Education: My take

Education: My take on it

What is education today? Education is a tool to promote growth and change. In order to be a successful member of society you have to have an education. It’s one of the building blocks that people need to evolve. A lot of stigma falls to people who are uneducated. They’re said to be stupid or unmotivated, not going anywhere in life and just plain lazy. History can however tell us this isn’t always the case. Einsteinhttp://alwaysquestionauthority.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/531639_10151489118945155_660277782_n-1.jpg had a learning disability but he was still a genius. Sometimes education alone doesn’t push us to who we are sometimes having the passion and the will takes over and saves the day. Plutarch said “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.”



Through the class we have talked about various themes. We started with passion. What is passion and its relationship to oneself? Better yet what is the relationship between passion and poverty and education? These are all questions we explored through our blogs and amongst each other. We talked about the kids in Texas and the stance he took with the teacher. He bravely stood up to her and didn’t back down. We touched on Andrade and his roses in concrete and all the great work he’s done with the youth in Oakland and how he continues to inspire and teacher kids who otherwise wouldn’t have a chance. Lastly we read Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. This story was based on the events leading up to the death of Chris McCandless aka Alexander Supertramp. Chris was a very eager smart young man who’s final odyssey was to make it to Alaska and survive in to wild all alone. The overall theme of the paper is education and how I feel these topics intersect.



In this paper I talk about education and how it’s a tool to grow and develop individuals from childhood age through college age. Next I talk about Andrade and how with his commitment to his community has change several students in Oakland public school and has sparked change in the community. I talk about various obstacles I’ve had in my personal life, obstacles Chris Mc Candless may have had, The brave kid in Texas who stood up for himself against the odds. Lastly I talk about how I’m overcoming the obstacles and my success. Education means different things to many but the theme here is the same, how can it change and shape you and how you can perceiver.

Education is a tool. We’re introduced to it at an early age. From adolescences through adulthood we are expected to seek education. It’s demanded of us. To me it’s a tool to form human development and growth. Without it many will not survive or if they do they will not have the optimal existence. Now they’re are rare occurrences were this isn’t the case but generally speaking education is a must. Why? We are shaped by what we know. Could a man or women provide for his or her family if he didn’t know how to read or even have the basic math skills? The answer is no he would have no way to operate in a work environment. That is the end goal of education isn’t it? We send you to school for at least 13 years you learn the bare essential to function, some go to college and learn more some don’t and you work and work till you can retire if you can afford it or you die. Aristotle said “The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living differ from the dead” This I find to be absolutely true. Its alarming that in 2013 people who have the highest forms of education still struggle, while we cast out and shun the uneducated because they don’t live up to the standards of living that were set so long ago. It’s a necessary evil that will either make us or break us. Fundamental tools such as education are meant to help us and unless we utilize that help were no better than the next guy.



From infancy we grow. We learn from the beginning by listening to our mothers in the womb and later watching the people around us. Our minds are shaped by a societal norm even before we realize it. Growth is essential to function. No arguments about that. Education is the tool that further helps us to grow outside of what we’ve learned in our home environment. We learn skills and year after year we move to a different grade level and improve upon those skills. Through the educational process we also grow and develop personalities (well most of us do). Our uniqueness is something that may come out while going through the “formal” educational years if you will. Simply if we modeled what we “learned” from elementary school through high school. By the time the pomp and circumstance plays at your college graduation you have a pretty good idea what kind of person you’re going to be and for many of us education played a role to shape it. Confucius said “Give a bowl of rice to a man and you will feed him for a day. Teach him how to grow his own rice and you will save his life.” Like I said before education is that tool we need in order to grow our own rice. I hate math I suck at it but I know without it I cannot provide for me family. For the first few years of college I put off taking any math classes because of my disdain for the subject. I failed the assessment test and had to start at the very beginning. This was very embarrassing to me but I knew I had to do it so I finally built up the guts and went ahead and took a math class. Although all my math class are somewhat refresher courses from high school I still have grown from them. I still have my struggles with math but I’ve found not hating it as much and just accepting that I need it to grow has helped. If you lead a horse to water they won’t always drink but you don’t know that till you try. Teachers at school or in life in general give us what we need to grow but it’s up to us what we do with the tool.



