Final Project REFLECTION
Final Project, Reflection
The Rhode Island Department of Education RIDE
requires school nurse teachers to take 8 out of 12 masters level education
courses as a requisite for certification.
Due to the shortage of school nurse-teachers, emergency certification is
often granted to school nurse-teachers who have not yet met these educational
requirements. In these cases, nurses are
temporarily permitted to work in schools while simultaneously working on the
educational requirements. I feel extremely
fortunate to be in a position where I am taking the required courses prior to being employed in a school
setting. I say this because I am going to be better
prepared to recognize and address the myriad of social issues that exist in
society and in our schools. Had I not
taken this course first, FNED 502 Social Issues in Education, I could have missed some very important signs and
calls for help from me, the school nurse, due to my lack of awareness. I am very grateful to have been in this
life-changing class. Now I see things
differently and I feel empathy that borders on anger as I watch the news with
greater awareness and see people being discriminated against (overtly and subtly) by others for
whatever the unjust reasons might be.
Allan Johnson alludes to the problem, although
not his main focus, when discussing Rodney King’s plea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sONfxPCTU0, , “Can’t we all just get
along?” Johnson states, “This doesn’t stop at the issue of color
alone. It is also an issue across differences of gender, sexual orientation,
and numerous lesser divides. Men’s
violence and harassment aimed at women is epidemic in the United States and
shows no sign of letting up anytime soon.” He goes on to say that “Harassment and discrimination
directed at gay men and lesbians are commonplace, and although physical
violence and murder are more rare, they are an ever-present reminder of the
dangers of being identified as anything other than heterosexual.”
I’m inspired by Johnson to change how we think,
change how we act, and change how I will participate in the world as an
individual and as a school nurse teacher.
I see myself in a leadership role and educator as a school nurse. Who else would have the opportunity to bring
attention to this problem within a school setting if not the school nurse? Therefore, I came to the conclusion that this problem
needs to be included in the conversation when we consider important social
issues in education and in society. To
reiterate, I selected this topic for the following reasons:
1.
There is a problem
2.
I am connected to it
3.
I want to give the problem a name so that
others will know it when they see it.
4.
I want to educate others so that they will know
that it is not ok
5.
I want to empower others to not be afraid to
call it what it is, to speak up.
I also thought about how relevant this topic is
today and how many people have suffered in silence as demonstrated by the
recent media coverage of the #MeToo movement.
This movement was recently reignited when one women had the courage to
speak up about her experience. It took just
one woman to speak up, for so many more women to summon the courage to use
their voice as well. Sadly, many of these women had all been victimized by the
same individual and it is sickening to think how one person could successfully
abuse so many people for so many years. Fear
and silence cultivate a safe environment for individuals to perpetuate these
crimes against numerous victims for decades.
Adults who don’t listen and act when given the choice are culpable as
well, and also part of the problem.
Margalynne J. Armstrong and Stephanie M.
Wildman echo the sentiments of Johnson in “Colorblindness is the New Racism,
Raising Awareness about Privilege Using Color Insight” when discussing the
importance of recognizing the daily presence of racial privilege. “Society cannot battle a phantom they cannot
recognize and name.” “Thus whites must make a conscious
effort to notice and learn about the operation of privilege and subordination.”
I underline “whites” here to demonstrate that any person or group in power
could be substituted in this sentence. For example, insert: boss, owner, coach,
school bully, team doctor, etc.
Armstrong and Wildman promote the ideology of
having “insight” which is attained through discussion, specifically color insight. “An initial step toward applying color
insight requires creating a setting to ensure that the mention and discussion
of race is possible. People fear
discussing topics such as race because of fear that one’s own view will be
offensive to others. This fear leads to
avoidance and a lack of discussion altogether.
Armstrong and Wildman state that insight requires a “commitment not to
sweep [race] under the rug, but rather to name its presence and examine its attributes
from multiple perspectives including the operation of privilege.” As I re-read Armstrong and Wildman’s work, I
can easily transfer the same meaning to other situations, including sexual
harassment and sexual assault. It is not
a topic people often discuss, it conjures unpleasant thoughts and memories, and
it makes people uncomfortable. There is
also a great deal of embarrassment, shame, and self-blame involved, which
contributes to the lack of dialogue about sexual harassment and sexual assault. My goal as a school nurse-teacher will be to educate
the community about these crimes, get involved in policy development, and create
an environment where members of the community feel safe enough to have these
difficult conversations.
It is not possible to discuss the topic of
sexual harassment and sexual assault without also explaining the role that
power plays in the dynamic of each. In
the Silenced Dialogue, Lisa Delpit explains how a complex theme, which she
calls “the culture of power” contributes to the silenced dialogue between teachers
of color and teachers who are white regarding the best methods for educating
children of color. Issues of power in
the classroom are discussed, as are the rules and codes for participating in
that power, which is a reflection of the culture possessed by those who have
the power.
