What Can We Do? Becoming Part of the Solution

The article I will be commenting on in this blog is named What Can We Do? Becoming Part of the Solution from the book Privilege, Power, and Difference by Allan G. Johnson. I feel that Johnson says alot about this article in the title "Becoming Part of the Solution" and states what he feels are solid behavioral changes in the power and privilege group that can reverse the oppression that minorities feel. Johnson states " the challenge we face is to change patterns of exclusion, rejection, privilege, harassment, discrimination, and violence that are everywhere in this society and have existed for hundreds of years." To change these behaviors will take work from our society and this author gives specific details on how such change could be possible. There are several quotes from this article that I could use to explain Johnson's ideas about change but I have narrowed them down to a few. The first quote I analyzed was on page 145 and it stated: " To shake off the paralyzing myth that we cannot, individually, be effective, we have to alter how we see ourselves in relation to a long term, complex process of change. This begins by altering how we relate to time." I feel the author is saying we need to change in a large group over a long period of time for the the oppressed to be freed. Change does not happen in days, weeks , or months , but years of progressive learning and acting in a manner that all society be equal. The second quote I will use for this piece is found on page 154 and states: "Understanding how privilege and oppression operate and how you participate in them is where the work for change begins. It's easy to have opinions, but it takes work to know what you're talking about. The simplest way to begin is by reading, and making reading about privilege part of your life." Jonhson is saying for us as a society to expel the privileged class and oppresive groups we need to educate people on these issues. Reading and talking is away from the "path of least resistance" and if people are tired of the oppresion, these are two simple forms of every day life that can be progressive for a positive change. The last quote I will use from this article can be found on page 158 and states: " Make noise, be seen. Stand up, volunteer, speak out, write letters, sign petitions, show up. Every oppressive system feeds on silence." If people are truly commited into making a change, they have to get involved in the process of change. The "elephant in the middle of the room" needs to be discussed and have explicit communication about privilege and oppression for change to occur. For me, this class has been an eye opener for white privilge and the culture of power. I agree with Johnson when he says education is a key to making a change and eliminating oppressive behaviors by whites. As a teacher, I feel that collaboration and teamwork on the issues Johnson puts forward can be brought to light and hopefully in future generations these behaviors will be a thing of the past.

Blog # 11

Blog # 11 was titled "Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome" by Christopher Kliewer. I found the article a little more challenging because of the author's vernacular but I feel that I captured his argument. Kliewer is arguing for people with down syndrome and their real abilities as opposed to the public misinformed opinion that people with down syndrome cannot function in a society or be a valued part of a community. The author gave great stories of teachers that show the school and social success about people with this unfortunate condition. A few passages from the article that helped make sense of it all for me were as follows:
1)" The movement to merge the education of children with and without disabilities is based on the belief that to enter the dialogue of citizenship does not require spoken, or indeed outspoken, language. Rather, communication is built on one's ability to listen deeply to others." I think this would have a great impact on learning and teaching for all in this country. We are such a diverse society, not only in race and gender, but with disabilities and learning trouble. The key to communication, in my opinion, is effective listening and if people "listened deeply" I believe our cultures and differences would gel wonderfully.
2) The next passage I highlighted was a statement by Douglas Biklen who said: "society itself is hurt when schools act as cultural sorting machines and discriminate on the basis of ability, gender, ethnicity and race." This passage is a telling quote about class separation and its effect on our society. For us to succeed in life we have to have an " ability to form relationships with others that make up the web of the community." I will quote Rodney King "Cant we all just get along", is the main theme of this statement.
3) The last quote I want to share from this article came on page 80 and it says: "To value another is to recognize diversity as the norm. It establishes the equal worth of all schoolchildren, a sense that we all benefit from each other, and the fundamental right of every student to belong." As a person studying to be a teacher, I feel this is an important statement and should be carried with me throughout my life in every area. I feel this article shows solid evidence on people with disabilities and how they can overcome some of the stereotypes. The teachers in this piece are inspirational and they really show that no matter how diverse a community or classroom is, everyone can play a vital role in their own special way. If I were an administrator or politician I would make sure everyone read and understood this piece, it is remarkable how people refuse to let disabilities deter them from their dreams.

