Movimiento

whatshouldwecallgradschool:

Story of my life.

In my 12th grade class I have a student who I consistently push to think critically more than others because I know she is willing to and wants to. While discussing 1984 and thinking about how the government controls society, I asked her and her group, “Do you think the government controls us today?” She said “yea like were forced to go to school otherwise our parents will go to jail. But they want us to get our education because they know education is good for us now and in the future.” I said, “Hmm ok, but how do they know that education is what’s good for us and what we need?” She looks at me with a perplexed smile and says, “Man Miss, you always do this to me! Always try to question me further.” I said, “I’m just trying to help push your thinking, there never is just one answer or a right or wrong answer. That’s critical thinking. You’ll need that a lot in college,” and walked away.

Later that day I was standing in the hallway of the school with other teachers in my program when the student from earlier walks by with her friends and starts saying to her friend, “Hey that’s my favorite teacher right there, my first period teacher Ms.Lucas.” I turned to her because she obviously wanted me to hear and I go, “Hey are you trying to get an A?!” She goes “Nah I already have an A.” Ha ha! I don’t know if I’m really her favorite teacher right now but in a way it felt good to hear it anyway. If I am though, I hope its because I’ve always pushed her to think critically.

The joys of teaching.

Here’s a link to a website where youth write reviews on books they have read. Def using this to get my students to get interested in the books were giving them! Will use and highly recommend!

http://teenink.com/

So I was chosen as one of the student speakers at the SSSP Graduation Banquet last year and I came across this when the speaker of this year asked me for advice. Can’t believe I gave this speech exactly one year ago…

First off, on behalf of the class of 2011, I would like to thank you all for being here; to the families, friends, faculty, and staff. It is because of you and your support that has helped us achieve the accomplishments for which we gather here today to celebrate. And secondly, I’d like to acknowledge all those who are not present today; for those family members, friends, and loved ones who couldn’t make it today but have contributed to the experiences of all the students present in this room. 

I want to start with a quote that completely describes my journey here at UCSD; Salvador Allende said, “To be a student and not a revolutionary is a contradiction.” Like many others in this room, as a first-generation college student, it was my parents and family’s dreams that I attend a university and pursue a college degree. But growing up on a farm in a small rural town in the Coachella Valley, the only people I knew who went to college were the kids from the tv show Boy Meets World. After seeing my parents, older siblings and my community struggle to make ends meet, that dream my parents and family had for me soon became my own. 

As I pursued my higher education at UCSD, I can honestly say I wouldn’t have accomplished all that I have accomplished without SSSP. SSSP was the first experience I ever had on this campus. I remember thinking taking a whole week off from my part-time job would cost me a lot of money, money that I could have been making otherwise to pay my bills. But I soon realized that taking a whole week off from work was one of the greatest investments I’ve ever made in my life. In that week I found one of the greatest support systems and family I could ever meet. It is my experiences through SSSP and OASIS that has opened the door to an array of opportunities at UCSD, introduced me to people that I now consider family, and most importantly have taught me the most about myself and my passions in life. A passion that has led me to pursue a Masters degree in Education at UCLA next fall.

Now I want to go back to the quote that I began with. “To be a student and not a revolutionary is a contradiction.” My experience as a student here has taught me that I am indeed a revolutionary. In fact, every student in this room is revolutionary. If you are a student of color you are revolutionary. If you come from a low-income family, you are revolutionary. And if you are a first generation college student you are revolutionary. You are revolutionary, because there are very few of us in higher education, let alone at UCSD. Thus, we must remember that as much as our goal as a student is to obtain a bachelors degree, acquire a great career and hopefully make a lot of money; we must always remember where we came from. Whether we realize it or not, we are role models for our families, communities, and for our peers. We are the possibilities for change because we ourselves are change. It is a privilege that we have been given the opportunity to pursue our education at a higher level institution, but it is up to us to share the knowledge we have gained through our experiences here at UCSD with our communities and our families. 

So one of my friends that I’ve known practically all my life has made two major steps in life in the last couple days. She got engaged one day and graduated from law school 2 days later. And as HIMYM has already taught me, once your friends start making big changes and taking mile stones in life, it makes you reflect on where you’re at in your own life. But a large part of me does not want to really reflect on where I’m at. Rather I’m stuck feeling nostalgic about the past. Reflecting on all the good times, the bad, the crazy times and thinking about the rollercoaster of a ride that has brought me to where we are today. I can honestly say I feel like this weekend I lived in the past. I visited SD and hung out with people I used to hang out with, but it felt different. It almost felt like I was trying to relive the past, but el universo was showing and telling me that I couldn’t. Life is different and life has changed, both for myself and for those around me. As I slowly approach my 24th birthday, I keep telling myself “We’re getting old.” And then two minutes later I think “Nope I’m still young.” What a paradox, but its true nonetheless.

I absolutely love love love love love working with seniors! They are awesome as individuals and are really on the spurt of adulthood and critical thinking. The conversations I have with my seniors are always so real, lively and critical. 

But there is always a flip side to something you love, as the year is quickly coming to a close, many of my seniors are frantically trying to get their grades up and do all the work they’ve missed. Its really hard being a core subject teacher, because it could mean that the grade they get in my class means they don’t graduate or don’t go on to school. How do teachers balance this responsibility?! Yikes! 

I went from living the life to grading papers and applying for jobs..blahhh reality! 

#1 Con about teaching = Grading! (its especially hard when your so subjective! But objectivity is not really an option)

I really want a burger from In N Out or Red Robin, or maybe try that place The Habit. But unfortunately my car is parked on the side where there isn’t street cleaning tomorrow and its right in front of my apartment so I don’t want to move my car cuz I might not have a spot when I get back. Smh. The joys of living in LA and not wanting to go anywhere cuz I won’t have a parking spot when I get back…ugh.