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In Class/OutClassed
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Welcome to InClass/OutClassed: On the Uses of a Liberal Education, an Emily Balch Seminar offered in Fall 2011 @ Bryn Mawr College. This is an interestingly different kind of place for writing, and may take some getting used to. The first thing to keep in mind is that it's not a site for "formal writing" or "finished thoughts." It's a place for thoughts-in-progress, for what you're thinking (whether you know it or not) on your way to what you think next. Imagine that you're just talking to some people you've met. This is a "conversation" place, a place to find out what you're thinking yourself, and what other people are thinking. The idea here is that your "thoughts in progress" can help others with their thinking, and theirs can help you with yours.
So who are you writing for? Primarily for yourself, and for others in both sections of our course. But also for the world. This is a "public" forum, so people anywhere on the web might look in. That's the second thing to keep in mind here. You're writing for yourself, for others in the class, AND for others you might or might not know. So, your thoughts in progress can contribute to the thoughts in progress of LOTS of people. The web is giving increasing reality to the idea that there can actually evolve a world community, and you're part of helping to bring that about.
We're glad to have you along, and hope you come to both enjoy and value our shared exploration of class, in education and outside it. Fee free to comment on any post below, or to POST YOUR THOUGHTS HERE.
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Reflection!
My educational autobiography followed the support that my parents, in particular my mom, have given me throughout my life, in both academic and personal ways. Their support has made me a better student and a better person, and, after writing it, I feel exceptional gratitude towards them that I feel I may never have adequately expressed when I was at home with them. Writing it also made me think about teachers who have been similarly inspiring in my education, and about those with whom I wish I had had a better experience. I wonder whether I would be here, at Bryn Mawr, and at the educational and emotional levels that I have reacher, had I not been under the terrific tutelage of, for example, Ms. Logan, my 10th grade English teacher, who gave me equal parts caring and tough love for my extreme case of wordiness. Or, where would I be without the support of my 11th grade physics teacher, who was incredibly patient and courteous to me, despite my penchant to visit him on a weekly basis to go over tough material. It was him who gave me the courage to ask for help from my teachers when I feel as though I am drowning in the coursework, and it was him who devotedly worked through a snowstorm to help me get my college recommendations in, even as he had moved on to work in another school in the county. Overall, writing my story has reminded me of all the people to whom I owe my educational success, and of all the hugs I owe when I get home for Thanksgiving :)
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Personal Reflection
While I was writing my educational autobiography, I was surprised at how hard it was for me to focus on one aspect of my education, as if my education was an accumulated product of my experiences and interactions with different people - my family, friends and classmates. In this sense, I began to view education as a shared experience that these people were participants in my development as a person and helped me find my place and role in society.
Nonetheless, I was likewise disturbed by and reminded of how deeply class relations and more specifically, the status of my classmates affected this role. For many, a big part of growing up is finding a role and trying to fit into society;however, since my parents were immigrants to this country, like Rodriguez's story, a big part of my educational experience was based on being self aware, seeking acceptance, and assimilating into a culture and community that my parents were foreign to. Thus, for me the distance from my classmates' society left me very anxious about my position in the community.
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Reflection
As I was writing my education autobiography I realized how many different types of education I have received. Some parts of my education have been “normal” in the classroom learning and other parts have been less traditional. I discovered that I appreciated both equally because they both helped me become the person I am today. It was also the first time I sat down and thought about the reasons it was harder for me to make friends in Dubai. It made me wonder why I consider parts of my education abnormal. I am curious to know if others perceive parts of my education as normal and if share some of the same experiences.
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Reflection
The first thing that came to mind when I started thinking of my educational story was the experiences I had out of the classroom rather than in school. Although I've had some amazing teachers and classes, the trips I've taken overseas really have educated me more overall. What I didn’t realize before I started writing was how much my formal education influenced my “real world” education, the experiences I’ve had overseas. As I was writing I discovered that being formally educated allowed me to better comprehend the value of the experience. Although at times in school it seems as if we’re purely memorizing formulas or facts, things really do seem to come back and make connections later in life. Realizing this connection was very eye opening for me.
