The American Dream is a Privilege (FYS Final)

I portrayed an illegal immigrant in the simulation, and was told to take 9 steps backward. This confused me at first because I didn't grasp the meaning of the exercise. Then i realized that we were visualizing the chances of specific majorities and minorities of achieving the "American Dream." An illegal immigrant is the third on the scale to be the least likely to get a taste of the American Dream; the American Dream is one that is a privilege. To be specific, the 1950s Baby Boomers are most likely to achieve the Dream, but a disabled American chances are low, and even worse off were Native Americans. I ask myself why this is, but the only explanation I can think of is "favoritism." Those groups at the bottom of the scale remind me of the Holocaust during WWII; Hitler was trying to perfect (in his mind) the world by ridding it of imperfections: Jews, the disabled (mentally and physically), gypsies, the elderly, etc. This is not only unfair, it is wrong! America is supposed to permit equal rights to all, and everyone should be able to achieve the American Dream, but how can they if they are not given the chance to do so. Portraying an illegal immigrant inspired me to ask this question, because I have had the privilege to be close friends with amazing people who had traveled to America illegally. I've spoken with their parents and have learned that they only came here to give their children the best education, and possibly a better life than they would have had back home. Is it fair to punish someone who is just trying to help their children?

Disabled people are even more neglected; for example, can a person in a wheelchair achieve their dream of living in a two-story house if ramps and elevators are not provided? They can't always get hired (despite the fact that employers are not permitted to discriminate against the disabled), which explains why many are asking for financial help from the government. I have had first hand experience of this situation: my mother was in a car accident before I was born. Her back was broken, but thankfully she could still walk, but not without pain. Our family got on well enough (we were financially stable), until my parents got a divorce. The family income was split in half, and my mom was out of a job after getting injured at work (different incident). Now she was a single mom trying to support two children as well as herself, with minimal child support and almost an nonexistent Workman's Composition. In conclusion, is the American Dream a reality for everyone, or only those privileged enough to achieve it?

RHS

We got the opportunity to work with students from RHS with minor or severe handicaps, and I believe it was one of the most rewarding experiences I have encountered. The first thing I noticed upon arriving at the school was the beautiful garden in front of the classroom; it must be very calming to sit near the little fountain. Over the period of four days, we did arts and crafts, and played games with the students; I especially enjoyed the Cat and Mouse game with the hula-hoops.

The student who pops into my mind when I think about our trips to RHS is a wonderful girl named *Kelly. Kelly was the first student I met upon arriving at the school, and I had the pleasure of helping her paint her holiday picture frame. I learned that her favorite color was white, so she was extremely excited to learn that we were painting the frames white. Kelly is the student that I remember most vividly because she had one of the most beautiful smile that can light up a room the instant she walks in. She always showed her happiness when we would do one of her favorite activities (especially when she got two strikes in a row when we were bowling).

The one thing i found very surprising was how the "normal" students (I believe no one is normal) would walk past the class without even noticing they existed. I found it rather offensive, because these students are wonderful human beings and should be treated as such, not ignored as they have been for years.

After we left on the last day of our experience, I couldn't help but feel guilty because of the sad faces I received after the students learned that we would not be coming back the next day. I have honestly learned that beauty is on the inside, and these students are not quiet and "weird" (as some may put it) if you take the time to talk to them.

The Lincoln Shrine

I was rather interested in the different books Lincoln had read (very excited about him having read the Complete Works of Shakespeare, as he is one of my favorites). I noticed one that caught my attention in passing: I believe it was titled "The River Runs Red." I will most likely begin reading it as soon as possible. I was also amazed to discover art by Norman Rockwell (the Shrine's curator seemed to think it odd that I knew who that was, stating beforehand that "Some of [us] would be too young to know who Norman Rockwell is." Call me an old soul, but he is one of my favorite artists.

Lincoln's wife, however, was the topic that stuck in my mind throughout the day. Questions kept popping up in my thoughts: "Was she really Bi-Polar?" "Did she have a spending problem?" "What did she do so different, that made the idea of a 'First Lady' stay with the presidency?" I will probably end up doing some research if I can find the time.

