Month: September 2017

James Macay

Prof. Kitana Ananda

ENG103

September 18, 2017

Thinking back to one of my first memories of learning encourages me to laugh. As a young child, I was always very nosy and clever. My first learning experience comes even before my age met the requirements of being enrolled in school. I was with family at a waterfront and there was a fence that I wanted to climb over, simply to make it to the otherside. However, my mother convinced me that there would be consequences if I climbed over. In a nutshell, I tossed my hat over the fence,  climbing over suddenly became an obligation. From this, I learned that certain rules can be bent under acceptable circumstances. Seems manipulative, but nothing was taken from anybody, at most I gained some physical capabilities and sense of balance. From this I took the idea that I am free to live up to my potential in a harmless and instinctual manner. Remember, baby steps are still signs of progression.

Now, on the topic of school, the amount of mixed emotions I have are too broad to individually narrow down. It is absolutely a love hate relationship that I have with school, but overall appreciate it and feel that everyone should be entitled to an education. Alongside this people should feel the need to go to school, to build an education for themselves. Aside from becoming educated, school comes with endless memories and experiences. Whether it makes you smile, laugh or cry, it is an experience that leads to a fresh perception of the world. Most of my memories in school are either moments of struggle or success. Being in the midst of pre-school the realization that mom or dad aren’t around struck me. To be respectful under the rule of someone that has no tie to my life aside from feeding me education seems odd at that age. We all know that we should be capable of caring for oneself and to be respectful to our surroundings, but as a kid it feels as if you are breaking your instinctual actions and begin  to warp into the systematic standard. My love for school is the education and how much can be accomplished if you use your education properly. The hate comes from the system, the unethical ways of seeing and ultimatums that we are forced to fear.

In my more recent experiences, I’m enlightened to know that college has a different method of getting through to students. The capability to be able to think for yourself, to rationalize what we see without judgement but mere fact. This concept can be appreciated at a heightened level when you consider that most college students have no idea what they are going to do for the rest of their lives. Even if you are studying a specific field, who’s to say that is where you are going to end up for the rest of your existence? College allows our minds to float and absorb what our surroundings give off. Whilst dealing with the workload we also find ourselves alone, similar to elementary, when your parents drop you off. Only in college, you realize that priorities change, and managing the load trains you to manage yourself in the real world.

Outside of school, my education has a lot of street lessons, some random, some meaningless, others full of meaning and morals. I was an aggressive rollerblader for 7 years of my life. Starting at 5 years old and getting my first sponsor at 9 years old, (I have my older brother to thank.) Overall, my youth consisted of countless street hours while maintaining good grades in school. Had my grades been poor, my mom wouldn’t have let me skate. Now in my more recent years, for the past 4-5 years I have been a cyclist and taking it to a professional level has lead to me endless social and professional encounters. It is safe to say that regardless of the caliber in which I perform , I do it purely for the love of it. Which eventually lead to a great source of physical activity. What I want for people to take from this is simply to always remember, you are allowed to live life instinctually and freely, never turn down knowledge, and always ask questions. I believe school can improve these aspects of your life.

My earliest childhood memory was going to Preschool in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with my two older cousins. My cousins and I were always in the same class, being that we were born the same month of the same year. I still remember our teacher name, Ms. Jill. She was an amazing teacher who loved what she did. I remember she moved to Canada a few years after we left there.

My cousins and I went to school together until Primary School (6th grade), and then you take this test called Common Entrance and base on your grade it determines what high school you go to. I scored higher than my cousins, so I went to a High School in town; while they went to a High School in the village. At first I was thinking about how the three of us won’t be together in school anymore for the first time in 10 years. But I was still excited that another cousin and my best friend (they are cousins also) were going to be in school with me. We also had a friend who was a form ahead of us. Then my best friend grandmother decided she did not want my best friend to go to school in town. I was so disappointed, because like my cousins; we have been in school together since Preschool also.

