5c GRAND FINALE

1. In the beginning of the class, it seemed like a lot of the topics we chose to write about were very broad. We did a lot of online research at websites like google and wikipedia. While this was very helpful, it was also a lot broader of a spectrum than the readings and posts from the books My California and Train Go Sorry. In the beginning of the class we dealt a lot with perceptions and stereotypes about certain places around the U.S, California in particular. The books we read were a lot more personal, with stories from authors about the places they lived to a story about a community that most of us sometimes forget about. Both components of the class meshed together to give us a broad, but also personal level about what California is all about.

2. Reading other classmates work provided a lot of different insight, since we all have different opinions about various subjects. I could always count on learning something new from reading the blogs of my classmates. Even though we were discussing the same topics, everyone seemed to have a different take on a different aspect of the issue. At the same time, I felt like a lot of us shared opinions on certain issues. Remembering back, I felt that a lot of the "stereotypes" we discussed about certain California cities were shared opinions by many, hence why they become stereotypes so fast. Even if we were sharing the same opinions though, I noticed I could still learn a lot from what other people were saying about the same issues.

3. Freire believed that without dialogue, scaffolding could not take place, and vice versa. You need both in order to constitute a proper learning of the subject. The diaglogue in this class was literally our blog entries; our thoughts transferred to an online source where it can be read by others. Scafforlding was the process in which we evaluated our own answers, and others answers, to learn and grow and put together new connections. I think that this is what Freire aimed for and I feel that we have successfully completed the idea in our class.

4. Overall, I feel that I had a very good experience with the topics that we blogged about. By inspecting several cities, beaches, inland areas and such, I got a better feel for what these cities really ARE about, and not just the stereotypes and perceptions that people have. California has a lot of different meanings to different people. Everyone takes something different by living and experiencing life here. Living in California should reflect who YOU are, and it's up to you to find the place in California where that can happen. An online experience is vastly different than personally going to see cities and places around here, but not in a bad way. You take different things from learning online, and I had an overall good experience with this online class!

5b Reflection

I decided to read Maria's blog first. I knew that the literal translation of "train go sorry" meant "missed the boat" but Maria informed me that it can also mean miscommunications. I also learned that the main charactor, Leah, had wanted to be an ASL interpreter to be part of the deaf community, which I may have overread in the book.
Next I read Thida's essay about Train Go Sorry. Thida also included that train go sorry can mean "includes the failure to recognize that deaf people are members of a unique culture." I also liked the Thida's recognized the quote in chapter eight. I also liked this quote and found Thida's take on the quote particularly interesting, including how she explained that we all handle life situations very differently.
Lastly, I read Alfredo's blog. I learned that the 1880's was the first time that schools were being built especially for hearing-impaired children, both in the U.S and internationally. Overall, I learned a few new details about Train Go Sorry by reading these three classmates work.

5a Train Go Sorry

I am a hearing student assigned the book Train Go Sorry in my introduction to Humanities Class. Other readings assigned in this class include several essays from the book My California. In both books, we examined the cultures of California that form a microcosm of the U.S. In this essay, I will incorporate 4 required questions.

The phrase “Train Go Sorry” refers to the ASL expression for literally, “missing the boat”. Consequently, it can also be used as a metaphor for the misunderstandings and miscommunication between the hearing and deaf world. The phrase gets meaning when James, a member of the deaf community, goes to visit his younger brother in prison, who was locked up for robbery (Rikers). After waiting for hours in the waiting room for his brother to show up, he then finds out that Joseph is in court. The second time he visits he is again unsuccessful at seeing his brother. He thinks to himself that he has “missed the boat” and also realizes that his younger brother may have “missed the boat” on life. Finally, on the third attempt, James is successful in visiting his brother. The differences between the two brothers make Joseph out to be the rebel, and James the prince. In the end, James finally starts to appreciate this different culture that he is “doomed” to. For once, James finally feels as if he has made the train in time.

Brought up in a world of the deaf community, Leah has always had a very different outtake on life. From living on-campus at Lexington, a New York school for the deaf, she has seen and experienced firsthand the life of ASL, the American Sign Language. Being constantly surrounded by people who cannot speak words, Leah has become accustomed to a whole new way of life. She is walking in the shoes of a deaf person, even though she is not herself. This experience is very weird and touching in a way that even though she is not deaf, she is being brought up in such a way that she almost might as well be, and almost wants to be. In the end she realizes that in order to fully understand the deaf community; everything around you must be silenced as well.

One part that vividly stood out to me was in chapter three. “While hearing students were learning how to pronounce the words Rapunzel and Rumplstiltskin, Lexington students were sitting in speech rooms learning how to pronounce their own names, with plastic sticks pressing their tongues into shape”. This image jumped out at me. It paints the picture of the vast differences that young deaf children have to go through. While simple five year olds think that learning to read a book is a big task, think about those who are five and just now learning how to read their parents lips. Along with every step that a “normal” child takes, there are a million little steps for a hearing-impaired child to take in order to get to the big step itself. People don’t sometimes realize how hard a normal, simple task can be for someone who isn’t given the same opportunities as we are.

Before reading this book, I had heard of ASL and American Sign Language separately, but never had put the two together. I now know that ASL is used all across the country and even in other countries as well. Another fact I learned about were cochlear implants. I learned that these can be helpful but can also be very dangerous as well. If the procedure is done wrong or incorrectly it can result in nerve damage to cells inside the ear, and therefore can result in a permanent loss of all natural hearing. Another fact I would like to get across is that deaf people in no way consider themselves mentally OR physically disabled. They are just as, if not brighter than the average individual and have learned to accomplish many things most of us will never have to deal with. They are people too, and have a culture of their own, which is very enjoyable to all. Many also think that deaf people would take their hearing back in a second if they could. But studies prove this common belief wrong – a lot of people questioned said that being deaf is a part of who they are – and they would not want their hearing back even if they could. I feel it’s very inspirational for someone to have such a sense of trust in who they are in order to say something like that. Lastly, the deaf community thinks of themselves as a minority, and often relates to other members of minorities as well.