Make them or break them

Ultimately language is the only way to communicate in today's society. Whether we use body language, verbal language, or sign language; everything we do sends a message to someone. When it comes to communicating with anyone you have to first decide what it is that you want to convey and what is the best way for you to do so. Like anyone I have my moments were I know what I mean but I don't use my language in a way to convey that correctly. With my youth or any youth for that matter you must start off setting the tone. Children respond well when everything is laid out on the table and they understand where you are coming from. I pride myself on saying what I mean and meaning why I say. It is simply a respect thing for myself and others. I use my voice to be heard and better understood. My body language doesn't always convey who we are that's why we have to educate ourselves and our youth on proper communiction skills so that we can better ourselves. Through this program Ive learned what children respond to and that is simply respect. Verbal respect. I know I my tone is appropriate my response will be the same. It's plain and simple.

Maia Bedford

I believe that one’s language can demonstrate his respect, or lack thereof, for his self, others, and his surroundings; it also can reveal valuable information about one’s background. However, I never realized the value language played in education administration and policy. The seemingly subtle differences in phrases like achievement and opportunity gap are a lot deeper than I thought. An achievement gap implies that one group is more successful than another while an opportunity gap implies that one group is more privileged than another. This is an important distinction because differences in students’ achievement can only be fully understood when the reasons for the variances in achievement are evaluated. Interestingly enough, these reasons often lie in major disparities among students’ opportunities.

When discussing education policy, it is important to be very mindful of language because otherwise, it is easy to lose sight of the primary purpose of education. Education is the sharing of knowledge and experiences to promote personal growth. When students are referred to as numbers or potential threats to funding and order, the purpose of education becomes less about personal growth and more about producing sterile results and keeping order. I do not undervalue having order but do believe that when a system whose purpose is to promote sharing becomes fixed on structure, the system cannot truly achieve its goals.

Tashawna King

Language holds a lot of power. It is the preferred method of communication in our culture; it is the fuel we use to empower our desires, and to direct our energy. Language creates and transforms our lives. You can gain students attention by speaking to them in an appropriate language without raising your voice. Students do not answer to you when you speak in a harsh language because they want to hear their teacher speak in a calm language. I think students get enough of being yelled at when they are home which is why they will not listen to teachers if they are yelled at in school. When you speak in an appropriate language you can immediately gain students attention. In addition, labeling students “at risk” is not the appropriate language because when students know they are labeled “at risk,” they do not try as hard as they can because they feel inferior; they start to give up slowly. I think teachers should make a note that students are having trouble with some work, but teachers do not have to label students “at risk” because language holds the power of how students act in the classroom. Students become less motivated when they are labeled. 

The Power of Language

Fair versus Equal

Fair versus equal is something all educators struggle with grasping. It's a hard technique to master because we want to make sure we're giving each student the amount of opportunities in class. That would be fair and equal would be providing the right supports for each student to met or excel in those opportunities. The easy way out would be to just provide the opportunities and help all the students to complete the tasks in the same way. The hard, yet most beneficial way would be to figure out what each students' strengths and weaknesses are and use them help the students excel in the tasks. With the given curriculum and daily tasks, it seems nearly impossible to work the students strengths and weaknesses but we need to develop the time in order to  help them succeed. 

Achievement Gap versus Opportunity Gap

There is an achievement gap not only due to the lack of opportunities but I believe it relates back to the fair versus equal. Students may not be succeeding in class because there aren't specific supports for their learning styles. When their needs aren't met as learners they struggle in class and as a result fall behind because the support isn't there. There is also an achievement gap due to the lack of opportunities. Students who aren't getting the support will not qualify for possible scholarships or other offers resulting in the lack of opportunities the students will receive.

"At Risk"

The term at risk immediately sends a red flag. I think it automatically puts a label on students before we actually get to know them as individuals. Students who come from difficult family backgrounds and struggle in school are these "at risk" students. Whose to deem them as at risk? Personally, I was a student who came from a difficult family situation (single parent home), in an urban area and by definition I would be coined as "at risk". However, my educators and mentors did not label me at risk therefor I was aware or opportunities and took advantage of them. So as educators we need to discard the "at risk" label and get to know our students individually to be able to help them succeed so they would fall into the stigma and make them a product of their environment. 

My perceptions

           I tried to come to Baltimore with as few preconceived expectations as possible. I wasn't entirely sure what I was getting myself into, and I didn't want to add to any of my anxiety with having one set plan for what Baltimore would be like. Before coming to Baltimore this summer for SuperKids I have only been in the city one other time, last summer when my sister was looking at colleges. But then someone told me that The Wire was all about Baltimore, so of course I had to watch an episode. That was probably not my best choice, because then I drove into the city expecting a scene to play out right in front of me at any second. While that hasn't happened so far (thankfully!), the students in my class have taught me very quickly the realities of their young lives are nothing that I could have imagined growing up in a quiet suburb of Rochester.    I do find myself loving Baltimore, and every time I get lost (which is almost daily) I find another beautiful park or really cool looking store that reminds me what a cool city Baltimore is.

