Reading 25 Reflection

           I remember describing reading for me as being very painfuly in my Reading History blog . Perhaps thetrauma from the years of my reading complications have left me scar for life, because I still experience some pains when I read. However, with the techniques that I learned in Reading 25, the pains aren’t as extreme. I find myself a little less uncomfortable, and for the first time that I can recall, I volunteer to read aloud in class. In the past I would miraculously develop a case of the stutters whenever I was forced into a situation where I had to read aloud to a group of people. I know I have some issues, I am too structured, and mechanical, and systematic, and when I'm unable to be in control of self-behaviors it's extremely stressful. The truth is, I will probably never read purely for the enjoyment of it, but the necessity to be able to read something, and to understand what I’ve read is imperative. I feel now, that after taking Reading 25 that I have now acquired some methods and skills to help me comprehension what I’ve read a little better.

          Reading 25 is possibly one of the most productive classes that I’ve taken since my return to the classroom. I sincerely wish I would have had the opportunity to take this class at the beginning of my college venture. I know for fact, had I’d taken Reading 25 earlier in my studies, I would have easily avoided some of the complications that I faced in my curriculum. Many of the courses that I have taken were necessary to completion my Associates in Art, but they are most likely education I will never use again in life. Needless to say, the reading techniques I acquired in Reading 25 do not fit into that category. I will continue to practice dissecting a paragraph and identifying all the intricate details of everything I read.

Argument: Assembly Bill 109

     The state of California is at a very critical crossroads in its one hundred forty-seven year history as part of the union. In additions to having one of this Nations highest unemployment rates, and the Nations highest gasoline prices, California also has several controversial legal arguments pending. Same sex marriage is a huge dilemma, and the constitutional relevance of immigration reform also has both moral and legal ramifications. However, when making a decision concerning the safety of the public, none of the adversities that California confronts, has more ability to disrupt the stability of the residence of this state then realignment.

     After the Supreme Court ruled that California must reduce its prison population, the Governor signed Assembly Bill 109, also known as “Realignment” into the states legislation. AB109 permits the state to shift the responsibility of felons who are eligible for parole, and who qualifies under what is referred to as the “Non Non Non,” non serious, non sexual and non violent crimes, to the jurisdiction of the county. Felons who also commit new crimes under the same criteria’s will no longer serve their sentence at a state correctional facility, but instead remain incarcerated in a county facility for the duration of their sentence.

      The counties which the state are releasing these individuals are not equipped, or trained, nor have the financial capability to adequately provide the services necessary to substantially assist these individuals in transitioning back into society. The governors endorsement of this bill renders felons released under AB109 vulnerable, and it makes our communities volatile.  Realignment and catastrophe are synonymous, and to say that the return to custody rate will double, and the crime rate will triple in our communities is redundant. AB109 is nothing more than another ploy to dump the burden of the States financial troubles on the backs of its minorities, and let us not be deceived by bureaucracy. Any measure that claims to allocate monies to finance AB109 that may appear on future ballots may not be forthright. In my opinion, until we can be certain that any of our future tax dollars deducted for this purpose is going to go to the benefit of individuals being released from custody entirely, we should simply vote no.                   

Bystander Effect

As I ponder on what experiences I’ve had with what Social Scientist refer to as the “Bystander Effect,” many such situations come to mind. The research conducted was very interesting, and generally both categories mentioned would apply quiet easily. However, the research does fail to take into account the very complex, unwritten code of ethics that does exist in the violent neighborhoods surrounding my home. The first of such is referred to as the “Snitch.” No one wants to be recognized as one, and to be so, could be fatal. The next would be the very deeply rooted distrust for law enforcement in my community. Many individuals in South Central Los Angeles are reluctant to call the authorities because only in the hood, could a bystander, who in most ordinary conditions would be classified as innocent, could miraculously become guilty. So it is from my experience involving these two phenomenons, that I contemplate when comfronted with a decision to entervene.

While in elementary school I witness the theft of another child’s lunch money from the coat room. At the risk of being ostracized on the playground by the other children for being a snitch, I decided it would be best to alert Miss Collins as to what I saw. The three of us, myself, the accused, and the victim where escorted to the Principles office where the accused child denied stealing. He was instructed to empty his pockets, “he had nothing.” I was then instructed to empty my pockets, and it just so happen that I had twenty-five cents my mother had given me, the exact amount of money stolen. I was now the one being accused of having committed the theft, and I was suspended immediately. After my mother's visit to the school the next day,  my name was cleared of the crime, but for the next week no child wanted anything to do with me.

From that day forward, when I witness some ones property or persons being violated, it’s not the danger or the efforts of others that influences my decision to get involved. In addition to the magnitude of the offense, it is the Guilty Bystander Effect that I think about first. Could I somehow become the perpetrator for my acts of heroism? I guess only in the hood, could a predicament like this exist!

Sel-Regulatory Behaviors

I use to frequent the Vermont Square Library as an adolescent back in the nineteen-sixties. Vermont Square Library was built in 1913, and it happens to be the oldest branch in the Los Angeles library system. This particular library is located directly around the corner from the home where I grew up. Unfortunately my visits there were not for the literature, nor the solitude back then. Along with a group of friends from my neighborhood, on this beautiful lawn located immediately behind the library we would engage in fearless games of football, and baseball, against our arch rivals, "the notorious Park Boys." Those where some nostalgic times.

However, after returning to the classroom a few years ago, I found myself returning to that historical library as well. This beautiful, renovated facility, along with its computers for public use, and wi-fi connection, now severed me a different purpose. After several failed attempts, I knew it would be impossible to study at home, but the quiet, serene environment the library provided, proved perfect for my studies. My home is a constant flow of human traffic, flanked by a barrage of noise from televisions, music systems, and a never ending series of questions and trivia. My ability to seek solitude became even more accessible when the new Exposition Park, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Library opened just a few blocks from my present home. The convenience of this new library's proximity allows me to visit even more frequent. Since my return to school, these two branches have help to provide me a resolution to a dilemma that I could not have achieved in the comfort of my own home, " the control of my physical environment."

My Reading History

Reading has always been very painful for me. I have always had to exert a lot of effort to stay focus, and to comperhend what I've read. Spelling and pronoucing words correctly has also been a huge inconvenience for me as well, I often find it necessary to incorporate the use of a dictionary in my reading, and that disrupts my flow. The reasons that I classify my efforts to read as painful is because my reading inability is very frustrating for me, and not being able to read well has also diminished my confidence. Some how I tested very well in English on the assessment test when I decided that I wanted to return to school, however; despite so, I decided to take English 28 anyway becuase I consciously knew I didn't read well. In addition to excelling in 28, I also did very well in both 101, and 103. I often joked about my english success as being like playing music by ear, I had to wrote my essay's basic on sound, I never really knew the technical aspect of grammer. But it was no joke about the fact that the further I preceeded into my Community College curriculum, the more difficult it became. And it has also become painfully obvious that I will not be successful at an University level unless my reading improved.