Blog Post#1: The K-12 Pipeline and Funding of American Schools and White Privilege.
The previous class session involved watching the rest of the class present their “Who Am I?” presentations as well as instructions on how to create our own website and blog, such as this one! The goal of the paper and presentation was to reflect on an element of ourselves and share how it has shaped various aspects of our life. How was I supposed to present to the entire class one element and how in impacted me, let alone write a paper? I was slightly nervous to present and I thought I would struggle, as most presentations can be nerve-racking. However, I was first to present and managed to share my thoughts in a coherent manner and was pleased overall. Mostly, though, I was excited to watch everyone else present. I thought everyone did a wonderful job expressing themselves in a way completely different from the person before them. I didn’t expect to learn so much through those presentations. I was also surprised by how in depth each student went but it gave everyone an opportunity to truly get to know one another. For myself, I gained new insights on the struggles that others went through that I didn’t and was therefore able to put myself in their shoes. There were a few presentations about ethnicity, which I didn’t realize as a child affected me. I was able to see what it was like for other students growing up. I grew up in a non-judgmental house, but that didn’t mean I knew how others felt and through the presentations I got an idea. I’m glad that everyone who was able to present did as it broadened my understanding and knowledge of others.
Until reading Chapters 2 and 3 of Diversity in American Higher Education, I didn’t realize how unequal our K-12 school system is. I graduated high school in 2011 so I had forgotten the issues on budget and graduation rates, and it probably made a difference that I attended low-poverty schools. I do, however, remember being required to take the standardized tests every year and completely agree with the teacher’s excerpts in Chapter 3 about not being able to teach the curriculum in a manner that the students would enjoy and absorb. Those tests don’t necessarily benefit the high-poverty schools in the ways needed and if money isn’t being properly allocated to those schools then it will be hard for them to increase graduation rates. I do agree that something must be done to truly support learning, such as proper funding, qualified teachers and supplies rather than simply increasing test scores.
The articles on white privilege raised my awareness on the various ways that I have been privileged. Since I have only received two scholarships and two loans my first semester of college, I have been caught thinking that there is no way that I’m privileged. My parents aren’t struggling very much financially, but they can’t afford to put my through college alone. I’ve spent the last three years working full time while attending school so I can afford college, while I see other students receiving multiple scholarships based on ethnicity or socioeconomic status and I viewed them as privileged in a way. However, what I didn’t realize and what the articles forced me to think about, was that there are other ways in which I might be given more access because I am white. It’s a difficult and touchy subject because there are so many different circumstances to each situation, but I enjoyed gaining new perspectives through the reading.
