Blog #2 pp. 201-300

In this third chunk Miles Corwin continues to use imagery to describe the city, similes to help readers understand Ms.Little's attitude, definitions to to convey the meaning of the slang used in class, and anecdotes to tell the stories of these students' past and present situations they have to face while going to school. Ms.Little continues to be unstable in the classroom especially after a derrogatory statement was made about her and she felt no one was on her defense. Now as this chunk ended she is looking for a new school to transfer to, and the AP exam is in less than two months. What will happen if she leaves these students? Olivia is now being sent to Dorothy Kirby Center for nonviolent offenders, for the check scam she was a part of because her foster mother, who only wanted her for the money, said so many negative things about Olivia at the end when she was close to getting off. The things Fairconnetue said were false accusations. I feel she just didn't like that Olivia was not dependent upon her and did things on her own. Hopefully everything will go well at the center so she can go to college because then all her hard work would seem like a waste. While this was going on, others were beginning to receive their acceptance letters to the different colleges they applied to. Danielle and Curt are waiting for their letter from Stanford, and Naila has been rewarded a full scholarship to Stanford on athletis in basketball. As we are told about the different acceptances, we are introduced to the stories of Princess, who did at one time have a nice home with her mom and grandparents but after the death of her grandparents, she and her mother moved from one infested apartment to another. But just as she was about to give up on school and work, her mom was blessed with a full-time, well paying job that would allow her to graduate, take her senior pictures, get her class ring, and go to the prom. She was also accepted into UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside. Her struggle with finances and her mom trying to still provide for the two of them, reminds me of my family situation. Finances may not always be the best but God will make a way and we can't give up. That's what my mom tells me and it's the same thing Princess's mom told her. It's important that we students understand education is a priviledge, and we have to make the most of it. That is what Danielle's father, Tommie Smith, said while speaking to Ms.Little's AP English class. I enjoyed learning more about him and knowing about him before reading because it was breathtaking to read his story in this book and how he has guided his duaghter. She wanted to run track, and was good, but he wanted her to stay on her academics because she couldn't be as competitive in both. This helped her be number one in her class and that is great because she has that support. Willie is another student who had a rough childhood as his mother became addicted to crack cocaine, but his dad was there to encourage him. I'm glad that some of these students do have support of at least one parent if not both.
Determination is a constant in each of these students' lives as they strive for best academically. They are determined to succeed and excell and make a better life for themselves. They have a passion for learning. So no matter what obstacles they are faced with, whether it's needing a job, losing a friend or family memeber, being sent from foster home to foster home, or having a baby, they continue to work hard to get the education they know is necessary for them to compete and succeed.

Application: Who else other than Tommie Smith and those mentioned in the book, do you feel have showed "moral courage" for challenging prejudices and preconceived notions of their time?

Application: Do you think that what happened to Ms.Little when she was with the older guy caused her to have an unstable attitude towards her classes and administration? Why or why not?

Application: Tommie Smith makes a statement about black athletes depending upon their skills and talent to make their money, but having an eduction is still really important. If you are of another race, are there any specific recreational activities, viewed as a meal ticket to success, that are held higher than education by your family members?

Blog Entry #1 pp. 101-200

Through facts, statistics, imagery and anecdotes, Miles Corwin vividly describes the vast differences between the teaching methods of Ms.Little and Ms.Moultrie; explains the outcome of the vote on Proposition 209- affirmative action and how it will affect minority students; and introduces four new students and their background stories. He begins the chapters with a school setting in either Ms. Little's classroom, the counselor's office, or the weather. This is because the students who are being focused on are in Ms.Little's class and are usually communicaing with Mr.Braxton. Ms.Little- who teaches the gifted English class in tenth and twelfth grade- is a white woman with strong views about literature and how it should be taught, and her teaching style differs from that of Ms.Moultrie- a black woman from south-central who teaches the gifted English class ninth and eleventh grade. Ms.Little feels that Ms.Moultrie does not continue to apply what was taught to the students in tenth grade in eleventh grade, causing unnecessary writing mistakes in the twelfth grade when their writing is crucial for their scholarship and college applications. Ms.Little has mood swings quite often and she doesn't mind expressing her feelings on how she feels about anything, especially Ms.Moultrie, even to her sudents. The gifted students are very open and they communicate with Ms.Little about her attitude and what has happened to them when it is brought up from connections in their reading. Ms.Little knows her students have had rough childhoods and are busy trying to survive outside of school, but she wants them to succeed and be able to compete with other students applying to college. This is why she was against affirmative action. She wanted her students to actually earn their way into college and not just let it be given to them because they ae minorities. I can see where she is coming from because she doesn't want race to be the factor in determining if they go to college. She wants it to be their intelligence. Then when they compete, others will see a black woman or a black man is able to work right alongside a white woman or man. I can tell she genuinely cares for these students and that is why she is strict.
Sabreen, Latisha, and Curt are introduced in this section and each of them is facing different problems as they are trying to continue to excell in school. Sabreen wants to become emancipated and ultimately drops out because she is tired and can't take it anymore; Latisha is able to confront her past of molestation as she connects with Portrait of the Artist; and Curt wants to attend Stanford(like me) and had to deal with people telling him he was "acting white" because he was smart and dressed nice.


Discusion Questions:
Application: After reading about affirmative action and the statistics of acceptances of minorities into college, what do you feel should have been the outcome of the proposition and why?

Application: How does the way teachers act affect the way students learn? Ms.Little constantly talked about Ms.Moultrie and how she taught. Do you think teachers talking about other teachers affects the students' performance in any way?