'The Sanctuary Of School' By Lynda Barry

My book is called A Child Called “It” by Dave Pelzer. It has 182 pages, all of which are full of sadness. The genre is an autobiography of Dave Pelzer’s abusive childhood. My book is a terrifying story of a mother who used to be loving, but became abusive because of alcohol. She took out her anger on Dave, her youngest son. Dave’s father was his Superman. He relied on his father to sneak him small bits of food when he was starved, and to talk to him when he was lonely. But when his father left his mother because of her insanity, Dave had no one. He started to rely on school to get food. He would steal from other kids’ lunchboxes during recess. This would result in more beatings from Mother. I decided to read this book because my mom told me about it a long time ago. It seemed like an interesting book. A Child Called “It” was published by the Omaha Press in 1993.

When society thinks of the word “childhood,” they imagine it as a precious time for children to be in school and freely play, to grow and learn with the love and support from people dear to their hearts. It is also known to be a cherished period where children are to be innocent and live carefree from fear. However, in the context of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, childhood is viewed as a tough hardship that Jeannette and her siblings have overcame, and the memories they carry has greatly impacted their lives that it has molded them to who they are

Education has been a major influence on government policy and social standards concerning American youth. With hard work and education, one can better themselves and open up more opportunities for financial and social success. Waiting for Superman directed by Oscar winner, Davis Guggenheim, counters that the current education system is failing students by limiting their upward mobility, particularly among minority and low income groups. The documentary advocates for a radical change in the modern education system, modeled after charter school curriculums. Even though these successful schools produce great students many children, majority African American and Hispanic, are being left behind. In Maya Angelou’s

As my brother plays in his tournament for high school basketball I hear my mother screaming at him. She's telling him to try harder, run faster, rebound more, and to have fun. Although it is a tournament and everyone wants the team they are for to win, they also all want those boys to have fun. Sports aren't always about winning. Especially since these boys are still in high school, they're just kids. My mother and other parents and coaches know that it's good for them to have fun playing the game they love, but they also know that it's good for them to compete and try their best to get what they want. The coaches and parents know what the real world is like, there's all kinds of competition in it. These sports can help these kids prepare for their soon to be future.

I found this article to be very interesting and extremely heartbreaking. Jonathan Kozol paints a vivid and grim picture of predominantly black or Hispanic schools in and around some the largest cities in America. Even in areas where the distribution of races is somewhat equal, Kozol tells us that most white families would rather send their kids by bus to a school where more than half of the students are white. Some schools, like Martin Luther King Jr. high school in New York City, are located purposefully in upper middle class white neighborhoods in hopes to draw in a more diverse selection of children, i.e. more white kids. It seems however, according to Kozol, that this plan not only did not work, but has made it a prime and obvious example of modern segregation in our schools. One teacher Kozol interviewed at a school where 95 percent of the students were either black, asian, hispanic or native american, told him “not with bitterness but wistfully--of seeing clusters of white parents and their children each morning on the corner of a street close to the school, waiting for a bus that took the children to a predominately white school”. (p.203)

In this book, author Tara J. Yosso demonstrates how institutional power and racism affect the Chicano/a educational pipeline by weaving together critical race theory and counterstories. Critical race theory is a framework used to discover the ways race as well as racism implicitly and explicitly shape social structures, practices, and discourses(Yosso, pg.4). Counterstories refer to any narrative that goes against majoritarian stories, in which only the experiences and views of those with racial and social privilege are told. The counterstory methodology humanizes the need to change our educational system and critical race theory provides a structure for Yosso to base her research. This results in a beautiful hybrid of empirical data, theory, and fascinating narratives that works to analyze how forms of subordination shape the Chicana/o pipeline, while also exposing how institutions, structures, and discourses of education maintain discrimination based on gender, race, class and their intersections.

Would you be happy if you had received an A in your class? Do you feel that you truly learned enough to deserve that perfect A? Students who are in either high school or college are forgetting the true meaning of having knowledge and being able to learn. People think that how well they perform in the classroom will justify how well the teacher teaches their students but necessary that might not always be that way. In Brent Staples piece, “Why Colleges Shower their Students with A’s”, he argues that there must be an end to the grade Inflation and continues by examining for a possible solution by using language techniques to emphasize the main point. He mentions, “Some departments shower students with A’s to fill poorly attended courses that might otherwise be canceled” (Staples 1065). Staples piece comes across as formal, but also has a purpose of the making both a precise idea and credible point to his readers that they might be effected as well as colleges that the essay refers to. Staple focuses

