Race, Class, and Gender By Peter MClaren

“School learning in white-controlled institution often is equated with abandoning the imperatives, values, and collective solidarity of black culture. Specifically, blacks and similar minorities (e.g., American Indians) believe that in order for a minority person to succeed in school academically, he or she must learn to think and act white. Furthermore, in order to think and act white enough to be rewarded by whites or white institutions like the schools, a minority person must give up his or her own minority group attitudes , way of thinking, and behaving, and, of course, must give up or lose his or her own minority identity.” (Page 227)

I chose this quote because I do not think it is fair that people of the minority feel like they have to abandon their values just to fit in. I do think it may make it easier if they realize how white people think and act but I do not think they need to do the same. To think  and act white should not mean one must give up their own beliefs. It is not right to ask one to lose their identity in order to fit in.

“At what price to we ask our students to conform to our version of ‘the good student’? For some, the price we exact is obviously too much to bear. That’s when dropping out becomes not so much an option as an urgent and necessary act of survival.” (page 230)

 I chose this quote because I think it is eye opening. It shows how we are pushing students away when the goal was to bring them closer to education. Students have become so overwhelmed their only option is to drop out. This quote talks about how dropping out is less of an  option and more of a need to survive. The quote also points out that students are 'pushed' out because they are expected to leave their culture behind. To be accepted they must change entirely losing all individuality. 

 "The girls in my class were primarily concerned with popularity and physical attractiveness- areas of interest that far superseded academic aspirations. Girls were constantly experimenting with makeup and improvising clothing styles." (page 231)

I chose this quote because it reminded me of the Christensen reading and the media presentation. I believe that girls try so hard to fit in and will do anything. This quote is pointing out how it is affecting students school work. They become more concerned with physical appearance than academics. If they put in as much effort to their school work as they do in their appearance they would all do so well. I think that society is to blame for this. Students try to hard to fit in because they want to be accepted and in the mix of it all lose motivation to do well in school.