Service Reflection

I helped once a week on Fridays during Lent at the St. Paul the Apostle Fish Fry in Joliet. We served between 200 and 400 individuals each week. My job was to man the carry-out window, but also to watch the children playing in the gymnasium to make sure they had safe fun. There were a number of volunteers helping with a variety of things, such as selling baked goods, making the food, and also selling fish fry food to those who wished to eat there.

            My typical interaction with people went as follows: They would hand me their meal tickets, I would tell them their order number, I would give their order to the people tasked with preparing the food in back, they would bring me their order, and I would call out the number. Then when the individual came to get their food, I would tell them to have a great night and that I’d see them the next week.

            Overall, I would say that everyone who we served were in a good mood. While I didn’t know everyone, there were a few faces I became very familiar with over the weeks that I worked there. I could tell that some of the other volunteers had been doing this for years, because they would frequently have visitors from among those we served who would come in back and have conversations with us. It was a very positive experience.

            One gentleman I particularly remember was one who was wearing a baseball cap that had my high school’s symbol on the front. I had asked him if he knew anybody going their, and he had said that his grandson went there. While I had not met his grandson because of the difference of ages, I did learn that he was a sophomore baseball player who was hoping to get to start next year. Our conversation ended because his order had come and he needed to get back home, but over the next few weeks when he came in I would get a chance to talk to him some more about how his grandson was doing.

            I learned from this experience that food brings people together and that it can start conversations that turn into strong and lasting relationships. If it were possible, I would definitely partake in an experience like this again in the future. I would love to go back to help at St. Paul the Apostle’s Fish Fry again next year, but because I will be away at graduate school I will not have the chance to help at that specific one. 

Comparing Sources Assignment

A – Emerson

B – Pasachoff

C – Ryan

D – Schutzki

E – Zosky

A and B (Emerson and Pasachoff)

Supports

“A” looks at how disabilities influence poverty transitions, which is linked to “B” because “B” focuses on the current shortcomings of I.D.E.A. and “A” highlights those shortcomings.

Challenges

They do not seem to challenge one another.

Helps Understand

The second full paragraph on page 3 of “B” offers an explanation of the poverty transitions of lower and upper income levels noticed by “A”.

Introduce One Another

“A” should appear earlier in the paper, so it would be mentioned again to introduce “B”.

A and C (Emerson and Ryan)

Supports

Both discuss the link between poverty and disabilities. They also discuss the struggles that policy makers face when attempting to improve the lives of those with disabilities.

Challenges

“A” offers a few possible causes in the link between poverty and learning disabilities, while “C” focuses specifically at how poverty leads to disabilities.

Helps Understand

“A” helps explain the problems discovered by “C”.

Introduce One Another

The “challenges” section could help discuss the different possible causes of the link between poverty and learning disabilities. The other two sections could be used to look at how we could go forward with fixing these problems in the future.

A and D (Emerson and Schutzki)

Supports

“A” mentions some problems with the current laws, and “D” further elaborates on some of those problems.

Challenges

They do not seem to conflict with one another.

Helps Understand

“D” helps understand “A” when it talks about the issues with the current laws.

Introduce One Another

“A” is introduced first, and then it is expanded upon by “D”.

A and E (Emerson and Zosky)

Supports

“A” mentions poverty as a potential cause for disabilities, and “E” shows that lower income students perform at lower academic levels than those with higher levels of income.

Challenges

They do not seem to conflict with one another.

Helps Understand

“A” seems to have difficulty deciding the best way to solve the problems of poverty causing disabilities, and “E” shows that intervention can help make a difference.

Introduce One Another

“A” says finding solutions is difficult, and then “E” shows part of a solution.

Paraphrasing Assignment

“Whether a distinction between internal and external causes of learning problems could be justified morally or even empirically, there was some initial logic to the notion that special education law should target students with inherent disabilities, not students in difficult--but perhaps changeable—circumstances” (Ryan 3).

