Stephanie's Taking Action!

To take action and show our support for Planned Parenthood we contacted the Boston division who then gave us cards and other materials to distribute at a gathering we will be having on Saturday February 18th 2012, where we will be raising awareness for Planned Parenthood. By filling out the card with your personal information you are agreeing that you too support Planned Parenthood, family planning, birth control and preventative care for women. At the same time you are also supplying Planned Parenthood with the information that will contribute to their database on demographics of people who support them. I can honestly say that I am excited to take part in something that will be able to support women's health.

Taking this type of action connects with my democratic views because I believe that everyone has the right to equality, and that the government should not have the final say in women's health. The government is saying that we all have individual rights, but yet many women cannot afford insurance so they go to places like Planned Parenthood where they can receive the same type of care as they would from a Primary Care doctor. By taking part in this gathering, signing this information card, and just spreading the word about all of the good things Planned Parenthood does for women I am making a difference, I am supporting women's health and women's rights.

Lastly, in regards to teaching about social justice issues I am all for it. I believe that teaching social justice issues can be so beneficial to the students because you are engaging them in a controversial topic, yet showing them that it is okay for them to have differences in their opinions. I do, however, believe that you may want to work on topics the students bring up because you really do not want one that is too advanced and current. In addition to this you want to be careful when you discuss these topics to try and stay open-mined. Remember that one person may take a strong opinion about one side of the issue, while another student takes on the same strong opinion but for the opposite side of the topic.

To me education is all about helping the students to see and learn new concepts.  They can be something as simple as the alphabet to a subject that is as controversial as current events.  I want my students to know and understand that you can learn just as much outside of the classroom as you can in it.  I also believe that education is an instrument for the common good.  The reason I feel this way is because when a student learns that they “get more bee’s with honey” inside the classroom, they will hopefully c continue to follow those morals outside the classroom.  It is my hope that they will help an elderly person, a sibling, a parent etc. By learning through education how important it is to help others, and hopefully this will be something they then do for the rest of their lives.

As for the quote, “Struggle for social justice is central to our nation’s history…“Concerns about the common good and the rights of the individual, no matter how humble in social standing, transcends politics and holds a definitive place in the realms of morality, ethics and federal law, and therefore in the world of teaching social studies” I think that it really sends all of the reasons as to why we teach social studies, but also why we have to be careful because of the politics and morality within it.

Critical Attributes:
Using critical attributes is a teaching strategy that focuses the procedural knowledge. Everything has critical, or key, attributes and non-critical attributes. Keeping in mind the critical attributes help focus a teacher's lesson. The critical attributes for our blog would be:

• The government is trying to cut the funding for planned parenthood, because of their views on birth control and abortion.
• Bills are being passed on both a federal and state level. If the bills pass on either level, Planned Parenthood looks to lose millions in funding, which in turn will effect what services will be offered to women.

Procedural/Informational Knowledge:
The informational knowledge on our project about the Fight for Planned Parenthood is the facts, concepts, and generalizations that have to do with Planned Parenthood. For example, the fact that "the Planned Parenthood Federation of America will have to accept a cut in federal funding"(Source) and that "a controversial bill is moving through Congress that will drastically cut funding for Planned Parenthood"(Source) would count under informational knowledge.
The procedural knowledge would be the way we are implementing and reacting to the informational knowledge. For our project this would be the way we are protesting and spreading the word about the injustice against women's health and Planned Parenthood through this blog, our research, and our service learning project.

Breaking this concept up to teach as you read the blog:The way that you could break this concept up to teach it would be to break it into sections. These sections would include Planned Parenthood, the government, and the bills that relate to cutting Planned Parenthoods funding. If there is a chance to have a discussion about these concepts then you will probably begin to hear the different opinions and views people have based on their prior knowledge.  Make sure you discuss these beliefs based on the different viewpoints that people have. Following this, hand out information or have them look up Planned Parenthood on the internet so that they can see it is not all about abortions.  It is important to inform them that Planned Parenthood is all about women’s health.  Furthermore, most of the women served by Planned Parenthood are poor and without means to get healthcare of any kind elsewhere. Be sure that when you are talking about Planned Parenthood you include facts about their services, such as how 86% of the care they provide relates to contraception, STD testing and treatment, and cancer screening. In other words, they make the women they service healthier. In fact, only 3% are abortion services, and the government does not pay for them to be performed. However, do not force your opinions onto anyone.  It is important that everyone makes their own knowledgeable judgments.  The key thing is to start with the facts, that way everyone has the same unbiased information.

