Friday, July 30, 2010
2 Teach is + 2 Touch Lives = 4Ever
I recently came across this poem while going through my documents. It was a piece that I wrote for an education class that I took a few semesters ago. It was an education class based on the work of a middle and high school teacher, primarily focused on teaching in an urban/public school system. This was a piece that while writing, gave me an opportunity to reflect on my journey through education and the few teachers that I truly felt wanted to see me succeed in all that I wanted to do. There were very few. Think, 13 years in public school prior to attending college and I could honestly only think of 5 or 6 teachers that really pushed me. That challenged me. That didn't write me off because I was an inner city kid, whose life was set up for failure. Thank you to all those that have influenced me in a positive was throughout my life. Having someone believe in you is the only think you need sometimes. To those that want to pursue a career in the field of education, I challenge you to change the status quo of teachers and understand that you are the people who control the future. Enjoy.

What is teaching?
And what’s the “right” approach?
Is it “preaching” information that a group of people wrote?
Is it writing on the board,
While your back is to the class?
Is it handing out “free” grades, so that all your students pass?
Because that would make you look good, when those people look at stats…
But you never reached a student…
And you can never get them back.
See a lot of teachers take this road, and let students get on by…
Now I’m sitting here just wondering…
Asking myself, WHY?
Why someone with so much power, Would leave these students out dry…
Like a raisin in the sun…
A dream deferred, a dream just dies.
Teachers have the power, to make a difference, change a life,
So as you think of teaching, please, just think it over twice.
There are two paths to head down…
One is left the other right…
Go LEFT, and you keep the cycle going…
But you’ll be hurting our society because the future won’t be growing…
Go RIGHT, and accept responsibility to help students succeed.
And this process merely starts, by planting knowledge seeds….
So keep an open mind…
Understand what students bring…
Don’t expect for them to lose. Challenge them to win!
Push them to the limits, Show them that you care,
Because and unjust education, Simply isn't fair.
Trust me,
I've been there, a student needing help...
And when that one teacher reached,
It was the greatest thing I felt.
Someone saw the greatness, That deep down I possessed,
Taught me about life,
And how I could progress.
This teacher made a difference. She pushed me hard to see,
That I had all the tools I needed,
I was set up to succeed.

The title of this poem, was something that I once saw on a rock that one of the few great teachers I know had on her desk. I later used that quote for a thank you plaque myself and some friends got for the one teacher that changed most of our lives, Linda Kaufman. It sounds so cliche, but it is true, education is the key to our futures. It is up to us to keep giving people the tools needed to open doors.

(Me and Mrs. Kaufman on the night of my senior prom in 07')

Thanks for tuning in,

Jose

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Written at 3:18 PM by JC.
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Monday, June 28, 2010
Chris Brown's Tribute to MJ
Last night on the BET 2010 awards the world was blessed with what was without a doubt one of the, if not the best, Michael Jackson tribute performances. Who else could have gone out on that stage and leave everything they had on that stage, but Chris Brown. Personally, I was touched with his performance. Man In the Mirror is on of my favorite songs of all time and I could feel Chris' pain when he was singing, or attempting to, before breaking down. For anyone that has appreciated MJ's music, you know the message that song is sending and how it directly relates to Chris Brown and his life after the Rhianna incident. If you weren't able to see the performance... (Look for it on YouTube. The videos I had were taken down.)

Again, I thought that this tribute was long overdue. Regardless of what people felt or feel about Chris Brown, there is no doubt in my mind that he should have been the one doing this tribute last year. Great job Chris. You gave every MJ fan what Michael himself always gave, a great show.

Now, the reason I wanted to write about this event isn't just to express my thoughts on the performance, but to give my thoughts on the Chris and Rhianna situation. After the performance, I saw a lot of people on my feeds writing things such as, 'he still beat her...' The reason I was turned off by those type of comments is that nobody but Chris and Rhianna know exactly what happened and what led up to there situation. Now I am not saying that either one of them were right nor wrong. Nor do I advocate violence, of any kind. Nor will I try to justify the actions of either party.

What I am here to do is to challenge the way people think. Challenge the reason that we as humans, jump out of our seats if a man puts his hands on a woman, but rarely do I see the same reaction when a woman puts her hands on a man. Why is it that as a society, for hundreds of years, we have chosen to put man above woman and believe that men are more powerful. Now I understand the scientific evidence that naturally, men are, one average, bigger and stronger, but what does that have to do with domestic violence. By getting upset at a man for hitting a woman, simply because he is a man, is stating that the woman is not capable of defending herself, simply because she is a woman. I know that may sound a bit confusing and I may not be making myself clear enough, but what I am getting at is this...

If women were seen as the 'stronger' gender in society, would we be scrutinizing males who act violently towards women? I rarely hear any comments about Rhianna physically hitting Chris Brown. Or women being physical towards men in general. To me it is fascinating that women are portrayed to be weak individuals and people seem to be fine with that image.

Again, I am not advocating violence of any kind, I am simply questioning why a society completely rejected a young man who undoubtedly made a mistake? I did not see Rhianna being scrutinized by the media or by the public for her role in the situation. I wonder, if Chris Brown would have had a black eye and Rhianna nothing, would society have treated her the way they did Chris?

I know we will never know the answer to this question, but i my opinion, I don't think she would have gone through what he did.

This is just one of the many issues in this world in which double standards are often employed and while it often benefits one side, we seem to forget that there are always 2 sides. In this incident, Chris Brown was rejected and considered to be a villain, while Rhianna was embraced by both the public and the media.

Lastly I would like to encourage people to not be blinded by the media and social constructs and really take a look at the entire picture. I have seen many instances in which women have been the violent ones towards men, but those cases are often overlooked. Violence happens everywhere, between all kinds of people. We must not neglect another human being because of their actions, instead we must accept them and try to understand them.

Feel free to comment below. Again, this is a conversation. A place for people to come together and discuss an issue that is larger than any of us.

Thanks for tuning in...
Jose

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Written at 1:49 PM by JC.
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