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As some of you may know, I have my application in for a PhD program at a local University. We had to write a personal statement letting them know why we were interested in the program. As I was writing mine, I thought, "This would be really cool to post on my blog, so people can get to know me a little better," but I didn't know if I had to stick to the status quo and be "funny" all the time. So, this is me too...just a little different side of me.
What Happened to Miguel?
While teaching in the capacity of a Title I reading specialist, I encountered a student named Miguel. Miguel was 11 years old at the time; young, rambunctious, disruptive, and inquisitive. During a guided reading lesson one day, Miguel’s head popped up and he asked me, “Mrs. B, didn’t you go to college?”
“Yes, Miguel, I did.”
“Didn’t you go to like, extra college?”
“Yep, I got my Master’s degree a few years ago.”
To this, he scrunched up his face and replied, “Couldn’t you get, like, a better job
then?” The group laughed, and I smiled and shook my head.
What I wanted to do was stand up on the desk and shout, “There is no better job, Miguel! I have the greatest, most important job in the entire world. Don’t you see? I get to shape your minds, direct you, guide you, and triumph with you!” As a second year teacher, I was filled with excitement and idealism, and the real belief that anyone can succeed, no matter their circumstances. To me, it didn’t matter that Miguel was a second generation Latino from a rough area. It didn’t matter that his older brothers embraced gang life and his father was in prison. His mom worked three jobs and he went home each day to an empty house, but this didn’t seem relevant either. He had me, and hoards of other teachers who cared about his success. Surely that was enough to overcome any obstacle!
A few weeks later, Miguel failed to show up for school one morning. Nor did he come the following day. When I inquired at the front office, our administrative assistant informed me that Miguel had been withdrawn from school by his mother and wouldn’t be coming back. She was very sorry, but there was no other information available. Absolutely deflated, I wandered back to my classroom with one question in my mind. What would happen to Miguel? This is the same question that brings me to this point in my life, as I am applying to the Department of Educational Psychology to complete a PhD in Learning and Cognition. What happens to students like Miguel?
This question began to weigh on my mind even more as I began a new job as adjunct faculty at a local college. I was both surprised and humbled by the students I encountered here. They were, in a sense, Miguel, a few years down the road. Very similar backgrounds as children, most were still considered English Language Learners. Most are in their late 30s to early 40s. They sign up for night classes and come directly from work, still wearing their fast food uniforms or construction dust. And they work hard. Harder than I worked as an undergrad, that’s for sure. They are working toward certificates in areas such as Customer Service Rep or Accounting Clerk. And when my students earn these certificates, you would think they had just received an honorary doctorate from Harvard. But for me, this didn’t answer my question. It evolved it. What happened to Miguel between fifth grade and now? Did he graduate high school? What skills did he have? Was he given every available opportunity to attend college? Did he have the same opportunities as I did, being a Christian White Female from Utah? Looking at my students now, I very much doubt it.
These questions and a lifelong dream of completing a PhD brought me to this program. It is such a unique combination of educational and sociological perspectives that fit in with my goals and objectives so completely, I feel like the program was made for me. Or I was made for the program.
In studying the relationships between cultural, ethnic, and racial bias in education, I hope to begin to answer these questions that weigh on my mind. And I want to act on the knowledge I gain. This program will enable me to explore these topics, delve into the deeper historical roots of discrimination, be it intentional or not, and figure out where the clog in the artery of education is. And remove it. I love teaching. I hope to always teach, be it in the public schools, at the community college, or at a large University where I can educate the next generation about these important topics. Though it is cliché, it rings true: Education is the Key. But to expand, I believe Education for Everyone is the Key. How much talent, how many inventions, how many researchers, doctors, writers, and visionaries are we as a nation missing out on because we have not made this mantra our priority? Where is the disconnect? My main goal for entering and completing this PhD program is to find out the answer to one question: What happened to Miguel? And make sure he doesn’t slip through the cracks again.
Thank you for considering me as a candidate for a PhD in Learning and Cognition. I hope I have conveyed my dedication to education, my desire to improve upon our current system, and my resolve to complete this important work.
