Episode 3 Reflection

There was one particular thing that stuck out to me in this episode, the Civil Rights Act was passed and then the legislature saw that black kids were staying in city schools that these schools were poor and didn't have a lot of resources. White kids were moving out of the city to a better more funded school. By everyone doing this, it made almost its own segregation again. So the legislature decided to bus kids from in the city out to the suburbs and vice versa. With this happening, white families were paying a lot of money for their good school, for their kids to go to, only to have other kids come in. I find this appalling. Many people will probably disagree with me but to pay money for something you want, and have somebody else come in and use it, its crazy. I would like to compare this act, to the inclusion laws for disability students in classrooms. This tells the amount of inclusion that should happen in a classroom, before it comes intrusive to the other students, I believe that changing the students schools like that from city to suburb, was maybe helping one party in my example the kids with disabilities, and hurting the regular students. This would not be able to work, if the parents are able to afford a better school then they should be allowed to go to that school, and black kids could still go to it. It is not fair to try and get the under dogs up a level, but having to bring the people on top down a notch, work from the bottom and bring everyone up with you.

Episode 2 Reflection

This episode reflects back on schools from the early 1900's to 1945. It discusses issues such as the "Gary Plan" which was implemented back in the early 1900's, and taught students hands on learning, and you work before you play. These students were trained to go out into the industrial world and get a job, such as an oil mechanic, as well as how to have good hygiene and manners; all the necessary things to life. These times are better known for the americanization of students, where students were not allowed to speak their own language, schools were mixed aged, and everyone must go to school and learn from the same curriculum, if you do not learn english that you do not make it. This type of schooling is more or less "Survival of the fittest".  After this era in the 1920's-1940's kids were being more spoon fed with information and they started testing for IQ's which automatically placed you into  an industrial route, or a college route.
There are some certain parts of this that I greatly agree with, and wish that it was still implemented now. I think that when all the immigrants came over to America, it was a crazy time to try and find jobs, and try to teach when there were such a vast array of languages and customs from before. Honestly you cannot teach to all of them... without hindering everyone else's education. These immigrants came to America because it was a better place and they LOVED this country, so they worked hard at learning english, and becoming an American was something to be so proud of. Somewhere in the mix after this, in the 50's people decided that they didn't have to become an American anymore, they could speak whatever language and that people were to conform to them. Honestly I do not believe in getting rid of other languages, but if you come to this country, or if you leave to go to another you should have to learn the native language to live and learn, and then speak your language when you can, not to completely lose it. When other people come into this country, make them learn english, but also maybe have them teach us and our kids, their native language that way everyone is winning in this situation.