1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 RES 7700 – Transcript Participant #1 I am a millennial who have been pursuing his education since first grade with no stop until the moment of writing this paper, and more importantly have a believe that learning and education should never stop in a persons life. Education represents everything to me, I come from an educated family who were always very interested and successful in the education field for many years. Education is Since the Foundation Saudi Arabia in 1931, education has started with very few male schools and has been evolving rapidly ever since. Today we have more than 40 thousands of both male and female educational schools and institutions across the country. In the matter of special education, services has been regulated and required by the ministry of educating for students with disabilities for more than 35 years ago. Programs and services has been widely established in most major cities but still did not cover up most schools, there are still huge numbers of students with disabilities that has not been identified. Those students who suffer from hidden disabilities such as ADHD and Learning Disabilities are neither recognized nor supported, due to the fact, that there are no specialists that could identify such hidden disabilities in all schools. Controversy, Saudi Arabia has huge numbers of special education teachers who are qualified to fill in the special education job positions. That is the reason why Picture #3 reflected that need to hire those educators and to fill in the gap of the special education field. Picture #6 reminded me of the article that have just published last week, the article was advocating to the need of education for students with learning disabilities. The article also reflects the photo, due to fact that the article was concerned that abandoning the education of students with learning disabilities may result in them ending up in a prison. Furthermore, the article has quoted several sayings of people who were in prison and had specific learning disability, most of those prisoners expressed that the did not know the consequences that they would face after their violent behavior that led them to prison. Another student has stated in an article from the Guardian newspaper, that crime was a much easier than trying to learn and get laughed at by bullies in schools. Therefore, education is essential to build an intelligent, collaborative, and free-crime community. The most phenomena that I literally hate and will gather all power to work against it, is “Ableism” the word represents any action or behavior that might make people with disabilities feel insulted. Ableism is spread widely around the world, therefore, it will defiantly be more presented in Saudi Arabia and other third world countries. Ableism can be present in various forms; it could extend from wounds of word arrows to inaccessible entry of a governmental building. Some examples of real life situation has happen to several of my relatives who were disabled and been through some of these situations. The most important example of Ablesim that has ever happened to me was when my older sister who was trying to obtain a degree in Indiana state. In 2016, when she was about to finish her course work she had a baby boy while she was still in her 7thmonth, he was born with both intellectual and physical disabilities, he was not able to swallow and was being fed by a G-Tupe to his stomach. Beside his different disabilities, both parents were aware and educated and has adored him just as their other three children and maybe a little bit more. However, when he was about a year old, he always carried an oxygen machine that helped him breathing. My sister was living exactly across street, and one morning I was about to leave to school and there I found my brother shouting for me to come inside her house, I went running to his parents room were he sleep and there is my sister doing a CPR for him. 2 RES 7700 – Transcript 1 2 3 4 5 6 The ambulance were on there way and in two to three minutes of my sister doing a CPR her child started breathing again. They were able to take him to the hospital and afterwards the doctors have made a huge meeting including both my sister and her husband. The Ableism part is when my sister was asked by the doctors that if this incidence ever happened again, would you want us to save him? The doctors did not see that his life was worth to save which has been very difficult for the parents to realize what they just heard from an educated human being. 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 RES 7700 – Transcript Participant #2 The education system is perhaps the most enduring meritocratic system in which both appraisal and discrimination is positively accepted. Intellectual discrimination enables different people to understand and appreciate the choices they have in life and in terms of academic endeavors (Kay, 2006). Secondly, appraisal of academic achievements is a critical part of the process and as such the most significant reality that faces the various forms of educational development. The pictures in this discussion demonstrate the level of engagement school provides to young people. First and foremost, education promotes participation and collaboration as it molds young minds to become responsible members of the community (Sherifali, Berard, Gucciardi, MacDonald, & MacNeill, 2018). It provides the first moments of activism for children and as such creates a long-term reality that consensus is an important aspect in society’s quest for development. As a student, one may not always like school, but rest assured, no one loves their job every day of the week either (Sherifali, Berard, Gucciardi, MacDonald, & MacNeill, 