1. While it is uncertain if one could morally or empirically justify a distinction between internal and external causes of learning problems, it is apparent that initially there was a notion that special education law should target students with inherent disabilities as opposed to those with difficult – but perhaps changeable – circumstances.
2. Despite the difficulty in justifying a split categorization of causes of learning problems, it is apparent that initial attempts at creating special education law have focused on targeting students with internal causes for their disabilities as opposed to external.
3. Initially, special education law was meant to target students with inherent disabilities as opposed to those in difficult – but perhaps changeable – circumstances, in spite of the difficulty in justifying such a split morally or empirically.

“It does not follow, of course, that all poor children are learning disabled. But the presumption that poor children who are struggling academically are not learning disabled is increasingly difficult to justify, even if one takes IDEA on its own terms as reserving special education for students with internal disorders” (Ryan 3).

1. All poor children are not necessarily learning disabled. However, it is increasingly difficult to justify the notion that poor children who are struggling academically are not learning disabled.
2. Of course, not all poor children have a learning disability. But even if one reserves special education for students with internal disorders, it is becoming increasingly difficult to continue to presume that poor children who are struggling academically are not learning disabled.
3. While not all poor children are learning disabled, it is becoming increasingly difficult to justify the belief that the poor children that are struggling academically are not learning disabled.

“When compared to families not supporting a child with disability, families supporting a child with intellectual disability or other disability were significantly more likely to be living in income poverty and hardship” (Emerson 7).

1. Families supporting a child with some disability were significantly more likely to be living in income poverty and hardship compared to families who were not supporting a child with a disability.
2. There is a link between a family supporting a child with intellectual disability or other disability and that family living in income poverty and hardship.
3. Studies show a correlation between a family supporting a child with a disability and that family living in income poverty.

“Consequently, the association between poverty and child disability represents a major challenge to social policies that seek to improve the life chances of, and address the disadvantage and discrimination faced by, people with disability” (Emerson 1).

1. The link between poverty and child disability represents a major challenge to social policies that seek to improve the lives of people with disabilities.
2. It is a great struggle to institute social policies that can effectively improve the lives of those with disabilities because of the link between poverty and child disability.
3. Due to the link between poverty and child disability, it is difficult to create social policies that could improve the lives of those with disabilities.

Paragraph:

The correlation between poverty and child disability is complex. It is difficult to say to what extent one of them influences the other. On one hand, families who have a child with a disability often face financial hardships. Families supporting a child with some disability were significantly more likely to be living in income poverty and hardship compared to families who were not supporting a child with a disability (Emerson 7). On the other hand, there has been evidence to support the notion that poverty is a cause of child disabilities. Of course, not all poor children have a learning disability. But even if one reserves special education for students with internal disorders, it is becoming increasingly difficult to continue to presume that poor children who are struggling academically are not learning disabled (Ryan 3). However, when looking at how laws have been formed in order to help special education it is plain to see that they do not fully into account the role that poverty has to play in learning disabilities. Initially, special education law was meant to target students with inherent disabilities as opposed to those in difficult – but perhaps changeable – circumstances, such as poverty (Ryan 3). While it may have been feasible at first to ignore the connection, it has become obvious that poverty is a factor in learning disabilities. Although this identification of poverty as a factor is a step in the right direction, it actually creates a problem for those who would attempt to create social policies to help those with learning disabilities. It is a great struggle to institute social policies that can effectively improve the lives of those with disabilities because of the link between poverty and child disability (Emerson 1). Poverty is a major issue in its own right, and since it is a source of learning disabilities it makes it difficult to effectively prevent such disabilities. The ideal solution would be to end poverty so that it could not be considered a cause of disabilities. Until that solution can be reached, there needs to be another way to help those with learning disabilities.

Project Proposal

The topic I am choosing to focus on is the link between poverty and learning disabilities. In focusing on this topic, I will be searching for the answers to three questions:

1. What is the cause in the link between poverty and learning disabilities? Does one tend to cause the other or is there some outside force that influences both? Or are they independent of one another completely?
2. What is currently attempting to be done in education and policies to help those who suffer from learning disabilities?
3. What else can be done to help those with learning disabilities that is not currently being done?

