Whistling Vivaldi Essay

The first example of discrimination which causes a huge problem is the discussion of race. Even though the book is written based in the nineties, it was still

It demonstrates that even without juridical discrimination; hate speech, lowered expectations, and dismissive behavior can have devastating effects on achievement. Black members of the blue-eyed group forcefully remind whites that they undergo similar stresses, not just for a few hours in a controlled experiment, but every day of their lives. Although these concepts are food for thought… they are merely preludes to the main course. The most important lesson to be learned here is that just one person can make a difference.       Next we join a group of 40 teachers, police, school administrators and social workers in Kansas City - blacks, Hispanics, whites, women and men.

The inspiration for Whistling Vivaldi was a narrative published by Brent Staples, who was a graduate psychology student at the University of Chicago at the time of the incident. When the African American student walked along the streets in casual clothes, couples would cross the street and others would avoid eye contact. Uncomfortable with the situation, Staples began whistling songs from The Beatles and “Four Seasons” by Vivaldi. Miraculously, pedestrians stopped avoiding him; some even offered Staples a smile. Social psychologist Claude Steele refers the phenomenon as an identity contingency. According to Steele (2011), contingencies are “conditions you have to deal with in a setting in order to function in it. And identity

O’Brien, L.T., & Crandall, C.S. (2003) Stereotype threat and arousal: effects on women’s math performance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 782-789.

At some point in time, everybody has been told that they cannot do something. Some people do something about that and try to prove that person wrong and if they don’t succeed, they try again and keep trying until they do. Some don’t do a thing about it. This happened in the Crucible and happens in basketball all the time its persistence that can change all this.

I agree with Jane Elliott’s teaching and learning methods. Her way of teaching is unarguably harsh, but the lesson she tries to bring forth is extremely meaningful. The best way to teach and understanding and respect for people who are different is to put them in situations where they will be affected. I recognize that society tries to teach equality through movies, books, and historical events, but these aren’t enough efforts to cease racism and sexism. I thought it was a meaningful experiment for these participants to undergo this for a couple of hours, because they actually felt the same intimidation and fear that colored people feel every single day. The participants definitely left the classroom aware of the struggles non-white people have to

Over confidence can be the downfall of people’s actions. Teachers and coaches know this and they push their students or players to practice so they can be prepared for a test or game. Preparedness directly conflicts overconfidence. When people prepare, it is because they understand that they are not perfect and will not do something perfectly, therefore they will practice such skill so they can be confident when they have to do it in a real situation. People should not be over confident, but have a respectable amount of confidence.

Another factor that plays into the role of inequalities in the American education system is stereotypes. One body of research suggests that the result of African Americans underperforming is having internalized negative stereotypes. If anyone of us is told that we’re lazy, ignorant, or stupid long enough, and treated accordingly, we would believe it. Once you start to believe it, these characteristics start to describe you and it effects your whole life, including education. Not only does money and race play a role in the inequalities in education, but sex does as well. According to the author, in recent years, journalists, psychologists and educators have brought attention to what is known as the “boy crisis.” Basically, the crisis is described as girls outperforming boys in their educational outcomes. Consequently, the idea of “girl power” mantras and the feminist movement have made their mark. In recent years, girls outperformed boys nationally in reading and writing tests. Also, they attend college in higher numbers and are more likely to

Discrimination and racism were widespread and many gave no second thought of it. Now, we strive to see that neither are tolerated. Students are aware of what discrimination is, and they know how bad it is. A student from the past may have been very shocked to realize how discrimination felt, from lack of experience. Times have changed, and people are more socially aware. Schools are also more diverse and contain students from many races and ethnicities. If Jane’s experiment was conducted in an elementary school today, the students will still learn from the experience, but it will not be the eye opener it was for students in the past. Though today’s students will be less shocked at the outcome of this experiment, the experience will still help them understand

Like race, gender can be used by a sexist society to throw up a barrier to women's development and negatively affect their learning experiences. In a culture where the default human is seen as a White male, the model for individual human development has been structured around White, male life experiences. As a result, when compared to these androcentric models of development, women are often seen as lacking. Race, gender, and class, in addition to other characteristics such as geographical location, ability/disability status, and religious backgrounds affect everyone not only in our development, but also in how we experience educational environments and our learning process. Because of racism and sexism, certain learners may feel that they

Greeting, I did learn many things while reading chapter 2. However, the most interesting thing I found was the concept that expressing about race and gender oppression simultaneously. On page 51, based on the 1996 welfare reforms "welfare queen" deserve state assistance due to race and gender idea. However, the word "welfare queen" stereotypical represent black woman. Does any one knows white receives more state assistance than non-white. Indeed, based on U.S Department of Agriculture data white are more state assistance recipients than non-white.

In our class discussions and readings, I found the most powerful readings to be Self-fulfilling Stereotypes, Institutions, and Ideologies, and Still Separate, Still Unequal. These readings each had intertwining messages about the social hierarchies, stereotypes, and plutocracy. The first reading Self-fulfilling Stereotypes is really important because understanding how stereotypes are formed and thought to be true. The readings go on to talk about whether or not people conform to their stereotypes or resist. In the group's presentation, some stated they conformed to their stereotypes and others stated they had resisted. Also, the author stated the best ways to eliminate the Real

Regardless of a students’ gender by the end of the story, this book does all the right things in teaching children about stereotypes, and finding one’s self esteem, learning to accept themselves for who they are, and to recognize their strengths. It also teaches them that in life many things may not turn out the way you want it to, but that it is ok and dealing with it will only make you stronger. Robert Munsch’s, “The Paper Bag Princess” is an empowering and uplifting story about a strong princess and an unworthy prince, and highly recommended to help introduce students to issues about stereotypes, equality, appreciation for oneself and others, and to

The book’s character’s main problem is finding individuality in racism. For the duration of the book, the narrator is constantly fighting racism and stereotypes. Ellison put many examples in the book to help show the character’s fight to be seen equal. Ellison shows that, through the character himself, that you can not tell people who to be. However, Ellison throws curves at the narrator that challenges

In many cases the classroom reinforces gender stereotypes perpetuated by society. This can be found in the materials used for instruction,