Although Education is a building block for society it isn’t always achievable for all. Education is not created equal. By this I mean it differs from place to place and may not provide us with the essentials we need for survival. Kids in the hoods of Oakland aren’t given the same opportunities as the kids from Connecticut or somewhere where more opportunities exist. If that wasn’t enough some kids have to fight just to be safe in their own school environment. In Oakland the kids wage through war zones, Deal with their friends and families getting killed day in and day out. How is it fair to expect them to thrive when the deck is stacked against them? We can’t possibly sit back and watch them fail year after year but yet that’s exactly what has happened in Oakland for a long period of time. The dropout rate for Oakland is almost 25 percent although this is an improvement it’s not enough (source SF gate Blog). http://www.sfgate.com/education/article/California-Oakland-S-F-dropout-rates-decline-3667306.phpThe community needs to be just as outraged as they were when George Zimmerman was acquitted for the lack of education and the increase in crime that plagues their community. Instead like most working class people they are concerned about their day to day lives. I’m just as worried as the next person about my life but these kids will never have a chance if someone does nothing. Luckily for some Jeff Andrade has stepped up to help the youth in his community thrive and become roses in the concrete. Robert Frost said “I am not a teacher, but an awakener” Andrade is the awakener in a community plagued by daily violence. He has made it his life’s work to inspire and change. More people are needed like Andrade. If every educator saw as much potential in their students as he does the dropout rates wouldn’t exists we would be filling the college’s not the prison’s and the cemeteries. Maya Angelou said “Segregation shaped me; Education liberated me” lets liberate the children because let’s face it out future depends on it.



There’s a saying that goes it takes a village. This statement holds very true in my life. There’s been a huge village of supports to push me through college and those same supporters are cheering me to the finish line. I’ve had many obstacles along the journey but I’m still here holding strong. After I had my youngest son I knew something had to give in my life. Working retail forever was a dead end kind of life for me. With that being said I decided I wanted to go back, no in fact I decided I had to go back to school. The 2 biggest obstacles to that were losing time to spend with my kids and the lack of time I’d have period. The two ways that helped were having a support system and knowing I had to do it and failure wasn't an option.

So many people will tell you family comes first and really it does. Maya Angelou said I sustain myself with the love of my family” Without my kids who knows where I’d be. I became a mom at an early age and when my daughter was about 6 or 8 months I took one Spanish class at Chabot to see if I could do it. It wasn't the easiest task but I did it. The next fall I enrolled in 2 classes and at first everything was fine but then my ex-husband decided to be less than helpful and I had to withdrawal from my classes. Now I’m sure you’re wondering well why this is relevant to why I stay in school now. That’s simple it reminds me that I can’t let people stop me from reaching my goals. OK so fast forward about 8-9 years and I’m back in college I have more kids now but my ex-husband isn’t an obstacles I have more support and I’m more motivated than ever to finish school to prove for my kids and to show them that if I can do it with a full time job and a family anyone can.



My second biggest hurdle is time. I have four kids and a job and that right there is time consuming, than add 2 school nights a week, homework and studying and all your time is now gone. I always feel like time is working against me but I can’t stop now I’m too close to the finish line. Oprah Winfrey says “You can have it all. Just not all at once.” We can have our dreams come true we just have to be patience, work hard and wait. Time doesn't stop but I've learned maximizing your time well help get you where you need to go. Obstacles are always going to be wherever you look the key is finding solutions to help you. In class we discussed that kid in Texas who got kicked out of his class because the teacher felt he was a nuances. Instead of just leaving the class room without saying anything he voiced his opinion to the shock and awe of his peers and the teacher. You see obstacles can be in the form of the educators meant to educate. Many times I personally have encountered a burnt out teacher who just wants to collect a check. I don’t at all blame them, I blame the system. The system is so broken many teachers just don’t have a lot of options to help educate the youth. This leaves them at a standstill. James Madison said “The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.” We must remind ourselves that although obstacles exist there’s always a way out. History has shown us this time and time again.



I have the best support system any single parent can have. Without my family I wouldn't be able to go to school at all. This indeed may not be necessary for a young single person but it’s a must for a single parent like me. When I went back to school in 2009 to become a medical assistant at Chabot I had the full support and backing of my family. They easily could have not helped me with this but that’s not the case. When I’m at school they watch my kids make sure my kids do their homework and take care of anything they need till I get home. I owe a debt of gratitude to them every day. Kobe Bryant said “my parents are my backbone. Still are. They're the only group that will support you if you score zero or you score 40” My family is the same way and I’m very thankful they've supported my dream. Unlike Chris Mcandless I’ve always had the support of my mom. Even if she doesn’t exactly agree with my choices she still has my back. The best gift I’ve been given is the support to chase my educational goals. Being a mom myself I never want my kids to feel like I’ve deprived them of reaching their goals. I’m sure in Billie’s mind she in no way felt her behavior drove Chris away but in his mind this was absolutely the case. Chris said to Careen after his graduate this quote that resonates in many ways to me Chris said “I'm going to paraphrase Thoreau here... rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truthhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qen5IQUOFM4 ”Chris was looking for an existence that wasn’t of pacification but one of truth. It make me wonder if he got this very thing from his parents would he be alive to tell his own story. I’m glad I don’t feel as he did about his mother. I’m glad I have a support system that see’s beyond my faults and accepts me for who I am. We need that in order to succeed in a world that wants us to fail.



