I just want to throw out there that I am not an easily offended person. At all. So, I was trying very hard to find the two chapters (1 &9) of "Framework" laughable in their ridiculous stereotyping, but it was just... not funny. I'm not all about being politically correct (and yes, I do realize the point of this chapter was about poverty and identifying resources available to those in poverty) but come on... it was so obscene.
"(5) you could slap the fool out of the handicapped son ... (7) you could go partying together..."
"One of her pimps or boyfriends usually gets her out of jail."
"Juan is your godchild, and you will defend him with your blood. Juan's mother was a piece of white trash... Juan comes home with a notice about a parent-teacher conference. You are away, hiding from the police."
... seriously? Sorry, just had to rant that.
Otherwise, the parts of the chapters that did not have to do with identifying resources in poverty stricken situations provided some insight into the multi-faceted nature of poverty. I had never put much thought into the fact that the definition of poverty extends beyond the rhealm of financial constraints into emotional, spiritual, mental, etc. That much of the chapter was enlightening and broken down in a way that easily spelled out for the reader the cyclical nature of poverty.
I hate to do this, but I actually have two students in my class where these scenarios are not stereotyping...it's reality. I understand what you're pointing out, but I guess because I have seen it I didn't find it to be stereotypical at all. In fact, it actually helped me out a little bit to understand these students, who aren't necessarily bad, but tend to vie for attention.
ReplyDeleteMB, i know we discussed this earlier, so you know I agree with you about this being stereotypical. Yes, some of this might be semi-reality, but this author took it to the extreme with words and situations and made themselves laughable. We're learning about being open to every different type of student and family, and yet here we are, reading the most stereotypical portrayal of lower class families available.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it sad that these stereotypes are true and yet we laugh at them? In my humble opinion, we will never reform education unless we can address the problems of poverty head on. It's the reason for the disparity of our education systems and millions of children are "left behind" as we attempt to create a one-size-fits-all model of education and scoff at those who don't get it.
ReplyDeleteI think maybe I wasn't clear exactly. I got that these were true in many cases, but I found it appalling how the writer of the text chose to phrase certain things, almost as if he were mocking the situations.
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