Perception

As mentioned already, people think of Baltimore and they think of danger, crime, poverty, homelessness, drugs and general nefarious activities. I moved to Baltimore from Southern Indiana when I was 11 years old and have lived here ever since(with a brief one year in Brooklyn, NY) and I'd be lying if those perceptions of Baltimore didn't hold some merit. However, I grew up in many of the same conditions as those living in Baltimore but it was in the midwest so to me these things happen everywhere and it would be naive of people to think that they don't. When we see shows like The Wire and other things taking place in Baltimore it's all bad and I think while it is in some ways accurate we need to focus on the positive stories that exist. Particularly of the people who live in Baltimore. I have been surrounded by so many people who come from the worst conditions and they excell and give back and are amazing people. I think the reason we don't hear about these people and the other great things in Baltimore(culture, food, locations, schools, etc) is because people on some level love bad news and until we cherish stories of success and greatness Baltimore's image will not change.

The Ugly Duckling

For me "The Wire"and "The Corner" portrays Baltimore very well, well at least a large portion of the city. Baltimore is cursed with high poverty numbers. As a young child I moved a plethora of times and personally spent Kindergarden through first grade with four different schools. Growing up in Baltimore there are no real positive males in the city well at least none of them cool enough to look up to as a young child that is promoted.

 I have always been able to look beyond the horizon of the smoke and smug. Baltimore is a great city with tremendous upside but is in dire need positive strong male figures.

If you ask  young male students what they want to be when they grow up its either rapper, football, or basketball player. Which is not so bad but are alot less attainable. Its just astonishing to me because we have one of the best doctors in world right here in the city (Doctor Ben Carson).

You have to give credit to the women of Baltimore because they have stepped up in a tremendous way. Ranging from the increase in the field education, their college enrollment increases, and even power positions like mayor ( Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake). But young male still needs a male figure but, when the majority of us are negative we produce a negative future for our males.

The Inner Harbor, Harbor East, and Canton are very nice but only hides the other 80 percent of the city in poverty. Growing up in certain conditions its almost impossible to even consider college. Even it is not the prettiest picture certain shows like "The Wire" should not be discredited but in turn be used as motivation to uplift and unlock the potential we all see in the city of Baltimore.

Tell Me How You Really Feel...

     I'd like to start off by saying I'm originally from Texas and that I have been living in Baltimore for almost 8 years now. Coming at a young age of 13, I think I have a VERY broad outlook on Baltimore that others wouldn't have, especially because I think I came at such a vulnerable age where your surroundings can play a major role in your everyday life, and this is coming from my perspective of my life to my perspective of others around me. Like Lizzy said, when speaking with someone who doesn't know much about Baltimore, automatically they think, "Like the T.V show The Wire?" and yes of course, not all of Baltimore is like The Wire, but it would be wrong if we said some parts of Baltimore aren't just like it. Just like how I am originally from Dallas, Texas and people ask me all the time, "is it like the T.V. show Dallas?" or, "Do you ride horses everywhere?" Seriously, it's 2013.
     Although The Wire is not a good representation of Baltimore as a whole, there is some truth behind it. We must remember that these dramas did come from somewhere and not entirely someone's brain. Now although not all of Baltimore is like the Wire, there are parts that people look over and take for granted; example, the Inner Harbor. People travel hundreds of miles to see the Inner Harbor which is a major tourism site for Baltimore. Also, we have one of the best hospitals and schools in the WORLD, Johns Hopkins University. People from all over the world praise and attend Johns Hopkins and its location is in the heart of Baltimore.
     Now everything we see isn't always how it is but I believe there is some type of truth in everything. During training week, you guys stressed the fact that some of these kids may come from harder backgrounds than others which is completely fine, but individually we have to look at each child's situation. My point is that ultimately, some people do become products of their environment while others may change because of their environment. I love Baltimore because the people and the city itself taught me so much, but we can not ignore the issues at hand in Baltimore to focus on the view of the city from others. We need to focus on how to make the city and ourselves better and how WE, the people of Baltimore, view ourselves and our city. We must understand ourselves before we let someone else try to understand us.

Home Sweet Home

While other people might thinks of Baltimore of as a scary drug filled, poor city, I know it as my home. To me, it poses all the things I think a proper home should. It is where I am most comfortable and I know my way around and 

There is absolutely truth in the way Baltimore is portrayed in shows like The Wire and Homicide, but that is not all of Baltimore by any means.  I know it as a dynamic, vibrant place with so many different, interesting people and I love that about Baltimore. Baltimore is home and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Dangerous vs. Smelly

When I was younger, my cousin and I used to have arguments about which city in the US was the best.  He lived in Brooklyn, NY and so was a strong advocate of NYC while I, as a native of Baltimore, supported my own city.  Being young and not knowing much about our hometowns, we didn’t have much to debate except which sports team was better – Orioles vs. Yankees.  The key point I always made was that NYC smelled.  He consistently retorted that at least New York wasn’t as dangerous as Baltimore.  Even at a young age, we had this idea that Baltimore was a city full of crime though we had not had any direct experience with it ourselves.  Many of the adults’ views I hear are relatively similar to this oversimplification we had as children.

I think the connection we feel with others who are from our hometown should emerge through pride in our city and not self-deprecation.  Freshman year of college, I visited a high school friend at College Park and we had a conversation with a random guy in a coffee shop.  The reason I remember this conversation is that he asked us where we were from and when I said Baltimore he went on to dwell on the negative aspects of the city.  I felt as if this man was trying to commiserate with us that we were both from ‘poor, dangerous Baltimore.’  This was not the first time that I’d met someone who almost seemed proud of the poverty, crime, or poor public education system in Baltimore.  People sometimes get almost competitive about it and make references to the TV show The Wire.  While I think it is good for people to feel connected to others who are also from their same hometown, I think this connection should encompass the whole city in all its richness and diversity and not just the negative aspects.