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Writing my story
Writing my educational autobiography was fine...for the first few pages. To muster the third page, I had to dig deep and really remember the little things that did not right away occur to me. That made me think about myself and I'm grateful that I got to do this assignment.
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Reflection!
Writing my educational autobiography was certainly more difficult than I had imagined. Plagued with the myriad of ways I could interpret education, I decided not to focus on the things I had learned in school because, as many of you will probably agree, education extends far beyond the walls of a classroom.
Much of my personal growth and education involved learning about myself and gaining a sense of independence and adulthood. By living in different cities throughout my life and eventually moving out of my parents house during my senior year, I began to understand the responsibilities associated with growing up, and I learned to appreciate the small community of which I grew up in contrast with the vibrant city I had integrated myself into.
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My Educational Autobiography Reflection
So after writing my educational autobiography some questions had popped into my head about the position I took. I believe the classroom was not the key component in my education instead my community was. I made the claim that because of the way people in different economic background created their own world within their own class that it pushed me to become more aware of myself and taught me how to understand different people's stories. It also pushed me away from being open to the influences of the neigherborhood that I viewed as destructive. So this is where I am at now. I have been known to want to help people out and get them on a better path. But in my paper I had said that class has turned into being what defines a culture. So because I made the claim that people of lower class have their own culture, is it right for people to try to change them? Yes, the lower class are associated with high health risks, high poverty and crime but if that is their culture, who are we to say that the way they live is wrong? After reflecting on that another question arose. Maybe that is my culture? Maybe that it part of the American culture? To come in unannounced, and change what we see unfit. Looking at American history we can see several times when we stepped in and justified with a 'we're creating change' campaign. So maybe it is part of my culture to want to help people I think are on the 'wrong path?' But does that still make it right?
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Reflection
After the writing assignment about our own education, it made me think about class, and how things can sometimes be mistaken. Some people assume just because a school has the resources and the technology to give students a good education, doesn't mean this is always true. Such as my school, I had a learning disability and my school had all the resources possible, but they didn't help me at all. I might be contradicting myself, because it's better to have as many resources at possible but that doesn't always determine what kind of student you will turn out to be. Everyone has the potential to get an education from my opinion but you also need willing and teachers who are excited about giving you that education. Class can play a role in education, but many times I think its based on the kind person you are, and your goals in life.
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Some thoughts on our discussion today
This afternoon, when were discussing the roles of class and gender in education and in life in general, I was surprised to notice that, when discussing class issues, I become extremely tense. This was shocking to me because I normally have no problem discussing class in the US, and even tend to welcome discussion of it. I thought about this a lot on the way home today, and over the course of my evening.
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Introduction about myself
Hi
I am Ngoc Nguyen. My English name is Nancy. I was born and grew up in Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. Before coming to the US, I studied IB in New Zealand for two years. I intended to major in Economics and minor in Educational studies. My dream is making education reform or creating a school on my own. Besides these two subjects, I am also interested in
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Reflection on my Education
After discussing in class and rereading my educational story, I feel as if I have definitely omitted some parts I could have otherwise added. I didn’t talk about race in my story although it was significant. Being the ‘smart’ girl isolated me from all the black kids in my grade. Being smart meant being ‘white’, and thus most of my friends in the later years of high school were indeed white. I don’t understand the correlation to being white and educated. The only difference that I can think of is that white students are pushed more often and more vigorously than blacks or other minorities. Yet, no one pushed me to do well in school, it was a natural reaction that I had. I think the main reason I didn’t add race was the fact that when I think of my schooling or education, I don’t want to stop and consider the color of my skin. So my big question is: how does ones race affect their schooling?
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Thoughts on Education
After leaving today's class, I realized that education is not just what is written by scholars in published work or what teachers or professors teach you in class. It is much more than these two things put together. Education is also the experiences that we learn and grow from day to day. It comes from the people we meet, people we know, and people we see.
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About me :)
Hey I'm Kamila and I'm from Central Jersey. I enjoy swimming, crocheting, and drinking copious amounts of caffeine. I'm uzbek/ new jerseyian. I honestly don't know sometimes, my heritage is from uzbekistan but my childhood occured in new jersey and all my memories come from there. Its just really complicated. I'm still growing and developing as a person but I"m okay with that, I hope I grow for the rest of my life. I want to be a journalist and lawyer. I am currently a freelance copy editor, writer, and journalist. I'll probably think of more after I post this but this is off the top of my head, everything that's noteworthy about myself.
