School Autobiography Located in the suburban and almost rural parts of Harrisburg sits Central Dauphin High School, one of the largest public schools in the area, and my former high school. The school is composed of around 1,708 students with my graduating class reaching about 420 kids. The student to teacher ratio is fifteen to one which is equal to the Pennsylvania average. Not surprisingly, our school has a 23% minority enrollment ratio which is 8% less than the Pennsylvania average. Also, only 16% of the students at Central Dauphin qualify for free lunch. When you compare these numbers with our sister school, Central Dauphin East High School, there are some surprising results. Central Dauphin East has a 65% minority enrollment rate with …show more content…
I started taking advanced, honors, and AP classes as soon as I was allowed, starting primarily in middle school. After I began taking these courses, I started noticing that my classes were composed of the same grouping of students. Sometimes, I wouldn’t see a few of my other friends all day unless it was at lunch or between classes. I tended to realize that students who had both parents at home with stable jobs and more money tended to be in the honors and AP courses. People self-segregated in various ways at my school. Along with age, students separated by sport, arts, music, popularity, and wealth. Usually, freshman and sophomores rode the bus until they got their license while the rest of the students and staff drove to school. All our teachers and administrative staff were white while our janitorial staff consisted of other races and …show more content…
It was a big transition for me to come from Central Dauphin to Temple and be surrounded by so many exceptional individuals. The thing I most valued from this exercise was reiterating the importance of academics but also learning the worth of social acceptance. It is never okay to judge, make fun of, or attack someone else for being different from you. Diversity should be celebrated, not hidden. Although I am thankful for my strong education and the academic opportunities I was given, I think there is a lot more I need to learn about other cultures and races that could never be learned within the walls of my high school. I am at college to continue my education but to also start a new journey into the “real world” composed of all the wonderful beauties and colors that human kind consists
Chamblee, GA is a small city outside of the metro Atlanta area that is characteristically different racially and ethnically than everything around it. The Hispanic population stands at 58.5% of the total population as of 2010, but in Atlanta and Georgia more broadly, this population only makes up 5.2% and 8.8% respectively. Additionally, only 7% of Chamblee’s population is Black, whereas this group is 54% of Atlanta’s population and 30.5% of Georgia’s. However, my alma mater, Chamblee Charter High School, stood out from the city itself being an amalgamation of a magnet program and a charter public school, bringing in students from around the county with significant representation from the Chamblee area as well. Consequently, the school’s
Park Middle is located in Scotch Plains, New Jersey and is one of two middle schools within the town. On average there are 930 students enrolled at Park over the past three years (See Appendix A, Table A1). Additionally, Scotch Plains’ population consists of 77.4% White citizens, but is also composed of 11.1% of African Americans, 7.7% Asian, and 6.7% Hispanic citizens (see Appendix B, Table B1). The town’s population is largely representative of the school’s demographics (see Appendix C, Graph C1). When referencing the school’s performance on district benchmarks and state testing, Park Middle School has met most of their established targets. However, even with most established targets met, certain subgroups are in need of further attention
In addition to the students who does not fit into these categories, they were considered as “others”. One of the questions I had asked Ms. Elena is “when you were in high school, was social class, gender, and race classified?” She explained that “in high school, I remember much emphasis placed on race and ethnicity. There were many rallies discussing how our school was a melting pot of various races. That didn’t seem to make a difference; however, because when I think back to the different cliques of students, I remember various races segregating themselves from others such as Filipinos, Whites, African American Asians, etc. The different groups did not seem to meld together at school or outside gathering.” In her book “Women Without Class”, Bettie argued that “a primary way students understand class and racial/ethnic differences about themselves is through their informal peer hierarchy, with cliques and their corresponding styles largely organized by racial/ethnic and class identities” (Bettie, pg. 49). With that said, Bettie explained that the way students understand class racial/ethnic difference is by their own complementary with peers because they build their racial/ethnic and class identities together. In addition to this, I followed up that question to briefly tell me how social class was describe throughout her school days. She briefly told me: “I went to
My mother’s irate words echoed deep in my heart for years as I tried to understand the simple words she would constantly repeat to me, “When will you ever change?” As a child, I was well known for being that foolish kid who would be put in the back of the class with his seat facing the wall. Eyes facing a blank white wall, fingernails tapping the desk, head down, and the smell of exasperation in the air. I was the type of boy who would sprint through the hallways cackling, furthermore resulting in repeatedly get scowled at by teachers for my obscene and inordinate behavior. In hindsight, I realized Freshman year after pulling the fire alarm that my behavior needed to have a parameter and come to a complete termination. Consequently, I spent the entire Summer in my room contemplating my life and my decisions.
