Great News!!!

For those of you that I haven't called to tell personally... here's the good news!

First, I got my grades from last term: 3 A's and 2 B's. Woo Hoo!!! This means I get to graduate on time: 10 weeks and counting!

Second... and the BIGGEST!!! I got accepted into Graduate School!! I got into my first choice that would mean the least upheaval in my life. I'll be starting as a grad student at Portland State University's Graduate School of Education in July, and I'll be starting student teaching in August. By the following August, I'll have credentials for PreK-8, and a Masters Degree in Education. I'll also have some credits toward my reading and library/media technology endorsements.

I have worked so hard to get to this point, and have struggled against odds that most people wouldn't understand.. but I've done it!! I was one of 90 who got accepted for the entire year... so that (in itself) was a major accomplishment. I have wanted to teach for as long as I can remember, and have purposely placed myself in educational-helping situations since I was 10. I have worked over the last 13 years to continue on this path, and the finish line is finally in sight! I can't begin to explain how much this means to me, and how often I have dreamed of this moment!

Thank you to everyone out there who has NOT said "it's about time". Thank you to everyone who has encouraged me and believes that it doesn't matter how long it takes, just as long as I get there. Thank you to everyone who believed that I could (and should) do this. Thank you to those who have allowed me to "teach" them in some capacity... which contributed significantly to my acceptance! Thank you for getting excited with me throughout all the steps along this trip!!! Thank you!

American Families in TV - Culmination Blog

How the four goals of the University Studies Program were met in my American Family in Television course, and how I have been able to connect my learning to these goals.

Inquiry and Critical Thinking:


For the first time, this class introduced me to the concept of creating our own knowledge. Let me clarify that: this wasn’t the first time I’ve had to do it… but I enjoyed the wording of this concept that allowed me to think about it more often and determine whether I had accomplished it or not. Having been inundated with history classes over the past 25 years, it was nice to be able to critically look at historical events and make an assumption based on the facts that I’ve committed to memory. I really enjoyed writing the blogs that allowed me to further examine my own personal thoughts, feelings and concepts and to think critically about things that would have otherwise washed over me without a second thought.

Communication:


Our class may not have been the most vocal about questions and kicking off discussions, but I felt that the communication that did occur in class was very productive. I really appreciated the ability to get into small groups and discuss things that we had been talking about, be able to get more ideas, and to better solidify my current views of things. By incorporating the blog writing into our assignments in lieu of written papers, I also felt was a great touch. I enjoyed the opportunity to use my knowledge and hobby of blogging to expand on my topics a little more. It allowed so much more personal vision than a paper generally does.

The Diversity of Human Experience:


In this class, the experiences of people over time were brought to our attention via a unique media, television shows. Through these shows we were able to visually learn about the different experiences of people in different time periods and how their background, cultural heritage, and timeline affected who they were and how they conducted their lives. By watching television shows that portrayed different timer periods, we saw how people changed, and how their “reality” affected them at a much more intimate level. We saw everything from varied races to varied religions, and varied economic statuses to different political beliefs. Through these different “realities” we were better able to get a larger picture of our country as a whole and all the different (or diverse) people that make up this unique nation.

Ethics and Social Responsibility:


This goal was a slightly more difficult goal to match with this course. We spent a significant amount of time discussing historical facets of the decades we were studying, and through this examination, I believe that we touched on the responsibility that each of us has to leave the world better, or more complete, than it has been in the past. I felt that the further along we went in our timeline, the more specific the groups of people became, and in turn, the more realistic. By continuing to look at each person as an individual, as opposed to a nation of depth-less clones, we continue on the path that leads to more understanding of our society and the members that make it up. By studying shows, such as “Will and Grace” we are introduced to groups of people that may be outside of our immediate circle, but simply by learning more about it, we have contributed to our society and our responsibility to look after those that comprise it.

How the goals of the Family Studies Cluster were met in my American Family in Television course, and how I have been able to connect my learning to these goals.

