Posts

Final Project Group Blog (Group: Tyler Armstrong, Mariangela Barahona, Amani Streete, Robert Bloom)

  In this matchup of Luck V Choice between Wes and The Other Wes, we will talk about luck first and how it impacted their lives. Both men grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. Wes (the author) was surrounded by a great environment, which we talked about in the first and last week of TOWM. What I mean by environment is he had a great supporting cast of family and friends. These people wanted more for Wes than they wanted for themselves. Although Wes dipped into the street life environment for a bit and went through some hardships, his supporting cast was there to guide him out and to a better place. The Other Wes faced these similar challenges as the author in regards to being involved in the streets. He also suffered from poverty and committed crimes here and there. We talked about role models/mentors in the last week of content and the importance of having them in our life. Wes was surrounded by numerous role models who allowed him to be set up for success, while The Other Wes did not h...
Post a Comment
Read more

Week of April 22nd- Assignment- My Mentor

  Wes gives credit to being surrounded by people who kept pushing him to not fall into the trap of tunnel vision. They wanted him to see the endless possibilities that were out there in this big world as well as the unexplored possibilities that lay within himself. (Moore 179) He specifically mentioned his mom, grandparents, uncles, and aunts along with certain role models and mentors he looked up to. They wanted him to understand that he does not have to be a product of his environment (being born poor, living in Baltimore/The Bronx, not having a father in his life). He said these people in his life helped him discover what it means to be free (Moore 180). He encourages all of us to pave the way for the younger generation. We should strive to have our kids have a better life than we had. Then teach them to want the same for their kids and so on. Freedom is free in this country, take advantage of it and never be pinned down because of your environment or the people you are surround...
3 comments
Read more

Week of April 15th- Assignment- Giving someone bad news

  Giving someone news they do not want to hear and sometimes cannot hear (meaning they cannot accept the truth, they are in denial of what they are being told) can be extremely difficult. Not only is it extremely difficult for the person being told the news, it is difficult for the person telling the news because they are exposed to the emotional reaction that stems from the person being told. This could lead to a meltdown by both people and things could get out of hand quickly if it becomes too much for the person(s) to handle. At the end of the day, you have to own up and break the news, no matter how bad you know the person will take it, it is best for it to come out right away and get it over with. It is especially important that it comes from your own mouth, as we saw in the book, important news did not come from the person it should have come from. We read that Wes and Tony went to their mothers house to celebrate their baby brother's first birthday. At this party Tony droppe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Week of April 8th- Assignment (Coping activities)

  To steer away from being involved in violence and hanging around with the wrong crowd, some rules were set in place to set up Wes for success. One of those rules being that he is allowed to explore the neighborhood and check out the basketball court and play there. Wes felt a sense of belonging on the court. He realized this is a place that brings people from all over together. No matter their age, ethnicity, whatever type of religion they were, they came here to shoot hoops. Some came to get their mind off school, get their mind off work, take a break from the household and their family. No matter what they came here for, they all bonded and had the chance to think about nothing but putting the ball in the hoop while being here. As for Wes himself, he felt it was important to not just thrive in the place you grew up, but more so make connections with people with whom you grew up with. These connections can last a lifetime and provide ample opportunities down the road.  I th...
Post a Comment
Read more

are we products of our environment or products of our expectations?

This is an awesome question that requires critical thinking and personal reflection. Right away my gut feeling led me to answer that we are products of our environment. I say this because I think our expectations revolve around our environment. Put it this way, a baby is born with multiple diseases because the parents are both drug/alcohol addicts. That child's whole life is now a product of his/her environment because of who he/she was birthed by. On the other hand, LeBron James’ first son, Bronny James, is a projected first round NBA draft pick. His environment is being surrounded by his Dad, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. It is expected of Bronny to be a great NBA player because of his environment (LeBron).  My own life and the experiences I have had also contribute to my answer. Both of my parents joined the military out of high school. My dad was also a cop and was/still is a volunteer firefighter as am I. A lot of people talk about how great of a leade...
1 comment
Read more

Going Public:Lit&Hist Amer Edu: Module Four Part IV

  I think school choice has its pros and cons in regards to improving public education. Obviously the main pro is competition. The competition of school choice, along with vouchers (scholarships), incentivizes public education to vastly improve its system. If they want to attract students and keep them from using the school choice option, they must improve the quality of their schools and education programs. Some options public education has to offer upgrades is, innovate their buildings, offer unique programs, or just utilize the current, best practices used in today's day in age to stand out amongst your peers. Another pro is that it holds school board members accountable. Accountability is something people lack these days. But when kids are dropping like flies out of schools, members will surely take accountability for it and step up their game. Prime example, my little sister is actually transferring from the high school that both my mother and I graduated from. It is an upsett...
Post a Comment
Read more

Module Three Part III

  We read about the history of America and its schooling system in the past. We went through Brown V Board and what stemmed from that case. We read that black kids loved the experience they got from integrated schools because it allowed them to dream of possibilities they could never have imagined before this integration. We heard Kandice Summer talk about how she felt prestigious that she was able to attend a school that had her learning things that kids in her neighborhood were not learning. She felt light years ahead of kids her age because she was privileged with a higher education system. She does not agree with the disparity over the educational promised land, which she was privileged to, and then the other side of the fence which is basic public schooling. The documentary mentioned how schools today could be seen as way more segregated than they were in years past. Also in the documentary it was talked about how principals are not keeping their students in check and the scho...
Post a Comment
Read more