My presentation will be about sexual harassment
and sexual assault awareness. It is
intended for middle school and high school level audiences and will be
incorporated into beginning of year small group assemblies in conjunction with
review of school polices and The Student Handbook. The objective is to explain
terminology and the State of Rhode Island General Laws as well as provide resources for additional information
and support. The goal is to bring
awareness to the issue which may be glossed over, if discussed at all. Ideally, students, staff and faculty will be educated about sexual violence, so they can recognized it, name it, and hopefully find the courage to talk about this "trouble" throughout the semester. We must understand the dangerous situations that are created by silence. Silence from the victims as well as silence from those in a position of privilege or power, either way, silence is dangerous and leads to tragic outcomes. A timely and perfect example which inspires me is so bravely explained by sister survivors and athletes at the ESPY awards banquet July 18, 2018.
Please watch this 10 minute clip of if you have time, as it connects to the problem of "silence towards the end.
As educators we have a responsibility to advocate for and protect others. The content of my presentation will be gender neutral. In order to maximize my impact and do the most good for the most people, I will stress that victimization is not always male on female. Anyone can be victimized, men, women, children, elderly…likewise, LGBTQ persons experience sexual harassment and sexual assault - it is grossly under-reported across the board.
I am very thankful to my friend Lisa for strongly recommending this class (taught by you Dr. Lesley Bogad) for I truly see the world differently. I was one of those white middle class suburban women who rarely thought about these social issues as they mostly did not affect my life. I now understand how I enjoy many benefits for being born Caucasian and even though I don’t consider myself to be racist, I also never considered how I am connected to the problem we all face. Honestly, I wish I had taken this class years ago. I have been explaining a lot of what I have learned to my husband and children as well as other friends and family members. For example, prior to taking this course, I was one of those people who would automatically respond to “Black Lives Matter” with “All lives matter” because I truly believe that and I thought that was the correct way to view the world. I now share the illustration of the family sitting at the dinner table, and all but one gets a serving of mashed potatoes. When the person who was missed exclaims, “don’t I matter?” only to hear “Everyone here matters.” The response does not address the problem, which is that one person is missing his share of mashed potatoes, and his problem goes unrecognized. This simple scenario explanation really helps explain to others what is intended by the statement, “Black Lives Matter.” The word “too” is implied, but not heard.
Anyhow,
that is just one of my “Ah-ha moments” I experienced this summer. I also have a better appreciation for the
different educational experiences and opportunities that exist in our country
depending on the zip code where one resides.
People of means have many choices including the option to move, pay
tuition, and/or drive outside of the city limits to numerous other fancy
private school options. Our inner city,
poor and often non-white children are stuck where they are stuck and have
little if any choice in where they attend school. Prior to this course, I was not a big
proponent of charter schools. I felt
they took funding away from and competed with public school districts for
limited resources. Now I see the value
of these schools from the perspective of families like Nedra Martin and her daughter Mah'Ria, who otherwise
would be forced to attend poor or under-performing schools. The Blackstone Valley Prep Academy Charter, in
Cumberland is one example of school choice which uses a lottery system for students residing in
Cumberland, Central Falls and Pawtucket and Lincoln. They have longer days, longer school years and the students are referred
to as ‘Scholars” as this is a college preparatory missioned program. I
Getting back to the topic of race, Johnson’s
message that we can’t fix what we don’t talk about, resonated with me in so
many ways. For example, I was one who
would not discuss issues of race, because I would not feel in any way
adequately prepared to raise the topic, and for fear of offending someone else
or being misunderstood. It was always
best practice I thought to be politely quiet about some subjects. As a future educator, I realize now that I better
get with the program and start having these conversations to get used to
feeling uncomfortable, for it is unavoidable.
To remain neutral or silent, when I have the power to choose what I will
and will not allow to be discussed in my presence, sends a message loud and
clear to those who need an advocate, those who need to feel valued and seen,
the marginalized and under-represented.
I am sure that it will be difficult to always know the right words, but
the important thing is to allow for space to have dialogue.
This is my challenge as a future school nurse
teacher and I look forward to all the ways I can promote health and wellness in
my school community which includes the whole person, mentally and
physically. Ultimately, as Johnson
proposes, “We strive for school and work settings where we all feel comfortable
showing up, secure in the knowledge that we have a place we don’t have to
defend every time we turn around, where we are encouraged to do our best and
are valued for it. We all like to feel that
way: accepted, valued, supported, appreciated, respected belonging.” As Maslow teaches us, in order to achieve
this, first and foremost, we must be safe – safe from discriminatory,
threatening and violent behavior, including sexual harassment and sexual
assault.
Cheryl Ann Ferreira, RN-BSN
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