I intend to answer the first question through the use of the articles by Emerson and Ryan. Emerson’s article focuses specifically on this question, so I feel that it will be quite insightful as to possible answers to that question. Ryan’s article also discusses the link between poverty and learning disabilities, so I feel that it will be able to provide me with some information to work with as well. I may also refer to the Zosky article if I feel that it has insights that the other two are unable to provide. As for the second question, I expect to pull most of my information from Pasachoff and Schutzki. Both articles have a lot to say about what the I.D.E.A. entails, and from what I have been able to find this is the main aid being currently given to those with learning disabilities. The last question I hope to answer through the use of Pasachoff, Schutzki, and Zosky. Each of these articles gives either some input as to how they would change the current policy if they could or how small local efforts are working now and should become more commonplace. 

Annotated Bibliography

Emerson, E, et al. "Poverty Transitions Among Families Supporting A Child With Intellectual Disability." Journal Of Intellectual & Developmental Disability 35.4 (2010): 224-234. CINAHL Complete. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.

This article focuses on testing three hypotheses: first, that having a child with a disability leads to poverty; second, that growing up in poverty leads to a child having a disability; and third, that there is some “third factor(s)” that lead to both disability and poverty. In order to test these hypotheses, the article breaks down the families under consideration in their study into three family types: families with an intellectually disabled child, families with a child whose disability is non-intellectual in nature, and families who do not have any children with disabilities. The article then asks four questions that utilize this breakdown of family types in order to test their hypotheses. The conclusions that were reached were that families with a child with some type of disability were more likely to be living in income poverty and hardship when compared to those families who did not have a child with disability. Those families with children with some type of disability were also more likely to transition into hardship and less likely to transition out of hardship than families without children with some type of disability. The article did also mention, however, that those families who started with higher socioeconomic status and had a child with a disability were less likely to experience a decrease in household occupational status. This lent itself to the suggestion – and apparently growing body of research – that poverty conditions may lead to disabilities.

This article broke down its categories and statistics well, but only checked in on the families at the beginning and end of a twelve month period. As such, it may have left out retrospective details of other transitions into and out of poverty that may have went unnoticed. It had a sample size of just over 9000 total families, which I believe to be of sufficient size in order to deem significant.

Pasachoff, Eloise. "Special education, poverty, and the limits of private enforcement." Notre Dame Law Review Aug. 2011: 1413+. Business Insights: Global. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

This article explains what the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (I.D.E.A.) is in general terms, and does a through analysis of the execution of its enforcement. The article starts by identifying shortcomings in enforcing this policy in both its private enforcement and also its public enforcement. It then gives a number of suggestions on how to reform both the shortcomings in the private enforcement as well as the public enforcement. It finishes off by looking at how future programs could better allocate the enforcement responsibilities in order to ensure that the program makes the impact that it intends to.

It seems to me that this article has a lot of focus on the legal side of this issue, taking apart the way that the I.D.E.A. has been enforced. I believe that this could give me a good core of information with which to frame discussions of policy suggestion. This article will also be helpful in examining how effective current programs which attempt to aid with this issue have been.

Ryan, James E. “Poverty as Disability and the Future of Special Education Law.” Georgetown Law Journal. 101 Geo. L.J. 1455. (August, 2013 ): 27610 words. LexisNexis. Academic. Web. 24 March 2015. 

The main goal of this article is to discuss the I.D.E.A. and the author’s view that it is too exclusive. The article begins with a focus on the exclusionary cause of the I.D.E.A. It then moves on to an in-depth analysis of poverty and the brain. In this analysis, the author hopes to go against what he feels is the common belief that disabilities are caused by internal factors. In fact, the author suggests that there are external factors that can cause disabilities, such as growing up in poverty. While the author presents a body of work that points to a correlation between poverty and disabilities, he also admits that the evidence is far from conclusive. However, he still feels that the neuroscience community increasingly believes that external causes, such as poverty, can be a reason for disabilities to occur. As such, he claims that the I.D.E.A. currently is not inclusive enough, and that a number of students who require special education are left out of it. The author suggests a policy change of giving students who may need help special assistance before they are diagnosed with a disability as a way of making the aid broader and possibly reducing the number of disabilities by providing students with the necessary tools to improve and succeed.

