Agnieszka Karoluk | University of Illinois at Chicago (original) (raw)

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Papers by Agnieszka Karoluk

how social class, religion, ethnicity and geography influence childrens' understanding of diversi... more how social class, religion, ethnicity and geography influence childrens' understanding of diversity.

This paper explores the politics of slum dwelling and slum demolitions in the state of Maharashtr... more This paper explores the politics of slum dwelling and slum demolitions in the state of Maharashtra, India. Specifically I have used the case study of the slum Golibar located in Khar East, not too far from the Bombay city center. Looking through the lens of "Right to the City" discourses (Lefebvre, Harvey, Davis, Mitchell) I examine at the production of space in Mumbai's slums and the way in which various actors such as politicians, developers, NGO's, and residents of the city alike shape the discourse around ownership and space. Through a critical analysis of these ideas and theories, I use field notes from participatory observation and on-the-ground interviews I conducted in Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai to develop a comprehensive understanding of social justice in the realm of slum life and the modes of urban resistance which are employed in Mumbai against neoliberal development and violent demolition practices.

A first-hand account from the Chicago Teachers Union strike, from education worker Agnieszka Karo... more A first-hand account from the Chicago Teachers Union strike, from education worker Agnieszka Karoluk.

Teaching Documents by Agnieszka Karoluk

By Rob Schroeder June 20, 2016 While student-teaching at Drummond Elementary in Chicago’s northw... more By Rob Schroeder
June 20, 2016

While student-teaching at Drummond Elementary in Chicago’s northwest-side Bucktown neighborhood, Agnieszka Karoluk, MEd Early Childhood Education ‘16, and her mentor teacher had reviewed an edition of Chicago Union Teacher magazine, a publication of the Chicago Teacher’s Union, with a cover story on “Teaching Laquan McDonald in Context.”

Seeing the striking image of Laquan McDonald in his graduation gown with bullet holes superimposed, a youngster fished the magazine out of a recycling bin and began reading.

Karoluk and her mentor teacher sat down with him and explained the Laquan McDonald shooting. Off he went to share the message with his second and third-grade friends.

The magazine went back in the recycling bin, but the memory of Laquan did not. Two months later, when Karoluk and her mentor teacher were leading a month long “Black History ABC’s” lesson, the boy and his friends approached her and asked if the class could focus on L for Laquan McDonald.

“There’s an assumption that kids like this are too young to talk about these issues,” Karoluk said. “People underestimate young children; we know from research that kids as young as three and four already recognize race and gender in each other, so we need to talk about these issues.”

The same group of students who approached her about the letter L lesson led the class discussion. Karoluk guided their path forward toward a larger discussion of systemic racism; her students wanted to focus on the fact that Laquan was murdered by a White police officer, but Karoluk and her mentor-teacher wanted students to learn about how the killing was not an isolated event.

Karoluk modeled her approach on a lesson she viewed on Michael Brown, who was shot and killed by a White police officer in Ferguson. She constructed a poster with a photo of Laquan McDonald and three random people across the top; students then responded with how they would respond to this collection of individuals from varied ethnic and racial backgrounds. As expected, students responded universally with positive messages. And as expected, when Karoluk relayed Laquan’s story to her students, they were duly shocked.

The original group of students who asked for the Laquan lesson taught a biography of Laquan’s life and started a conversation that delved into how people in Chicago protested the shooting, the Black Rights Matter movement and the 1960s Civil Rights era.

“I was surprised that many of them didn’t focus too much on the shooting itself but on the lesson behind it, why we should treat everyone fairly,” Karoluk said. “Their understanding of police officers in Chicago is that they are supposed to catch bad guys and protect us, so that was a really difficult conversation: not everyone thinks you like you guys, some people think they are better because of their skin color.”

The police’s role in Laquan’s death was particularly poignant because one of Karoluk’s students is the daughter of a Chicago police officer. Karoluk says she focused on ensuring the student could voice her opinion just as other students did.

Designing this lesson was a challenge, Karoluk says, because teaching materials and resources are hard to find for early childhood classrooms. She says opportunities to bring controversial current events into the classroom are key because even at a young age, students need to learn how to argue in respectful ways and understand that not everyone will reach agreement.

