It's Not Just About Ideas

Back when I was in grade school as a junior in high school, I hated asking questions. It was nearing the end of the school year and I was thinking about colleges and what I needed to apply and submit my documents on time. My school always had college fairs, but I was too nervous and scared to go up and ask questions even though they would love to talk with me. I never thought I would be behind one of those tables and I never realized how much I love working in higher ed. Looking at now when I am behind those very same tables at college fairs that I attend, I try to get students interested in my table because I remember what it was like to be in their shoes when I was in high school and browsing for colleges. After I had been in college admissions awhile my passion has grown so much for the students that I interact with. I am finally happy in my position doing something I love. I love interacting with the students and I love helping them through their journey throughout college admissions.

One issue that bothers me today in the country is the fact that schools and curriculums have been placed under a microscope due to Covid and has been politicized for agendas. One particular issue in that scope, is that Florida has shown a light on the classrooms and claims the curriculum has been hijacked by LGBTQ topics, race discrimination and more. He has already passed a law changing the curriculum to teaching students that slavery was a good thing because it gave them the necessary skills to succeed in life. I am outraged that he really thinks that and he has forced the schools to change their curriculum to address that. The fact that every school in every state has had a light shown on them, has lead some to having funding cut or being taken over. The changes they are making to the school affects every teacher and students learning and digital learning. For example Houston ISD turned libraries into discipline centers and forcing kids to learn at the same level(News, 2024). Every student has their own learning pace and if teachers cannot implement their digital learning ideas in the classroom due to budget cuts and curriculum requirements, it affects their students and how they learn.

So what is wrong with education, what is right about it and what should the world do to fix it? Well everyone has their own point of view and opinion about what is wrong and right about education. On the one hand, public education is bad for our children and they should be going to private school to learn practical skills that they will actually use in life. On the other hand, every child should have a proper education no matter where it happens. For me, I think that some of the subjects in public school that they teach won’t be useful in their everyday lives and I believe that the schools need to have courses that explain taxes, economics, real life lessons and more. I also believe that education is amazing and every child needs to be in school to learn how to read, write and do math. Every school has their flaws but in the end they all just want their students to learn. There are many things wrong with school right now. I feel like the STARR testing system is not necessary because some students are able to learn and retain information but fail the test because they are not good test takers and they learn in a different way. The world needs to see that every student learns differently and they need to revaluate the whole education system and what they are teaching their students and be able to change the way students learn in classrooms. That way every student can learn at their own pace and eventually make their ways into college.

My definite core beliefs in Digital Learning are strong. Creating a blended learning environment in the classroom is a direct path to get the students’ grades up and be able for them to learn at their own pace. Ever since the pandemic hit us, the school systems have had to integrate technology into their teaching styles and that is amazing but now we need to refine the curriculum in order to let every student learn at the speed they need to. I am hoping as an admissions counselor to make connections with teachers on some innovative strategies that they can use in their classrooms. I am also trying to reach the students at the college fairs that I go to and letting them take the time to figure out how to ask questions and which ones to ask. I am creating a blended learning environment where I am giving them time to think of a question to ask while I guide them by giving examples of questions. I am hoping to create an impact on students and counselors by giving them the necessary resources they need to succeed. I am impacting students by guiding them through the question and answer process when it comes to picking out which college they want to go to.

News, A. B. C. (2024, February 29). “Not a partisan issue”: As classroom culture wars rage, a stark warning about learning loss. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/classroom-culture-wars-rage-parents-focus-learning-loss/story?id=107049546