Living and growing up in Brooklyn, New York, you tend to see a lot. As a child, you have to grow up fast in order to survive, and in today’s society, that isn’t so easy anymore. Every day, students battle to go to school and get an education; but more importantly, they battle to be able to see tomorrow. Too many times, especially in 2009, we hear about these people dying, but there are too many times where it is someone young and full of life. Teens living in cities are dying well before their time; parents are forced to bury their children, and that's a serious problem. I was blessed enough to grow up with both my parents at home, to live in a safe neighborhood, and to go to a private school up until middle school – but not everyone is as lucky as I was. By high school, most teens have had their dreams crushed and feel like education is a waste of time because they’re never going to amount to anything. What’s most unfortunate about it is that this is our future! What do we do with a generation of youths who don’t even believe in themselves?
I grew up hearing “it takes a village to raise a child,” and that’s the truth. We need to serve as role models and help teach our youth that the world is vast and there are opportunities around every corner. Currently, I’m working as a substitute teacher in the school I graduated from 4 ½ years ago, Boys and Girls High School. In the heart of Bedford Stuyvesant, Boys and Girls is one of the largest high schools in the state. I know what it feels like to be overwhelmed and feel like nobody even notices you are there. While in school, our guidance counselors were so overworked that we never had time to get to know each other. My student to counselor experience consisted of a couple of meetings each yeah and a few extra meetings when I wanted to get my schedule changed. Nothing really happened until senior year when I made sure my counselor knew who I was and would do all she could do to help me in my future. But what happens to the student who doesn’t speak up? Is he doomed to be lost in the magnitude?
In my opinion, the counseling experience needs to be changed. Students are being recognized by ID numbers and schedules rather than names and faces. I want to take the counseling experience back to one where the student feels comfortable enough that he can come and talk to me whenever he feels like no one else would understand. What these kids need is someone to be there for them, someone to tell them what to do without yelling and screaming at them. They need someone to show them how to respect themselves and the people around them. I want to be able to educate him so that he understands that high school graduation should not be the end goal – that there is so much more to strive for in life. I want the youth of Boys and Girls High School to have the opportunity to go away to school – get out of the neighborhood and experience life away from Fulton Street, because only then will they learn and be able to figure out what life has in store for them.
Just because you aren’t a certified teacher doesn’t mean you can’t teach a valuable life lesson. The ability to be an effective teacher comes from having a passion for what you’re doing, and my passion is helping the people in my neighborhood. With the help of Graduate studies and a Masters in School Counseling, I hope to be able to make an effective change in the future of my community.
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This is so true. When I used to work for Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC, I said the same things you are expressing now and I still say it now working with adults. Some of these adults are our age and they are lost or starting out late in pursuing a career because no one in the school, home, or in the neighborhood took the time to advise, counsel, teach, or mentor them. Everyone perpetuated the negative instead of seeing the good in them.
ReplyDeleteMore MEN & WOMEN need to step up to the plate and take ownership of getting our children to the place they need to be.