When looking around the Western Washington University campus there are an abundant amount opportunities to enhance someones life other than your own. Though helping others is your mission, take the time to look at yourself as an individual and how this experience is benefiting you. A few opportunities to do this around our campus can be seen when getting involved in organizations like Ethnic Student Center (ESC), or Compass to Campus.
ESC
The mission of the ESC is to present a confront zone for students that are seen as "underrepresented" upon our campus. In this space students interact with colleagues, faculty, and stuff, forming a supportive environment that everyone is welcomed. While engaged in the creation of this environment mentoring, guidance, and networking emerge as factors needed in order to sustain this environment. To get involved in within the ESC contact Michael Vendiola at Micheal.Vendiola@wwu.edu or just simply stop in the ESC located in VU 420.
Compass to Campus (CtoC)
Compass to Campus is a program that is created to implement the mindset of higher education in students who primary think that college isn't in their future. To install this mindset students of Western Washington University volunteer there time to mentor our young youth of the future. A few ways to mentor students are through support, guidance, increased awareness of life options, and many other experiences with the youth. If you would like to enjoy this experience of enriching these youth contact Cyndie Shepard at Cyndie.Shepard@wwu.edu, go down to the CtoC offices located in the bottom floor of Miller Hall, or just simply register for the course Education 297A ro B.
Though I have only provided us with two examples Western provides many other opportunities to get involved. There are many service learning opportunities, courses, and organizations that focus on getting involved. So if you haven't started yet start now because it never hurts to think about others and taking yourself out of the equation.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
What I took away from the VU
When looking at my VU experience I would say all around it was an important experience. The tour as well as the Q & A with Dean Ted Pratt opened my eyes to new ways to enhance my experience with my mentee.
How does the VU tour incorporate with mentoring?
When looking at my VU tour what I took from it was an opportunity to educate myself on something that I may later use as a mentor. When thinking about my experience I often think of coming in as a freshman really confused about how to get around in the not only the VU, but also campus in general. I had the feeling that "I wish someone would show me around this place because I'm just lost." Though little interaction is made, mentoring takes place simply because an individual took time to help me better understand an issue that I face. As the Dean said, "mentoring comes in many ways and you'll never know how a little interaction may help an individual take the next step to success."
With this experience along with the current tour I can now provide the guidance to other individual that I failed to receive. Within mentoring this tour was useful due to the fact that I now have a better feeling of my surrounding, allowing me to pass my knowledge on to others. It is a big way to find commonalities with experiences that you have faced in your past, that other individuals currently are facing. You now have another opportunity to educate someone on something he or she may not know.
How Dean Ted Pratt enhanced my perspective on mentoring...
With the Q & A with the dean there was a lot of important facts provided regarding mentoring. A few being mentors come in all shapes and sizes, mentoring is transitional (mentor--> mentee and mentee-->mentor), and the language of the listener. From these many factors I feel that the most important is the term "language of the listener." With the constant struggle to interact with our mentees I feel this term applies to us all. Language of the listen is described as
taking yourself and adapting to your environment. An example of this can be seen through Dean Ted Pratt's experience. During work with the WWU admission office Ted job was to recruit students to come to WWU. When recruiting some of the environments that he went into were low income areas, Indian reservations, and anywhere else where there was an opportunity to plant a seed of college in students. When going into these environments he dealt with multiple perspectives, cultures, and experiences which forced him to change hats in order to be more relatable to the consumers. By putting his mission into their language it allowed him to the get students, parents, and others to feel more conformable and relax, knowing that he knows their experience and where they come from.
When finishing the tour and Q & A with Dean Ted Pratt I would say I received an abundant amount of information that I can use when mentoring. I came out of this experience more educated about the VU as well as ways to better myself as a mentor.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Educating our Black Children
Though I did my book review on "Handbook of Research on Literacy and Diversity I found interest in the book Educating our Black Children New Directions and Radical Approach. This book is of interested because not only does is focus on an aspect of mentoring, it also looks at disparities faced by the African American community in regards to the education system. Since we are not assigned 2 book reports I decided to do a mini book report because I feel that this is an issues everyone should atleast acknowledge is happening.
Educating our Black Children: New Direction and Radical Approaches
This book was selected due to the fact that as an African American male I feel that it is my duty to explore and educate myself on the constant suppression of my people. Though continuing to educate myself on this issue, I am no stranger to the struggles faced. Coming up I witnessed the many of the same problems Majors speaks on in his book. With this said, I hope to learn more about the struggle faced, but also ways of contributing to solve this ongoing issue. Having said this, as many have looked at in the past Major focuses on the failure to incorporate blacks within our education system, while doing this he and other scholars produce ways of correcting these issues.
