Students of color are easy to identify when they make "trouble" but they’re actually not identified when they really need support. THe real issue is how often they get pushed into lower quality, segregated programs that don’t help them grow. That is just another form of discrimination. How can people in power make fair choices about kids when they don’t understand their backgrounds?

Black children are not troublemakers and the problems that teachers have with them are often misunderstandings. It’s kinda wild how something like valuing harmony or being more cooperative can get labeled as a weakness, just because the teacher doesn’t get the cultural background. This honestly makes it clear that cultural training isn’t optional, it’s necessary if we don’t want kids getting pushed into special ed for the wrong reasons.

Identity is not simple. Lydia doesnt just sit there and accept the label people give her. The fact that she straight up says “I hate it!” when asked about being labeled shows how schools sometimes act like these terms are neutral or helpful, when for the kid it actually feels hurtful. It also made me think about how often adults talk about children with disabilities instead of actually asking them how they feel, which happens way too much.

I really like how the author is essentially calling out how labels in schools can turn into whole identities, even when they don’t describe the kid fully at all. The way she talks about Lydia being positioned as “one of those children” shows how people act like disability is the only thing that matters. It kind of makes me think about how schools pretend to be supportive but sometimes they just push students into categories because it’s easier for them.

This paragraph really shows how pretending to be “neutral” in schools isn’t neutral at all, it’s harmful. If teachers don’t talk about LGBTQ+ issues, students start thinking their identity don’t matter or that it’s wrong. I like how Ngo said everyone knew queer students existed but no one talked about it because that silence feels real in a lot of schools still. It’s kinda sad to think how something as simple as acknowledgment could make such a big difference, but most schools still avoid it.

teachers must act as caregivers. They must be reinstated with what Title IX truly means in all of its entirety to prevent further misunderstandings, to ensure that bullying is not just physical conflict. Funding must go into systems that lack resources to be able to recieve training on how to handle these types of situations because I know that there are schools out there that are equipped to handle such situations.

Prior to this, conformation to heterosexual and gender norms was seen as a way to avoid being seen in a different light. However, this tragic story brings awareness that nonconformance can turn deadly and also draws light to the matter of race. We have learned about the struggles and risks that minority races can face and now we know that there truly is danger that LGBTQ minority youth can face. Instead of dedicating a day to Sakia Gunn, curriculum that teaches the extreme wrongness of stigma should be applied in order to draw true change.

I can kind of see where Ullman is coming from when they say that ignoring sexuality entirely can actually harm LGBTQ students. If their own emotions were explained in school, they would feel welcomed into expressing what they truly feel. However, this would have to be addressed in a way that does not pressure heterosexual students into feeling that they should feel homosexual. It should be presented in a way that educates students about all possible ways to feel.

Explaining heterosexuality as a social system is a new way of looking at it as it truly does act as a filter that traps other forms of gender expression. In the many cases of heterosxuality, women really are reliant on men and that is reinforced in many different ways like in media and social stigma. In school too, the strong and masculine boys are often the ones that are popular which romanticizes the very way they think and act.

All children experience gender normality pressure yet children that are transgender experience challenges that are unique. Therefore, they must navigate the world at a young age in a way that they will not face restriction and drawback. If they were to express themselves then they would possibly open the door for their peers to explore different experiences then the ones set in place by gender norms.

I always thought that homophobia was something that was cultured at home, however, I see how schools can enforce such values. Children are taught their gender roles at a young age, student's that are conformist will seek to uphold these teachings which can lead to their deep belief in heterosexism.

the gender seperation practices above are what keeps the dominance of heterosexism continuing. If thoughts about gender are enforced upon children at such a young age like this, there will be little resistance as children have yet to figure out their own identity/

continuing on the topic of last week, these practices kind of force students in a way into certain roles and identities in society. By telling children that they are boys are girls in a boys vs girls sense, we are designating how they percieve themselves instead of letting them find it on their own. It is a underlooked way that society institutionlizes students at a young age.

In Hawaii, the gap between private schools and public schools is truly noticeable. Private schools send tons more students to ivy leagues and out of state colleges while the percentage of public school students who attend college is lower. Not saying that college is the bar for success.

This excerpt is particularly interesting to me because when the disparity between black and white achievement in the US arose, gang violence also arose (the 1990s) which could either be coincidence or correlation. Furthermore, the addition of higher end suburbs with massive public school funding could be the cause towards the achievement gap between lower and higher class families.

This excerpt highlights the fact that most Americans believe that most Americans believe that we should all be given equal opportunities to succeed, we are all deserving of it, but our talents both mental and physical are what separates us from deserving success. This is a good way to sum up the American dream because every American citizen has an opportunity to become the president of the US but those with charisma and ideas will be the ones to claim it.

The American dream is stated to have success come as a reward to ones own hard work. This means that if you put in enough work, you can also reap your own benefits based on said work. However, this paragraph states that this is not the case for all Americans in the modern day. This potentially highlights gaps in education across the country in many states among wage classes and ethnicities. The playing field is not even and wealth can often determine success.

There is resounding faith that American education systems can be used as tools to solve our nations problems. It is a promising outlook on education and a good intro to the reading.