I feel as though the author of this article may be somewhat biased towards believing that external causes can cause disabilities, seeing as he supported that notion without conclusive evidence. Nevertheless, I believe that this will be helpful in both my understanding of the link between poverty and disabilities as well as an insightful look as to the effectiveness of current attempts to aid with this situation.

Schutzki, Norma J. "Whose I.D.E.A. is it, Anyway? A Look at the Involvement of High School Students with Learning Disabilities in the Individualized Educational Planning Team Process." Order No. 3036746 Michigan State University, 2001. Ann Arbor:ProQuest. Web. 20 Mar. 2015

            The focus of this article is the idea that the I.D.E.A. is not something that is well-known by students with learning disabilities and their families, and as such it is not properly taken advantage of. It also focuses on the desire of students with learning disabilities and their families to have more of a voice in the type of assistance they receive, despite them being unsure on how to properly communicate their desires in such a way that an appropriate change could be implemented. As the article says, “just handing a parent a pamphlet outlining their procedural safeguards does not sufficiently address their needs.” (Schutzki 193)

            While this article does raise some valid points that there are those who do not know to what extent they can be helped by the I.D.E.A., the study only looks at nine students and their families. While it was able to conduct a much more in-depth study based on these intimate encounters, the number is so low that it makes the information gathered from it seem insignificant. However, this does give more background as to all of the things that the I.D.E.A. is comprised of, and that combined with the focus of this article can hopefully give me some more background information and possible policy suggestions.

Zosky, Diane L., Deneca Winfrey Avant, and James Thompson. "Social work and special education students' attributions of poverty: a leadership opportunity for school social workers." School Social Work Journal 38.2 (2014): 77+. Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

            This article focuses on the link between poverty and education. This article points out that children from lower income families obtain lower academic achievement than children from more affluent families. It also points out that the types of schools that those in poverty are able to attend are of lower quality than those that someone of a higher income could attend. Such schools would have lower funds and thus less advanced materials with which to educate students. These schools would also have less rigorous curriculums, and as such provide the students with less of an ability to grow in their academic skills and learn.

            I believe that this article is fairly unbiased. It focuses a lot on the research of those who have published prior, and it also looks at the statistics and does not seem to be attempting to push an agenda. It does urge educators and social workers to attempt to help students who may be struggling academically due to poverty. It showed that those who worked with a social worker to help them with their problems performed better than those who did not. I believe I will be able to use it to look at the link between poverty and learning disabilities, if at least to show that intervention can be effective. 

Five Sources for Paper

Emerson, E, et al. "Poverty Transitions Among Families Supporting A Child With Intellectual Disability." Journal Of Intellectual & Developmental Disability 35.4 (2010): 224-234. CINAHL Complete. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
Link: http://ezproxy.lewisu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=2010872042&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Pasachoff, Eloise. "Special education, poverty, and the limits of private enforcement." Notre Dame Law Review Aug. 2011: 1413+. Business Insights: Global. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.
Link: http://www.lexisnexis.com.ezproxy.lewisu.edu/lnacui2api/api/version1/getDocCui?lni=5428-3BS0-00CT-S0PK&csi=7377&hl=t&hv=t&hnsd=f&hns=t&hgn=t&oc=00240&perma=true

Ryan, James E. “Poverty as Disability and the Future of Special Education Law.” Georgetown Law Journal. 101 Geo. L.J. 1455. (August, 2013 ): 27610 words. LexisNexis. Academic. Web. 24 March 2015.
Link: http://www.lexisnexis.com.ezproxy.lewisu.edu/lnacui2api/api/version1/getDocCui?lni=59GV-RW70-02BM-Y12X&csi=7337&hl=t&hv=t&hnsd=f&hns=t&hgn=t&oc=00240&perma=true