Blog 10

The name of the author for blog 10 is Jean Anyon and the article's name is Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work which is a chapter from the book Learning Power. Anyon is arguing in this text that social classes in our society are teaching different curriculum based on the population and economic information about their community. Anyon believes that teaching pedagogy in these communities will keep the kids status quo and most likely keep them in the community that they grew up in with little chance of reaching a higher class. The contrast in the teaching styles were truly amazing and eye opening for a person who thought we were all learning the same way. A couple of the passages that really stood out to me in this article were on page 4 when a teacher from a working class school retorted "Simple punctuation is all they'll ever use." The disbelief I felt when I read that statement was intense, I simply could not believe a teacher would not try to get the best out of all children in a profession so important to molding young minds. This teacher was teaching them just enough to get by for the working class community instead of trying to get the best out of the students and basically telling them this is all that they will amount too. Another troubling quote from the working class part of the article was the way teachers communicated with the students, for example on page 5 "the teachers continually gave orders to the children " and when the teachers heard a student talking they would tell the student to "shut up, shut your mouth." How in the world can a child learn when treated and communicated to like this, it is very disturbing. In contrast to the working class, I found interesting differences in the way the executive elite school kids were educated. The first example is how students are viewed: "These children's opinions are important-it's important that they learn to reason things through." The opinion of the teacher in the elite school has glaring differences from that of the working class school. Kids are treated with care and viewed as important in the elite class, where the working class kids are told to shut up and listen and have little or no input on their education. It is my opinion that all children in every class be afforded the type of education using sound logic and having their voice heard. I think if the pedagogy of the working class teachers would reflect that of the elite class, you would find a meshing of more kids from different classes and kids in lower classes ready to challenge for spots in higher education that were firmly gripped by the elite class. This piece is good evidence about white privilege and how it is entrenched in different social classes.

Blog #9

The name of the articles for this blog is: "One More River to Cross" Recognizing the Real Injury in Brown: A Prerequisite to shaping New Remedies by Charles Lawrence and Whites Swim in Racial Preference by Tim Wise. In my opinion, Lawrence is arguing that segregation laws that were passed only applied to the school setting and that blacks were still very much segregated from whites and privilege in larger society. Brown v. Board of Education case was intended to level the field of education and opportunity between whites and blacks but as Lawrence states "If one views the Brown case narrowly, as a case intended to desegregate the nation's schools, history has proven it a clear failure." I don' t agree with every part of this statement because it sounds like Lawrence feels as if the judges decision really almost did nothing about solving the problem of racial divide, I don't have the perfect remedy for abolishing "white privilege" but I think this case provided blacks some great opportunities in a bias white society. Another quote from this text that I found interesting was on page 283 when the Warren Court said "to separate negro children from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community in ways unlikely ever to be undone. This inferiority has a tendency to retard the educational and mental development of negro children." This statement does show that the judges recognize a serious issue in blacks getting a solid education and that by segregating schools you create a inferior complex within the black community. I agree that more should have been done for trying to equalize the races other than just desegregating schools and that blacks needed more intervention from a white society but I believe the judges intentions were meant in a positive way towards blacks. One more quote I would like to use in blogging for this article was on page 289 when Lawrence states "In 1954 we believed that school integration would break down racist attitudes by bringing white and black children together." I think this is true in our society in 2008, Kozol, Johnson and Lawrence have showed there are still parts of his society that treat blacks as inferior but as a country we are on the verge of electing a black president and a man that I will vote for. I think what happened in the Brown v. Board of Education has opened more doors for blacks than this author thinks and hopefully progress continues in the war against white power and privilege. In the article by Wise he shows some very glaring insights into the huge disparity of races in our society. One of the comments that was eye opening was the quote " A full time black male worker in 2003 makes less in real dollar terms than similar white men were earning in 1967." Wow! It is disgusting to think that human beings in our society would try to hold back another person's earning power because of skin color, this country is doomed if that mentality continues. Another quote in this article was taken from President Bush, who thankfully is almost done as our leader, when he attacks minorities on the case of affirmative action. The President attacked the points given out to minorities at a college university as excessive and unfair to whites when in reality whites have the opportunity to receive more credit for this college and be accepted more easily than minorities. This is typical propaganda from a person who used it to sell a war to the American people. I think the President is using his influence to support and keep alive the " white privilege and white power."

