It's 2023, why are schools still segregated?
There is no argument, schools are still segregated. But why? Haven't we passed this already, haven't we dealt with it? Did Brown vs Board of Education mean nothing? Yes we have tried to fix this problem and include everyone and every little effort has been for the better but depending on who you are and where you grow up, you might not be granted the same education as someone else. This can be because a student attends a lower-income school which means that there are fewer resources which will affect the level of education being given.
I feel that it is sad that race and poverty are intertwined. I watched a video recently about college and how unfair being a legacy student is. A legacy student is a student who is given preference by an institution or organization to certain applicants on the basis of their familial relationship to alumni of that institution. The reason I think this is unfair is that a majority of these students are white because people of color were not given the opportunity to apply to or even attend big universities. I'm just glad that they have a lot of scholarships set up now for first-generation students. I am unable to relate to any of these because both of my parents graduated, even if it was from a community college, but I have always been given a fair opportunity.
I became more aware of people that have different home lives than I did. Throughout my whole life, I was raised with 2 very loving parents and 2 very loving sisters. I had a strong family that supported and loved me. Even through high school, none of my friends had too bad home lives, all of my friends' parents were still together, no divorces. When I came to college though, none of my roommates' parents were together. Some of them were abused as kids, parents were drug addicts/alcoholics, or have lost a parent to death at a young age, and I never realized how much that affects a person. Also living and attending low-income schools. I remember one day my dad came to visit for the day and he and I just went out for food and shopping. When I came home, 2 of my roommates whose dads are not in the picture anymore were so surprised that my dad drove to visit me and we just spent time with each other all day and it was fun and nice. Living with my roommates has made me so much more aware of how lucky I am to have the family and life that I have had.
Hello Abbey! Great blog this week! I really enjoyed reading about what you had to say about legacy students. I agree with you that it's unfair since most of those students are white since students of color were not given opportunities to attend college. I think that it starts in high school, when teachers are preparing students to apply to universities, some may not talk to students of color based on the idea that “they don't care about school”, or “they won't be able to do it.” I know that this is true because I have heard the same exact thing from my own mother. She told me that when she was a senior, she didn't even think about going to college, not because she didn't care or what not, but because no one even asked her or talked to her about college. So, yes it is still very upsetting that schools are still segregated even when we thought it was over, it's not.
ReplyDeleteHi Abbey! I really enjoyed reading your blog post! I couldn't agree more about how sad it is that in current times race and poverty are intertwined. The legacy student example is a very strong example to help support your argument and it is so immensely unfair to people of color who don't get an equal opportunity to higher education. I'm also glad there are now first-generation scholarships that exist and the up and coming new ones for these students who haven't gotten these opportunities. I love that you shared your home experiences and how going to college and getting to know people with different backgrounds influenced you and your view on the world. My question for you is as a future teacher, what do you think teachers can do to try and advance the quality of education in these schools located in lower-income areas? I'm excited to hear your thoughts, and again, I loved your post!
ReplyDeleteHello Abbey! Thank you for sharing your experience, I am glad that you have had a positive upbringing. I liked that you brought up legacy students. Even when I was applying for Texas-State specific scholarships, I saw that there were many questions specific to those students who had previous connections to Texas State. Having parents that graduated from college is already beneficial. Generational wealth is a big indicator of success in education and in future careers. The concentration of low-income families in certain areas creates less funding for the schools their children go to, resulting in a poorer education. All of these issues seem to interlock. We as a society have averted focus on the issue of modern-day segregation. This segregation is a result of systemic racism. We have to unweave the problem by recognizing it in the first place.
ReplyDeleteHey Abbey, great post. I loved being able to see your point of view. I related to you in the since that i have 2 parents very in love and 2 amazing siblings. However, I went to a school where there were all different kinds. My parents taught me young about everyone's differences and how differences are amazing. It is so awful to see that people of color are receiving the short end of the stick just because of where they live. My question to you would be how do we fix this? As future teachers why is it important that we are aware of these things? Overall, I loved reading your post, good job!
ReplyDeleteHi Abbey! Yes, it is sad that race and poverty are intertwined. I am so glad that you're able to see how truly blessed you are. I feel as though many people in my culture should know how it feels to be blessed as well. Unfortunately, it is so hard for many of us to dig out of the grave that America has built for us. Hopefully my future generations of family can be legacy students because of the sacrifices I have made to make a change in my bloodline. Nice blog. Thanks for sharing!
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