Tag: Educational Narrative

My earliest memories of school are not being able to speak, read, or write english. “Adversity introduces a man to himself.” said the great scientist Albert Einstein. I learned that I am capable of pushing myself and accomplishing anything I need or want thanks to my academic endeavors and also thanks to martial arts. I have accomplished a first degree black belt in tae kwon do and have reached other ranks in other martial arts. Another great quote is from the bible, “God will never put me through what he cannot help me through.” I believe every challenge we face is doable because I believe in a higher power that created this universe (or maybe the universe itself). So, although we as humans have many obstacles and adverse situations to overcome we Thank God that we are here, alive and experiencing. I was eventually placed in a bilingual class. Later on I was able to develop both english and spanish. In junior high school I even received a 90 in the Italian regents, so a weakness became a strength. As a child I could barely speak two languages and by High School I basically spoke three. Two teachers stand out in my mind (Ms.Teora an Italian teacher in junior high school and Mr. Azzara my guitar teacher in high school). These two teachers touched my heart with their passion for the subjects in which they were teaching, their humor, and their down-to-earthness.

 

I remember feeling lost in the beginning of my childhood education career. I didn’t have any friends nor was I able to make any. I was scared and felt strange. A feeling that didn’t necessarily fleet but that I can now thrive on. I associate my first experiences with racism to school. And the images of many people of all colors come to mind in a bland edifice. I can also remember the smell of school lunch. I didn’t really start making friends until the fourth grade and eventually I pushed myself to become an honors student in fifth grade. I remember a certain peer who became my friend and is now getting his doctor’s degree in california in ethnic studies. I also remember another friend I made in junior high school who was a positive influence to me. I consider my martial arts training another form of education. I educated myself to handle negativity from other peers by the outlet of expressing anger through martial arts. I learned about eating healthy and exercising and this helped my grades back then. Although, I must say I think i need to re-learn a lot of these habits. I haven’t been in school for a while, so I am acclimating myself to college. I also haven’t been to a gym or martial arts training for a while so i don’t quite feel the same as I did when I was doing well in school.

 

School has always been an inspiring yet challenging place for me. Although I’m not always enthusiastic about going to class or completing an assignment but i know that i cannot give up on my academic studies because in the long run i believe i will lead a happier and more fulfilling life. The teachers who have taught me the most in life so far though are my parents. The most important thing I have learned from them is that being a realist is also as important as being an idealist because first the dreams are born in your mind and then action manifests dreams into reality. I want to become the best version of me possible.

Neliza Castillo

English 103

 

As far as I could remember my earliest experience of learning, was when i was in kindergarten and i was learning how to read. My teacher used the arts of music, with songs to help us remember words. Also practicing turning and talking to our partners in order to express ideas about what we thought the correct answer was. We were all on the rug and we would go about our daily routine. During my elementary school years i attended two different schools. I first started at P.S 178, which was only up to second grade, so after that i had gone to P.S 152 to finish until 5th grade. Starting my elementary years in P.S 178 was a great experience it was a fun school with nice teachers who had many festivities to celebrate the years of learning and make sure we had fun while getting our abilities to higher standards. Things such as Tiger day to celebrate 100 days of school. I remember making the number 100 using a hundred items, and also dressing up as an elderly to represent the value of the number. Also we had Bear Day at my other elementary school. Bear day was a day to celebrate reading, standing for “Be Excited About Reading”. Each class would read lots of books and design their very own Bear, and at the end there would be a competition for the best bear. Another thing that i enjoyed alot was my math bee, in the 4rth grade, a very nerve wrecking but amazing experience for me. Doubting myself and all i went along with the bee and ended up in third place, i’m as happy as i was back then for this position because i had made it to the three finalist along with my classmate who was number 1! Such a fun and motivating way of learning. Maybe if my middle school or high school math  lessons where this exciting i wouldn’t struggle with college level math so much. As a student i have confronted the challenge of pushing myself, motivating myself. Somedays i was motivated other days i really had no idea how i would motivate myself passed the doubts. Luckily i always took advantage to listen to those who wanted to see me and my classmates succeed and that was great help.  

