Tony Ive
September 29, 2008
Matt Wappett
Core 122 (What is Normal Anyway)
Identity is important because as humans, how we view ourselves effects how we interact with our surroundings. As a society we have a tendency to segregate people whether we know it or not. Segregation puts labels on people. It creates self fulfilling prophesies. Look at public education. By creating a class for advanced students those students believe they are advanced. They will strive for things they would not normally. The students who are put in average classes are told just that. They are average. What is there motivation to do any better then the people around them? They will always be average. Even sadder what about the kids who are told they are dumb.
Jonathon Mooney is the exception to the law but his book is filled with stories of smart people who were brought down by the messages they received in schools. Cookie is just one of many examples. He was different than the rest of the students and because of that he was told he was stupid. Although the city has embraced him he continues to live as an outcast. Brent was obsessed with paintball in an attempt to shed the disabled label. The only place students can shed there labels take place outside of the class room. Mooney needed soccer.
The experiences of the two speakers who talked to our class highlight the effects of inclusion and segregation. One of the speakers talked about how he was bullied in school. He was in a special ed program and was constantly harassed by other students. They would call him names, spit on him, and throw things at him. Treatment like this makes individuals feel bad about who they are. The other speaker talked about his transition from special ed to the average classes. He made his first real friends when he entered the normal class. It worked out well for him because he was not told he was stupid. He went on become the school president. The other hated high school.
As a student in high school I witness students being separated for their disabilities all the time. Any time there was a test the students with disabilities were pulled from the class to go take their tests separately. The other students wondered where they went. Why they got special treatment. The response was a subconscious automatic what makes you so special? The students with disabilities were embarrassed and their peers, some consciously, some subconsciously, resented them for what they saw as special treatment.
While most segregation has negative effects there are some good things. The students with disabilities that are not obvious like dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD are put in an environment where they will not be embarrassed for their learning differences. They do not have to tell their peers. Teachers can spend more time working with smaller groups of students. Still, the negative consequences outweigh the positive ones. People begin to identify themselves as dumb or smart or whatever their label is and it becomes true. I have been wrestling with how to overcome these problems this whole week.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Movie Response #1 Murderball
Tony Ive
September 24, 2008
Matt Wappet
What is Normal Anyway
Movie Response #1 Murderball
The cinematography annoyed me. I did not like how the camera was constantly shaking. When I watched the opening scene showing the rugby game my initial response was cool, finally an accurate movie about disabilities. I was angered by the Canadian coach’s treatment of his son and his wall of accomplishments. I was uncomfortable watching the sex scene. At the beginning, I felt uncomfortable watching the movie. It is probably because they were in wheel chairs. Ten minutes into the movie the chair was not what I focused on. I felt sympathy for the character who would never be able to ride his dirt bike again, but I was detached from the movie. I was not interested in their personal relationships. Maybe it’s because I just don’t like to get personal.
They are disabled because they need to use wheel chairs and cannot go up stairs. Society is what disabled them. The structures that able bodied people built made it difficult for them to get up stairs. If society made everything accessible for everyone they would not be disabled. One of the characters was recovering from a traumatic motorcycle incident. He was not able to ride his dirt bike any more so he was disabled. It was more difficult for him to function in his apartment so in that way he was disabled. People needed to do a lot of things for him. It is understandable that he was sad.
The movie showed some of the characters with their shirts off. It made the characters look tougher and admirable. Most able bodied people do not have abs like those guys. It focused on their personalities. One of the players demonstrated the role of being a rebel. He would go up to people in the street and challenge them to fights. He would not allow his story to be viewed as a tragedy.
The film told a classic sports story: an epic battle between two sports teams. It showed the scores and the intense looks on the player’s faces. It focused on their accomplishments and steered itself away from being a story of tragedy. Despite the cinematography and sex video I felt inspired.
September 24, 2008
Matt Wappet
What is Normal Anyway
Movie Response #1 Murderball
Murder ball is about the athletes who compete in the Paralympic sport wheelchair rugby. The main characters were Joe Soares, a Canadian coach who was depicted as the bad guy, and Mark Zupan, a bad ass and the star of the American team. Wheel chair Rugby is a sport for the top paraplegic athletes; it is not the Special Olympics. This is a documentary of the Paralympics battles between he U.S. and Canada. It is also an inside view into what it is like to become paraplegic, and what it means to live that way.
The cinematography annoyed me. I did not like how the camera was constantly shaking. When I watched the opening scene showing the rugby game my initial response was cool, finally an accurate movie about disabilities. I was angered by the Canadian coach’s treatment of his son and his wall of accomplishments. I was uncomfortable watching the sex scene. At the beginning, I felt uncomfortable watching the movie. It is probably because they were in wheel chairs. Ten minutes into the movie the chair was not what I focused on. I felt sympathy for the character who would never be able to ride his dirt bike again, but I was detached from the movie. I was not interested in their personal relationships. Maybe it’s because I just don’t like to get personal.
