Blog Entry #10: The impact literature can have

While in my EDU23o class I am taking we were shown a YouTube clip that I was extremely moved by which inspired me in my blog entry this week.

 

 

“How impressionable and how vulnerable we are in the face of a story, particularly as children, “said Chimamanda Adiche in her speech, The Danger of a Single Story. As children, we begin to form opinions, make judgments, and perceive the world in a new way. Working in a preschool, I've known about the rules and guidelines as to how many books we have to have in the classroom depicting diversity, but I've never really realized the extreme importance for that until a few weeks ago. Without multicultural literature, we are not allowing children to educate themselves on other cultures. More importantly, we are hindering these children from making their own perceptions on these other cultures within our world. Without diversity in literature, there can be extreme prejudice and misunderstanding between cultures. It’s vital to have a library available in the classroom, but essential for the books on the shelves to differ and portray an array of cultures, lifestyles, languages, etc. It’s amazing how big of an impact one single book can have on a child. Also, it is key that every child in the classroom can relate to characters and see differences as well. Children learn when their young things that will follow them forever.

            When selecting books for a library full of diversity, it is important to remember a few important things. The first question to ask yourself is: are the characters a correct representation of people from a variety of cultural groups?  If you are not certain, make sure to do research. This will only make you more educated and comfortable on the topic. The next thing is to make sure that both boys and girls share similar roles in the books. Refrain from always choosing books that depict the father going to work and the mother staying at home. Simple things like that are easy to be overlooked, but can have a powerful effect on children. Possibly causing young girls to think they are not as smart as men, or somehow less superior. Most of all, it is important for the children to see a lesson within each story. It is valuable to choose stories that allow children to think, be creative, and generate a discussion.

Blog Entry #9: 15% dog food?

The video clip we were asked to watch: Pink slime was absolutely shocking to me! The way he described the process and used the dryer to demonstrate what will happen to the unwanted parts of meat made me feel completely deceived. Who would have known that, that is the process they do to save a couple bucks. These companies do not care at all what effect it may have on people. All they can see is the dollar signs and they can't feel good throwing away that excess meat.

He goes on and explains that normally this meat would be used as dog food, but the FDA allows them to incorporate 15% of that "pink slime" with the rest of the beef you buy. We can no longer trust what we are eating. Like he says, the only way to know what you are eating is by watching the cow get slaughtered and by witnessing them packaging the meat in front of you. How sad is that? We can't even trust these large corporations to be honest with us and provide us with food that is healthy. To me that doesn't seem to much to ask for.

  I feel the only way to put an end to all these secrets is by causing people to become more educated and influencing people to want to know what they are eating also. If these companies see that we won't eat or buy their products anymore they will have no choice but to either go out of business or label their products and follow proper procedures.

 

This clip by ABCNews was also shocking and a must watch!

Blog Entry #8: What really is college?

As the end of the semester slowly creeps up on me, I feel the stress of everything I should've worried about finally sink in. So I ask myself, what really is college? From what I was told, It's supposed to be the best time of your life. Years of partying and making bad mistakes. For me, that hasn't quite been the case.
 

I would define college for me as a time of being extremely broke, having no life, and drinking energy drinks and espressos to stay up late because I procrastinated. College is eating Ramen noodles for 5 days straight (not because you want to). College has been a learning experience for me. No one really prepared me for the lessons I've learned. It's been fight or flight.

I imagined college as going out every night. Finally being able to move out. For some reason when I imagined all this I must have forgot to think about how I was going to finance this dream. So when I moved out and realized what it really meant to be in college I was in for a shock. Paying your own bills, working full-time, and going to school full-time isn't easy, but that's what college is about I believe. Outside of class, I am learning life-long lessons to take with me forever. I have learned how to live off barely anything. I most importantly have become more driven to accomplish my dreams. The overall experience of college has refocused me, that college isn't going to be the time of my life... What I do with my life after college will be.

Blog Entry #7: Food Inc.

After watching the movie Food, Inc. I was overwhelmed with emotions. While watching it in class, I sat there at first questioning why anyone would make me watch this? Are they trying to make me starve myself? Then I realized this isn't something I should just close my eyes to. If it is that bad that a movie can make me quit eating meat then there has to be a serious issue here. Although the film is extremely hard to stomach and you may have to watch some parts with only one eye open, it is a must see! Here's a few of the facts that helped me make this lifestyle change.  

The films purpose is to overall raise awareness and it does so well. With the heart-wrenching facts and disgusting secrets found in the film, it's hard to not see the message the creators of the movie were trying to get across. In the film its said that, "In the 1970s, the top five beef packers controlled about 25% of the market. Today, the top four control 80% of the market." Industries and large corporations have taken over the food industry, leaving barely any room for "the basics".

 

 

Another interesting fact from the film would be,  In 1998, the USDA implemented microbial testing for salmonella and E. coli so that if a plant repeatedly failed these tests, the USDA could shut down the plant. After being taken to court by the meat and poultry associations, the USDA no longer has that power.

To me, that seems unethical... how can the USDA not have the right to shut down and test plants for salmonella and E.coli?

 

Then In 1972, the FDA conducted 50,000 food safety inspections, but  In 2006, the FDA conducted only 9,164. That is crazy to me that there were more food inspections done in 1972 then now? 5x more! This is when you have to realize, you don't know what your eating, they don't know what your eating... so maybe you shouldn't be eating that?

 

If I hadn't made up my mind after hearing all that I was sold when I saw the images and videos of extreme animal abuse and torture.

 

 

 

After watching the video I was persuaded to make a lifestyle change, Until watching the clip, I never really questioned what I was eating or EVER thought about where it was from. It's important for everyone to become educated and realize what they are fueling their bodies with. We all have the choice to go organic or buy local, but often get lazy and caught up in the day to day routine that we don't stop to make it a priority. FROM NOW ON, I want to know what I'm eating!