Then, you will want to go on and discuss the problems that could be caused if the government cuts Planned Parenthoods funding.  You really do not have to go to in depth with why they want to cut these funds, but you will want to share the effects of this funding cut.  It is important to make sure your information is accurate, unbiased, and that you share the links you used so that if people want to check them out they can.  Remember that not everyone will share the same opinion as you, but that is okay because there are two sides to this issue.

Once the students have become aware of the facts about what Planned Parenthood actually does, what the government is trying to do, and the effects this will have on Planned Parenthood and the public move onto talking about the Bills that the government is trying to be passed on both the federal and state level.  You do not want to make this into a government bash session, but you do want to openly share any information that you have about Planned Parenthood. 

Additionally, within our blog it is our goal to make sure that everyone is getting the facts.  We want people to be able to see just how much Planned Parenthood does for women’s health and low income families.  We also want people to be able to understand how devastating it will be for the public if the government cuts Planned Parenthoods funds. Nevertheless, we also want our blog to contribute to helping people make informed decisions about the effects on Planned Parenthood if the government cuts it’s funding.

Our Service Learning Project:
For our service learning project we will be raising awareness for Planned Parenthood and giving information out about their services and also handing out safe sex kits. We have been in close conduct with the Planned Parenthood in Boston, specifically their Outreach and Organizing Coordinator. We contacted her asking what we could do to help and in response she supplied us with safe sex kits, pamphlets, and support cards.
Planned Parenthood Massachusetts

Katie is taking action!

For this service learning project i have done whatever i can to get my voice heard. I believe it is very important for everyone to know about Planned Parenthood and all the great things they do for girls. When i began this project i knew that this was going to be fun but hard to get the information we needed. Amanda and myself drove to Somerville, Mass to the Planned Parenthood that is located there and they sent us to Boston. The Planned Parenthood that is in Boston is the main headquarters. When we walked in there, their was people yelling at us from outside and then when we walked in, there was security and medal detectors. That is when we realized how serious this matter is. We wanted to talk to someone, anyone but we couldnt all they could do was give us a piece of paper and had us fill it out. We filled the paper out and told them what we were doing and our questions and our concerns, handed it back to the women and then she said it could take up to two weeks for them to respond. After a week went by they called and they were super excited! We told them what we were doing and they said that was great and they wanted to help. They said to come in a week and pick up the safe sex kits, pamphlets and cards for people to fill out. We told them we are holding a dinner on Saturday the 18th and would love all those materials to hand out. They said they wanted to get as many of the cards filled out and then have us return them to see the people that are supporting them. It felt so good that we were doing something that is so important to girls these days! All women have a right to go to place like that in confident and not have to worry about the finacial aspect or what other people think.

I believe it is very important for social justice to be taught in the classroom. I think students should know about the current events that are going on in their community. It is their future that is at stake and should want to be educated about news and events. I know in some schools that have sex-ed classes, but i don't know if that is enough. I think that in schools they should give information about Planned Parenthood so if a girl does need help they know where they can go, if a parent or teacher is not someone they feel comfortable with. Spreading the word about the positive things planned parenthood would be a great way to let more people know and stand with Planned Parenthood.

Taking Action, Teaching Social Justice

     To take action against the injustices against women's health and Planned Parenthood, I will sign the card that the other members of my group discussed to show that I stand for Planned Parenthood. It is a small thing, but it can help the organization. They can send me more information on how I can help and who I can contact in the government to show my support and fight for Planned Parenthood. I'm glad to know that even the small things I do can support them and spread the word so that other may support them. I've learned a lot during this project and will continue to do more research on ways to prevent further injustices against women's health.


     I believe that social justice is an important, but risky topic to teach elementary school students. Some topics need to be handled with care based on the opinions of the community. Teachers need to give their students the facts of the topic and leave biases at the door, so that students may form their own informed decisions. Teachers also need to be sure to allow students to disagree in a safe environment where they will not feel attacked or cornered. However, in the right hands the topic of social justice can be an interactive and educational experience. Students can learn how to write letters to government officials and to spread the word of a particular case of interest. They will feel ownership of the project and assignments if they feel like they are making a difference.