Abstract: The Mendez v. Westminster (1946) was the stepping stone to ending school segregation in California. The lawsuit was led by Gonzalo Mendez and five other parents who were denied enrollment of their children in an Anglo school. This led them to protest and then file a class-action lawsuit against the Westminster School District of Orange County California. Accusing them of segregating Mexican and Latin decent students. With the help attorney Dave Marcus, the plaintiffs were able to prove segregation in schools by using social and educational theories conducted by social scientist. District Court Judge Paul McCormick ruled in Mendez favor confirming California school districts were segregating students by their skin color and surnames. He held that public school segregation was a violation

How would an individual feel if their school was integrated? Or had conditions so bad to the point where they can’t focus on their education? Well I’ve been given multiple sources to analyze Detroit Public Schools and schools in the 1950’s to tell you how they dealt with these issues and many others; So, I’ll be comparing and contrasting the two.

Lynda Barry in her work The Sanctuary of School, wrote about her life as a kid with a toxic family life where she relied on school to be a place she feels secure. She tried to escape from her toxic family by going to school; was the only way for her to relieve her mind. The school granted her freedom to draw and provided her a safe place to stay. Painting and drawing was the only activity that made her happy. By doing these activities were the only way to express herself. Therefore, if school was to cancel this activity, many children that are like Barry would have nothing to relieve and relied on.

Lynda's story is not an isolated incident, but it is a situation that many children face. Many children across our country depend on the stability of programs in school. Our society does not address the needs of public schools enough. It is not uncommon today for teachers to pay out of pocket for classroom supplies. Unfortunately, the poorer school districts suffer the most. This is where we see the most budget cuts happening. When budget cuts happen, the first programs to go are usually the art programs. It's sad because art programs tend to be the most therapeutic for children.

Freedom Writers written and directed by Richard LaGravenese , based on the book, The Freedom Writers Diary, by The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell .“At 16, I’ve probably witnessed more dead bodies than a mortician,” says a Woodrow Wilson High School student, before matter-of-factly describing a life in which gang and domestic violence are everyday occurrences.1 Racism , that is, basing on racial, people are divided into different social classes. Racism not only be the reason to prejudice students, but also be the root of violence. As Eva says: “schools are like the city and the city is just like a person, all of them divided into separate sections, depending on tribes.” 2Shortly after the Rodney King riots in L.A., new school teacher Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) wants to experience the difficult freshman class of Wilson High School, made up of some ethnic groups’ kids that the system has given up on. The optimistic young teacher Erin comes up with her confidence to try her best to get the kids to learn more about themselves and the world around them, finding the meaning of their lives in journals, while fighting with fellow teachers and the school principal about her techniques. Erin tries her best to break the ice between the people with love and understanding, while school including dean keeps on racism and regard students as hopeless people. More generally, Basing on racism, on the one hand, some people that are

“Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” by Jessica Statsky is a thoughtful insight on the competitive sports for children. She is of the view that the competitive sports can ruin the enjoyment that games are supposed to provide. These methods of playing the games like adults can prove to be lethal for physical and psychological health. The author quotes from an authentic source that “Kids under the age of fourteen are not by nature physical.” (Tutko) This means that the games for children need to focus more on their pleasure and enjoyment rather than on the competition. Competition only makes children bound to be winners. It also discourages sportsman spirit. Instead of being a source of healthy growth, these competitive sports have started becoming the source of depression for children when they don’t fulfil the expectations of their parents. These sports should enhance the sportsman spirit in children and must be beneficial for their mental and physical health. Concentrating on winning or losing spoils the fun that games hold. In addition, equal chances should be provided to every child to participate. Competitive nature can assist the children in their life later on, but the focus should be on better mental and physical health. (204 words)

Americans, when they think of Civil Rights probably think of the Civil Rights Movement. During the civil rights era African Americans fought to be treated as equals by fighting segregated schools, for their voting rights, and for their basic right that every American has today. To say that education is our civil rights movement of today is inaccurate. Antonio Alvarez’s narrative “Out Of My Hands” focuses on a financially struggling family, but proving that they can succeed. David L. Kirp’s article “The Secret to Fixing Bad Schools” reinforces the idea that even though a community might be poor, that doesn’t have to reflect the quality of education students receive. Horace Mann, known as the godfather of American public education, expresses

In Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools, Jonathan Kozol exploits extreme inequalities between the schools in East St. Louis and Morris High in Rye, New York in the 1990s. The living conditions in East St. Louis were deplorable. There was no trash collection service, the sewage system was dysfunctional, and crime, illness, poverty, and pollution ran rampant. The schools in East St. Louis had a predominately black student population, and the buildings were extremely obsolete, with lab equipment that was outdated by thirty to fifty years, a football field without goalposts, sports uniforms held together by patches, and a plumbing system that repeatedly spewed sewage. In addition, there was a substantial lack of funds that prevented