Barney Frank defending Gay Rights

Gayness, Multicultural Education, and Community by Dennis Carlson

Carlson is tackling a very serious issue in writing this article and it creates emotion on all people involved. Carlson is trying to make the point in this article that being "gay or lesbian" has not been accepted in the standard American culture and schools are a main factor in keeping a gay person from the same protections and opportunities as non-gays. There were several awesome quotes in this article that solidly supports Carlson's argument. I would like to start with one of the three perspectives that Carlson discusses on page 234 it states: "The notion of a community of difference and diversity-what I will call a democratic multicultural community." This quote is saying that communities can be defined by a large group of people from different backgrounds and different relationships. Being gay in our society does not mean you can not be an outstanding contributor to a community. Another quote that was really prejudiced towards the gay community was on page 237 it stated "Throughout this century, one of the primary means of ensuring that gayness was an invisible presence in the school was through the dismissal of teachers who were found out to be homosexuals." This type of discrimination is disturbing, no person should have to hide who they are to keep a professional occupation such as a teacher. There are many gay people in this world who are successful and should be celebrated for their accomplishments not harassed for what goes on in their bedroom. One final quote about the suppression of being gay was on page 238 when Carlson explains" to keep gayness in its place in the school community, verbal and physical intimidation of gay students and teachers has been sanctioned." For students, parents and school leaders to condone and promote the practices that Carlson mentions in this article is tough for me process. I could never judge a person on their sexual preference, I really think what goes on in some one's personal life is their business. If someone felt they needed to share that information with me it would not result in me verbally and physically assaulting them.

Blog 7:Aria by Rodriguez and Teaching Multilingual Children by Collier

This blog assignment is on the readings of Aria by Richard Rodriguez and Teaching Multilingual Children by Virginia Collier. Rodriguez tells a compelling story of learning the language of English as a child and his own personal anxiety with the language of "Los gringos." While attending school as a boy, the nuns that taught him in school went to confront his parents at home and encourage the family to speak English outside of the school. Rodriguez parents immediately conform to the teachers request and he makes it sound like it had an incredible impact on him. Rodriguez states " In an instant, they agreed to give up the language that had revealed and accentuated our family's closeness." It is obvious that at this young age the author had a great family connection with the speaking of his formal language and it sounds like he was desensitized to his family when English became the language used in his home. Another quote that illustrates what this American school had done to this author's family by requiring English be spoken in the home "There was a new quiet at home. The family's quiet was partly due to the fact that, as we children learned more and more English, we shared fewer and fewer words with our parents." Depending on how many ESL students felt like this, it could be assumed that Hispanics were having trouble at school with English and trouble at home learning English. It was affecting relationships with teachers and relationships with parents. Rodriguez goes on to talk about assimilation(developing one's culture) and how it could strip one of it's individuality. This is a quote that shows the trouble with not recognizing another culture in classrooms: "After English became my primary language, I no longer knew what words to use in addressing my parents." I could not imagine not knowing how to communicate with my parents, it sounds like a hurtful experience and one I would not wish on anybody. I feel that if this is the majority of feeling towards teaching in our classrooms, then systems should be changed. Schooling should not tear families apart while adjusting to a new culture, this sounds like an American nightmare. The Collier piece was a little more optimistic in teaching kids a different language. Reading Collier brought me back to the Rodriquez piece and how his life learning experience could have changed had those nuns stayed away from his house that day and they incorporated some of her advice. Collier argues in her article about teaching kids ESL " The key is the true appreciation of the different linguistic and cultural values that students bring into the classroom." Teachers need to recognize a person of a different culture in our society and celebrate it, not try to brainwash this individual from who they are or where there from. Cultural diversity in what makes us a great nation, if everyone thinks the same, no one is thinking very much. Collier also gives 7 guidelines on how to teach ESL students and have a greater impact to better their lives. One of the guidelines I found would be helpful in erasing what happened to Rodriguez is guideline 3 which stated: "Don't teach a second language in any way that challenges or seeks to eliminate the first language." I found this to be interesting in teaching children who are learning English as a second language. It may eliminate all the problems that Richard Rodriguez had and give kids like him a good life in our culture and keep a strong family relationship at home with parents who might not speak the language. In reading the rest of the article by Collier,found it a bit difficult to keep up with the "code switching patterns" but the guidelines I found very useful. I think Collier's article sheds light on the problems of Richard Rodriguez's schooling as a ESL student. It was damaging to his family to have teachers dictate his home life and Collier gives solid guidelines on how to keep these students happy in both the classroom with the teacher and at home with their parents.

