Jefferson High School

Degree Earned:
High School Diploma

Thoughts:
My experience at Jefferson High School, for all the good and bad that I can call, is perhaps the most fundamental reason why I want to become a Secondary education teacher.  Graduation Day in June of 1996 was a joyous occasion, but the glee I felt was brief and short lived.  Over the previous four years, my friends and I continually joked about how Jefferson was a “kick-back” school, one where a majority of students contrived numerous strategies to graduate by doing the least amount of work.  I concerned myself with my academic studies to a certain extent, enough to graduate, and knowing that I wanted to attend college I managed to learn a little something in the process.  However, in preparation for my first year at San Francisco State University, it soon dawned on me that I was ill equipped with the necessary skills for academic success – good study habits, a mastery of basic skills, and a clear understanding of what to expect once in college.  In lieu of my situation, I also reflected on the experience of my fellow classmates.  A select few received scholarships to top universities (UC Berkeley and UCLA in particular) and I was clearly envious, others were headed to State universities, as was I, and another core group planned to attend trade school or enter the local community college system.

Over the years I kept in contact with several of my classmates and a common sentiment we all share is that Jefferson did not prepare us for college.  Each of us has our own unique story of how we managed to survive our freshman year and, by sheer determination, we learned to succeed academically.  For those who continued there are numerous who dropped-out very early on, some for economic reasons, and a majority for the lack of necessary skills and the means to attain them.  Our experiences may not be uncommon, but much more of a trend, the legacies of attending an under funded and under performing school.  There was not much learning taking place at Jefferson and for all the looming change that was to come, nothing ever seemed to materialize.  Presently, Jefferson continues to encounter various difficulties, the most obvious being how to teach students effectively so that they master basic skills, and in the process, provide them with a solid foundation for future personal and academic success.

I have no immediate answers that will ameliorate the difficulties facing Jefferson High School, but as a teacher I will contribute my time and effort to help put forth successful techniques in order to help reform efforts materialize into something tangible and worthwhile for students.

Degree Earned:
(None)

Thoughts:
For fear of failing at the college level I was hard pressed to prepare myself for the academic rigors of San Francisco State University.  I decided to take two courses at the local junior college, City College of San Francisco, in hopes that it would expose me to the difficulty of college level reading and writing that would be expected of me the upcoming semester.  I have continually tried to remember whose idea this was, I’m sure it was not a school counselor or a teacher, but I cannot remember if someone encouraged me to do so, nonetheless, I am grateful that I decided to spend my summer vacation studying.  There were various courses available, and I eventually enrolled in a Latin American History course, after following my brother’s suggestion, and a Cultural Anthropology course I thought would be interesting.  I ended up receiving an A in the history course and a B in the anthropology course, both of which did exactly what I wished of them.  I made numerous mistakes and learned a great deal, most importantly that education was worthwhile and yes, as I had presumed, I would need tutoring at SFSU if I wished to excel.

The highlight of the summer was taking Professor Don Ortez’s Latin American History course.  He was a self proclaimed crazy Puerto Rican born and bread, and later educated, in the California Bay Area.  He was the first Latino intellectual I had come in contact with, but his charismatic personality, unique sense of humor, and his use of profanity offended some of his students; shit, I loved it all!  He introduced me to the indigenous history of Latin America, and all the numerous civilized and highly advanced civilizations that existed for eons before Spanish Conquistadors (invaders, if you ask me know).  I read the course’s texts with great interest and his lectures further motivated me to learn and study history that interested me.  I gained some necessary self-esteem, which I would need once I entered SFSU.  After years of study, I have acquired my own opinions and I now disagree with him on some points, but that’s what he encouraged and expected us to do.  I returned to CCSF the next summer to take another course with Professor Ortez, one course just was not enough. 

San Francisco State University

Degree Earned:
B.A. in La Raza Studies and History

Thoughts:
Unfortunately, with the minimal amount of time I have allotted at the moment, I cannot do justice to the various experiences I encountered at SFSU.  I will input my reflections ASAP. 

University of Michigan

Attendance Date:
Summer 2001- Summer 2002

Degree Earned:
Master of Arts in Education (expected date 2002)
Michigan Teacher Certificate (expected date 2002) – History (major) Social Studies (minor)

Thoughts:
Likewise, I will add my comments ASAP…