Preview Day, Finish with Student Teaching, Diversity Forum...

I missed a week of blogging (sorry Matt). Last week was kind of busy. I was searching for volunteers for Master's Students Preview day, i was finishing up student teaching, and since I am going out of town for a diversity forum, I was trying to complete as many of my 8 papers as possible (I only managed to hash out 2!)

Tomorrow is the preview day for all accepted master's students. I did not go to my preview day, so I am really interesting in seeing how this turns out. The students will have access to so much information tomorrow, I hope everyone takes advantage of it. There will be current students, faculty, and staff member "at your service." It's going to be important to get as much info as possible and to make as many connections as possible because it will be beneficial in the upcoming school year. On my first day at GSE, orientation, I was so lost. I didn't even know my division, I only knew my program, not even the acronym of my program. I was so confused my the division and program separations and the different acronyms for everything important... I feel like if I had taken the opportunity to reach out to someone and participate in some of the activities prior to orientation...I would have had a more "knowledgeable" start.

After the preview day for everyone, we have planned a Multicultural "celebration" for the accepted students of color. Basically, this is a discussion on diversity, dinner, and mingling. I definitely could have benefited from something like this before coming to GSE. If I wasn't at GSE with Sadiyah (the other GA of color and friend/classmate since 6th grade) I probably would be miserable. Coming from an HBCU, I battled with a lot of things when I started GSE, but I think we managed to keep each other "together", then when we got involved in diversity initiatives, things got a lot easier for me.

Now on to the end of student teaching...
I haven't seen this side of the philly school system since I graduated from Central High (261) in 2002. Although I had been volunteering at my elementary school on my breaks home from Spelman, I had never spent a significant period of time in the classroom, nor have I had the opportunity to really be apart of the school community until this student teaching experience. I have learned so much, anything beyond what I could learn in my courses. I pretty much know about methods and teaching styles and putting those things into practice, but I was clueless about the politics and social aspects of what goes on this school system. As a result of testing requirements I see the students at such a disadvantage. I also see the teachers suffer: so many expectations and guidelines with not enough resources and support... I have to move on to something less depressing :(

Well, I am going to a diversity forum at University of California Santa Barbara. My main purpose for wanting to go is to see what other graduate schools are doing about diversity. I hope to new and influential people that may be able to provide me with ideas and even resources I can bring back to GSE. After speaking with a few PhD students, they informed me that this is the most diversity they have seen in GSE since they have been in their programs, this means that GSE is doing something right, but what can we do to enhance the current initiatives. Perhaps, someone will even benefit from some of the things GSE is doing...