Unlearn, Relearn, Reteach

unlearn, relearn, reteach a zine

unlearn, relearn, reteach We were each inspired by our diverse backgrounds in education to create this project. May this be a toolkit for students everywhere, who feel as though they have nobody to turn to when they are marginalized in the classroom. You are not alone, and you are not the problem.

Through personal narratives and experiences, we hope this zine filled with very real experiences of how education affects us all may help someone who feels invalidated and ignored. Together, we will unlearn, relearn, and reteach ourselves, our friends, our communities, and the world.

Your voice, your story, matters.

Describe your experience with education.

Eric, White, non-binary, middle class Currently I’m not in school, I dropped out of college my 3rd semester after realizing I didn’t like where I was going.

Louisa, white, female, middle class, Jewish I love learning, but I was always uncomfortable in classrooms and with tests. I never liked to sit still for long times and wanted to be outside more than I was able to be. I ended up leaving high school early and starting at Marlboro College instead of my senior year.

Tai, caucasian, female Went to a public middle school, private high school and a private college. My experiences at the private institutions were much better than at the public ones. I went to a charter school for elementary school and that experience was actually wonderful.

Anonymous, Hispanic, 20, female, working class Tumultuous.

Quinn, middle class white female Love hate relationship. Half of me absolutely loves the education system because of the opportunities it gives to many people including myself, but the other half of me hates it because I don’t have freedom to learn what actually interests me (only to an extent) because there are required courses and some are completely pointless and are not a positive experience in the eduction system.

Anonymous, Half Asian, half Caucasian, female, middle class A growth trajectory where I learned of its priceless value through experiencing my own personal growing attachment to it.

Ivan, Homo Sapien

Anonymous, Black, Lesbian, Militant

I think some education is so bad it shouldn’t even really qualify as “education” (common core), and some education is amazing, yet it doesn’t fall into the pre-existing criteria of what constitutes education and so it forgoes recognition. I used to learn more sitting in my dad’s library conversing with him than I did sitting in a gym “learning” volleyball or laboring incessantly over a math problem that only participants in the International Mathematical Olympiad should be able to solve. I feel that people very often formalize what education is and where it must take place... eg. “It should be structured” or “It happens in the classroom”. To be frank, life in itself is educational and subsumes all the different ‘types’ of education, but it is frustrating that the emphasis is placed so passionately on the hyper traditional conception of classroom and school education. Excluding the hidden curriculum, and automatic socialization, I believe that school (K-12) has not taught me anything that I could not have learned on my own or without a teacher, and I still maintain that philosophy.

Painful. I want to learn. I am curious and enjoy having knowledge/working with others. But oftentimes I find myself disappointed because the “bearers” of my education, or the gatekeepers to my education, are often whites that I do not connect with. And oftentimes I feel like the burden is moreso on me to find my truth and that I can’t trust the “teachers” to give it to me straight.

Connie, Chinese, Female, Teenager I think my experience so far with education has been very systematic, in that throughout middle school/high school it has been about learning specific concepts and then being able to show you’ve “learned” them through tests and projects. I remember during high school that teachers and the success of their teaching would partially (or mostly..I don’t know the details) be based on how well students did on tests. Education overall has felt like just learning what’s given to you and being able to prove you’ve learned them by basically being able to regurgitate it back. In college though, it’s been entirely different since Parsons is an art/design school where everything is more open and subjective.

My relationship with education has always paired instruction with immediate action.

Learn, practice, and repeat until you take a test. I went to a great public high school that had lots of merit within the state of Maryland. If you did the work, you got the reward. If you did the AP work you got reward and sympathy, generally speaking.

That pattern motivated me to align myself on a path to New York. My high school environment was very competitive as well, the top 10 of my class being separated by the smallest decimals. I’m thankful that work was held to a high standard, but artistic career goals were always seen as unrealistic. After going to college, I realized how archaic and exclusive American education is, but I’m still glad I went through the rigor. I learned that if your work is quality, teachers will like you better, peers will have less to say. Fucked up conditioning, yes, but I appreciate decorum and process more than others I’ve met, and when I decide to take a risk in my presentations or work, lack of intellect isn’t really a valid critique. This is a strong place to be in and I think others need to diversify their education so that they can find their feet in this place. I think that this appreciation and critical examination of my high school educational woes have made me even more engaged in what I study and more confident in my career pursuits.

