A little about Mario Depeine, Sr.

As an educator I get the opportunity to get a small glimpse of how our society is shaping up. Children come into the classroom with all types of perspectives. A lot of the perspectives are a result of their environment. Some of those perspectives reflect the home life or lack of. Some reflect the street life and some just reflect the media that the children are exposed to.

Middle School children are just starting out in life. You see how their characters and personalities are shaping up. Many can be molded or adjusted easily others are a lot more resistant to change depending on their circumstance.

I work in an urban district. While there I see many interesting and at times disheartening things. Hopefully my experiences as an educator can shed some light on what we can do to better prepare our children for the future.


Sunday, September 19, 2010

President Obama's characterization and racism in America

As I listen to the many criticisms of our current President, I can't help but notice the visceral nature that they seem to have. Various people seem to make comments that appear to be political in nature, but as you compare them to other references (former presidents who were truly bad) you realize that there is something deeper at hand. First, I am hearing that Barack Obama is not American. Why, because he has a non European name? Is it because his father migrated from a non-European country? There are so many that are in this country that have immigrant parents, their "American-hood" is not brought into question. Second, I hear that Barack Obama is anti-American. How? The man and his family are sacrificing a lot to nurse this country back to health, yet, he is being accused of running the country into the ground and treated like an "alien." Would such claims and accusations been applied to a President of the United States if he/she had two European rooted parents? Would such claims and accusations been applied to a US President if he/she was white? I don't think so. Maybe I'm wrong, but I have never heard it before, never in America, until now. I hear it when America has a black President!

New Jersey Rally of May 22, 2010

New Jersey Rally of May 22, 2010
Young ones making their voices heard.