Viewing the family from multiple perspectives:

We had the opportunity of watching many television shows that portrayed families in very different ways. I appreciated the ability to watch a similar time period and the extremes among the people who lived during that time. “All in the Family” shows us a very prejudiced man who is completely ignorant about how people (unlike himself) live, and believes that they are much less than he is… and how angry this makes him as a person. In “Good Times” we see another family who appears equally prejudiced, but in the opposite way. They appear to believe that “whites” are better than they are, and they must actively work to bring themselves “up” to the whites level. We see, however, that this has not made them angry, but instead they appear determined and still able to love and care about others. Seeing families in the same time period from different perspectives is something that I really appreciated. I enjoyed seeing the different ways that parents interacted with their children, with each other, and within their community. I also liked seeing how different families dealt with the same things occurring in the nation; some actively worked with it, some worked against it, and some allowed it be simply a backdrop that was rarely discussed.

The impact of family on individual development:

Many of the TV shows we watched included children as an integral part of the family. In many of the earlier shows, the children are seen as a single unit in purpose: to provide children-based storylines. As time goes on, we see children developing their own distinct lives, and in turn their own storylines that become important to the fabric of the show. In the “Cosby Show” we see how each child is very distinctly different and has their own, very different, ways of looking at the world. We see that by allowing the children to have their own situations, the parents are able to interact with each of them on a different level; there may be one way to deal with Theo, and a very different way that they interact with Vanessa. This is something that allows television shows to more closely resemble real life; very rarely do parents deal with each of their children in the same way… it is generally always equal and fair, but isn’t always the same methods.

Family diversity:

As I have said before, this class gave us a lot of opportunity to see how different families can be, not only from other families, but how different the members of a single family can be from one another. In “Family Ties” we see how vastly different the 3 (later 4) children are from one another, and how they are just as different from their parents. This is another fact that very closely resembles what a real family is going to be like. Although children are raised in the same home with the same parents, it is very likely that they will grow up with their own experiences, perceptions of their childhood events, and with their own beliefs about the world. This class gave us the opportunity to examine these differences and relate them to our own lives to better see the reality of this occurring. I know that in my own life, this couldn’t be any truer. My sister and I are 18 months apart, both girls, who shared a room until we I was 15 years old. We attended the same schools, lived in the same neighborhoods, attended the same church classes, and were raised by the same parents; so much so that many of our friends were siblings, so we even played at the same homes. She and I could not further apart on the “sameness” scale; we are polar opposites in every extent of the word: weight, height, coloring, hobbies, moral values, passions, religious beliefs, personalities, adult experiences, etc. Seeing this concept in this class did not surprise me in the slightest because I lived it, and I have NO doubt that members of a family can be as diverse as they are from the family next door (or in the next time zone).

In conclusion, I loved this class. I have always had a passion for television and I’ve loved being able to explore how it has affected our lives, and how our lives have affected television. I always get a kick out of hearing people say that they “don’t watch television” or didn’t watch as a child. That seems so absurd to me. Mind you, I didn’t plant myself in front of the television as a child… but I definitely didn’t miss ANY shows either. Thank you for teaching a class where my years (and endless hours) or television watching have paid off, and where I’ve been able to take it to the next level through analyzing what I watch.

American Families in TV - 1980's blog entry

Many of the parents who were raising children in the 1980’s had lived during very turbulent social times. The 1960’s had contained civil rights movements, women’s liberation and protests that became a large focus of many young people’s lives. These peace loving (hippies) and civic minded (civil rights activists) young people began having children in the 1970’s and found themselves in the 1980’s with teenagers who were growing up in a very different time. The 1980’s were flanked with good economies, conservative politicians and “consumerized” teenagers -- the exact opposite of the previous generation. Due to this vast difference in lifestyles, parenting styles were also going to make a large leap to keep up. This becomes ever-so apparent in the television that was popular during the 1980’s . We begin to see humor in parenting, allowing children to make their own choices (even if it results in pain) and life path decisions that are very different from those of their parents.