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A Little About Me ^_^
Hi, I am 4' 11'' and I am a mixture of many different nationalities. I am Catholic and consider myself a bourgeoise. (Someone from middle class) I love volunteering, music, Italiano, sports, reading, and hanging out with friends. Below are my two favorites quotes that I really connect to and are mantras that I really like to follow and reflect on:
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HI FRIENDS
Hello everyone!
My name is Genesis Feliz and I’m not quite sure where I’m from exactly. That may sound weird but I never have an exact answer to the question; “Where are you from?” I feel as though that can be interpreted many ways-- and in my case, it is interpreted 11 different ways. My father is in the Navy and I have moved almost every 2 years (or less, in some cases!) to a different state.
I was born in the Bronx, New York but I do not claim that to be my “home.” From New York I moved to Atlanta, Georgia to Norfolk, Virginia to Pax River, Maryland to Seattle, Washington to Chesapeake, Virginia to Ceiba, Puerto Rico to Boston, Massachusetts to Jacksonville, Florida to Chapel Hill, North Carolina and finally, Hatboro, Pennsylvania. The place that I actually lived in for more than 2 years was Jacksonville, Florida and then Hatboro, Pennsylvania (for all 4 years of high school.) I like to claim Florida as my “home” because all of my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. live there. My father and brother also live in Tampa, Florida (my dad works at the MacDill Airforce Base in Tampa) so for me, home is in Florida.
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Hello
Hello All, My name is Shannon Yaeger and I grew up and currently live in Philadelphia. I am a McBride Scholar who has just entered Bryn Mawr as a junior. My educational background is pretty long and varied, as I have, over the course of my primary and secondary education, attended 8 different schools in the Philadelphia area. After high school, I traveled throughout the U.S. while waiting tables to support myself. Eventually, I decided to return to school and pursue an education in English Literature. I spent two and a half years at the Community College of Philadelphia before transferring to Bryn Mawr this fall. I am still a little shocked at having been admitted and haven't really thought about what I am hoping to gain from this seminar in depth yet. However, I know that I do hope to improve my listening and speaking skills, and to get to know all of you better.
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An introduction
Greetings!
My name is Jia and I am from China. There are a lot of interesting facts about me. For example, I was a shooting athlete previously and I am still considering continuing. I love animals and I have one puppy and one rabbit with only one ear... I stayed in the same school, which is actually a kindergarten, my primary school and middle school for 10 years. My high school is an odd place where all geek boys and girls surrounds me. I still remembered the silence in our first Art Class because no one could answer a question about Pablo Picasso or Henry Matisse. But my high school experience is indeed unforgettable.
For the question of what I am looking for, I want to answer it in two aspects. I remembered my mom asked me a question: why do you want to study in US? My answer is diversity. For this specific reason, I chose Bryn Mawr College. I could argue that globalization is a trend and what one should do is to embrace it and make the most of it. Meanwhile, many problems do arise in this process so it is essential for one to understand it and to engage into this process. Personally, I am interested in people who are from different countries, with different stories and backgrounds.
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My Self and Schooling
Hello, everyone -
My name is Serena, I am 19 years old and live with my mother and cousin in Paulsboro, New Jersey, which lies on the Delaware River across from Philadelphia. Although I lived in other similarly small towns throughout New Jersey in my childhood, I found my home here in the most fundamental years of my upbringing. Paulsboro is nearly equally black and white, with a handful of Asian residents. Here everyone is around the same social class, with some of the more affluent are able to take vacations in other states or own more than one car. There is a sizeable section 8 (government assistance housing) "manor" across from one of the two elementary schools.
I attended the Paulsboro public school system in elementary school from grades 3 to 5, before being placed into a local Catholic school and finally into homeschooling following an injury to my neck and back. In homeschooling I learned very little and insisted upon being placed back into "regular" school after 9th grade. My mother and I decided that I would not attend Paulsboro High School; most graduates attended community college or, at best, Rutgers University (the state university of New Jersey) and I had decided that I would take nothing less than University of Pennsylvania (my taste has since changed).