Nakkula Chapters 7 & 8

This week, I enjoyed reading Nakkula's insights on racial identity and the ethnic identity development. Chapter seven on racial identity brought up some relevant ideas that I can keep in mind while working with a diverse student population. One idea that I found quite riveting was the theory of race as a social construction. Nakkula argues, "It (race) was created largely to divide people, giving power to some while taking it away from others. Like all social phenomena, it morphs and moves depending on the power dynamics of the context" (124). This really stood out to me because race is certainly a large part of our identities and it's interesting to imagine that this is something that is merely constructed. This reminded me of American history since different groups have been discriminated against during different decades, such as Chinese immigrants at Angel Island, who were treated similar to Muslim refugees today.

Since we know that race is a way to label people, it is important for me to remember that students are entering my classroom with experiences and a sense of self that is created based on their race. "When a student enters your school, classroom, or office, she brings with her the layers of historical and cultural experiences that have shaped the identity she inhabits" (120). This makes me think that students could see themselves as having major strengths or weaknesses based on how the overall society, including the media, views and depicts their race, and vice versa for White students. As teachers, this is something we need to keep in mind when educating our students. As Nakkula explains, it is likely that students of color feel "stuck" until race is discussed, while White students may only feel uncomfortable when the topic of race is brought up, which is part of White privilege. I will continue to bring up this "uncomfortable" topics in the room so all students have a voice in the classroom, not just the dominant culture.

Nakkula: Chapters 4 & 5

This week, I read read Chapter 4 and 5 in Understanding Youth. Chapter 4, "Flow and Possibility Development," explained the concept of optimal development for youth. In my own words, this is characterized by the gratitude or sense of accomplishment one feels when he/she masters a task that required time and practice to achieve. This is the opposite of small tasks where we seek instant gratification. I found it interesting that the chapter compared this concept to helping students master skills within their interests.

For example, the antidote about Lorena taught us that helping students master a skills that inspires them, such as rowing, will then help build confidence, "The more confident and competent we feel, the more likely we are to venture into new learning activities" (71). This shows us why Lorena was then able to start applying this newly found confidence to other subjects in school, including English class.

This chapter led me to think about my own students, specifically the student I am using for my upcoming paper. He does have a specific interest outside of school, but as the chapter points out, to a degree, it seems to have a negative impact on his academics, "Some will organize their adolescent experiences so thoroughly around athletic pursuits and related social experiences that their academic and career possibilities will be compromised" (73). Since he spends all the time he could be doing homework, focusing on this one sport, I am worried this may be the case for him. I'm hoping going forward in my project I will discover strategies to help this student in particular turn his interest into a supporting factor in his educational pursuit.