Major starts his book by explaining to his readers the current state of blacks within the education system. He looks at the United States as well as the United Kingdom, comparing them to see how two totally different systems may face the same issues when speaking on African Americans in education. In comparison he finds both systems face many of the same factors such as black exclusion, racism in schools, treatment differences, and much more that explain why there are disparities in the system occur. Out of these factors Major believes that the deep history of racism in society produces the inequality in education. Other scholars agree with his point of the deep imbedded history of racism, but also believe that others factors contribute to the gap within the system. As the book continues it goes into detail explaining how these factors contribute to the limitations that are put on black students in education.
Major continues in part I of his book by looking at ways to tackle historical and contemporary education problems. It is here where the collection of essays chosen for part one focuses on policies related to education that continue to hold black students back. After reading part one it forces its readers to look at these polices and attempt to make a difference. One example of making a difference can be seen in the second essay of part one by Maud Blair. In the essay she explains that often times in school curriculum there is little representation of black culture. She says, “one of the concerns that black students have is that there histories are excluded from what is considered to be valuable knowledge in the school curriculum. Not only is it excluded, moreover, but what exists is sometimes is sometimes found to be eurocentric or racist.”
In parts II,III, and IV the book continues to speak upon issues of inequality in the education environment. As issues emerge the book then provides theory and plans of action in order to solve these problems.
When looking this book it provides a model for society that specifies how to do things right when dealing with Africans Americans in education. For years African Americans have suffered from constant inequality, discrimination, and racism within the education system. As time continues and our society gradually rights its wrongs, Major and other scholars contribute a system that works to better the experience of African Americans in the education system. An example of this can be seen when Major explains shows how the implementation of programs, mentoring, and more will increase the likelihood of achievement amongst the African American students. As success continues we must continue to use the model that Major has provided us because the fight for equity within education is an ongoing issue.
Educating our Black Children: New Direction and Radical Approaches edited by Richard Majors. London and New York: Routledge Publishing: 2001. 271 pp.
Educating our Black Children: New Direction and Radical Approaches
This book was selected due to the fact that as an African American male I feel that it is my duty to explore and educate myself on the constant suppression of my people. Though continuing to educate myself on this issue, I am no stranger to the struggles faced. Coming up I witnessed the many of the same problems Majors speaks on in his book. With this said, I hope to learn more about the struggle faced, but also ways of contributing to solve this ongoing issue. Having said this, as many have looked at in the past Major focuses on the failure to incorporate blacks within our education system, while doing this he and other scholars produce ways of correcting these issues.
Major starts his book by explaining to his readers the current state of blacks within the education system. He looks at the United States as well as the United Kingdom, comparing them to see how two totally different systems may face the same issues when speaking on African Americans in education. In comparison he finds both systems face many of the same factors such as black exclusion, racism in schools, treatment differences, and much more that explain why there are disparities in the system occur. Out of these factors Major believes that the deep history of racism in society produces the inequality in education. Other scholars agree with his point of the deep imbedded history of racism, but also believe that others factors contribute to the gap within the system. As the book continues it goes into detail explaining how these factors contribute to the limitations that are put on black students in education.
Major continues in part I of his book by looking at ways to tackle historical and contemporary education problems. It is here where the collection of essays chosen for part one focuses on policies related to education that continue to hold black students back. After reading part one it forces its readers to look at these polices and attempt to make a difference. One example of making a difference can be seen in the second essay of part one by Maud Blair. In the essay she explains that often times in school curriculum there is little representation of black culture. She says, “one of the concerns that black students have is that there histories are excluded from what is considered to be valuable knowledge in the school curriculum. Not only is it excluded, moreover, but what exists is sometimes is sometimes found to be eurocentric or racist.”
In parts II,III, and IV the book continues to speak upon issues of inequality in the education environment. As issues emerge the book then provides theory and plans of action in order to solve these problems.
When looking this book it provides a model for society that specifies how to do things right when dealing with Africans Americans in education. For years African Americans have suffered from constant inequality, discrimination, and racism within the education system. As time continues and our society gradually rights its wrongs, Major and other scholars contribute a system that works to better the experience of African Americans in the education system. An example of this can be seen when Major explains shows how the implementation of programs, mentoring, and more will increase the likelihood of achievement amongst the African American students. As success continues we must continue to use the model that Major has provided us because the fight for equity within education is an ongoing issue.
Educating our Black Children: New Direction and Radical Approaches edited by Richard Majors. London and New York: Routledge Publishing: 2001. 271 pp.
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