Has your identity (race, gender, class, background, disabilities, etc…) impacted your education, if at all?

Of course, being a gay black male in high school, I always had to answer questions I hadn’t even fully thought about yet, and I needed to have an added layer of confidence for raising my hand or getting up in front of the class. People poked fun, people often didn’t understand how much harder it was for me. I was also, often, the only me in my AP classes. I later found the power in this. Always being fearful of looking dumb, I poured emotional details into my work under a scholarly veil. I stood out.

New school didn’t offer the same experience, instead I stood out even more, because I was in an environment that was interested rather than dismissive.

If you could give advice to yourself regarding navigating the education system, what would you say?

I’d say comprehensive education (sex ed) needs to have unanimous guidelines and requirements across the country, more life-skills classes to improve financial literacy and responsibility, and curriculum and classroom malleability based on students’ needs.

Raheem

Black, gender-flexible male

Crystal, Asian American female, third culture kid, grew up comfortably I attended the same international school for eleven years and felt like my school highly encouraged students to be well rounded and excel at many different areas. From a young age we took a range of classes like art and music to broaden our scope, and the classroom environment was a place where we had a good balance between structured lessons and independent learning. In middle school and high school it began to change a little, in part because a change in the administration and our school has become more and more like a prep school. Kids are very academically driven and involved in a range of extracurricular activities - I remember being the president of two clubs, a member of three honor societies, and taking on a very full schedule and still feeling inadequate among my peers. We would talk about test scores all the time and there was constant tension and competition, and many of my friends wanted to go to Ivy League schools to fulfill their duties or to sculpt a certain identity. The popular kids were smart, the very smart kids were unpopular. It was a strange time in my life that I sort of miss because it was such a unique experience that has shaped who I am as a critical thinker and as a student, but not exactly who I am as a person.

Stephen, Korean, American born Education is a frontier for new innovations in service of a brighter future for humanity.

Anonymous, Asian, American, female Not worth my money.

Rohitava, Human Up and Down.

Djali Brown-Cepeda, Latina, Indigenous, Moroccan, Black, Female, Writer, Filmmaker, Sister, Lover, Friend, Girlfriend I’ve always been the anomaly. Not only am I the youngest in my grade, as I skipped one in elementary school, but my teachers have always been extremely taken aback by my intelligence. In public school as a kid, my teachers were so enthralled by me.

Never in a, “Wow, such a smart girl!” way, but a nuanced, “Wow, so smart for a girl in a school in Spanish Harlem.”

Juliana, White, Middle Class Always felt our countries education system doesn’t work for me. Too much pressure and emphasis on tests, no emphasis on improvement.

Megan, Female, White

Ella, White, Female, Straight

School turns me into a useless anxious lump.

I have attended a wide range of schools, from Montessori, to bad public school, to private school, to good public school, and now private university. Depending on which school I’ve been in and which courses I’ve been taking, I’ve gone from being a great student who hardly has to try to an average student whose had to put in a lot of work. Because I’ve been in so many different environments, I can certainly see how different environments have affected me, and how difficult it can be at times to try to move forward without having a solid background.

Liam, White, Queer, Middle class I actually had a really great time in high school. I have always loved learning and I never felt particularly challenged by any of the material, so it was always pretty fun. At the same time though, I don’t feel “changed” by my school experience. In other words, I don’t feel that I got much out of the academic side.

Frank, Transgender, FtM, Genderqueer, Person of Color, Latino, Queer, Gay I love education and learning. I feel that school is often my safe haven from the world especially because I study Fine Arts.

Hiromi, Japanese-American, Male Oh gosh... I’ve been lucky, if I look at it from a wide viewpoint. My father didn’t go to highschool, my mother dropped out of college, and I went to a very good elementary school that set me up for success in the following years. Now, I am lucky to be at one of the top 10 public universities in the nation.

Je’Jae, Arab, Genderqueer, poor, gay I always had a bad experience with my education. I was never assessed right to be given the right accomadations in school. I hate how education today is geared towards one type of learner.

Those that can retain a huge anount of information and spit it back. I am a hands on learner and visual learner and I don’t learn well sitting all day remembering a ton of information and throw it back. Plus today the education system doesn’t teach us real life skills, even though degrees are supposed to be for a job.