Education is very important in the Caribbean, because without it; you cannot get a good or decent job. You see your parents and older siblings and/or cousins struggling to make it, and how work they have to work and much much more time they have to put it. Once you are really good at something, you’re encourage to excel in that.

I remember when I moved from Saint Vincent and came to New York. I was in for a real surprise. I could not believe the way children spoke to adults, even to the teachers; all I kept thinking to myself was if this was Saint Vincent they would be getting lashes. In Caribbean, it really does take a village to raise a child; because everyone looks out for one another. You can get punished by a neighbor or an older family member, and if it gets back to your parents; you’ll be punished by them too. I learned from very valuable lessons that I still have instilled in me to this day. The only way it wouldn’t go that way is if I am being respectful and someone disrespects me.

High school was where I started writing poetry, and learning to use that to express my feelings and to speak to others in a different way. I was also able to take college courses, and even got to take a program at Columbia University for a week during the summer before my Senior year. I know this sounds cliche but high school was where I really learned a lot about myself, and really found and developed myself better. My high school always college prep us, so when we graduated it would not be a hard transition from high school to college. The only thing is no one warns about the transition back into college after you take time off.

Brandon Lopez

9/18/2017

ENG 103

My Educational Narrative  

One of the earliest memories of learning would have to be speaking. Being able to communicate with my parents and saying small words. My learning enhanced as i was put into pre-k which there i learned numbers and a few words using books from my teachers at the time. These books included pictures and words which made it easier to understand things much quicker. As a student now one of the challenges i face is trying to keep up with school,work, and having a social life. Being a full time student and full time at work have caused a major impact on me because it’s gotten harder to complete some tasks not only at school but at home as well.

I have learned that anything is possible as long as i set my mind to it and with a lot of time management. There’s always something new to learn every day and it doesn’t only come from going to school. One of the things i’ve learned, that didn’t involve going to school was dancing. Having an education today is a big deal if you want to score a well paying job. During my high school education there main focus was to prepare us for what college was going to be.

The one person who has taught me the most in life would have to be my father. Not only has he been there my whole life but has molded me into the person i should be and guided me throughout life and what i should do. One of the things he’s taught me is to never stop learning and to continue forward with my educational learning. Therefore, till this day i am in school trying to pursue a better future for myself not only in school but in life as well.

                                                    My Educational Narrative

     High School can be one challenging ride in a teenagers life. The bullying, the gossiping, first boyfriend/girlfriend. It was all just too new for me. At the beginning i though high school would have been fun but it turned out to be a nightmare. Many students are judged before they even know it. Like in my case, I attended Franklin K. Lane High School which was known to be one of the toughest high schools at the time. My first day as a Freshman in high school i was already categorized as an Indian. But little did they know that I am a Guyanese American.

     My religion is Hinduism and my parents are from Guyana which is part of the Caribbean. In high school there were a group of teenagers that only hang out with their own races. For example, African Americans and Hispanics. During my freshman year i was teased a lot and called “The Indian” pretty much every day. Most days i didn’t even want to go to school just so i wouldn’t have to deal with it. But why should i have to be the one to hide? I asked myself. One day i decided to go to school and sit wherever i felt like sitting in the lunchroom. An African American girl approached me from behind and grabbed my hair and pulled me off the seat. She called me an Arab and cursed at me. I cried because in my mind i didn’t know what i had done wrong. This girl didn’t even know my race and she didn’t even know my religion.

     After lunch i went to my English class and i was still crying a little. Mr. Pearlman was my favorite English teacher in high school, he is the reason i love English so much. Mr. Pearlman saw me crying and asked what had happened so i told him and he sat down with me and talked to me about bullying. He taught me how to overcome bullying by standing up for myself. Instead of fighting back he told me to write down how much anger i felt and read it back to myself, and somehow i felt better knowing that i am strong enough to write rather than fight back.