Christopher Alfaro

ENG103

September 18, 2017

My most memorable years probably had to be in middle school. I attended I.S.145Q,  in Jackson Heights. The 3 years spent here were filled with ups and multiple downs. It was at this age where I started declining academically. My interests drifted away from the academic fields and I started seeing beyond following an academic path.

Obviously this was just my mind roaming off elsewhere, because I really didn’t like school. I showed up and did everything that had to be done, but I wasn’t enjoying it. Despite the lack of interest, I did learn a lot and discovered my interest for history and also art in the 7th grade. At this stage you tend to start developing your personality and I started finding myself and building myself up. I met people that had I had things in common with and they’re still my best friends till today. We had similar struggles but found ways to help each other succeed. I spent most of my afternoons after the 7th grade in detention for all my latenesses, and was even suspended multiple times because of it. It was so bad, my dean had told me I had set a record of latenesses for the school year. Although it probably all sounds bad, my years in middle school have many positive moments.

This eventually came to an end after graduation, obviously. A month later I moved to Colombia and started High School later that year. This was a drastic change  in which the Educational system was way more advanced than I could have imagined, but also an amazing experience. At first I struggled a whole lot because of how advanced they actually were. In my first year, they were already deep into chemistry and physics. Something I don’t remember seeing in middle school. Because of obstacles like these, I felt worse towards school. At that moment, I started looking in a different direction. I found a passion for soccer in me I didn’t know existed. I took it upon myself to make something happen and fit practice sessions into my school schedule and after graduating High School, I was more than committed to it.

This forced me to give up things any other teenager my age would do, such as go out late nights, drinking, partying, etc. In my head this was all worth it but I would ask myself “How bad do I want it?” More than anything. I eventually went on to playing at a semi-professional level, and Because of certain conflicts with my parents, I left Colombia to come here and start school. Back to school though, it’s something I feel like I needed to go through. Those three years really pushed me to challenge myself and do more than I thought I was able to do and bring my grades up or in other situations. These years of my life are important to me because of that drastic change experienced while leaving the country. After a whole life here, I moved onto something different and made the best of it. Sometimes events like those can change you as a person and make you want to strive for all types of success, like it did to me.

Alejandro Canelas

ENG103

Dr.Kitana Ananda

09/26/17

 

   Education has always been something that was deemed as a necessity by society at large. Not only is it a necessity, it is mandatory up to a certain age depending on where one resides. Personally for me I have always felt that education is more of a regurgitation of what the grade wants one to learn. This ends up with us becoming miseducated and learning diluted histories for the sake of not pushing societal boundaries. In addition the school system I grew up with was so focused on teaching about test preparations that this would lead to testing anxiety among students and sometimes lead to failed results. The school system has yet to adapt to different learning styles and it is about time it catches up with the times.

  On a lighter note learning does not have to be confined to the classroom. If one is open you could learn something new quite periodically. There are amazing resources out there where one could learn about the times and not have to rely on mainstream education to provide the answers. Twitter is an invaluable resource where people re tweet useful links to articles and direct us to information we would not have access to otherwise. I personally like going on  YouTube and learning simple phrases in foreign languages or coming across a Ted Talk on topics that peak my interests. These platforms that I frequent provide an excellent resource for me to engage in everyday learning.

  On the subject of higher education, it has been a journey for me to say the least. This is my second time around in college and this time around feels more certain. What I mean by certain is that although I am unsure of where my direction in education is leading me, I feel that my absence in higher education has taught me the value of having a degree. Realistically I do not want to be stuck working an endless job which translates to Just Over Broke. Unfortunately for me nepotism is not apart of my reality, so I must obtain a degree in order to be connected to resources and valuable connections. In addition the growth and maturity I bring to the table this time around allows me to be fully engaged in the process day to day learning.

  Overall, education is a loaded subject that has various complexities that we all bring to the table. I feel that education needs a revamping in a lot of arenas, but I know it is a valuable tool no one can take away. I also feel that many people shouldn’t give up on school just because they failed the first time. It is never too late to learn and reassess your own situation.

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.