The movie complicates how we think of normality by demonstrating the ways that the athletes are typical American males. It shows the characters at their jobs. It shows the characters with their children, wives, and girlfriends. The film even shows disabled people having sex. The film shows the characters going shopping. There are interviews where the characters express their resentment of people who try to help them when they do not need help. Like any typical American male they love sports.
They are disabled because they need to use wheel chairs and cannot go up stairs. Society is what disabled them. The structures that able bodied people built made it difficult for them to get up stairs. If society made everything accessible for everyone they would not be disabled. One of the characters was recovering from a traumatic motorcycle incident. He was not able to ride his dirt bike any more so he was disabled. It was more difficult for him to function in his apartment so in that way he was disabled. People needed to do a lot of things for him. It is understandable that he was sad.
The movie showed some of the characters with their shirts off. It made the characters look tougher and admirable. Most able bodied people do not have abs like those guys. It focused on their personalities. One of the players demonstrated the role of being a rebel. He would go up to people in the street and challenge them to fights. He would not allow his story to be viewed as a tragedy.
The film told a classic sports story: an epic battle between two sports teams. It showed the scores and the intense looks on the player’s faces. It focused on their accomplishments and steered itself away from being a story of tragedy. Despite the cinematography and sex video I felt inspired.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The Short Bus Ch.3
The Short Bus Chapter Three Response
Brent and Jon’s childhood experiences correlate with my own. I agree with what Jon wrote. Every experience he described I can relate to more then most people can imagine. I also have Dyslexia and ADHD.
Brent felt scared and angry when he went to school. He would go to the bathroom in order to get out of reading. When he read the kids laughed at him. The teachers labeled him the bad kid.
It is interesting that Brent found activities outside of school that put him in control. When he played paintball he was in a different world. There was not a school structure he had to hide from. Paintball is a game of survival. It is kill or be killed. When I was in grade school I developed a fascination with professional wrestling. I would watch every show and reenact scenes I saw on my trampoline. When I focused on wrestling I did not have to think about anything else. “They talked exclusively about paintball: the equipment, tournaments, guns, paint.” Brent could focus on his goal to kill and let out the anger he built up from school.
Brent had to go to tutoring several hours a day during the summer. That reminded me of many tests I had to take. Jonathan: “The moment the tutoring began, I wanted to jump out of my skin.” I did not like tutoring either. I can remember going to the office sitting down and being asked endless questions that didn’t matter. Like if Lucy gets on a train going 60MPH how long will it take her to… I think you know what I am talking about. I would stare out the window and dream about building something.
In my experience the test administrators have been friendly but odd. There is something about testing for dyslexia that attracts people who are more quirky than the average person. They were also nice and caring individuals who usually did what they did because they or a relative of theirs had a disability. Brent’s tutor “looked like a cross between a librarian and a Berkeley hippie” “Ann, professional yet kind, wore a blue dress that seemed childish for a middle –aged woman.” Page 53
While I think the book raises some good points. Jonathan Mooney comes off as cocky and arrogant. It is like he knew people did not think he would be as successful as he became and he wrote this book to rub it in. Part of the reason is because the negative experiences we’ve faced as a result of our disabilities are just that; a result of our disability. Jon blames society, the schools, and the teachers for the hardships he endured. He’s correct but because he shifts the blame away from himself he comes off like politician who blames everyone else for what happened in his district. It is Jonathan’s life. The details of our journeys are different, but the stories are the same. That doesn’t mean I hold the same beliefs they do.
Brent and Jon’s childhood experiences correlate with my own. I agree with what Jon wrote. Every experience he described I can relate to more then most people can imagine. I also have Dyslexia and ADHD.
Brent felt scared and angry when he went to school. He would go to the bathroom in order to get out of reading. When he read the kids laughed at him. The teachers labeled him the bad kid.
It is interesting that Brent found activities outside of school that put him in control. When he played paintball he was in a different world. There was not a school structure he had to hide from. Paintball is a game of survival. It is kill or be killed. When I was in grade school I developed a fascination with professional wrestling. I would watch every show and reenact scenes I saw on my trampoline. When I focused on wrestling I did not have to think about anything else. “They talked exclusively about paintball: the equipment, tournaments, guns, paint.” Brent could focus on his goal to kill and let out the anger he built up from school.
Brent had to go to tutoring several hours a day during the summer. That reminded me of many tests I had to take. Jonathan: “The moment the tutoring began, I wanted to jump out of my skin.” I did not like tutoring either. I can remember going to the office sitting down and being asked endless questions that didn’t matter. Like if Lucy gets on a train going 60MPH how long will it take her to… I think you know what I am talking about. I would stare out the window and dream about building something.
