Meditation

After reading the article "Why we Find it Hard to Meditate" I could relate to the reasons why people don't meditate. I definitely understand the reasons as to why people find it difficult to meditate. Life gets so busy that we don't think we have the time. People think it has to be completely quiet or that they have to be still. One stigma of meditation is that you have to clear your mind of all thoughts; it surprised me to know that you don't have to do that. Its also surprising to know that we might have more than 300 thoughts during a 30 minute meditation session. I think I have a bit more personal experience with meditation than the average person. I have inconsistently practiced meditation since I was little, so I feel as though its something that is more natural to me. The first time I remember meditating was when I was little girl, probably around eight years old. I don't think I knew exactly why a person should meditate, but there I was on the floor in the middle of my room with my eyes closed. My mom asked me what I was doing, to which I replied "I'm meditating." As I grew older I have tried different types of meditation: guided meditation, labyrinths, and yoga. These were mainly one-time activities in my religion classes. My favorite type is going for walks by myself and just sitting watching the lake. The sound of the water is relaxing and calming.

The second article, "What Can the Rhythm and Flow of a Pendulum Teach Us About Balance and Personal Growth?" Draws comparison between the rhythm of a pendulum, with its highs and lows, to life. This is a fairly accurate description of life, and one I can relate to easily. A pendulum is a rod suspended that moves by gravity and momentum. This is a good analogy to my life for many reasons. I feel like there are certain high and low points in my life similar to its movement. For example, I had a good time at the dance Friday, but I was sad to find out that I did not receive a Residence Assistant position for next year. Despite the highs and lows, a pendulum usually rocks in a rhythm. My life has a rhythm, but is a bit quicker than I would like. At school I am involved in many activities and clubs on top of my classwork, which all can be a bit overwhelming. I try to maintain a balance by making sure I have time for the things I want to do as well as have to do. I sometimes take a walk by the lake by myself or read a book. I can definitely improve on things though. I plan on not procrastinating as much so I won't rush to finish things. I hope to find a way to schedule things without rushing from one activity right to another. I am trying to keep things in perspective and make sure to enjoy small "victories", such as today when my writing class was let out early so I had time to eat lunch and found that my favorite cereal was back. A pendulum is an accurate description of life.

“Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season. It is today that our best work can be done and not some future day or future year. It is today that we fit ourselves for the greater usefulness of tomorrow. Today is the seed time, now are the hours of work, and tomorrow comes the harvest and the playtime.”~W.E.B. DuBois

I think this quote is quite fitting in many ways. In general, someone has to take initiative to do a job in order to see any benefit of it. Applying this to school, we have to work hard to attain good grades in order to receive a degree. This analogy can go even further. Leaders have to work hard to make their or others' visions a reality. Not until they are done with their work will they be able to see the work pay off. I generally abide by this idea, trying to get homework done and fulfill my commitments before I do things for fun. I sometimes forget this though, especially on the weekends when I really would rather be hanging out with friends than doing schoolwork. I am trying to work on this throughout the semester.

Motivation

After last week's discussion, I have been thinking more critically about how the school to prison pipeline effects not only the youth, but the whole community in the future. Watching the "Explaining the Inequalities in Education in Chicago" video clip stated some facts I already knew about education, but others I found very surprising. For example, the fact that only 17% of 8th graders in Chicago public schools (CPS) can read proficiently and only 15% do math proficiently is surprising. Those two subjects are used in various ways throughout a person's life and are imperative for success. The single most astounding fact in the video was that law makers can determine the number of prison beds they will need based on 3rd grade literacy rates. This completely shocked me when I first heard it, but after watching it a second time it made me angry and start to question law makers. The main question is, if they can determine this by 3rd grade literacy rates, why do they not do anything to change the education system instead of ordering more prison beds? Are they that blind to the cycle of poverty and the school to prison pipeline?