School Context Assignment

Doing my service learning project in an urban community, also the community I grew up in, felt comfortable and exciting to me. I am comfortable with the community and I know from working in this community that the demographics are mostly Hispanic. The name of the school I am working with for my service learning project is Margaret I. Robertson School in the Central Falls School District. In doing my research for the demographic information of this school (research website provided by Dr. Bogad) I found data on a number of characteristics that represent the entire student body. I will begin with the ethnicity of the school: Hispanic 64% , 19% White and 17% Black. The classroom I am helping in has a breakdown of 12 Hispanic, 2 Portuguese, 1 Creole and 1 White child. Here is just a little background on the way I was thinking during my first visit. I had to be buzzed into the school because the door is locked during school hours. This is definitely something different than I experienced when I was going to grade school in Central Falls. I immediately had the attitude that if they needed security, it must be a tough school to attend. I also became aware that all of the teachers and staff in this school, that I came in contact with, were white. I thought this was an interesting sight knowing what we have read in class. I will start by talking about the space in the classroom. It is set up with desks more towards the center of the room in groups of four, with the four kids facing each other. The perimeter of the room has computers, bookcases, windows and a blackboard. The walls are decorated with work done by the students and several world maps. In analyzing the set up of the room, I would say by grouping the kids in this manner the teacher is promoting work by collaboration. The teacher may also be valuing that relationships being formed with the students and this is a way of making them feel more comfortable to attend school. Maps are a good learning tool and are spread throughout the classroom, this may be showing value to the different places in the world that the kids are all from. Also when parents enter the room it shows that maybe the place they came from is recognized and taught about in the classrooms of American schools making them feel good about their kids education in the United States. There is a bookcase filled with Spanish written books, which I think is a nice way of the school trying to recognize the students ethnicity and good community awareness. Curriculum and Pedagogy in this classroom, in my opinion, was very similar to what I learned in school. I think when we discuss the culture of power this is one of the problems in our diverse society today. The teacher hands out work sheets of math and literature and works the kids until they have completed the handout. Delpit talks about mandated testing for all students and how curriculum and teaching strategies are based strictly on raising test scores in urban communities. I see the teacher in this classroom definitely following the federal mandate and worrying about just getting the scores up. It is a little unfair of me to say this because I have not spent much time in this classroom but from my short time there it seems she is following the "status quo." I think the class I am helping has definite evidence of diversity in its space and structure but may be lacking in climate and curriculum from the analysis I have provided. The demographics of this school has affected me in one way and made me notice how much poverty is actually represented. Almost 90% of the kids in the entire school are eligible for a free lunch. When I was going to school in Central Falls , we were all able to brown bag a lunch and know what Mom packed us was something we were going to enjoy. These kids are at the mercy of the school and it saddens me that 9 out of 10 kids are at a poverty level that they need to be served breakfast and lunch by the school district. I was told these are the only meals some of these kids will get. This has definitely influenced my experience and it is my hope that when I start to teach I can help all cultures have a quality life in this sometimes unfair place.

Relation to Kozol and Culture of Power

Blog 6 McIntosh and Muwakkil

The name of the text for this blog is: White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh. I want to start by saying that this article was a little more difficult than some of the previous, I will try to explain what I believe McIntosh means in her writing. McIntosh is arguing that white privilege is known to whites in a subconscious manner and when studied and introduced to people of privilege they believe it is nonsense so they won't have to deal with it. I think she speaks of this on page 6 when she states "To redesign social systems we need first to acknowledge their colossal unseen dimensions. The silence and denials surrounding privilege are the key political tool here." S.C.W.A.A.M.P immediately comes to mind here as the big elephant in the room that no one will address. What also helped me understand the article was the 26 conditions of "white privilege" that McIntosh wrote about. I find empathy to be one of my greatest qualities and from reading her list it is amazing how many of the conditions of white privilege I take for granted. It would be extremely difficult for me to put myself in someone else's shoes for all of these conditions. Number 14 was especially eye opening for me because I have witnessed this situation before. Number 14 states: " I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race." I have heard this said by white America and the person of color on the receiving end takes this as a compliment not knowing it is viewed as a struggle of their race. I found the part of earned strength and unearned power a little bit tough to follow but I think her mission is to educate the SCWAAMP on why systematic change in our culture is needed. I found her views on the subject eye-opening and informative. McIntosh definitely challenges the way of thinking I am accustomed too. And if people in the "white privilege class" need any more evidence of how oppressive our culture is they should read the article by Salim Muwakkil. I think the poll that was conducted was a genius way to open up the eyes of those with white power. The part of the article that made me believe in white bias was the paragraph about whites and blacks in the job market. In Milwaukee, a study showed that "white applicants with prison records were still more likely to be hired than black men without them." In my opinion this is consciously being racist and using power to hold a person of color from getting ahead in our country and goes against the fundamental right of being an American. If it is true that we would prefer to have more white criminals in the job market than black non-criminals, this country is worse off than I though before I took this class.

