she gives a thorough "eye-reading" and then settles into either an eye roll or a teeth-sucking dismissal. Or maybe you imagined her head tilted, her eyebrows raised, and her hands on her hips (one or two, depending on the circumstance). Or possibly you envisioned her face with a scowl, her lips slightly turned up to show just a few teeth (58)."
Honestly, I was really shocked when she started listing all these body expressions that most people would imagine. I think Morris used the strategy of imagery very well here. It was very specific and detailed on how one would imagine a brown-skinned lady when she is showing an "attitude." Linking this to current events, I think most of us are definitely influenced by shows, sitcoms, or even advertisements that happen to appear before a video that we are about to watch on YouTube. When we watch certain shows that have Black females cast in it, we see at least one scene where she puts her hand or hands on her hips, tilting her head, lips pursed, and her eyebrows raised. I personally think the cause (not always in a bad way) of these stereotypes that we have is influenced by our everyday hobbies such as watching a favorite show on Netflix.
Throughout this chapter, Morris approaches more Black girls from different schools, continuing from the previous chapter but for a different reason. She generally asks them how their relationship with their teachers are. They then talk about how their teachers remove them from their classrooms because of their "attitude" and because they are not docile. It is clear that this affects the learning environment, relationships with teachers, and the students' commitment to school. Not only is the relationship between the students and the teachers are downgrading, but the respect the teacher has for these Black girls is also decreasing as well. Connecting this to our school lives right now, at least for me personally, my relationships with my own teachers have never been better. I still have not found the accurate reason for this but teachers here are much more supportive and willing to help with their best ability. In North Carolina, teachers did not show much care towards their students but really treated us like homework machines. As a person who takes human relationship seriously, I could only imagine how tough it would have been for the Black students in their respective schools with mistreatment from their teachers.
"To put Mia's point in a different way, sometimes these girls are triggered by adults "talking down" to them, or speaking to them as if they are not worthy of respect (63)."
It also was devastating to see how these students who were in school were called "slow."
"For Shai in Chicago, it was the suggestion that she was not smart. "[My school is] predominantly White," she said. "Okay, I'm terrible in math. So when little Suzie gets the question wrong, it's like, 'Aww... you got the question wrong.' It's funny. When I get a question wrong, it's like, 'Oh, she's slow. What's wrong with her?' I get so angry, number one, because I already told them I'm bad at math. Number two, because I'm not slow. Like, don't call me slow at all. I take my education seriously. Do not call me slow. That's why I'm at school, to learn... That triggers it. It does not only make me want to fight them, it makes me want to... it makes me want to ask them, why would they say something like that? The fact that I'm the only Black kid in the school, it's like, 'Oh, are we back in the 1950s now?'(87)"
Just by reading what she said, I could tell that she was really willing to learn since she knows that her weakness in math is present. And furthermore, she knows the purpose of why she needs to go to school - to learn. Compared to students today, I have witnessed several students, especially in North Carolina, who do not care about what they learn but just try to get out of school as soon as they can, skip as many classes as they can, or at least just getting a passing grade which is a 65. I think teachers from these schools, that are mentioned in the book, should have more respect towards the students who are willing to learn. There already are teachers who do not show much interest in helping because the students are not either. But like this Black student from a predominantly White school who is willing to learn deserves the respect and help that she needs.
All in all, I am really enjoying talking about schools because I think I have the advantage to be able to compare it with where I used to live and where I am living now. My school in North Carolina had about 1600 students from 9th to 12th grade and almost half of them were African Americans. It is easier for me to read this book because I can relate to it since I have witnessed such situations caused by racism. I love how Morris breaks up sections to talk about different topics with different students which makes the reading much easier and fun. I am excited to share more of my thoughts with you in the near future! I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog!
Hey Grace!
ReplyDeleteMany of the points you discussed in this post I also pondered about myself when reading. One of the most interesting things I enjoyed reading was your interpretation of Shai's mathematical struggles. You state "I could tell that she was really willing to learn since she knows her weakness in math is present." I interpreted it slightly differently and thought that since Shai had been neglected by her school in terms of learning, and then because of this upbringing she views math as something she can not do at all. She does not have a growth mindset, because she has been told her life that she is "Slow" and its hopeless. And as a result views herself as bad at math. This is one of the reasons I love reading in groups together, it helps everyone get a different view of the book and explore beyond their own thoughts. Great job!
Grace, I appreciate your personal reactions to the reading. You might work on the flow of ideas a bit to make sure that there is a clear relationship of ideas between your various points.
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