2018). This is critical towards the long term and generates an understanding helps us balance our interests in life. As an adult, I believe there is no place in the world that instills patriotism than education. As an adult, it is often the responsibility of the adult to ensure that there is a critical connection between the interests of the society and the desires of the young to establish a more inclusive system that enhances education pursuits in the long run. This is the cornerstone of appreciating learning and its outcome. To be educated therefore, is to achieve the full measure of awareness as well as the full connection between the long-term goals and community responsibilities one gets in the long run (Kay, 2006; Sherifali, Berard, Gucciardi, MacDonald, & MacNeill, 2018). In my journey of education, I have not always been a fun of the process. There are times when I have been diametrically opposed to the kind of influence education had on my life. For instance, there are times when I did not want to be in school and joined my friends in making my feelings known through the use of graffiti that illustrated words and images that demonstrated my dislike for school. These include “education sucks”, “we don’t need education” among others. In some cases, and with the advent of social media, I would try to challenge my teachers by using my phones at inappropriate moments. However, as an adult, I proudly remember the moments that defined the life I lead and how the experiences were critical to my own growth potential. For instance, in response to prolonged strikes, the school district proposed to close all schools. Outraged by this turn of events, we took to the streets arguing that the closure of schools would increase violence which was already high in the community. I also relish the history classes that enhanced the civic pride I felt with regards to connections to my country of birth. I now feel more attached to the experience I had both as a child and teenager because they empower the young, energetic and ambitious person I have become. It is essential to note that the overall conditioning of this successful environment is also experienced within the context of the opportunities I missed and how these opportunities could have increased over time. This is a critical part of the progressive understanding of research into the power of education. If I had not experienced this education level in the past, there are instances in which I would have negatively been impacted by the environmental factors that affect different events in my life. 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 RES 7700 – Transcript Participant #3 One of the pictures which bring back memories of my education life is picture number one. It reminds of those classroom moments when we would participate in class questions and discussions. These are the time when a child does not understand the real meaning of education but assumes it to be a daily activity to be undertaken. I loved answering questions and participating in the class discussion my primary education. Picture 6 reminds me of high school life where I began to feel as education was bothersome and that I didn’t really need to go school as there were other things I could do such as hanging out with friends. 8 9 10 11 12 These two pictures bring out the reason to be educated in that they show the difficulties one has to go through and become successful. To be educated means to acquire skills applicable in real life situations such as careers and even social life. Education is considered to be a life-long investment as the skills acquired can help a person throughout their entire life without ‘expiring’. Despite the fact that a person has to subject himself to years of learning, it is a worthy undertaking as it enables people to become globally competitive and respond to real-life challenges more competently. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 The first picture indicates the innocence of primary pupils as they attend their schools. They are always enthusiastic about going to school and engaging in class discussions. This makes learning more interesting. I loved so much to answer questions my teacher asked during class times and I didn’t even feel the burden of attending school. In fact on holidays, I would be sad that I wouldn’t attend school. However, this attitude changed when I joined my high school. I began hating school and I didn’t see the essence of attending classes. In fact, I preferred hanging out with my friends. This attitude was wrong since I affected my performance in my first years. In my third year, my parents organized for a private session with an educational counselor. My session with the counselor proved to be fruitful as I started getting the significance of education. I came to understand that it is a life-long investment but not a waste of one’s time. I was told education is meant to impart important skills that help a person later in their life such as in careers, decision making, creative thinking, and social life. 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Education is what distinguishes us from the uneducated and it is what shapes civilization. I also came to learn that education is responsible for the kind of lifestyles we live. Such an enlightenment opened my eyes on the issue of education and I was eventually able to change my mindset. This gave me a lot of motivation that even my teachers noted a progressive improvement in my performance. I was able to perform well in my exams and even secured a place in the university. Upon joining the university, I understood fully why my parents were insisting on my education. I was able to pursue a degree that later gave me my career. My life in learning taught me that education is worthwhile investments that are responsible for many aspects in life. As I attend my job, I look behind and realize that the time and resources I spent in schooling was a witty investment and the fruits and outcomes of education are really paying. 