     “Struggle for social justice is central to our nation’s history…“Concerns about the common good and the rights of the individual, no matter how humble in social standing, transcends politics and holds a definitive place in the realms of morality, ethics and federal law, and therefore in the world of teaching social studies”

     I feel as though this quote sums up exactly how I feel about social justice.


-Brooke

Crystal's Take Action!

C

To take action and show our support for Planned Parenthood we contacted the Boston division who then gave us these card (shown above) and other materials to distribute at our gathering where we will be raising awareness.  By filling out the card with your personal information you are agreeing that you too support PPH family planning, birth control and preventative care for women. At the same time you are also supplying PPH with the information that will contribute to their database on demographics concerning who does endorse PPH.

By signing up through the card above I am acknowledging that I want to be informed of any issues that will affect PPH.  In return I can show my support by helping them fight these battles in whichever way they present themselves.  Meaning politically by sending letters out, volunteering or even protesting.  I am already apart of a few other organizations where I volunteer my time throughout the year so it feels good to add another onto the list because I am acting on what I believe is good for our society and future generations.

This type of action connects with our society's democratic values because I am voicing my opinion through freedom of speech.  I want to be informed if something or someone tries to change the help that PPH offers and therefore do my part to keep this organization up and running.  :o)  Keeping yourself and others educated on the current event issues is definitely a tool for the public good.  Sadly it is not something that everyone takes advantage of so it up to those who are educated to help with awareness on these types of problems.

" Struggle for social justice is central to our nation's history....concerns about the common good and the rights of the individual, no matter how humble in social standing, transcends politics and holds a definitive place in the realms of morality, ethics and federal law, and therefore in the world of teaching social studies."  

I absolutely agree with this quote.  Children should be made aware and educated about the right's they hold as citizens but also the rights that every women and man hold regardless of their color of their skin, sexuality, age or gender.  By allowing and advocating for the rights of every individual we are also making a better place for the common good as well.  I believe social studies can be one of the easiest and trickiest areas to teach to children because not everyone will agree on certain issues.  Everyone has the right to their own opinion.  As teachers we need to teach strategies where children are able to voice these opinions in a safe environment while learning to respect the rights of others.

On another note below I am listing additional links that concern's women's rights when it comes to birth control and abortion that have been recently in the news.  The first link is an article from the Huffington Post "the Virginia House passed the extreme “personhood” bill that could ban common forms of birth control, in-vitro fertilization, and abortion care with no exceptions for women in VA."


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/14/fetal-personhood-virginia_n_1276824.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=personhood

This could do so much damage to women's rights if this were to be passed.  But as long as we all stand up and voice our opinions I hope it does not pass just like last time.

The next link is concerning the recent decision made by President Barack Obama for extending benefits to cover birth control.  These are the top craziest things being said about this decision:

http://www.womenarewatching.org/article/the-top-5-craziest-things-said-about-the-birth-control-benefit?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=5things

What I find to be a little ironic when it comes to this topic is that the people that are making decisions on women's behalf are all men!
~Crystal

Taking Action.. and Thought on Teaching Social Justice

To do my part and "take action" towards supporting Planned Parenthood and what they do I signed an "I stand with Planned Parenthood" support card. Doing this made me feel like I was helping because when we received the support cards from Planned Parenthood they were really excited to give them to us and eager to get them back to see the demographics of who stands with and supports what they do. Seeing their excitement with our help and support has made me very excite to be supporting and raising awareness for such a great organization.

In regards to teaching social justice I think this is something that should be incorporated into classrooms even at an elementary level. I do believe education can be used as an instrument for the public good. I think both the students and community can learn and benefit from being taught social justice and participating in service learning projects. On our specific topic of Planned Parenthood, the awareness and the funding, I know that abstinence is suppose to be taught in school but I think information on Planned Parenthood and safe sex should also be giving and available to students in need.

-Amanda

Stephanie’s Planned Parenthood Interview

I interviewed my younger brother Patrick who is 18 years old.  Patrick is 18years old, a senior at Lynn English High School, a history and government major, and works part time at Abercrombie Kids. I chose to interview Patrick because I wanted to see just how much children at the high school level know about Planned Parenthood.  I was also interested in hearing a males perspective about the situation.

