Blog 3: Education

I worked at a school in the Peoria Unified School District for 6 years.  From the time I was in 8^th grade up until my first year in college, I wanted to be a teacher.  It wasn’t until I was actually inside a school, seeing all of the different components and aspects that a teacher experiences that I decided there was no way in the world I could ever be a teacher.  Everything expressed in the two videos was exactly why I knew I could never be a teacher. Ken Robinson pointed out several major problems in the RSA Animate video. First, he says that we have created certain expectations and end goals for our children and our future, but we are doing so with old methods that are no longer relevant and successful.  Next, he also says that our school system was established in a different culture and period of time when the theory regarding the human mind was centered around two black and white forms of people, those who were smart and those who were not.  This model has led to another problem, which Robinson describes as the, “plague of ADHD” in which a fictional epidemic has been created regarding our kids.  The contrast between the stimulation kids are receiving outside of the classroom in the form of new technology, and the content of what they are learning inside the classroom is resulting in them being perceived as unfocused and inattentive.  The excerpts from the, “Waiting for Superman” video mostly details the problems facing children in poor, failing neighborhoods that reflect the failing schools surrounding them.  It’s mostly an issue among race and demographic where the poor kids stay poor, and the schools continue to support this cycle.  Neither videos really seem to offer concrete solutions to these problems, possibly because there really aren’t any.  At least, no realistic ones.  The system is a broken one, with major broken parts that would also need to be fixed in order for the system to work properly.  It’s a mess, and a more complex disaster than any President or politician or school board can easily fix.  In theory, having education run on a state level seems like a more effective and efficient way of running schools because then each state can determine and assess what needs their schools have, and then act accordingly.  However, I don’t think this works a majority of the time.  This way of handling curriculum, funding, etc. is putting a lot of good faith and trust into one person and in the case of Arizona with Jan Brewer, it doesn’t quite work out.  Arizona is one of the worst states in regards to prioritizing education, and for the past several years, serious budget cuts have been made to education resulting in first year teachers being laid-off, and special area programs being cut.  I do think a centralized form of education in regards to funding would be more beneficial, especially to schools in lower-income neighborhoods where kids are already at a disadvantage.  Every child deserves to have the same resources, tools, and materials necessary for them to be successful.  I think there also needs to be government programs that aim towards addressing issues within the family that pose roadblocks and obstacles to a child’s education.  However, I think if education becomes too centralized, there will be too much generalization and grouping among kids.  I’m still having a bit of trouble grasping the concept of paradigms, but think the point of Ken Robinson is that we need to stop standardizing kids and focus more on seeing them as individuals with their own individual strengths, weaknesses and styles of learning.  If I’m thinking of this correctly, then I do think changing paradigms would have a positive impact.  People are much more complex and individualistic than what we categorize them to be.  No one issue or problem can be solved with a simple step, and if we continue to address major issues, such as education, with this attitude then we will never fix this broken system.

Blog 2

Taking on the perspective of a middle class family of four, I would choose to live in Peoria, AZ.  I grew up in Peoria with my parents, brother, and sister and feel it would be an ideal place for anyone to raise a family.  The Peoria School District is the best in the state, and all the elementary schools are located within communities, making them easily accessible and very community-oriented.  Also, Peoria has a very low crime rate and a strong police force, which makes for safer streets and neighborhoods.  Peoria has many shopping centers, restaurants, and grocery stores, which are essential for any family.  The City of Peoria also has various community centers and opportunities for recreational activities such as sports and games.  This also contributes to a family-oriented community and sense of security. The neighborhoods and subdivisions within Peoria have affordable housing and a majority of them have been kept up well and are still in good condition.  If my husband and I had to commute to and from work every day, the Loop 101 is in very close proximity and is easily accessible from just about anywhere in Peoria.  Another reason I would choose Peoria is because it doesn’t present much risk for negative change.  There are still new subdivisions being built, and residents moving into the city are most likely coming from a middle class financial standing, which means the surrounding businesses, parks, and restaurants will still receive business and use which makes for less likelihood of vacant lots and buildings.  Having a stable economy for the surrounding businesses also means that the value of our home is less likely to have a dramatic decline if and when we decide to move.

About me

My name is Julie Dunn, I'm 25 and am in my second semester at ASU in pursuit of a degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management.  I wish I could say my main motivation for going into this area of study was to rid the issue of homelessness or touch the lives of millions of troubled and underprivileged youth, but this would be a lie.  My heart and passion is with animals and somehow making a difference in the areas of wildlife conservation or animal welfare.  I was born and raised in Peoria, but am looking to relocate downtown sometime in the summer.  I'm not the biggest fan of AZ and would love to live in several different cities throughout the course of my life.  I'm a vegetarian, my favorite color is brown, and I hate the word, "replenish".

Reading One, Reflected

Throughout the reading of Urban Policy Reconsidered, I kept the image of downtown Phoenix in my mind.  I kept referencing back to the people, places, and things contained within downtown when reflecting on the information presented in this chapter.  The prompted question of what needs to change, be it individuals or communities, is what really stopped me and got me thinking in regards to how to solve the issues facing urban areas.  I could answer this question both ways.  On one side, I can see how the individual needs to change.  There are some individuals who are raised in privileged circumstances with access to resources that would ensure success in whatever desired path they have.  Yet, if their individual motivation and intrinsic desire for that success does not exist and they instead value less moral avenues of recreation, it doesn’t matter what fancy gated community they live in, they won’t be a productive member of society.

  Likewise, a city can attempt to revitalize and fix up a certain area by building a new shopping center or stadium, but if the surrounding demographic can’t afford the goods and services offered, these places become pointless.  Also, if the facilities don’t appeal to the values or personal interests of the individuals, there lacks a reason for going there and maintaining these places and offering any type of upkeep into them.  I think this also ties into the communitarian ideology that if a group of people bound together according to where they live, as determined by their personal values and interests, there will also exist a collective concern and desire to care for and respect the aspects of the community.  The community attracts the personal interests of the individuals, which then creates a group of people bound together by their similar interests.  There is power in numbers.