28 29 30 31 32 33 5 1 2 3 4 5 RES 7700 – Transcript Participant #4 Education refers to the act or process of seeking information from a teacher who imparts knowledge and information in an individual with the aim of making them knowledgeable and able to do things on their own (Chandra and Rajendra 13). Personally, education has had an impact on my life, and I am grateful that I am educated. 6 7 8 9 10 Firstly, I remember my childhood years where I was timid and shy. Education helped me to gain courage and bravery by helping me mingle with children from different backgrounds and character. I had the chance of interacting with children from different classes and with different ways of thinking. It helped me make friends and gain confidence in myself at an early age. Throughout the learning curriculum, I have had the chance of meeting new friends and creating more links, which is one of the importance of education. Without going to a school or a common place where all converge for learning purposes, it would be difficult for one to make as many diverse friends, as well as have important links to people in various organizations. 11 12 13 14 15 Education has also helped me to learn and know how the world is made and run. Learning science and geography has helped me to know the different elements that make up the world. When walking around forests and thickets, knowing the different types of animals and insects is vital to staying safe. I remember escaping the bite of a black widow spider when walking through the park. The knowledge about the black widow spider helped me to jump over the deadly insect, which helped me to stay safe. Lack of such knowledge, which is mostly gained through education, could have exposed me to the danger of the poison of the spider; I might not have survived to this date. As such, the knowledge gained through education guides one to know what to avoid and what one can embrace. 16 17 18 19 Education has also helped me to lead a healthier life. The knowledge gained in Science and Biology in particular has helped me to know the working of the body systems and the signs and symptoms of different health problems. This has helped me to be alert concerning signs of illness in the body. I remember this once helped me to tack fever when on a trip to Dubai, early intervention and treatment saved from hospitalization. Lack of education makes one lack such vital information, which can lead to deterioration before one seeks medical attention. 20 21 22 23 Another importance of education is getting formal employment (Chandra & Rajendra 62). Educational qualifications are a number one requirement to get any formal employment. Considering that formal employment usually has a higher salary and more benefits, it then follows that education is the key to getting better employment. This additionally means that advancing one’s education throughout one’s life continually gives one more chance of getting better employment opportunities and equally better salaries and benefits. 24 25 26 27 In general, being educated is good because one becomes knowledgeable in various matters that concern day to day living and activities (Chandra and Rajendra 68). People that lack formal education tend to be withdrawn from active participation of society building because they lack knowledge and information to guide them. It is important that all become educated since it is a tool against many ills and problems occurring in the world: education can help transform the world into a better place. 28 29 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 RES 7700 – Transcript Participant #5 Ever since I was a child, my parents expressed to my siblings and I the value of education. They told us that it was really important that we receive an education that not only helped us to acquire a life-long career, but also prepared us to serve our community. With my parents as role models, my dad as a preacher and my mom as an educator, I remember being at school trying to follow my parent's instructions: learn as much as possible and bring good grades home. During my elementary school years in the country of Venezuela, I thought that school was just a big playground. I truly enjoyed being in the classroom and was inspired to create imaginary worlds or adventures with the content I was receiving from the teachers. For me, learning was not significant, I was just there because my parents sent me to school. As I progressed in my middle school grades, I noticed that the content was more demanding and I had moments where I truly questioned if I really needed all that information. During that time, I struggled to keep my focus on classwork and my grades plummeted considerably. My parents talked to me on many occasions, stressing how I must apply myself with more consistency on my school assignments. I certainly felt lost and I did not try to excel in my school classes. It was in my high school years when everything changed drastically. During that period of time, my parents sent me to a Christian boarding school and I became really active in the musical activities. With a previous experience in playing piano and singing at church, I felt for the first time that I was doing something significant with all the years of schooling. One day, in the middle of my junior year, I was called to the school’s principal office. He mentioned to me that the music teacher had to leave the position and he thought that I could help as a student teacher and to