Rethinking Your Education - By Jennifer C, Trip of a Lifetime Intern
“Are you Chinese?” “What’s Vietnam?” “Do you know the show Ni Hao Kai Lan?” were just some of the microaggression-filled questions I was asked when I first entered my high school in the fall of 2012. I quickly noticed many of my classmates looked different than me, and that many of them did not share the same values as I did. Going through days and weeks of seeing my teachers being yelled at, my classmates skipping their classes, and receiving racist comments myself, I felt hopeless and inferior as a minority. However, I had joined The Future Project, an organization at my school aimed at helping students find their passions and build projects out of them. I found that my passion was education and global studies.
My passion became particularly strong as the year progressed because of two reasons. It is not uncommon for people to mistake me as Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, when really I am Vietnamese. It was frustrating because it felt like people were making assumptions about me instead of asking me about who I am. Because I saw that my classmates were unaware of different cultures, I felt that it was my responsibility to help them become curious and excited about learning about the world. Secondly, I used to get frustrated when students did not take their education seriously. It was not until my sophomore year that I realized everyone has a different relationship to their education. Maybe some people weren’t raised in a household where education was a core value. Maybe some people had other things that they needed to make a priority, like their family or health. When I realized this, I decided it might be helpful and inspiring to learn and share how schools worked in other countries - so that we can have some perspective on our own schools and educational system.
On the afternoon of March 12th, about 50 students, teachers, and supporters gathered at Richard R. Green High school of Teaching’s small, but cozy library to hear these stories. My event, “Rethink Your Education: Be Aware. Be Grateful. Be Educated.” consisted of presentations and a panel of discussion about global education. My speakers ranged from freshmen college students to teachers who have been in the classroom for over 20 years. They came from all parts of the world, such as Scotland, Bangladesh, Korea, Italy, and South Africa. Speakers also got a chance to share a part of their culture with the audience, whether that was in the form of a song, food, dance, or video. I wanted my audience to leave having learned something about themselves, their education, and the world around them. But most of all, I wanted them to walk away with a sense gratitude and inspiration.