Over the course of my undergraduate career, I had many opportunities to participate in a wide variety of activities. During my freshman year, I volunteered as a tutor at the Door, a drop-in center in SoHo for disadvantaged teens and young adults. As a tutor, I worked with students preparing to enter GED programs or those already enrolled in GED programs, to solidify their academic skills and help them earn their high school equivalency. Growing up in a fairly affluent suburban town, I rarely witnessed the effects of inequity. As a tutor, however, I worked with young adults several years older than myself who had faced substantial challenges that prevented them from receiving a high school diploma. As I worked with my tutees, I learned more about the circumstances they experienced, and was humbled by their honesty and their resilience. I taught students who had extreme difficulty with simple mathematical operations, but unfailingly came to tutoring each week to keep working. I taught students who were determined to push past their earlier failures to go to college, and eventually, go on to graduate school. Perhaps most vividly, I remember a tutee who was a recent African immigrant, who at our first meeting told me that he wanted to write a novel. Having the privilege to witness the extent of human …show more content…
Every new topic we covered was fascinating. In high school, science classes had never fully excited me because the connections between didactic class topics and real life was often unclear. However, during EMT classes, there was always a real-life skill to go along with each topic or body system covered. Everything was taught and learned with purpose and intentionality. In every science class I took following my EMT certification, I was more easily able to see how those topics were directly relevant medicine and
As Pollock states, “Equity efforts treat all young people as equally and infinitely valuable” (202). This book has made me realize that first and foremost: We must get to know each of our students on a personal level. Every student has been shaped by their own personal life experiences. We must take this into consideration for all situations. In life, I have learned that there is a reason why people act the way that they do. When people seem to have a “chip on their shoulder”, they have usually faced many hardships in life. “The goal of all such questions is deeper learning about real, respected lives: to encourage educators to learn more about (and build on) young people’s experiences in various communities, to consider their own such experiences, to avoid any premature assumptions about a young person’s “cultural practices,” and to consider their own reactions to young people as extremely consequential.” (3995) was also another excerpt from the book that was extremely powerful for me. Everyone wants to be heard and understood. I feel that I owe it to each of my students to know their stories and help them navigate through the hard times. On the other hand, even though a student seems like he/she has it all together, I shouldn’t just assume that they do. I must be sure that these students are receiving the attention and tools needed to succeed,
Life lesson were often tough by older, wiser or formally educated people within the community. This idea still holds true today, especially in low-income communities as illustrate in the short story “The Lesson”. I am led to believe that story took place in low income community in the early sixties as African American moved to find better opportunity. Therefore, in sixties opportunity not for everyone especially low-income and color people. They are discriminated by color in the society of white people who are rich. Color people children like Sylvia, who believe that she does not belong in the society because of her family income. And her family cannot give her higher education as white family give to their children. The only possibilities she can have higher education if the communities have no race between colors also with their low-income. However, we all deserve to have equal right in United States, no matter what class we are also our color. We sh...
As a freshman at Cal-State Fullerton I began to ask my self where inequalities come from and what causes them, why does society use the term minorities and why minorities are oppress. While working at the Volunteer & Service Center I was invited to join a group that plan an event called the Social Justice Summit. This event was a grassroots event that helped raise awareness about different inequalities and oppressions in the community to over 500 community members. With this event, I understood that there isn’t one solid answer that exists about what causes inequalities and oppressions. And even now, the only thing that is clear is that people need to know what is happening in the world. This is why I want to continue my education in the field of Ethnic Studies. Specifically I want to find out the struggles of the Chicano/a population. Find out about pass movements and what we can learn about those movements, what we can improve about those movements, to help the Chicano population today.
Raquel and Melanie are two poverty stricken students that attended University Height’s High School in the South Bronx, because their school was not federal funded, it lacked resources; so it does not come as a surprise, perspective students like Melanie and Raquel have more of a ...
She explains that African American and Latina/o students and their families continue to have high educational aspirations despite persistent education inequities. The culture of power as the “norm” of Whites.