From Kindergarten up to my sophomore year of High School I attended a private school. My elementary school and high school were slightly diverse. The majority of the student body was Caucasian and the rest were made up of several other races. My school environment was very structured and controlled. I had some great teachers and one or two bad teachers. Around fifth grade I started to notice the way teachers perceived me and the challenges I would deal with due to the color of my skin. There were
The school that I work in is located in Frederick, Maryland. We have nearly 800 students that attend Kindergarten through 5th grade, and with diverse backgrounds. The school is located in a very prosperous neighborhood, with several additional sections of townhomes and apartment complexes which house Section 8. All of these are within walking distance to the school. In Frederick County there are over 2,500 ELL students and more than 11,000 that are FARM (Free And Reduced Meals) students. Our graduation rate is superb with an over 93% graduation rate and a 3.5% dropout rate. This
America’s school system and student population remains segregated, by race and class. The inequalities that exist in schools today result from more than just poorly managed schools; they reflect the racial and socioeconomic inequities of society as a whole. Most of the problems of schools boil down to either racism in and outside the school or financial disparity between wealthy and poor school districts. Because schools receive funding through local property taxes, low-income communities start at an economic disadvantage. Less funding means fewer resources, lower quality instruction and curricula, and little to no community involvement. Even when low-income schools manage to find adequate funding, the money doesn’t solve all the school’s
Jewish, white, upper middle class, I have always been lucky. My surroundings remind me of this daily. Pikesville High School is a melting pot of differences, with kids from high class families with parents who attended schools like Harvard, Yale, MIT and then kids on the total other spectrum. We have students in their sophomore year of school, reading at a fifth grade level. Many of the attendees of my school have blinded themselves to these
Clear Lake High School, I read that from my window car, the dance class is waiting for me. I roll my eyes, yes, it is those days when the only thing that you would lean at the pillow and look at the wall thinking and how your future is going. I heard my mom's music, halleluiah, my mom has goods likes at the music. I stared to mutter the lyrics when it came to my mind. "I find a new reason for me, to changes who I used to be". Finally, the red-light changes to green and my mom left me at the mean door of the place that is close to the martyrdom. I stared to walk across the hallways. Looking at al the trophies that my school has. I had to admit how cool my school is.
Leaving high school I was consistently in the majority: I co-captained my basketball team and was always welcome to play. In my Bronx experience overall, I often felt racist, close-minded, and self-centered because of the reactions that I was having internally with this new environment. And even more I felt ashamed for this. I quickly wanted to escape back to Ann Arbor to be back in the majority, but I didn’t want anybody to feel bad for me. I knew that what I was thinking was mostly wrong, but I also felt it was human. Large paradigm shifts in one’s life often come with large sentiments, both good and bad. Also, I felt that my experience in the Bronx became easier and easier as I integrated and adjusted. As the shock to my system eased my feelings eased, too. I eventually began to feel extremely connected to the Bronx, the differing cultures, and even my almost omnipresent
Currently, I am student teaching at Alfred E. Zampella PS #27 School in the district of Jersey City. The school is located in a busy city, next to John F. Kennedy St. which is especially busy in the morning and during rush hour. This results in several late students on a day to day basis. On the other hand, this school is also highly accessible and as a little over a thousand students. The school has grade levels from kindergarten to 8th grade, and has a mix of general, special, and inclusion education classrooms. Typically, families that enroll their students into this school are of lower-middle socio-economic class, and tend to be majority Hispanic, Indian, and African American, with few Caucasians and Asians. This school provides a variety of special programs for their ESL students and special need students. Students may be offered speech language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, ESL programs, reading recovery, and counseling.
Vividly, I can remember walking through the high school doors for the first time as a freshman with shaky legs and a nervous heartbeat. The school was a jungle of wide, shiny hallways filled with lumbering seniors who I thought were going to knock my books down on Freshman Friday. However, time has passed, and now I find myself to be the tall and “scary” senior. As I ponder about the last four years I have spent at Little Falls Community High School, I can not help but realize how much I have changed for the better. As I have matured, I have gleaned that beauty does not come through makeup and clothing brands, but rather through processing a good heart. Also, I have changed my career and college plans after high school, and I know that I will
The practice of ethnic separation and segregation is common on every college and university campus. Since this practice has happened through history, it is remarkable that this has only been recognized recently as a true problem (Jacobs, 2). Segregation has hampered America as long as it has existed. Ethnicity and segregation was nearly the cause of this country splitting apart during the Civil War. Since then reformation and hard work has attempted to bring unity to this country. Though today, college students have regressed, university pupils are "standing by" their own and are not branching out to those who are unlike them in ethnicity. People in general, but more specifically college students
Education is an integral part of society, School helps children learn social norms as well as teach them to be successful adults. The school systems in United States, however are failing their students. In the world as a whole, the United States is quickly falling behind other countries in important math and reading scores. The United States ranked thirtieth in math on a global scale and twentieth in literacy. This is even more true in more urban, lower socio-economic areas in the United States. In West Trenton Central High School was only 83% proficiency in literacy and only 49% of the students were proficient in math. These school have lower test scores and high dropout rates. Many of these students come from minority backgrounds and are often form low income families. There are many issues surrounding these urban schools. There is a severe lack of proper funding in these districts, and much of the money they do receive is sanctioned for non-crucial things. Schools also need a certain level of individualization with their students, and in many urban classes, this simply does not happen. While there are many factors affecting the low performance of urban schools, the lack of proper funding and distribution of funds, the cultural divide between teachers and students in urban districts, along with the lack of individualization in urban classrooms are crucial factors to explain the poor performance in these districts. Through a process of teacher lead budget committees and
I have come to realize that diversity allows students to polish one another, leading to the depolarization of students and thus more rounded individuals. I have traveled a rather non-traditional path, and feel strongly that I can benefit others and feel just as strongly that I can benefit from them. The challenges I have faced, the community where I grew up, and my work experience all contribute to my individuality.