“Education is a required thing in our society, but why doesn’t it teach us the material actually needed to survive in this society? Balancing a checkbook? Paying your bills? Taxes? Help!!!”

-Rajan Indian Male

Rajan, Indian Male

Anonymous, Asian-American

Education is a required thing in our society, but why doesn’t it teach us the material actually needed to survive in this society? Balancing a checkbook?

Paying your bills? Taxes? Help!!!

I am currently in university now, but it gives me a lot of anxiety how much I’m just filling a quota of x students for funding and payment. Formal education in late capitalism is depressing when the university and education system exists within corporate power and neoliberalism. We put effort and money into pursuing an education in our field of choice, when most likely after finishing it will be difficult (to impossible) to actually achieve a desired career especially without existing social and economic capital (especially when your field of choice is art, social science, etc). The institutions have long had a relationship to power and authority and play a key role in maintaining the status quo, as an extension of capitalism. Succession in the education system is facilitated by cultural capital, therefore helping to legitimize social inequalities and disadvantage working class students and families. In my experience, I have found that the academy demands for students to be consumers, to do more with less (money and time) and work in a very competency-based environment (with ‘quick’ and ‘efficient’ becoming the ‘norm’), which is a disadvantage for students who struggle in fast-paced environments.

Elena, female, caucasian, upper middle class Grades 1-12 were completely different from college, very suffocating and overwhelming, especially when parents expect AP/honors with A’s. Often I felt as though I was learning more how to bullshit good grades rather than learning the material. Sometimes I would be coming to class with knowledge I’d pulled from elsewhere that even the teacher wasn’t aware of.

Naajia, Diasporan African College seems really forced. I don’t think it’s necessary to have a 4 year degree for undergrad. I think people just need to make money. We learn all the important parts in 2 years.

Brian, Guyanese/Black , Male Iffy. At times its super great, learn a lot of lessons about life and my professional practice. At other times, its been a waste of time and money.

Not to mention when students have to repeat a year, they can’t afford to and instead transfer or drop out. I never enjoyed the pressure, stress and anxiety that overwhelms the cultivated love of learning.

Anonymous, Hapa, cis female Although I’ve always been motivated to succeed and excel in school, I haven’t felt like education has catered to or encouraged my creative interests.

Cassandra As a learning disabled student, I have always felt like education did not cater to my interests nor my strong suits. Up until I reached college, I viewed learning as something to get through in ordered to get a diploma, even as small as the age of 7. When I got to college and began studying in areas I thrived in and loved, I began to embrace education as an exciting and transformational experience.

Morgan, black, queer I’ve always loved academics, I’m just not a huge fan of standardized testing.

Liam, white lower class male The education system has been my saving grace. Fortunately and unfortunately the American education system is built in such a way that those who succeed continuously throughout middle school and high school tend to go on to prestigious colleges. GPAs are often imbricated in systems of financial assistance, so on so forth...

Babs, Cis Black American Woman Education is an important aspect to me.

It has always been a pleasure to learn and I have always been interested in gaining knowledge in different ways. Now that I’m in college what I’m interested has been narrowed but not limited because I’m finding different languages of learning.

Talia, female, multiracial, middle class From ages 5 through 18, I attended public school. My mom is a public high school teacher and she thought the public school district in my city would be just find. She didn’t see the need to enroll my brother and I in a private institution, because she believed we could get a great, if not better education in public school. Public school’s offered a more diverse pool of students from around the city, with varying socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds. It exposed me to a larger pool of individuals, allowing me to catch a glimpse of the real world.

For the most part, I absolutely loved school, aside from the stress levels and drama that most children faced. I was able to get involved with everything I loved to do, from music and theater, to soccer and school clubs, all the while maintaining a rigorous, academic load.

I would say that 90% of my teachers cared about how I did and wanted to see their students learn and succeed.

When it came time to pick a college, most of the school’s I applied to were private institutions. The public school’s in my state didn’t really offer adequate programs for my desired area of study.

So, I chose a private school, because I wanted to experience smaller class sizes, that thrive off of class discussions.

As my first year of college comes to an end, I’m pretty happy with my decision and look forward to the years ahead of me.

Hannah, Female, Jewish I think I have had an overall positive experience.