Schutzki, Norma J. "Whose I.D.E.A. is it, Anyway? A Look at the Involvement of High School Students with Learning Disabilities in the Individualized Educational Planning Team Process." Order No. 3036746 Michigan State University, 2001. Ann Arbor:ProQuest. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.
Link: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lewisu.edu/docview/304700971?accountid=12073&title=Whose I.D.E.A. is it, anyway? A look at the involvement of high school students with learning disabilities in the individualized educational planning team process#.VQ8ySRi6ofs.link

Zosky, Diane L., Deneca Winfrey Avant, and James Thompson. "Social work and special education students' attributions of poverty: a leadership opportunity for school social workers." School Social Work Journal 38.2 (2014): 77+. Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.
Link: http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.lewisu.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA386615272&v=2.1&u=uiuc_lewis&it=r&p=HRCA&sw=w&asid=37565d3900ff5c607704068ecaac3202

Three Sources with Citations and Web Links

Emerson, E, et al. "Poverty Transitions Among Families Supporting A Child With Intellectual Disability." Journal Of Intellectual & Developmental Disability 35.4 (2010): 224-234. CINAHL Complete. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
Link: http://ezproxy.lewisu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=2010872042&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Pasachoff, Eloise. "Special education, poverty, and the limits of private enforcement." Notre Dame Law Review Aug. 2011: 1413+. Business Insights: Global. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.
Link: http://www.lexisnexis.com.ezproxy.lewisu.edu/lnacui2api/api/version1/getDocCui?lni=5428-3BS0-00CT-S0PK&csi=7377&hl=t&hv=t&hnsd=f&hns=t&hgn=t&oc=00240&perma=true

Schutzki, Norma J. "Whose I.D.E.A. is it, Anyway? A Look at the Involvement of High School Students with Learning Disabilities in the Individualized Educational Planning Team Process." Order No. 3036746 Michigan State University, 2001. Ann Arbor:ProQuest. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.

Link: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lewisu.edu/docview/304700971?accountid=12073&title=Whose I.D.E.A. is it, anyway? A look at the involvement of high school students with learning disabilities in the individualized educational planning team process#.VQ8ySRi6ofs.link

Preliminary Sources Citations

1. Whose I.D.E.A. is it, anyway? A look at the involvement of high school students with learning disabilities in the individualized educational planning team process
2. Non-Urban Poverty and Public Education in Midwest America

   Arthur L. Aikman

   Peabody Journal of Education 
   Vol. 45, No. 5 (Mar., 1968) , pp. 308-310

   Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.

   Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1490386
3. Pasachoff, Eloise. "Special education, poverty, and the limits of private enforcement." Notre Dame Law Review Aug. 2011: 1413+. Business Insights: Global. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

   URL
   http://bi.galegroup.com/global/article/GALE%7CA272245399/a9b53cf52aeff7b702a489f99871e10c?u=uiuc_lewis

Description of Charlie's Place

The arrangement of the furniture in Charlie's Place makes it very clear that they are looking to accommodate a variety of groups. The carpeted portion of the room, which consists of everything except the perimeter, is divided into two sides, which we will call the left side and the right side. On the left side, closest to the Math and Computer Science hallways, there are three rows of seven circular tables, each surrounded by four chairs each. These are accompanied by the cash registers for the food lines, a sort of bar of elevated chairs, and three televisions playing ESPN, a Lewis news station, and ABC. This side of the room is clearly optimized for individuals and closer, more intimate groups who could be entertained by the televisions. On the right side of the room are eleven rectangular tables, which are formed by two square tables each, and are surrounded by eight chairs apiece. There is also one square table and three circular tables, each with four chairs. All of these tables look incredibly out of place, as if they were stuck in because either the tables came in a packaged price deal or because the floor space was wasted otherwise. This area is clearly optimized for larger social groups or gatherings.