take the position as choir director and church pianist. I immediately accepted. That opportunity not only changed my life and my purpose but also changed completely my perspective of why education is important and how excellence in teaching could be incredibly important for the success of all students regardless of their learning abilities. Additionally, I started to appreciate my parents’ efforts in investing in my school education, as well as, the piano lessons. During those years, experiencing being a teacher and student at the same time, gave me a unique perspective of why education is necessary for the intellectual and personal growth of each student. Additionally, I discovered that serving as a facilitator and a role model would help my students to find more meaning and significance of the knowledge that they are acquiring. Today, as I reflected about those years, I certainly would not have changed anything from those life altering experiences. I understand now, based on my own personal education background, that each individual has opportunities to discover their life purpose with the help of inspiring role models at home and school that help them to realize that being educated is worth all the invested time and effort. 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 RES 7700 – Transcript Participant #6 As I think back to the different ways, in which I have played a role or engaged in education over the years, a few specific experiences come to mind. My role as an educator did not begin in the classroom, as many would expect. My role as an educator began when I became a mother at 18 years old. I have worn many educator hats, from being a police officer, to working as a social worker for women and children of sexual abuse, to where I am today, the role of a classroom educator for both children and adults. When I first looked back at the different images, I instantly experienced an overwhelming feeling of anxiety. Image #1 and image #5 reminded me of my personal school experience. When I was in school, teachers were rigid and learning was always silent, independent work. I rarely recall working in groups, or having meaningful dialogue about the concepts we were learning, or why we were learning them. I remember a lot of yelling, and during my elementary and high school years, corporal punishment still existed. I would have to get paddled on the inside and outside of my hands if I wanted to use the restroom and would get ridiculed in front of peers if my response to a teachers question was incorrect. I learned that it was easier to stay quiet and pretend I knew what I was doing, rather than being humiliated and feeling dumb. Image #2 and 3 also resonated with me. Looking back, I realize that my attitude was really centered in the fact that I struggled to understand the concepts, and I could not ask for help, because I knew teachers were racist. During that time, I lived in a small town in Texas, with a population of 1200 people. My geometry teacher lived across the street and the mayor lived next door, which he also happened to be my shop teacher. Racism was alive and well, especially in such a rural area, and we were the only Hispanic people on the block. My geometry made me feel so dumb, and my mother asked if she would tutor me, since I only lived across the street. She said yes, but later I realized it was only to interrogate me about my life, where we came from, why we were here, and to say “you ‘all know you don’t belong here, why are you ‘all here anyway?” Fast-forward my life, when I was going for my Masters at the age of 37, not to say it didn’t happen in my undergrad, but this experience of racism out beat them all. My professor asked me what my plans were after my Masters and I commented to her that I would like to continue with my Ph.D. She replied by saying, “wow, really? that’s a nice dream to have, but do you think you can really do it? Do you really think you have what it takes? I don’t think you realize that some people are not made to go beyond what you have accomplished and you have already gotten this far, so you should to stick to “teaching your people”, so that they try to make it like you”. That night she kept me until 11 o’clock at night to ask me questions about my life. My father was dying of cancer and my daughter was about to have my first grandchild at 18. That night, she asked me how I felt about being such a young grandmother, and having a daughter who had followed in my footsteps. I felt trapped, because it was my last class of the semester and the last class to graduate, I felt obligated to stay and violated when I left. Education is not just reflective of how many degrees you have, or how many titles you hold. Being educated also means learning from one another. We learn life lessons, we learn life skills and hopefully we will learn what it means to have a moral and ethical compass. Education consist of teaching our youth to have compassion and patience and learn to have peaceful dialogue and understand differences with respect. To have a formal academic education is a bonus. We acquire a different set of skills and knowledge that can be used to enlighten the people of our world, our communities, our culture and our future generations. Formal education is necessary because, unfortunately, our society measures us by our success, and it is rare to be successful without a formal education; we all need money to survive. When I decided to go back to school after having three children, I did it because, I didn’t want them to go through the struggles my husband and I went through as young parents. I was tired of feeling less than I knew I was worth, and I wanted my daughters to feel empowered and not obligated to be with a companion, because they could not be independent and make it on their own. I wanted my son to know that the struggle for brown men is already a given and the reality of that struggle becomes his future without a formal education. In my opinion, the combination of both worlds of education, informal and formal, are equally important. There is value in the lessons to be learned, the lessons we teach, and the legacies we leave behind. 