My Views On My Life

“Why fit in when you can stand out?” You have been told this your whole life. But whose responsibility is it to find out where you fit in, yours? Or your peers? Your adolescent years are all about trying to not stand out, and trying just as hard to fit in with the “in crowd.” You use more energy trying to “fit in,” instead of just spending all your energy on being who you really are. A group of friends are suppose to have things in common, but that is hard when everyone is putting up a fake persona. It is the student body’s responsibility to make sure that everyone has a place they can fit in and be themselves. People spend their whole lives trying to “fit in,” while the people who “stand out” are the ones who become something. Think

Being a woman was always the largest piece of my identity. I focused my attention the oppression that comes with identifying as a woman. I resisted against the ideals of patriarchy and spent time in college starting a club that promoted and supported women in business fields. However, I never stopped to think about the intersection of my identities and how my other identities

In high school, I had a broad understanding of my own classmates’ identities. The things that made them who they are were commonly known. This included socio-economic background, religion, where they lived, and what their parents did for a living. We each had various attributes that played into how we learned, or interacted. Despite our differences, we overall were very similar in the pure fact that we our parents were dedicated to our education, and thus sent us to a private school. Observing at Clay High School, I have seen how different this factor may be other students. The class which I observe is a remediation course. This means that the students are under their reading levels, and may come from backgrounds where parents are not as involved. These kids have bigger things to worry about than a grade. Also, I have noticed that public school teachers may have a different approach than private school teachers. They have a bigger class ratio, which means that an individual relationship with students is harder to maintain. Overall, I have observed how diversity and various environmental factors play into student development and how the teacher acknowledges this.

As far as identity and experiences go, I can easily follow how their effects mold my values and perception of the world. Many aspects of my education and childhood, for example, correspond pretty directly with general areas of privilege. I am White, able-bodied, and have always lived in relative safety. These are traits that I, and others like me, often take for granted, paying little attention to the societal structures that arbitrate them as advantages. Even among the places where my identity does deviate from dominant culture, many seem trivial within a bigger picture: born while my mother was in college, only one parent with a degree, a young childhood with much less money than I remember having in my later years. These, and many others, of course, had their impacts, but not on a scale that prepares me for bigger issues. In many ways, I have led a privileged life, and truthfully, this has made me apprehensive about whether I actually have any qualification that legitimizes me as an authority over countless students whose stories I can barely even fathom in the abstract.

I was also experiencing an identity issue. I always felt a tremendous pressure to conform to the normal ideas of the group. This often made feel me more apprehensive about expressing myself. It was vital to fit in and being different meant you were ridiculed. I had unpleasant experience being slammed into a locker a few times because a kid did not like the way I talked and looked. One of the ways I conformed to the group’s expectations was by dating a girl in class. When I was around her, I felt awkward, but I went along with it because it was the normal thing to do have a girlfriend. I had some good experience too; there were many teachers that I really enjoyed. Mr. Snare was my favorite teacher he made my feel like I mattered, he was the one that I when I had a problem academically and social, he helped me thought

Worldview is one’s way of knowing and it is the foundation for interpreting both language and culture. Dr. Smart, my professor of anthropology, emphasized the insider’s perspective to be crucial when understanding others. It was this lecture that we dissected the Chinese character for family (家) into its individual radicals, and the deeply intertwined nature of language, culture, and worldview became apparent. Influential professors like Dr. Smart have inspired me to pursue teaching within a cultural context and have reignited my childhood fascination with Japan. Thus, I am applying for the Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) Position in the JET Program. JET would afford me the incredible opportunity to combine my interest in Japan with my desire to teach. As an ALT, I will work to understand the world from my students’ perspectives while building a capability in crafting learning experiences unique for each student.

Impact of gender on mine and my family’s lives and how it may influence my future

To speak on behalf of my gendered life, I will have to reference my family quite a lot. My gendered experience is something I experience every waking moment of my life, but it is something that has been highly influenced by my family. I will be writing about how my race, ethnicity, gender, sex, nationality, able bodiness, citizenship, religion, and class shaped my experiences. My intersectionality has provided me opportunities in some instances and oppression in others.

