MIHONESTAVIDA❂

My first post:

         This week I want to discuss diversity and multicultural education. I decided to discuss this topic because it is important to be aware of cultural differences in educational institutions. According to Segal, Gerdes, Steiner (2013), minorities are vulnerable to discrimination because the educational curriculum does not acknowledge their cultural differences. I would intervene by communicating to parents and staff at the school the importance of multicultural education. I could call for sensitivity training for diversity so then anyone who works at the school would have to learn how to acknowledge and respect others cultural differences.

       Schools should put in an effort to acknowledge, respect, and consider the cultural diversity of the students. By demonstrating a fair education curriculum, the faculty and educators can be positive role models for other students who are part of the overrepresented student population (Segal et al, 2013). Any type of discrimination or harassment based on diversity in the classroom and schools should not be tolerated but reprimanded. For multicultural students, this policy would show that prejudice and discrimination is unacceptable. Therefore, promoting equality in a safe environment for all students to learn in.

         Different school run programs could be held such as a diversity day, or cultural celebration. In my own experience these types of events are fun for students because they can participate in different activities that embrace the contrasting heritages and cultural backgrounds.

Reference

Segal, E.A., Gerdes, K.E., Steiner, S. (2013). An introduction to the profession of social work :Becoming a change agent. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. Cengage Learning.

A response from my classmate:

         Anies,I remember back in highschool when it was black culture month and thats when there was a school fair for all cultures to come together and share thier cultures. It was really fun. I think you are right on with your ideas, but I feel this should not be an issue any more. That our kids should have already been brought up in a world that every one is different and we should embrace the other cultures. Any way, you have a great post and vision. Keep it up.~ Maria

My response to her:

         Thank you for your response. I wish that prejudice and racial tension wasn’t a problem either anymore. Due to years of dedicated discrimination by the American government many citizens are still not being treated with equality. We have been forced to grow up with other cultures, but that does not mean we have embraced them, tolerated is the better term. Quigley (2010) states that “the biggest crime in the U.S. criminal justice system is that it is a race-based institution where African-Americans are directly targeted and punished in a much more aggressive way than white people”. The police stop blacks and latinos much more frequently. According to the NYPD 85% of blacks and latinos were stopped and frisked while white people were at a low 8% (Quigley, 2010).

         Race also is a big factor in getting representation by the law. The American Bar Association reported that “all too often, defendants plead guilty, even if they are innocent, without really understanding their legal rights or what is occurring…The fundamental right to a lawyer that America assumes applies to everyone accused of criminal conduct effectively does not exist in practice for countless people across the US” (Quigley, 2010). These are only a few clear cut examples of discrimination. Obviously if you are considered a part of the majority of people in our society, you won’t be affected by this. You won’t see the problems and disparity that effect the people who don’t get treated with equality. If you are even thinking about social work or social services you need to know these things and not be blinded by the ignorance of the country we live in.
          The lesson plan this week that discussed multiculturalism and diversity in the social services field is very important if you want to promote fairness and equality. This is one of my goals and I want to promote peace in the world as a whole. The perfect ignorance of the quality of life is mostly built upon years of oppression and partisanship. The social issues in our society were created through years of this. It didn’t happen overnight. It started in America when European settlers came to Plymouth rock. You should look at your life and experiences and think what did my country do for me? This issue isn’t your fault, or my fault. But people like us who care about our country and the welfare and equality of people will expatiate and note the significance of this. I cannot be still about it.

Reference

Quigley, Bill (2010). Fourteen examples of racism in criminal justice system. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-quigley/fourteen-examples-of-raci_b_658947.html

PROMPT: Identify a theory or model discussed in the readings and provide an example of how you would apply this to a social work problem.

A model that really caught my attention in this week’s reading would be the functional organizing in community practice. I would use this model to help bring important issues that are a problem in my community. For example, there is a problem with bullying at local schools here in the valley I live in. Of course bullying has always been a problem in any school setting (any setting at all to be honest), but adolescents are taking bullying to the extreme these days. My own sister developed anxiety and started to cut her skin intentionally with a knife because of a bully at her high school. My sister is a senior at Palm Desert High School. One of her peers in the senior class targeted my sister because she was jealous because my sister dated a young man that she also had a mutual interest in.

The bully would call her vulgar names and tried to slut shame my sister as well in front of friends and on social media. Slut shaming is a form of bullying where people put down women for their open sexuality. For two years this has been on-going and the relationship didn’t even last half as long. My sister reported every single incident to the office and even spoke with the principal and vice principal. Because the bully is a star athlete on the soccer team, the school did not take this problem seriously. She even threatened my sister by saying when she turned 18 she was going to be physically attacked by her. The fact that the conflict surrounds sex is an even bigger problem. Because youth are exposed to sex in almost every facet of the media they are engaging in behaviors that are detrimental to their learning experience. Sexually active minors are more predisposed to sexually transmitted diseases and accidental pregnancies.

Moving forward, with functional organizing I would call members of my community to join me in addressing the way that bullying is tolerated by schools, in at least the Riverside County of Southern California. How can this school be called a California Distinguished school? Bullying is a serious problem that negatively affects the people who are targeted. The fact that schools can allow this kind of behavior is against the U.S. school systems codes of ethics. Palm Desert High School is a very well recognized school. Nobody thinks that it could happen at a school like this. People commit suicide over these things. You may forget what someone did to you, but you will never forget what they say to you. I basically just described an ethical problem that comes from community work by challenging what I think is important what they think is important (p. 172). Because of their differences practitioners can help by using the skill sets of mediation and negotiation (p. 172).

As a social worker I would call to make changes in the school system. But to really make a difference we would have to ask that laws would be passed. In this law I would want for there to be legal action that would have to take place if there are filed reports in the administrative office of schools. Of course there can be a warning and probation for the bullys. But if the offense goes on for too long and the parents of the child have not tried to fix the problem of their child then social services has to intervene and they are legally obliged to either serve time or be fined. I think this could be really effective. I also think that with this type of intervention could benefit the child for the rest of their life. You also don’t know who you could be helping in the long run. I always think about that, don’t let the opportunity slip if you think it could benefit someone.

Sadly, my sister’s bully turned out to actually have a record of bullying from the previous high school she had transferred from. The school is showing her that immoral behavior and disrespect in an institutional setting is tolerated and fairness as a whole is not an important value. That’s at least what it showed me and I was appalled to see this lack of ethics. Since she is a star athlete she was actually awarded a full time scholarship to Fresno State. She will just find another young woman to break down. That’s what bullies thrive on. I guarantee you see what her relationship is like with her family. How did her parent’s never find out or intervene? That doesn’t seem like something a California Distinguished School would let go after being reported over 17 times by multiple members of staff at different times of the year. It is kind of scary to admit that this story reminds me of the recent news story about a young high school girl who was killed by these girls who were jealous over a boy.

Reference

Segal, E.A., Gerdes, K.E., Steiner, S. (2013). An introduction to the profession of social work :Becoming a change agent. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. Cengage Learning.