For most of my education experience, I can compare my path to most of my friends but only within my school. If I had to compare myself to my friends from other schools who have had more opportunities within their school district, the quality feels 1000 times better. However, I think I when I compare myself to someone else’s situation when they have a worse school district that I do, I’m grateful with what education that I have at this point and time.
I think it would be hard to pin point. I know in education there are several ways to decrease social inequality but finding where to start is a bit difficult. Such as when you want to give opportunities to students like being able to give out different classes, instead of the standard classes to kids. I’ve had different friends who tell me they’re having “so much fun” in their jewelry making class. I couldn’t even get more than a Spanish class for an elective! I am grateful that I was able to get the education that I have, but not enough people are willing to be teachers, not enough students are willing to put in the work and want to learn.
Some of my old school friends who either went to college for a few semesters or didn’t go at all, have equal or better lives than the friends who did go to college. The friends who did go have applied to more than 100 jobs within a few months and still can’t find a job. Friends who didn’t go, started their own businesses, started families, and making a living doing side jobs. I have a few weeks left of my semester until I get my degree and I still wonder if I made the right decision going to school.
I would start make a policy in early childhood and then higher education afterward. I think someone had mentioned in class that governments need to give more money to school districts to help with teacher pay, class materials, and improve quality of life to schools. I remember reading through the savage inequalities article and learning about the kids in St. Louis. Of course kids wouldn’t want to go to school. They have no interest in learning, nor was it even considered a safe space them. Maybe there can be more funds towards schools to give them a safe space during the day. Creating smaller classrooms with 10-15 kids so teachers can focus on individual teaching for ones that are behind. Extracurricular activities that make kids want to be there and tutoring.