What do you know about Planned Parenthood?

I know that Planned Parenthood is kind of like a health clinic.  It is a place that you can go to and get free contraception (condoms, birth control) and other health related services.  Unfortunately, I do not know a lot about it though because ever since President Bush enacted abstinence-only education my teachers can only tell us “don’t have sex” or “just don’t do it.”  When we try and talk to them about it they inform us that we have to talk to someone else because they can lose their job over it.

Do you think that cutting funds for Planned Parenthood is a problem? Why or why not?

Yes…if the government cuts the funding then what will happen to the low class people and teenagers who need assistance and cannot afford or go to their primary care doctor? In the end it will just create more poverty and more low income families.

Do you agree with government cutting funds for Planned Parenthood?  Why or why not?

No, I do not agree with government cutting funds for Planned Parenthood. I think the government should be involved, but they should not cut the funding.  If they do cut the funding then a lot of younger people will get pregnant, and in the end it will be more damaging for the government.  The government needs to promote safe sex and even supply us with resources and knowledge; not take it away from us.

Do you think others in our community think this is an important problem? Why/ why not?

Yes, other within my community would think this is an important problem.  I have only heard about Planned Parenthood because of other students at my school. I know that it is important to be able to continue these services, and have a place where teens can go for confidential assurance and information they cannot receive at school or home. Everyone I know has gone to a Planned Parenthood center or knows someone who has, even if it is just for information. 

What are disadvantages of this policy?

Overall, it is more so the fact that people do not like their money going to someone else.  They often feel places like Planned Parenthood are unnecessary because they have never been given proper information about it.  There is also the image of it being an abortion house, and evil. This makes people feel as if Planned Parenthood goes against their personal and religious beliefs.  These types of stereotypes are harmful because they lead people to not want to support or fund the “poor” people who need birth control.

Due to the little knowledge you have about Planned Parenthood’s budget cuts, which party do you believe is responsible for them and why?

I think that the Conservatives/Republicans are responsible for this because they are pro-life and against government spending (for the most part).  The Democrats, on the other hand, are pro-choice and for government spending (again, for the most part).  Plus, by cutting the funding to Planned Parenthood they are able to turn this into a political issue.

Do you think the government is doing this on purpose to affect women's rights?

No, but to play devil’s advocate I would say the government is more so playing class war fare. They are perpetuating the cycle of poverty more so than anything.

What, if anything, do you think the government can do to help Planned Parenthood instead of cutting their budget?

I think the government should leave Planned Parenthood alone as long as they are not providing the funding for abortions.  Planned Parenthood helps a lot of people and provides resources to both men and women. They give out free condoms, birth control, sexual health information, and many other things all while keeping it confidential.  We do not have to go to our parents, which often times we can’t anyways.  The government should make it known that it is not a place for the irresponsible, it is actually the exact opposite because they give us the opportunity to be responsible for ourselves.

Where can I get more information about this problem and the different positions people take on this problem?

You can look it up on the internet or check out my blog spot.  I am sure that you can also hear about it on the news and in the newspapers.  Honestly, the best way to find information related to both side of this situation is by going online and typing in Planned Parenthood funding cuts.

My brother in Italy!!!Me and Patrick enjoying the Red Sox!!!

Reflection:

I learned that our society really is affected by our government.  I knew that government could influence us, but I never really realized how much they could add or take away at their leisure.  I think though my biggest surprise was learning about the abstinence only policy in education. To know that a teacher cannot help advise a student about their sexual health (if asked) is sad.  I mean really where are these children supposed to go?  I know that they have places like Planned Parenthood, but what happens when the funding is cut, then where do they go?  I also like the way it was brought to my attention that this is about women, but it is more so about class status.  The lower classes are likely to be the ones who lose out on everything they need assistance with (not just women). By conducting this interview I learned (through some quick research) that Planned Parenthood also conducts health screening for men.  In addition to this, they give openly give them information, testing, and other materials for safe sex. I really liked how I was able to hear the opinion from a high school student, from a more poverty stricken area. I think that in some ways I was expecting him to know more about this situation and was a little surprised to find out that what he knows it just from basic conversations.