First Reading
Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. I will be posting multiple times about my thoughts and reactions to the book The Shame of the Nation, by Jonathan Kozol.
I chose to read The Shame of the Nation, by Jonathan Kozol due to the fact that I am highly interested in the education system and public education. Kozol is an American writer, educator, and activist. He is best known for advocating for integrated public education in the United States. Kozol is located in Boston Massachusetts which he frequently references along with other areas in New England during The Shame of the Nation. Kozol writes mostly about the education system in New York. He also writes about the education system in other major areas which include California, Seattle, and other areas that do not have integrated public schools.
I chose to read The Shame of the Nation, by Jonathan Kozol due to the fact that I am highly interested in the education system and public education. Kozol is an American writer, educator, and activist. He is best known for advocating for integrated public education in the United States. Kozol is located in Boston Massachusetts which he frequently references along with other areas in New England during The Shame of the Nation. Kozol writes mostly about the education system in New York. He also writes about the education system in other major areas which include California, Seattle, and other areas that do not have integrated public schools.
The beginning section of this book really surprised me. This book was shocking because usually when I think of racism and such issues its when people of color are discriminated against but typically I think of a child of color being the only one and not being like everyone else but in this book its the exact opposite. "I learned that there was 2,800 black and Hispanic children in the system, one Asian child, and three whites" (Kozol 22). Clearly this is still a clear example of a pubic school that is not integrated because there is no diversity but this is the exact opposite of my initial reaction when I think of non integrated schools. My initial reaction may be skewed a little because of the fact that I live in a predominantly white area with very little diversity. After researching Jonathan Kozol the story line makes more sense because he mainly advocates for integrated public education.
Another initial reaction that I had was the fact that the children from these areas with less integration feel as though they are cut off from the rest of the United States, these children think they are very different and less important from children from different areas. " 'It's like we are being hidden,' said a fifteen-year-old girl named Isabel I met some years ago in harlem." (Kozol 28). These children in areas in New York feel like they are shut off from the rest of the world and don't know anything different then themselves. "I asked her if she truly thought America did not have room for her or other children of her race. 'Think of it this way,' said a sixteen-year-old girl sitting beside her. 'If people in New York work up one day and learned that we were gone, that we had simply died or left for somewhere else, how would they feel?' 'How do you think they'd feel?' I asked. 'I think they'd be relieved,' this ver solemn girl replied." (Kozol 29). The children in these areas feel they are cut off from everyone else and they don't know of anything greater than Harlem or the Bronx which leads to issues with how they see themselves and interact with others.
Im eager to continue to read this book about education, integration, diversity, and inequality while I learn more of the struggles of being in a mostly African American population.
Another initial reaction that I had was the fact that the children from these areas with less integration feel as though they are cut off from the rest of the United States, these children think they are very different and less important from children from different areas. " 'It's like we are being hidden,' said a fifteen-year-old girl named Isabel I met some years ago in harlem." (Kozol 28). These children in areas in New York feel like they are shut off from the rest of the world and don't know anything different then themselves. "I asked her if she truly thought America did not have room for her or other children of her race. 'Think of it this way,' said a sixteen-year-old girl sitting beside her. 'If people in New York work up one day and learned that we were gone, that we had simply died or left for somewhere else, how would they feel?' 'How do you think they'd feel?' I asked. 'I think they'd be relieved,' this ver solemn girl replied." (Kozol 29). The children in these areas feel they are cut off from everyone else and they don't know of anything greater than Harlem or the Bronx which leads to issues with how they see themselves and interact with others.
Im eager to continue to read this book about education, integration, diversity, and inequality while I learn more of the struggles of being in a mostly African American population.
Hi Lauren,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your blog post and your book sounds really interesting! I agree with you, when I think of schools that aren't very diverse I think mostly of predominately white schools, not people of minorities, so that's really interesting that your book addressed it that way. I haven't really considered how it would feel for people in schools like that, I've mostly only considered what it would be like for minorities or African-Americans to be the only black kid in a school of white children, similar to our own school. I wonder what kind of affect that has on them, and as you mentioned if it makes them feel cut off from their country and separate from people or if it could also empower them in a way that they may not get from being part of a minority in a school of white kids. I'm sure that a little of both happens, so I just wonder what the affect would be on those children. I'm excited to read more about it in your next blog post!