I thought the video/poem "Louder Than a Bomb: High School Training Ground" was deep and powerful, especially because it comes from a student rather than an observer. His description of the school, the halls, and the lack of respect for janitors paints the picture of what it is like to be there in his position. He parallels high school to Chicago "diverse and segregated on purpose." He argues that the failing schools are just preparing young people for a future that mimics the problems and contradictions of society as a whole. I believe that this may be the case, and that it is more of a cycle, similar to the funding of schools based on their attendance rates. The more the school mimics the problems of society, the more youth are just going to accept and continue the problems or contradictions, rather than try to change them.

Here is the clip:

I think that the public education system is failing the students by not taking into account either the students or the teachers' points of view. These are imperative for the system to understand both sides. I also think the system is failing them by looking at statistics and worrying about improving individual schools rather than the system as a whole. Going back to what was mentioned in our discussion on Friday, if a CPS teacher is performing poorly they are just transferred to another CPS school and a teacher in a similar situation is moved into their position. This challenge was one that surprised me, especially because I am not from Chicago. The teachers themselves are underpaid and have numerous outside pressures to have high grade scores.

After watching the video "How Bad Do You Want It?" I realized how much determination it takes to be successful. I never thought that much about how much dedication it takes to attain something, especially a degree. My source of motivation would have to be my family and friends. Neither my parents or grandparents ever went to college, and only a few of my aunts or uncles ever did. They all want an even better life for me than they had. They make sure to congratulate me if I make the honor roll and support me in any activity I am in; my grandparents would try to come watch as many of my tennis matches as they could. My friends are another source of motivation. We push each other to be the best we can. We study together and edit each others' papers. I am also motivated by my desire to travel and learn about other cultures, especially in order to do humanitarian work. Ever since I was little I have wanted to travel and work with the environment or people. My motivators and motivation keeps me working hard towards my goals.


 I am excited and nervous to meet the students from Amundsen High School. I am hoping that we help them see what college is like and how the experience will prepare them for the real world. I want them to understand that the college experience is fun but important. I hope this experience is fun for them.

Educational Injustices

After reading the article, "Locating the School-To-Prison Pipeline", I have learned in greater detail the educational injustices in schools. I had the privilege to be able to attend private schools, so I had limited knowledge on this subject before reading this article. I knew some about the zero-tolerance policies and Acts such as No Child Left Behind, but while reading, I was shocked at the number of ways schools marginalized already at risk youth. Zero tolerance policy is when schools will give strict punishments without regards on individual circumstances. Some of the circumstances for children being expelled under the zero tolerance policy are reddiculous; bringing scissors for an art project and giving Midol to a classmate are just a few of these examples. The amount of arrests at schools are now even more numerous, especially with the increase in police as enforcers of school policies. The biggest problem, which is the one I know the most about, is the "high-stakes" testing. This is where teachers and schools are pressured to reach cirtain scores on standardized tests, so they have "an incentive to push out low-performing students" in order to keep up or improve their overall test scores. This is the most abbhorent to me because these are laws coming from the government to condone such acts. Another statistic that I found suprising and upsetting was the amount of children with disabilities in jail are four times as many than ones in school. After I was finished reading I felt very angry at the lack of justice in our education system. America should have one of the best education systems in the world, not one where children have to struggle, even against the government, to stay in school.


The video we watched, entitled "Black Males, Black Dreams", was a personal and serious, but positive video on the specific struggles of African American males to finish school. It told the story of one black male who struggled to finish school, at one point was homeless, but finished school and became a teacher. Some people interviewed were the key adults in his life who pushed him to try his best academically; his last foster parents, and a high school teacher were the three most important people that kept him on track. Like one person said in the video, "it is not the depth of your condition that determines your destiny, it is your desire and willingness to be successful." I believe this accurately sums up the video. The man should be a positive example for black male students struggling to finish school. As for public figures, I think Obama could be considered one of the biggest modern day role models for African American males trying to complete higher education.