Smiley Library

I am quite passionate about reading, which may sound strange considering that I, like many of my classmates, was raised surrounded by the latest and greatest technology. Household electronics such as TVs, computers, and radios could not compete against a book for my attention. I'm not quite sure how I became interested in reading, but I have been told (as I don't remember it myself as I was too young) that I refused to pick up a pencil to draw something, and would, instead, grab a book, and do a picture walk. I was overjoyed when I began elementary school, and I was finally learning to read. My favorite day of the week was Friday, because we would go to our school library to choose a book we would read the next week. My teachers had a difficult time getting me out of the library, as I could never choose just one book; they all seemed marvleous. Eventually I would have to do "Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Moe" to choose my book. I could not say, "Libraries were what influenced me to read books," becausee then I would be lying. I believe that I became interested ("obsessed" would be a more accurate description) in books due to the encouragement of my parents; they always enjoyed seeing me "reading" to myself, making up nearly accurate stories to go along with the pictures, and I loved it when they would read to me before bedtime.

Libraries did, however, allow me to expand my book interests: mysteries, poems, adventures, comedies, and many others. The library offers children a portal into the imaginary world of their choosing; whether it be an island with buried treasure and plundering pirates, or the streets of London, witnessing Sherlock Holmes solve his latest mystery. Libraries can give children an excape, through books, from the troubles and hardships of everyday life.

Estencia

The Asistencia was originally built (originally one mile east of where it is today) as an outpost for cattle grazing activities in the Mission Era (1819 - 1834). This is when (it is believed) that Native Americans dug irrigation ditches (a.k.a zanjas) to serve the area. It was made completely of adobe and timber. The missionaries intended to bring religion and civilization to the Native Americans. The original site of the Asistencia was attacked by Indians in 1834, and was thus passed into private hands: José de Carmen Lugo purchased the property in 1842. It was then sold in the early 1850s to the Mormons, then it was a school, and later was used as a furniture factory. In 1857 Dr. Benjamin Barton bought the property. And finally, in 1925, the County of San Bernardino took over the property and its restoration was complete in 1937. The Asistencia today is a museum, and a wedding chapel. There is an on site manager who can help guests with any questions they may have about the Asistencia and wedding information (and fyi the manager has a few adorable cats that live in his office; thought I'd throw that in for some random Asistencia trivia).

Although the Mission thought it was helping the Native Americans, I don't think they would have liked missionaries invading their land. Yes, the missions brought religion and civilization (or what they believed to be civilization, because it is a matter of opinion) to the Native Americans, but they also brought diseases like Small Pox. Small Pox was fatal to many Native Americans because they had not yet been exposed to it, and was thus not immune to it. It seems that although the missions brought about a new (possibly better) form of civilization, they brought too much death.

Jonathan Kozol

To be honest I was a little pessimistic about going to Dr. Kozol's lecture last night, but only because it started at the time I usually go exercise. But I grabbed a couple of friends and headed down to the chapel, to listen to Kozol's lecture. I was not disappointed at all; he spoke of many things concerning our youth today, especially state testing. Jonathan Kozol believes greatly that children today have these tests forced upon them too early, thus taking away their childhood. Children should be able to be children not, as some schools prefer to refer to children, "products" in a business like environment. Many teachers, most at the elementary level, are put under alot of stress, what with all the state standards, that they do not always teach in a way children can understand, but rather by the template the state has provided them. They force children to predict "what Sad Sam will do after sitting in the sand." THERE IS NOTHING THERE TO PREDICT! Even I would say, "He kept sitting?" All of the state standards are to be posted on the whiteboards in every classroom in California (and other states as well) so the students can know what they are expected to learn from each lesson. The flaw in this idea is that children do not understand what is meant by the words used in the state standards ("proficiency" for example). And to make it worse not many adults understand exactly what is expected from the students for each state standard. These standards have also created another, extreme problem in elementary, middle school, and even high school levels. These standards force teachers to read books that are not the most interesting, and at a quick pace; thus children who understand why they must complete the standards (to save the school from getting into trouble with the government) do not learn to read for the joy of reading.

One last topic Kozol touched on: the government insists that classroom size is irrelevant to learning. They try to cram as many students as possible into already full classes, and even go so far to send the overflow to trailers/portables/bungalows which are sometimes off campus, or to hot/smelly or otherwise distracting to learn anything of value.

Gab Cast Blog

This is my gabcast blog...I finally figured out how to put it on blogger: http://gabcast.com/index.php?a=search&query=crystalfys