Surrounding the perimeter of Charlie's Place is a number of elevated tables with two chairs each, as well as some booths located around the walls of the right side. These seem to be there so different types of groups may access the outlets on the walls if they have laptops. The tall tables are most likely used for individuals who need to do homework on their computers or need to have a meeting with one other person, usually a professor or fellow classmate based on the observed interactions in these spaces. The booths seem to be mostly used by classmates working together on a project, who are using their laptops, or couples having breakfast together.

Vintage Ad

Ad from http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/toys-ads-1980s

Snow Day Activity

Throughout all of junior high and high school I was a member of Student Government. By my last two years I had even become class president. I really wanted to keep up with it in college. When I got to UIUC, I tried very hard to find the Student Government to join. However, they did not have a very large presence on campus and it was not until my second semester that an acquaintance of mine had said that he was a member of the Student Government and that he would be able to get me to join his committee. Well when I finally did get to go, the committee meeting was only about 10 minutes long and we did not have one for another two months. When I left UIUC, I had felt that it was so difficult to get involved with the Student Government and it did so little that I decided I would not try to become involved with it anymore. By letting go of that, I was eventually able to have time to join the Math Club here at Lewis and become a big part of that. It has been a much more enjoyable and enlightening experience in the one and a half years in Math Club than my 6 years of Student Government, and I feel that I am not missing too much without Student Government as a big part of my life anymore.

Emails About Absence

Email 1:

Hey teach!

I need an extension on that paper that was due yesterday when I missed! I couldn't turn it in - my internet was down! How crazy is that?! I also need a pdf of the lecture notes I missed! Oh, and you must have entered a couple of my grades wrong, because I know for sure I should have an A!

Later!

Email 2:

Dear Dr. Walts,

Please pardon me for my absence today, my dad received a flat tire on his way to work and I am about to leave to go bring the spare to him, which will inevitably cause me to miss class today.

Since I will not be in class, I was wondering if there was a time I would be willing to meet with you to ask a few questions I had about the second page of the reading for today. I have work during your normal office hours, but I was hoping that I could come in early or stay after sometime this week so that I do not fall behind. I know we had a paper due today, and although I was able to upload it to Blackboard I can not hand it in today because I will not be in class. I was wondering if it would be okay to hand it in to you next class or when we meet, whichever comes first, without a late penalty given the circumstances.

Thank you for your time and understanding.

Sincerely,

Michael Smith

Passage-Based Focused Freewrite for MLK Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham City Jail"

Passage:

"While confined here in the Birmingham City Jail, I came across your recent statement calling our present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom, if ever, do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas ... But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I would like to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms."

Response:

I like this passage because it opens straight into the complaint. This allows the remainder of the text to be used to appropriately respond to the complaint.. I also like that M. L. King, Jr. points out how important this issue is to him, since he seldom answers criticism and thinks of these particular critics so highly. The third thing that impresses me about this passage is that even while disagreeing with the clergymen, M. L. King, Jr. still finds a way to complement them and in turn draw them in, as opposed to insulting them because of their opposing viewpoint. He even calls their criticisms "sincerely set forth," showing that he does not feel that they are disagreeing with him with malicious intent and this also harbors good will towards the clergymen in an attempt to draw them in more to hearing him out.

Declaration of Independence (Simple, compound, complex, and compound/complex sentences)

Here are the examples I was able to find for the different types of sentences:

• Simple: We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. (Declaration of Independence par. 5)

• Compound: He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. (Declaration of Independence par. 3)

• Complex: He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. (Declaration of Independence par. 3)

• Compound/Complex: We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends. (Declaration of Independence par. 5)

Source: Declaration of Independence. 1776.

Color Choices

Hey everyone!

When originally creating my blog, there was a default to a darker color scheme than what I am currently using. I switched to focusing on blue because it is one of my favorite colors. I was hoping I would be able to get some feedback as to if the current color configuration is distracting from the words or if the colors are staying out of the way as they are. If you have made it to this point in the paragraph without having to look away or refocus on what you are reading, then I assume that is a pretty good sign that the colors are cohesive to reading.

Thanks for your support!