“There was such emphasis [from the CPS approach] on how can we come to a peaceful solution to this, to make sure students don’t argue,” Karoluk said. “I think that’s really inauthentic and actually offensive to children. The situation isn’t peaceful; a young person was murdered. We can’t teach a lesson that says everything will be fine.”

how social class, religion, ethnicity and geography influence childrens' understanding of diversi... more how social class, religion, ethnicity and geography influence childrens' understanding of diversity.

This paper explores the politics of slum dwelling and slum demolitions in the state of Maharashtr... more This paper explores the politics of slum dwelling and slum demolitions in the state of Maharashtra, India. Specifically I have used the case study of the slum Golibar located in Khar East, not too far from the Bombay city center. Looking through the lens of "Right to the City" discourses (Lefebvre, Harvey, Davis, Mitchell) I examine at the production of space in Mumbai's slums and the way in which various actors such as politicians, developers, NGO's, and residents of the city alike shape the discourse around ownership and space. Through a critical analysis of these ideas and theories, I use field notes from participatory observation and on-the-ground interviews I conducted in Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai to develop a comprehensive understanding of social justice in the realm of slum life and the modes of urban resistance which are employed in Mumbai against neoliberal development and violent demolition practices.

A first-hand account from the Chicago Teachers Union strike, from education worker Agnieszka Karo... more A first-hand account from the Chicago Teachers Union strike, from education worker Agnieszka Karoluk.

By Rob Schroeder June 20, 2016 While student-teaching at Drummond Elementary in Chicago’s northw... more By Rob Schroeder
June 20, 2016

While student-teaching at Drummond Elementary in Chicago’s northwest-side Bucktown neighborhood, Agnieszka Karoluk, MEd Early Childhood Education ‘16, and her mentor teacher had reviewed an edition of Chicago Union Teacher magazine, a publication of the Chicago Teacher’s Union, with a cover story on “Teaching Laquan McDonald in Context.”

Seeing the striking image of Laquan McDonald in his graduation gown with bullet holes superimposed, a youngster fished the magazine out of a recycling bin and began reading.

Karoluk and her mentor teacher sat down with him and explained the Laquan McDonald shooting. Off he went to share the message with his second and third-grade friends.

The magazine went back in the recycling bin, but the memory of Laquan did not. Two months later, when Karoluk and her mentor teacher were leading a month long “Black History ABC’s” lesson, the boy and his friends approached her and asked if the class could focus on L for Laquan McDonald.

“There’s an assumption that kids like this are too young to talk about these issues,” Karoluk said. “People underestimate young children; we know from research that kids as young as three and four already recognize race and gender in each other, so we need to talk about these issues.”

The same group of students who approached her about the letter L lesson led the class discussion. Karoluk guided their path forward toward a larger discussion of systemic racism; her students wanted to focus on the fact that Laquan was murdered by a White police officer, but Karoluk and her mentor-teacher wanted students to learn about how the killing was not an isolated event.

Karoluk modeled her approach on a lesson she viewed on Michael Brown, who was shot and killed by a White police officer in Ferguson. She constructed a poster with a photo of Laquan McDonald and three random people across the top; students then responded with how they would respond to this collection of individuals from varied ethnic and racial backgrounds. As expected, students responded universally with positive messages. And as expected, when Karoluk relayed Laquan’s story to her students, they were duly shocked.

The original group of students who asked for the Laquan lesson taught a biography of Laquan’s life and started a conversation that delved into how people in Chicago protested the shooting, the Black Rights Matter movement and the 1960s Civil Rights era.

“I was surprised that many of them didn’t focus too much on the shooting itself but on the lesson behind it, why we should treat everyone fairly,” Karoluk said. “Their understanding of police officers in Chicago is that they are supposed to catch bad guys and protect us, so that was a really difficult conversation: not everyone thinks you like you guys, some people think they are better because of their skin color.”

The police’s role in Laquan’s death was particularly poignant because one of Karoluk’s students is the daughter of a Chicago police officer. Karoluk says she focused on ensuring the student could voice her opinion just as other students did.

Designing this lesson was a challenge, Karoluk says, because teaching materials and resources are hard to find for early childhood classrooms. She says opportunities to bring controversial current events into the classroom are key because even at a young age, students need to learn how to argue in respectful ways and understand that not everyone will reach agreement.

“There was such emphasis [from the CPS approach] on how can we come to a peaceful solution to this, to make sure students don’t argue,” Karoluk said. “I think that’s really inauthentic and actually offensive to children. The situation isn’t peaceful; a young person was murdered. We can’t teach a lesson that says everything will be fine.”