Jonathan Kozol: Amazing Grace -Blog #5

What? This article that Kozol writes about is a view of people living well below the poverty line in the borough of South Bronx, NYC. Kozol is writing this piece about the kids and families of a community that really lack basic needs such as: food, shelter, security and basic services such as schooling and health care. A few of the key words Kozol uses in this piece that stuck out to me were:dangerous, destitute, HIV, AIDS, evil, welfare, drugs, and prostitutes. Kozol describes a hell on earth situation in this part of NYC for any unlucky soul who happens to reside their. So What? Kozol describes the Mott Haven neighborhood in his writing and walks around with a child named Cliffie. Children in this neighborhood according to Kozol are" the poorest and in the most abandoned places." As a reader of this article I am sick to find out that such a place could exist in the United States of America. I think Kozol wrote this piece to magnify the hurt and pain suffered by children at a young age. These kids and families are being abused by the same government I support as a citizen. I think Kozol is saying that if no one recognizes the problems in Mott Haven, the privileged in America will continue to grow while holding back a demographic of blacks and Latinos. Family after family are dying in a vicious cycle in Mott Haven because NYC will not help them. Now What? I think Kozol makes a great point in this article when he is told that the government of NYC dumps all the sick and poor people in that one neighborhood. I think these people need to be put where good health care and services are available so they can start to reverse the cycle of poverty and sickness. Also, the only way the kids have any chance of succeeding in life would to be in a healthy environment. Kozol proves that family after family in Mott Haven die off with little hope of escaping in sight.

Blog 4 "Relation to the culture of Power"

I have had some life expieience with the way Deplit describes the "culture of power." I come from a middle-class family but grew up in an urban community with a number of classmates and friends from all different cultures. Central Falls was made up of mostly Latino's when I was growing up and a number of my friends were a different color. I attended Catholic schools until I arrived at college and always felt that teachers had power over the students without predjudice. My father was personnel director for two different cities and always was surrounded by politicians. During his working years there were many functions and holidays that I spent with many of these people where I saw them in action. Delpit describes one of the rules as " a reflection of the rules of the culture of those who have power," during my encounters with these powerful people I (unknowingly) learned of this culture power that Delpit writes about and it probably has something to do with my attaining middle class level as an adult. Perhaps my expieriences with such powerful people allowed me to learn the culture of power and gain an edge on some of my friends from Central Falls who came from lower class families. Dr. Bogad we talked about having culture as far as job interviews and being able to secure good jobs, I think my parents taught me most of this knowlegde from the relationships they formed with politicians. Delpit raises an interesting argument because most of my friends were unable to secure middle class jobs and I was! Perhaps the "Culture of Power" is more prevalent than I first thought.

