space.template.Brookedeflorio

Brooklyn DeFlorio  I come from a small, non-diverse affluent town in Massachusetts. There are many farms and wooded areas while gas stations and Dunkin Donuts are nonexistent. Since my town is very small, there is an elementary school that goes up to 5th grade and then middle school and high school are combined in the same building. Looking back at my town and school, everyone, including parents seemed to be oblivious to the outside world full of diversity, and other problems. My town was very sheltered with very little diversity. For every 100 white students there were maybe two students that were not white. My school definitely was challenging, and since it was in such an affluent town, the expectations of the students are very high, and most students did exceptionally well. There was no question on whether or not you were going to college or not. By the end of sophomore year we were already being helped step by step by guidance counselors with the college process. For the most part, more than 80% of students end up at highly ranked private schools. Throughout my years in this school system, both the teachers and students were very passionate about educating, and being educated. Every teacher had their own personal classroom, which was almost always decorated according to the curriculum. This created an atmosphere that gave students an inspiration to learn. Teachers were always more than happy to help students fully understand the material. They were able to privately meet with students before school and after. I found that staying after was very helpful for many classes such as chemistry because my teacher was able to explain the material in a different way for me to understand because she realized I was a visual learner. I also feel that many of the teachers at my school took account for the different learning styles of students. Although we spent a lot of time using a textbook out of class, teachers used many different techniques in teaching such as acting scenes out, labs and many different projects. Although my school was very focused on scoring highly on standardized tests, and having students get into top schools I feel that since it was so “sheltering,” it did not properly prepare students for the “real world.” It also lacked caring about individuality, and helping students figure out what they are truly interested in learning about. My school is basically the complete opposite of the Mary McLeod Bethune School.

Brooklyn DeFlorio  After reading chapters two and three, I was very upset when realizing how much of a disadvantage students that come from poorer areas have in the education system. I find it unfair how students who have no control of their financial situation also have no control of their education. Students that are from an underprivileged town are forced to endure the negative implications of the school system. They are surrounded by unmotivated students along with many unmotivated teachers. It seems like a never ending, circular system. Everyone is supposed to have an equal opportunity at education, but when schools in more affluent towns have more money being put into schools than less wealthy towns, it creates a big disadvantage to students that come from poorer towns with less money going into the education system. Also, it is important to take account that students from less wealthy towns probably have a lot more problems going on that take time away from their education. Some of these can be working, or taking care of the family. I feel that many people do not value how much a student’s atmosphere impacts their education. From personal experience, the classrooms that appeared inviting rather than empty, old rooms that basically feel like prison, made me drastically more inspired to do well and engage myself in the material. When you know your teacher is motivated in helping students learn material, students can often be much more appreciative of the teacher and more motivated to do well in school.