Education is exceptionally significant for a minority student. A minority student faces economic issues with his or her lower class status. There is very little money. A minority student comes from a home in which parents have a low level of education. There are not many books around while growing up. A desire to change their economic and cultural position makes education their first priority as a goal they have to reach. Life’s circumstances did not give their parents the chance to go to school. Minority students have seen first-hand how hard it is to live throughout their lives without education. These students believe that if they ed...
As an African American male, I experienced inequality, and judgment from individuals that have no idea what kind of person I truly am. As a youth, I received a lackluster education, which has resulted in me underachieving in a number of my college classes. It has come to my attention that other colored students are currently experiencing and receiving the same inadequate learning environment and educatio...
I am currently an English 160 student who is hoping to move on to the next course, which is English 161. I understand the requirements for English 161. It require students to explore a topic in some depth and conduct independent research related to that topic. Conducting research allows students to learn what it is like to participate in academic culture, posing questions about important issues and developing an argument in response to what others have said. It expected students to learn the most valuable skill in college, which is critical thinking. Students have to be able to read challenging readings. Although I still have problems with English, I think I’m qualified to move on.
...g of the struggle of poverty and subsequent educational barriers. Though extremely grateful for all of the privilege in my life, it was difficult to realize my fortune until working with the teens at RYP who often do not have two parents, have limited adult influences, and live below the poverty line, making education an afterthought. From the perspective of a tutor and mentor, the educational support that the teens require is unquestionable, just like the injustices they face daily. Through service, not only does one gain perspective into the needs of the local community, but also insight into systemic issues of racism, poverty, crime, education and more. By participating in service and trying to counteract the sources of need for others, one will undoubtedly change their perspective of the framework question, knowing that the very least one should help others.
Meanwhile, as the pressure of schools losing their students due to dropout, it is important that the inner city students have the support they need in school or at home, because many years of oppression have kept African-Americans from having the will to do better. Now young African-Americans have that same oppressed feeling in the schools that they are attending. When the students give up it seems as though everyone around them wants to give up. In fact, “In many parts of the country, the problems present withi...
English has never been my best subject. Reading books can be exciting, but the writing aspect of English can be dreadful. Somehow, however, I passed all my advanced English classes with at least a B, and my teachers always considered me to be “above average.” My impartiality toward English shifted to an indifference near the end of my high school career; my indifference then shifted to appreciation. This appreciation is attributed to American Studies and Honors Writing, the most difficult English classes at Belleville East Township High School. American Studies and Honors Writing have strengthened my writing skills beyond what I believed possible. I still do not believe that I am the best writer, and English may never be my best or favorite
In my time at CCBC, I have had several instructors that I have either passionately liked or disliked. Some were a joy to work with, having a clear passion in their area of study and instructing with a contagious fervor; others had “by-the-book” grading policies, and would give me zero points for answers I would support with recent scientific journals from respectable sources if the aged and inaccurate book assigned to the class disagreed. While I may learn the most about a given topic from an enjoyable, energetic instructor, I learned a great deal about myself and the way I wish to interact with people from a teacher that I often couldn’t decide if I adored or despised.
When I arrived at Yale during the fall of 2009 for my freshman year, I started my undergraduate career wanting to practice medicine. Also, I wanted to receive a well-rounded education in an array of subjects. To this day, the education I received at Yale inspires me to delve deeper into pressing issues within our society and utilize the information that comes from a diverse knowledge capital to create strategies and make informed decisions.
From the incident, I learned a lot about myself; how I want my actions to reflect what I want in life. I also learned how my actions could have had much more severe consequences than I received. I have always been a good kid – I make straight A’s (and some B’s), I have always been in involved in extracurricular activities in both high school and college. However, though I try to make my case for being a good kid and a good student, I did not justify the type of person I am with the decision I decided to make the night of January 16, 2016.
Overall, I believe that this course has enhanced my writing. Previously, I never added an element of first person in my formal essays. I believe it was because in high school there was a bad connotation with it, but now I’ve learned that adding my own opinion enhances my essay and makes it more interesting and elaborate. I think it’s really useful to incorporate my own opinion throughout my essay to make it more personable and relatable. I’ve also found that the They Say, I Say book has helped me a lot in terms of structuring and formatting my thesis statements and topic sentences. This has majorly improved my writing and has allowed me to be more clear and concise with my ideas. Before, I always struggled with writing my thesis and topic sentences