     My first college before i transferred to  LaGuardia Community College was Queensborough Community College. In my first year there i became as Auxiliary Police Officer of the 106th Pct and i also joined the Caribbean Club and made many friends with all races. I found that most college students are proud of representing where they came from. Nobody there judged my nationality or my religion. My advice to teenagers growing up today is that if you are being bullied tell someone so you can get the help and advice you need rather than fighting back. Because of Mr. Pearlman helping me learn how to handle bullying i can walk with my head held high knowing that i never needed violence to make myself strong, all i needed was to write.

My Educational Narrative…

     As a student, I knew I was different from the rest. While my classmates were “smarter”, than I was (so I thought) I was far behind. Whatever happened to the “No Kids Left Behind Policy?” I felt like I was the only one who didn’t know what the teachers were talking about whether it was in English, science, or math class. Multiple questions were thrown at the teacher and for this reason, it seemed like the kids were getting frustrated because they just wanted the teacher to lecture as the time passed by. Comprehension skills were always the last thing for me to take into full consideration, sometimes teachers would have to read the question aloud for me to fully understand what it is that they are asking for. Although I faced many challenges in school one way or another I slowly improved. I learned new techniques that would benefit me as a student.

Around middle school going into high school, I was diagnosed with ADD and other Mental Disabilities. I remember the psychiatrist asking my mother why would she wait so long for me to get the help that I needed. It wasn’t until I realized that it was fear my mother was dealing with. Fear of not being able to live my life like a “regular, normal” kid. Fear of knowing that I would be enrolled with the special Ed students, knowing that I had to have either an IEP or 504. We knew with the IEP It’ll be harder to get out since I would’ve been with the Special Ed students and with the 504 I would be able to get extra time with any exams that had to be taken. As well as being separated from the class, and having a teacher read aloud the questions for me. Either way, my mother and I faced the reality of it and went with the 504 so that way I can be accommodated as needed.

During my time in middle/ high school, many challenges confronted me. In mathematics class, I would fail every exam. I would cry because I felt ashamed, I was frustrated and upset that I wasn’t able to pass those exams with the rest of my classmates. I looked at these math problems like they were in a different language. Things started to change when a boy classmate started to bully me and call me out of my name such as “stupid” “loser” “dummy” just because I was far behind in class. That all ended once I decided to choke him until he was unconscious and I succeeded in that which resulted in a suspension. The year of 2012, I was then transferred to an alternative school. However, that didn’t stop the challenges that confronted me. In mathematics and science class I failed about two more exams. I still didn’t understand why I wasn’t like the rest of my classmates. Smart. I found myself going into deep depression and was escorted out of the classroom by EMT, policemen, the principal and the guidance counselor from the school. I was rushed to the hospital for suicide. I was experiencing so many emotions, I was easily distracted, I didn’t understand my homework assignments and I was failing my exams so it was easy to say “you know what, I’ll just be a high school dropout”.

Furthermore, while I was going through so many challenges, I came to my senses and decided that this can either break or make me. I didn’t want to end up like my mother or brother who was both high school dropouts, I wanted to be better than them and my classmates. My response to this was to take responsibilities for my own actions, this was my life and I make the rules. I’m currently in college and have 1 year left before graduation which is a major breakthrough. I knew with determination, courage, willingness to take action I can achieve anything that I want to do. “So what if you’re far behind than the rest of your classmates, so what if you consistently ask your peers questions, and so what if you have a mental/learning disability these things don’t define you as a person….” These were words that I had to constantly remind myself daily.

Hopefully, this story encourages you all to do your ultimate best as a student. Education is so important especially if you have goals, dreams, desires. You have to push yourself even when you feel like you are at your lowest.  School is very overwhelming and can sometimes be depressing, however, we must continue to use all of the resources that are available for us. Take time to study, ask questions if you don’t know. The teachers will appreciate you by asking questions, and you’re probably thinking “what about my classmates?” To answer that look at that as motivation to work harder. Do your very best in school and don’t give up. Every day is a battle but the battle is with yourself and just know you and I are already ahead of the game.