Having been a member of Brooklyn Technical High School's student body, I have been given the opportunity to be part of one of the most, if not the most diverse school in the United States. Although this is true, members of my ethnicity are grossly underrepresented in my school. While this may be unfortunate, over my school years I have learned to take this "disadvantage" and use it to my own advantage. Being the only African-American in some of my classes presented me with two options: Sulk over the fact that I was "alone" in terms of ethnicity, or allow the various cultures of other ethnicities influence me, while at the same time doing the same service to the students in my classes. I chose the latter, and I believe that it was the best possible decision for me to make, because without it, I would still be absolved in my own culture, ignorant of those around me. It goes further than this, however. The

I would describe my worldview towards the environment as a biocentrism person. This means I value all things. I also value plants and animals, which means I also have a Conservation Ethic. In general, I believe people should conservation the environment. Other people may have different worldviews, such as anthropocentrism and ecocentrism. People who have those views believe that make changes to improve human quality of life. I do not agree with these views because I think we should not be selfish. If we become selfish we will forget about all the resources we need.

My community of Lisle is a small, predominantly caucasian, middle-class town. I can walk down the hallway and recite the first name, last name, and a fun fact of about 70% my peers. However, there are not many minorities students in the honors and AP classes. At times, I would feel out of place in these classes not because of my intelligence, but because of the stereotypes others make about my race. Labels and groups were so prominent and I did not fit comfortably into any single category. I liked being on the math team, playing soccer, and spending time with friends. But the academics, athletes, and social crowds were distinct, and people seemed to only interact with those of the same race. Nonetheless, at Lisle High School, we have a common saying, “One Pride”

Within each and every individual lies a set of beliefs that help set the foundation and fundamentals of his or her existence. These beliefs are uniquely crafted from one's own experience and personal choices, or established through an others' personal influences or doctrine. No matter the scenario, these beliefs determine an individuals' priorities, justify their actions, help determine what he or she is fond of and aids them in answering some of life's challenging questions. Most importantly these beliefs create a standard guide of living for each and every person. It is these very beliefs that define and constitute a person's worldview; the central system that ones uses to explain life and all its components. Each individual's

Gender roles have a significant impact on the way we see ourselves and others. These roles are learned through our behavior patterns, obligations and privileges that are considered appropriate for each sex. Personally, I view myself as being considerate, emotional, gentle, home oriented, and passive. My parents raised me to portray these feminine characteristics from the day I was born and to act a certain way in our society. Males on the other hand are perceived to be active, aggressive, competitive, dominant, ambitious, and independent. My brother developed all of these described traits. Throughout my childhood and teen years, many agents affected my gender role in society. School, peers, mass media, family and religion all impacted the way I view gender socialization. These agents create and maintain an expectation for gender –related behavior. From the moment I was born, my parents instilled “accepted” gender roles into my life. Society expects us to conform to our gender role based on our sex.

The focus of my paper is to show how my gender, race and class have influenced how I’ve grown up and decided to live my life. The way I see myself has changed since I was younger; I have become more independent, strong-willed, and less concerned about what others think of me. One thing I’ve notice that has made a drastic change is the way I’ve noticed privilege and general worries because of my gender, race or class.

Everyone has their own unique beliefs and motives that push them through their lives. I have many different beliefs instilled in me that mold my day to day life. These beliefs have been formed either by learning from my parents, or by personal experiences. One major conviction of mine is the pursuit of happiness. There are many ways to strive for happiness, and all people are unique in the fact that no one shares the same goals. My happiness comes from a core of beliefs. Religion is an extremely important part of my life, and I can thank my mother and father for that. Another belief of mine is that hard work pays off; in many situations I have been shown that a good work ethic goes a long way in being successful. I also believe in being an optimist throughout life’s trials and tribulations. Many things can upset me in day to day experiences; however, I believe it to be crucial to obtain a joyous attitude. These beliefs have become priorities to me and carry me through my life, and help me to succeed.