Crossing the Line

Today we continued the talk of feeling trapped by asking certain questions and talking more about this idea of stereotyping.

To start, we did an activity called Cross the Line. For each question Mr. Hannah and I asked, you had to cross the line if the question pertained to you. Some of these questions left a lot of you vulnerable and feeling uncomfortable. As we said, you did not have to cross the line if you didn't want to, but I appreciate those of you who had the courage to do so. This was an exercise that lead us into our discussion about "Those Who Don't." Many of you even admitted to being quick to judge people, and now think differently of some of your classmates because you learned something about them that you didn't know before. This exercise also showed us that more often than not, we go with the group to feel cool or "normal." As we said before, this is not an exercise where you now go out and tell all your friends what you found out about your classmates. Have respect for yourself and your classmates enough to respect their privacy.

"Those Who Don't" was a very short vignette, but told us a lot about how Esperanza views her neighborhood and how other view Mango St. She says that other people are scared of Mango St., while she knows that there is nothing to be afraid of. But then she says that when she and her family get out of Mango, they're also scared of other neighborhoods they go into. The cycle continues...

For homework over vacation, you must complete the Stereotypes Worksheet, which will help you see how other people view your group, but then reveal the truths behind those judgments.

Also, you must fully annotate the entire Death/Grief Section on Schoology and submit it when you're done. This will be counted as a quiz grade.

Have a safe and exciting vacation!

DEETS:
In-class:
--DEAR
--Cross the Line Activity
--"Those Who Don't"
--Stereotypes Worksheet

HW:
--Stereotypes Worksheet AND read and annotate the Death/Grief section on Schoology