As a STARS leader I hope to talk to students about these inequalities. I wish to listen to their points of view on the topic, to hear a different perspective. I will support them in their struggles against educational inequalities. I will practice servant leadership by encouraging their personal growth, listening to them, and being aware of the current struggles in the education system.

By working with the students throught the empowerment pipeline, I will learn to develop my servent leadership skills. I will develop my listening, healing, and commitment to the growth of people on an even deeper level through my interactions with the students. I can show them what it means to be a college student, encourage them to persue their passions, and challenge them to do their best work.

I am excited and a little nervous to meet the students from Tilden on Friday. I am excited to share my experiences and what college is like with them. I believe the student panel will be beneficial to the students to better understand college life. I am interested to see what questions they will ask and how they will respond to our responses. One-on-ones may be more beneficial if they have specific questions pertaining more to one of us, or if they are quieter. I am looking forward to meeting the students on Friday!

Servant Leader

"I wish to do something great and wonderful, but I must start by doing the little things like they are great and wonderful"~ Albert Einstein

I think this quote is very profound and best describes the way I view my leadership. I am extremely ambitious; I feel like I want to take on the world, to seek out every injustice and correct it. However, I know that I must do small things that will eventually add up to a greater action. Small everyday actions, such as saying hi to people I met through various clubs, holding the door for someone a few steps behind me, supporting friends in their various cultural clubs, and standing up for someone being bullied all are small but important actions I take be a leader on campus or the community in general.

Social justice is a term used so regularly by religious groups and politicians that it sometimes looses its meaning. It may get stretched and skewed so as to spread their beliefs and further their agendas. Meanwhile nameless humanitarians live out the term through their actions. I was taught the meaning of social justice since the beginning of  middle school through my various religion classes. Social justice to me means the equal treatment of ALL people in society. It means solidarity with others and fighting for basic human rights within a society. My class last semester, Service and Social Justice, showed how service is pertinent to taking action towards social justice. Even if it is focusing on an immediate need, it leads people to question why the need is there and what can be done to combat that in the community. Here is a clip of one musician that comes to mind when I think of social justice. 

I really liked the servant leadership workshop put on by Dr. Green of the Center for Experiential Learning. I thought the exercises he had us do were enlightening; it showed us that a leader has developed qualities and does not have to be a famous figure. The activity where we had to answer questions about ourselves really surprised me. I had seven out of ten characteristics of a servant leader! When we turned the page and read the description by Robert Greenleaf, the person who first coined the term servant leader, the first two sentences resonated with me. "Servant-leadership begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. The conscience choice brings one to aspire to lead." This is how I feel on a daily basis, and how many others would describe my personality, putting others before myself.

I believe I have traits of a servant leader. I have good listening skills; I always make sure I listen and take into account everyone's opinions. I believe I strive to help people when they need it and make sure they are alright. For example, just the other night I saw a friend doing homework in the laundry room and she was crying. I stopped in; even though she said she didn't want to talk I sat there with her and eventually she told me what was wrong. I believe this also showed empathy in a way because I told her of a similar circumstance that happened to me. I believe I have awareness; I can tell when people are feeling judging on their actions. Even though I feel I have many important traits of a servant leader, there are many that I still wish to develop.

A few traits I would like to develop are conceptualization, persuasion, and foresight. I would like to be able to find a balance of being a dreamer and being realistic about goals; I feel like I either shoot too high or low. I would also like to develop an ability to persuade people rather than using authority to make them do something. A third trait I would like to develop is my foresight of major events and the possible consequences. By knowing the consequences, both negative and positive, I could then make a decision if the positive would be worth the risk of the negative consequences.

Finally, my dream job has changed already from what I originally came into college wanting to do. I originally wanted to be a marine biologist and move to a Spanish speaking country to do research. Now, I would like to either be a research scientist helping to find solutions to pollution, or a math teacher. Either job, I believe, directly serves others. By researching pollution I would be able to make the world a cleaner place for people to live healthier lives. If I were a teacher, I would be able to help shape future generations by teaching them and sparking their interest math.