In my experience the test administrators have been friendly but odd. There is something about testing for dyslexia that attracts people who are more quirky than the average person. They were also nice and caring individuals who usually did what they did because they or a relative of theirs had a disability. Brent’s tutor “looked like a cross between a librarian and a Berkeley hippie” “Ann, professional yet kind, wore a blue dress that seemed childish for a middle –aged woman.” Page 53
While I think the book raises some good points. Jonathan Mooney comes off as cocky and arrogant. It is like he knew people did not think he would be as successful as he became and he wrote this book to rub it in. Part of the reason is because the negative experiences we’ve faced as a result of our disabilities are just that; a result of our disability. Jon blames society, the schools, and the teachers for the hardships he endured. He’s correct but because he shifts the blame away from himself he comes off like politician who blames everyone else for what happened in his district. It is Jonathan’s life. The details of our journeys are different, but the stories are the same. That doesn’t mean I hold the same beliefs they do.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Tony Ive
Core 122
“I have dis… disleck… dyslec… I can’t spell.” It sounds funny on a t-shirt, but in real life it is not so funny. Hi, my name is Tony Ive and I believe that parents should be supportive of their children, especially if a child has a disability.
During preschool my teachers described me as an “active” child with a lot of energy. In kindergarten the teacher would ask all of us to sit in a circle while she read to us. I was always the one constantly moving, and I could not stay focused no matter how interesting the story was. I felt like I had a remote control in my head and someone kept changing the channels. It was clear to my mom and teacher that this was more than a case of excess energy.
Soon after that I had the opportunity to sit with a therapist and be tested for four hours. The therapist diagnosed me with ADHD and Dyslexia. My mom started taking me to different schools trying to find a match for me. She found a private school for dyslexic students located 45 minutes away. I was transferred a few months into second grade.
During that period my parents had divorced. One of their differences of opinion was whether or not I had dyslexia. Every teacher I ever had said I needed testing and all of the tests confirmed it. My father refused to accept the diagnosis, and refuses to acknowledge it to this day. I believed whatever my father said, but I rarely saw him and desperately wanted his attention.
At my new school I thought that if I was angry enough people would realize that things were better the way they were before. It did not work out that way. Instead, I spent the next three years as an outcast, hating my school and everyone in it. I also began to realize that I did have dyslexia. Middle school was not a fun time either.
Then I started High School and turned over a new leaf. I remember walking down the hall to register for classes and saying to myself “Try smiling and fitting in.” It worked. I got involved with sports, and clubs. I got the academic support I needed from my school as well. I even became student body president, and racked up more awards than I can remember. That is not to say that doing the school work was not hard. Far from it. There were still many late nights trying to do what seemed like the impossible, but I was fortunate to have many people helping me.
I developed a shield to wear everywhere I went, a wall of accomplishments. No one ever knew what I was really feeling. On the out side I was Tony Ive, the nice, good student who would stop and talk to anyone. I had the respect of the whole school. On the inside I struggled thinking about the battle for my father’s acceptance, and wondering if I would be able to finance going to college.
Now I am in college rooming with my best friend. I have a set plan for what I would like to do with my life, I have plenty of support, and I don’t have to think about my father as often. Many of the struggles that came with dyslexia could have been made much less difficult had my father been more supportive. If you are a parent, please think about the messages you send your children. They need your support.
Core 122
“I have dis… disleck… dyslec… I can’t spell.” It sounds funny on a t-shirt, but in real life it is not so funny. Hi, my name is Tony Ive and I believe that parents should be supportive of their children, especially if a child has a disability.
During preschool my teachers described me as an “active” child with a lot of energy. In kindergarten the teacher would ask all of us to sit in a circle while she read to us. I was always the one constantly moving, and I could not stay focused no matter how interesting the story was. I felt like I had a remote control in my head and someone kept changing the channels. It was clear to my mom and teacher that this was more than a case of excess energy.
Soon after that I had the opportunity to sit with a therapist and be tested for four hours. The therapist diagnosed me with ADHD and Dyslexia. My mom started taking me to different schools trying to find a match for me. She found a private school for dyslexic students located 45 minutes away. I was transferred a few months into second grade.
During that period my parents had divorced. One of their differences of opinion was whether or not I had dyslexia. Every teacher I ever had said I needed testing and all of the tests confirmed it. My father refused to accept the diagnosis, and refuses to acknowledge it to this day. I believed whatever my father said, but I rarely saw him and desperately wanted his attention.
At my new school I thought that if I was angry enough people would realize that things were better the way they were before. It did not work out that way. Instead, I spent the next three years as an outcast, hating my school and everyone in it. I also began to realize that I did have dyslexia. Middle school was not a fun time either.
Then I started High School and turned over a new leaf. I remember walking down the hall to register for classes and saying to myself “Try smiling and fitting in.” It worked. I got involved with sports, and clubs. I got the academic support I needed from my school as well. I even became student body president, and racked up more awards than I can remember. That is not to say that doing the school work was not hard. Far from it. There were still many late nights trying to do what seemed like the impossible, but I was fortunate to have many people helping me.
I developed a shield to wear everywhere I went, a wall of accomplishments. No one ever knew what I was really feeling. On the out side I was Tony Ive, the nice, good student who would stop and talk to anyone. I had the respect of the whole school. On the inside I struggled thinking about the battle for my father’s acceptance, and wondering if I would be able to finance going to college.
Now I am in college rooming with my best friend. I have a set plan for what I would like to do with my life, I have plenty of support, and I don’t have to think about my father as often. Many of the struggles that came with dyslexia could have been made much less difficult had my father been more supportive. If you are a parent, please think about the messages you send your children. They need your support.
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