The second way I overcome obstacles is by not giving up. What kind of message would I be sending to my children if I threw in the towel when times get rough? I’d be telling them it was OK to quit. This isn't the message I will convey to them. I have to keep pushing no matter what. The old saying goes a winner never quits and its true they don’t so I refuse to quit I have to win .Jon Krakauer wrote “The core of mans' spirit comes from new experiences.” College was a new chapter in my life and getting my AA is in my sights I have to just stay focused. Trials will come but I know I have people counting on me so I always have that in the back of my mind. Teddy Roosevelt said “I believe you can and you're already there” I’m here, I’m not leaving I will finish college and make everyone proud. Sure who doesn’t want to throw in the towel? I’m pregnant and at every turn I want to quit. Obstacles are always going to be there. The strong figure out a way around it and don’t cave. In the midst of Chris’s Alaska journey there was obstacles at every turn but he didn’t allow himself to throw in the towel. His car got messed up he left it and started to hitch hike, He had no money he would go to work, He had no place to stay and he found shelter. He was a strong young man, one who was determined to perceiver regardless of his shortfalls. I commend Chris. In a million years I would never have as much courage to walk away from everything I loved and cared about and went on my own path. Even on bad days I look at my kids and the reminder not to quit is there. Like Chris said “Now I walk into the wild” In a way so do I. I walk into the classroom ready to learn achieve and make my dreams come true.


Chris was a smart kid. He went to prestige’s schools and did well. Never the less this wasn’t the driving force of his passion. Once he discovered the truth about his parents his real passion was to escape the oppression he felt he was under. He still obeyed what they told him to do until he was done with college but after that he felt he was free to live his life the way he wanted. I think Chris being a smart educated kid made him confident he could conquer his conquest. This may have made him seem arrogant to some but to me his education helped fuel his passion. He almost made it out when he found what he was looking for in the wild and I think on the day he went to cross the river if the tide hadn't been so high or he would have found another way around he would be alive to tell his own story. Passion drives us all too many different outcomes in life and I think that’s where the book and the passion project intersect. Chris was passionate about getting to Alaska and his parents were passionate about money and what money provided them. They didn’t seem to see eye to eye on these values but Chris did oblige them till he felt enough was enough. According to Krakauer “It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is your God-given right to have it.” Chris believed that it was his right to express himself in a manner his parents didn’t always agree with. I would say him being an intelligent educated young man gave him the strength to branch out and do what he wanted. Was he naive to a point? Absolutely he was but with that he wasn’t afraid to just take a risk. Many of us are too afraid to jump out there without a safety net. Those lessons are what we perhaps learned from our educational years. You go to school, work. Take minimal risks and live life but for others like Chris this wasn’t enough and I don’t blame him. We all take different things out of education and living life how you want is what Chris perhaps got from it. I just wish he was here to tell us his story.

Entering back into college has been a struggle. Some days like I said before I want to throw in the towel but I don’t. I know I’ve come this far and I can’t quit now. My most successful moment so far in college was completing the Medical Assistant program at Chabot and getting a job a day before we graduated. I hadn’t worked in 2 years and I felt so accomplished that last day of medical assisting. My teachers had prepared me to be the best CMA I could be and I was ready to prove it. With my certificate in hand I started working were I still work today I might add and set out to do a good job. I busted my ass and by doing that I turned what was supposed to be a temporary position into a permanent one. In that moment I felt like Alex when he said “You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only...from human relationships. God has placed it all around us...and all you have to do is reach for it.” My success at work isn’t about the paycheck (don’t get me wrong paycheck’s are nice) but rather how much I can help someone else. It makes me very happy when my patients are happy and that’s the greatest success story in medicine. Patients die and move on but making them happy is part of my job and if I can do that I’ve accomplished a lot. Albert Einstein said it best when he said “Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.” I appreciate my job and the people I encounter (most days) it make me a better person one of true value.



Like I said before the end game in life and with education is success. We don’t go to school to think life will be so hard. We all have rose color glasses on straight out of high school. People tell you the world is now your oyster live it up, and silly us we believe it. Now imagine how life is for the uneducated. It’s a million times harder. People who want education sometimes can’t even get it. That’s just the way of the world. I’m thankful that I have an education and the pursuit of higher education is available for me to make my dreams a reality. I’m hopeful everyone rich or poor will be able to have the basic educational need met so they too can become roses in the concrete.http://rosesinconcrete.org/about/ We all have thrones. Either you get pricked by your thrones or air on the side of caution and minimize how often or how deeply you get pricked. We are our worst enemy. We need to be tough and stick it out. Everyday life is just like the wild and only the strong survive. Krakauer said “That's what was great about him. He tried. Not many do.” Time to try and try again with all the passion we have inside. If we don’t what happens next is only on us.