Blog on Lisa Delpit

Blog number 3 was based on a writing by Lisa Delpit titled Other People's Children. From reading the Depit article it is clear to me that she has a serious issue with the way most classrooms are run in our country. Delpit argues that "mandates" in education curriculum and concentrating solely on how high test scores should be is a major flaw in schooling today. Delpit also touches on the issue of race and how some teachers, perhaps ones who have white children, are not using explicit teaching methods when research shows lower class and kids of color benefit from this teaching style. Here are a few passages I found helped me in understanding the article: In the introduction I found this line really insightful: "We in education have allowed politicians to push us to act as if the most important goal of our work is to raise test scores." This quote makes me feel like we are all under the control of a twisted bureaucratic society that wants us to educate are youth like robots. I think Delpit is saying we have to buck the trend and teach kids the importance of being a good member of society first so a child test scores can come second. Delpit is not minimizing education in this article, she is just saying being a good human being should take precedent. I agree with her 100 percent. This next passage is one I am not sure I understand but I am very interested in the subject matter: "I believe that the actual practice of good teachers of all colors typically incorporates a range of pedagogical orientations." This statement is right before Delpit explains her "culture of power" aspects. In my opinion this quote is saying that if teachers collaborated in their teaching experiences and shared success stories from whatever race they were teaching, it could benefit a child becoming educated in our society. Encouraging teachers of all races to share resources would allow a child a more complete educational experience as opposed to some federal mandated test score. This last quote was on page 29 and I picked it because it reminded me of the Johnson article. "Several black teachers have said to me recently that as much as they'd like to believe otherwise, they cannot help but conclude that many of the progressive educational strategies imposed by liberals upon black and poor children could only be based on a desire to ensure that the liberals' children get sole access to the dwindling pool of American jobs." Delpit includes this article maybe to raise the argument that the middle-class is more white dominant. I am not a teacher but I don't believe that we, as a society, are fixing the school system in are subconscious to bullet proof the middle class from blacks and minorities. I believe social problems have more to do with a lack of education than a conspiracy by white liberals does. I think some blacks would agree that a majority of black kids who do not make it from the lower class have come from broken homes and have had no proper caring or nurturing. Delpit raises a great argument on how to educate all people. The way a person perceives power was also very intriguing and made sense for most of the reading. I agree with Delpit in the fact educating should be a hell of a lot more than a test score. On the issue of power, I believe that if you want to succeed in life get a solid education and have good manners and you will never have a problem. It has worked for me!!!!!!

Johnson and S.C.W.A.A.M.P. Blog

The name of the author was Allan G. Johnson for the piece titled Privilege, Power and Difference. In this piece Johnson argues that we, as a society, are responsible for all the injustice that happens to the lower class in our country. Johnson goes on to say that with scientific research and theory we could potentially close the gap between classes and distribute privilege and power on a more equal basis if we follow a "framework" based on his theory. Here are a few quotes from Johnson's article that I will reflect on: Chapter 2 Page 10 "We live in a society that attaches privilege to being white and male and heterosexual regardless of your social class." This quote is really difficult for me to process. Johnson basically has pigeon holed a white, heterosexual male as having power and privilege in our country. He obviously has not visited the trailer parks in Alabama. This part of the article showed me that Johnson is speaking of his experiences and maybe speaking of his own personal feelings. In my opinion a poor white heterosexual male will have to work and educate himself in order to reach a level of privilege in this day and age. If you are born poor I believe all races and genders have the same amount of opportunities to become successful. Quote 2: "The mere fact that something is new or strange isn't enough to make us afraid of it." I thought this was a good line in trying to show the reader that no matter who you come in contact with, you cannot pass judgement on a person until a person gives you a specific reason. I also think Johnson is trying to convince the reader to not be pre-determined in judging others. Quote 3: Chapter 2 page 13 "The bottom line is that a trouble we can't talk about is a trouble we can't do anything about." This quote helped me understand the author's position for the entire article. If we as a society could discuss issues of racism, sexism and classism it could help, in the authors opinion, society lose some of these destructive behaviors. A few last comments about Johnson's article, in my opinon I think he wrote a very pessimistic account of how this society works in our time. I will give one example but there were many in this article. In chapter 2 on page 8 he speaks of a colored colleague that "can't go for a walk alone at night without thinking about her safety" Johnson is saying this of a black woman and I feel he may have put words in her mouth. Is he a mindreader? If a man lived in a dangerous neighborhood he would also think about safety quite a bit. I think he tries to potray a larger disparity in races and gender than what there really is. Dr. Bogad discussed SCWAAMP and in my opinion the people tapping on the glass have at least cracked it and maybe even shattered it in some of the categories.

Who am I ?

My name is Timothy Joyce and I am currerntly studying PE/Health at RIC. I am a firefighter in Central Falls which takes up a lot of my time. This is my first blog of many from glancing at the syllabus. I enjoy working out(basketball, bike riding) and occasionally drinking tequilla :) My parents own property at Little Compton beach which is a nice place for margaritas so I go there quite a bit. Ba bye