Taking your education for granted
haffajappa
British Columbia Posts: 5,955
I just started a new job as a teacher's assistant in an Adult Pre-Literacy class...
Some of these people have never been to school in their lives, and none of them speak English.
Its actually really rewarding, they all try so hard to learn English - some are really eager.
I'm working with a man from Afghanistan who was never fortunate enough to go to school... Today he finally grasped the first three letters of our alphabet... It's taken 3 classes to do it... And i felt so happy when he did! It's like teaching a 6 year old who has zero literacy skills (even in his native language) and zero English skills... only he's about 45 so its very, very difficult for him (Children can learn new languages and concepts much easier). He's struggling but good on him for trying!!
It also makes me think, how as someone from an awesome country where we get education (and especially as a female!) you take things like that for granted. Like we piss and moan some times about going to school as kids, when others in other countries would give their left arm to go to school.
Now I just wish the government would take it a little more seriously and fund our school boards properly!!
Some of these people have never been to school in their lives, and none of them speak English.
Its actually really rewarding, they all try so hard to learn English - some are really eager.
I'm working with a man from Afghanistan who was never fortunate enough to go to school... Today he finally grasped the first three letters of our alphabet... It's taken 3 classes to do it... And i felt so happy when he did! It's like teaching a 6 year old who has zero literacy skills (even in his native language) and zero English skills... only he's about 45 so its very, very difficult for him (Children can learn new languages and concepts much easier). He's struggling but good on him for trying!!
It also makes me think, how as someone from an awesome country where we get education (and especially as a female!) you take things like that for granted. Like we piss and moan some times about going to school as kids, when others in other countries would give their left arm to go to school.
Now I just wish the government would take it a little more seriously and fund our school boards properly!!
live pearl jam is best pearl jam
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I taught in a nursing program for a couple of years and many of the students were first-generation Americans or were from very depressed socioeconomic backgrounds. From Africa, the Caribbean, India... only a few white students. The median age was something like 35, they all had day jobs, and many of them had children. To a person, they were never unprepared and they fully participated.
There's a point in a nursing program when the student has completed the academic and clinical requirements and is eligible to take the licensure exam, although they are still in school. It's a big deal because nursing school is such a grind. They hold a pinning ceremony in which each student is given a pin with the school logo.
Those students were amazing. The pinning was a HUGE deal, and many of them came with extended families. I'll never forget one of my students who had her parents, her husband, his family, their kids... including a little boy maybe 7 years old who was in a SUIT.
They took it so seriously and it really made me appreciate how much I'd taken for granted and how lucky we are if we want to go school and are able make that happen.
I'm glad you're there helping this group. I bet you'll love it...
I really am enjoying it.
I lucked out as my mom is an ESL teacher (and a very popular one at that... go mom!) and she happened to hear about the position and set me up an interview with her bosses... Its my first grown-ups job... I can't believe i get paid vacation time!
But in all seriousness, I do love it.
There is one girl from Colombia, however, who comes like an hour late every class and is always on her phone its quite annoying. But she is learning quickly because i speak a little bit of spanish and so does the teacher, so we can teach her easilly... she's really up beat though its just too bad she's so tardy and rude when it comes to her phone.
There is a man from India, he must be in his 70's.... good on him! Seriously, a lot of people that age don't even bother learning the new language! And believe me, there is a large Indian, Chinese, and lately Korean population in B.C. where you can easilly survive without learning English... So I really give this guy credit for pushing himself. He's a funny guy too
You had me until the comment about government. It's the government that has screwed up the education system in this country. It should all go private.
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
private? ... so, corporations can influence the curriculum ... where climate change doesn't exist and the concepts of evolution are to be forgotten? ...
I'm not talking about corporations, but it seems to me that large corporations have more impact on the government than they would on smaller entities trying to run local schools.
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
corporations would love nothing more than to get their hands on kids while they are easily influenced ... they already fund lunch programs and have exclusivity on pop distribution ... privatizing in essence also means that the best education is only available to those who can afford it ...
You might consider putting a stop to that. Do you do an announcement at the beginning about shutting off cell phones and pagers? If you do, and she continues to do it, you could ask to speak with her as the group is leaving and let her know that you find it highly distracting when she's on the phone, and that if you're bothered about it, the other students surely are.
If you point it out kindly she may get the message.
Or, you could take the phone out of her hands and throw it out the window.
But the late hting really bothers me... the program that this class is running under is actually funded by taxpayers money, these people don't have to pay a cent and some of them take it for granted.
...I'm talking about the B.C. government, not federal.
They have annihilated school board budgets...
I think what he means is so poor kids can't go to school... only the kids who's parents make money.
Because... what else could this possibly mean?
...
Oh... except in the case of private Religious schools... so, the kids won't be fucked up with all that science nonsense and learn only about Creationism... you know... like God intended.
Hail, Hail!!!
Ahh...the babble from the close minded crew...
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
well ... that was a well thought out and informative point ...
Seriously though, to Cosmo's first point... Would the schools still be funded by tax dollars? How could families who can't afford it, send their kids to a decent school?
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
Why not tell her to leave and come on time or not come at all?
I used to work at a community school helping with summer schools for kids, trust me... a lot of their parents would NOT be able to afford private school...
But if there's a private school that can give free education and still carry on effectively and efficiently teaching kids (with none of the, we'll "get to evolution" if we get to it [but we don't plan on getting to it]" scientific motto) i'd love to know!
Our health system has taken a blow because of our idiotic provincial government - but I (and don't kid yourself, a lot of British Columbians) still wouldn't want to see it privatized.. the same goes for education!
This pretty much says it all... file the opposition away as 'Closed-Minded' and don't address the arbitrary or vague statement used as a debate point.
...
Nice try... but you still get an 'F' on this one.
Hail, Hail!!!