I was pleased by the topics covered in the Group Differences Forum. The conversations covered material that I originally thought would bore me to tears, but I found myself pleasantly surprised. The discussions held my interest and I learn a lot from the presented information. I think I mostly agreed with the points raised by all the groups, particularly the notion of poverty and the effect it has on the achievement gap in our schools. This topic riles me up quite a bit whenever it comes up. I suppose this represents a concealed passion for justice and fairness, though I've never fancied myself the socio-political activist sort. On the other side of the spectrum, I found myself somewhat irritated by topics like gender identification and LBGTQ. I understand that struggling for equality must happen or inequity will continue, but I feel that many of the voices on these topics split hairs over the minutia of the subject. I'm certain many individuals would desire to see my head on a plate for feeling that way, but what can I do? It's how I feel.
The extensiveness of the information presented in the forum far exceeded the treatment in our text if for no other reason than the interaction we engaged in during the forum. The topics certainly got me thinking, and I believe my future classroom will benefit from what I heard. Thank you, Anne, for putting the Group Differences Forum in our curriculum!
