But Why Ed Policy?

I was caught off guard a few days ago when someone asked me why I was interested in working in education policy. The question was so basic but unexpected. I could have just chosen to be a teacher. Or I could be doing something else that would for sure pay the bills. Instead I have sacrificed a year of my life to service, working with high school students in an AmeriCorps position, all because I want a chance to be able to one day research and redesign the american school system. This question was a good one though, why am I so interested in education policy, and why have I given up so much of my time and money for this? It almost felt like destiny, as though I was following a path with one destination. I had hated school and experienced discrimination in many forms while growing up. I was black, female, and low-income. I had ADHD and grew up largely dependent on government services. I thirsted for knowledge, but hated the institution that provided it to me. Education was meant for everyone, but I still felt shut out and forgotten. The school system saw my identity, the intersections that made me, and they put me in a category and on a track for failure. I was deemed a black girl with an “attitude”, someone who was oppositional and defiant.

Despite all of these negative labels, I maintained my passion for learning. My family built me up and encouraged me to continue to learn. And so I did until I was eventually accepted into an elite college in New England. Over the course of 4 years I learned at a rapid rate, I studied sociology and education. I started to realize my anger and disappointment was valid, and it was based in an unfair system that had attempted to throw me away. I now know that my story is not unique. Many people feel that the school system, that society, had no use for them and labeled them before they even had a chance.

If education is supposed to be the great equalizer what does this say about the american school system? Where is our equity and justice? I want every child to know that they matter. I want everyone to learn about their history and their know their future and not feel fear because of it. Young black and brown children should be able to hold their heads high in pride at who they are and what they represent. We all deserve a chance at happiness, and as it currently stands, it appears impossible. I want to see a young teen be able to confidently go on to college and not feel impostor syndrome just because of her race and class background. I want for our country to thrive, and that cannot happen if our most vulnerable are not even or acknowledged as human in our public schools, the one place where we are told that everyone has a shot. This is why I am interested in education policy, because change has to happen in the only ways this country recognizes. Through the law and protests.  

 

The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Did you hear about the rose that grew

from a crack in the concrete?

Proving nature’s law is wrong it

learned to walk without having feet.

Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,

it learned to breathe fresh air.

Long live the rose that grew from concrete

when no one else ever cared.