In the “Cosby Show”, we are introduced to a very positive view of an affluent African-American family living in New York City. With parents who have high-paying jobs, and five children (3 teenagers), we see a very different way of parenting. In the scene where Theo has decided to live like “regular people” we see the father’s use of real-life simulation and humor to help his son see things in a more accurate light. When Denise comes out with her pants tied too tight, Cliff again uses humor to explain why this was an inappropriate way to dress and to encourage her to go change her clothes. He also does not prohibit Denise from going on her date, even though he obviously does not approve. Instead he brings those concerns to her attention, and allows her to make her own decision.

In a very different parenting style, the mother (Claire) is much more flustered and more likely to pass it off to the more “level-headed” father who may be able to approach the situation in a more reasonable manner. We see her threaten to “kill” the children and question why they had so many. We have no doubt that both parents love their children, but there are many times where we question how much they “like” their children.


In “Family Ties”, we are introduced to a very similar family in the Keaton’s. Although neither parent holds a very affluent position, we see that money is never the issue. The largest issues that we see among the Keaton family is the values that are held by the parents and how vastly different those values are from the values being tried out by the children. With parents who volunteered in the Peace Corps and actively protested during the 1960’s , and children who have never “fought” for anything, we see many situations where values conflict. In the pilot episode, we see Alex excited about a date that will take place at a restricted country club. When the attempt to convince him not to attend fails, they allow him to attend, and shortly after begin to have second thoughts. Although both parents feel strongly that he should not attend, it is the father who shows up at the club in a second attempt to get Alex to see his point. Again, this does not pan out, and the father returns home to accept the fact that his children may not hold to the same values that he holds, and will need to follow their own path in life. Humor is not used to nearly the extent that it is in "The Cosby Show", yet the discipline is still done in a very diplomatic way, occasionally leading to a parent admitting wrong-doing. Also, just as in The "Cosby Show", we have no doubt that the Keaton’s truly love their children, but do not have “idealistic” views of parenthood.


In "Growing Pains", we see similar dynamics to that of "Family Ties". We, again, have a family raising teenagers, and the “spunky” younger kid(s) who attempt to overcome the legacy of their older siblings. "Growing Pains" is one of the earliest shows where we see a father who chooses to work from home allowing his wife to pursue a career outside the home. This choice lends itself very closely to the parenting styles exhibited by the father, Jason, as he brings his psychiatry practice into a study off the living room of his home. The children all understand what their father does, and he often uses his “career knowledge” to deal with his children. In the pilot episode, Mike, the older son wants to go to an under-20 club with some friends. When the mother, Maggie, says “no”, Mike waits until she leaves for work and asks his father… who says “yes”. He tells his wife that he believes in “unlimited human potential” and “freedom to gain responsibility”. When 15-year-old Mike gets put in jail for driving, Jason’s composed way of reasoning gets put to the test.

One difference between "Growing Pains", Family Ties, and "The Cosby Show" is how the mothers react to discipline. Where Claire chooses to pass the buck and Elise remains silent, Maggie takes the dominant disciplinary role where the father takes the more lenient role. She spends a lot of time helping her husband deal with the children in a more realistic, and less idyllic way.

There are so many sitcoms that were popular during the 1980’s that kept with the same basic model. Even with the same standard model, there were some very distinct differences that they chose to play up.

In the "Cosby Show", the focus was on the African-American culture and the implementation of humor into the parenting style.

In "Family Ties", the concept was that of liberal parents with civic values raising ultra-conservative consumer teenagers. The touchy-feely parenting styles was also something unique from shows before.

On "Growing Pains", we see a stay-at-home dad who is learning to interact on a daily basis with his growing kids. The unique factor is taking a man who has made his career out of people’s feelings, actions and how their minds work… and learning that real life applications can be very different than textbook definitions/studies.

The 1980’s definitely showed a marked difference within parenting roles and interactions between parent and child from prior decades. I think this is very indicative of the time period and the things going on in society at the time.