8 1 2 3 RES 7700 – Transcript Participant 7 I will describe the way in which I engage in education by focusing on my childhood and what I experienced. Growing up, there weren't many family 4 members who were college graduates. Even in my neigborhood, I did not know of many who had finished college. My family is made up of hard 5 workers and motivators. The purpose of education for me is being able to go, achieve and maintain what so many of my ancestors could not. 6 Picture #1 would capture the purpose of education for me. This picture exudes the very essence of American Education. As shown in the picture, there 7 isn't a role model that I could relate to or pattern myself after, no one that looks like me. 8 To me progress is a determining factor for what it means to be educated. Education is different for everyone. However, there should be some sort of 9 personal growth and progress as a result of a person being "educated". One defining moment in my education journey is when my oldest son came with 10 me to one of my classes during my masters program here at Concordia. It was a defining moment in my life and his. It was a bonding experience and a 11 time for my son to witness his mother making progress in her life. That day also set a bar for him to reach in his life and educational goals. 12 13 14 15 16 17 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 RES 7700 – Transcript Participant 8 As I reflect on my understanding of education and how it has changed over time, I am struck not only by how differently I define education now than I once did, but also how much my experiences have shaped my understanding today. I would argue that we, as educators, often use the terms education, learning¸ and schooling interchangeably. I see them as distinctly different. Learning is a process, something that is dynamic and complex. Learning can take place in any environment and it can follow any number of progressions. In contrast, the term schooling is often used in reference to a formal structure in which learning is controlled and guided. Schooling is often discipline-specific, and it follows a linear progression. Education, by my definition, is the term that brings the two together. It is process through which information, skills, values, and interests intersect in a given setting. Education does not have just one environment in today’s world, and it does not have one mode. It can be guided, as it often is in a formal classroom, but it can also be flexible and independently motivated. It can take place in a formal school setting or in a more informal setting through the added value of technology. These are important distinctions. 11 12 13 14 15 16 Learning was deeply valued in my house growing up, especially by my father. He had an innate curiosity about the world. He was not afraid to expose us to complex concepts, and he talked openly about high expectations for us. There was never a question of what I was going to do after high school. A college degree was a necessary step towards a successful career, and it was expected. As such, college became my educational awakening. I had to work hard financially to make college a reality, but it was the first time I was able to pursue coursework of my choosing. I was inspired. I felt a purpose. It was then, in my very early twenties, that I finally felt meaning in my education. It was also then that I saw the purpose in all the years of schooling I had attended before. 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 My much younger self identifies with the students in Picture #1. I was a compliant elementary student and often enjoyed school. I followed directions. I showed effort. I completed my work. I participated in class. However, I now realize that that my understanding of education at that time had more to do with expectation and obedience than it did with learning and connecting. School was reinforcing for me because I was good at it, and I appreciated the attention. However, I was simply following the process laid out for me. I was not challenged, and I did not necessarily see the purpose behind what I was doing. As I moved through middle and high school, I began to consider education in terms of requirements instead of learning. I had classes I was required to attend, and assignments I was required to complete. I felt a sense of apathy for school but continued because it was expected. I do not fully identify with the negative educational images of pictures #2 and #5, but I distinctly remember questioning the value behind many of the things that were asked of me. At that time, my understanding of being “educated” simply meant fulfilling what was mandated. 25 26 27 28 29 Education today is shifting to embrace the idea that learning is central to all personal growth, both through the schooling process and for life in general. Education is no longer to be viewed as something that must be completed. Rather, education is the foundation of self-improvement. There is a strong focus on preparing students for meaningful college and careers, and today’s schools are held to standards for improving graduation rates. School completion is mainstream and expected. When education is viewed as an ongoing vehicle, as opposed to a finite task, it becomes a powerful tool. 30 31 10 RES 7700 – Transcript 1
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