Karina K through 12th grade was the worst experience of my life. College is better because Im studying things I care about.

Asia, Privileged, Mixed Race I have had a positive experience with education despite moments of skepticism and a tendency to question the relevance of what is being taught.

Jo, Queer, Asian-American, woman I can not look at my education without recognizing that my unburdened access to college is due to the immense labor and love of my parents. All of my criticisms of the US Education system has to be framed from an understanding that many people do not have the opportunities I do to even engage with these institutions.

Irene, Asian-American, Non-binary, Middle Class, First Generation I attended public schools from preschool to 12th grade. I was lucky enough to attend some of the what were considered “the better” public schools, as much of the schools in the CPS system (Chicago Public School) became very much underfunded and understaffed over time. I have also been lucky enough to partake in the “gifted” program from 1st grade to 6th grade, and then participate in an accelerated middle school program that was a part of my high school. (We started taking 9th grade classes in 7th grade). My high school education was great as well, as most of the teachers there have been a part of the school for a long time and then therefore took great care in teaching their students. (Up until CPS started cutting school budgets around 2012 and long time teachers had to be let go.) My high school took pride in excelling in academics and the creative arts. (My principal would start out every morning with a list of accomplishments through the PA, whether it was with a small school club or our big basketball team.) I take a lot of pride in my high school, especially with the fact that it is one of the best high schools in Chicago and in the nation, but yet it is a public high school.

It defeats the stigma of public high schools providing “less of an education” that is so prevalent in Chicago.

In my personal experience, my academics have always been satisfactory for me (not too hard but not too easy).

In addition, I was able to take the time to participate in after school clubs and activities involving the arts and dance.

However, once I came to Parsons the New School for Design, my view towards education changed, especially with the fact that I was paying for it and became more alert of what I was getting for my money. I would say that about 2/3 of all my classes I have taken here have been worth my time. The dislike for the 1/3 of my classes mainly stem from the fact that they were required classes that were not taught well and did not hold my interest at all, therefore in my eyes being a waste of time and money.

I will not deny the fact that Parsons has changed my life and view on the arts--- it is a great school and I have had an amazing time here so much.

However, there are definitely some things that need to be re-adjusted with the administration, especially with how some of the school funds are used. (I mean, come on, a million dollars for an ugly font but not being able to pay your teachers well or at least provide a small

scholarship for students in need???) I find that in my first experience with a paid education, (since I never went to boarding or private school), it has had it’s perks and downfalls.

Yana, Bulgarian, East European I am an instructor, part of the education system in the US. I look at ways to structure my assignments from a transformative lens, using creative processes, forms of play to activate critical thinking, understanding of empathy and crafting opportunities for empowerment.

Joshua, Queer, Latino I am so thankful to be in a position where I can learn among such great people. I have my problems with the education system and my own experience, but I am so privileged to be in the position I’m in.

Eva, White, upper-middle class, female, straight Complicated.

Vivyan, Chinese-American, Female I love having a structured setting to guide my ideas and work, but only if I like the professor and the aura of the class the prof has set. If I do not like the class or work I simply won’t do it/bull shit. I love collaborating, sharing ideas and learning new skills/pathways with my fellow students. Before I definitely followed the structure of the education system loyally, but now I choose to question what I am told to do. Perhaps it is the Parsons environment, but I have gotten a bit sick of doing busy work.

Nico, cis male, gay, hispanic, taurus rising libra I’ve had an intense dedication and drive towards developing my education since a young age. I thought about college as early as junior high and was always stressing about doing well.

Morgan

Sarah

Mixed race (Black and Jewish), Pansexual, Cis, Upper-middle class woman

Has your identity (race, gender, class, background, disabilities, etc‌) impacted your education, if at all?

I grew up in a 90% white community, and never experienced any blatant backlash or restrictions for being mixed race, but I knew I was not the same as my peers.

I had the same opportunities, but recognized that it was rare for someone of my background, if they were not passing at least, would not necessarily have the same educational opportunities as I had.

Did your education reflect the diversity of the students?

Absolutely not. I was always the “artistic” student in my middle school and high school and none of the classes were tailored to visual learners in any way shape or form. it only focused on the typical straight forward reading and writing and didn’t work for me, and I’m sure other students as well. There didn’t seem to be a great diversity overall, only the diversity between teachers teaching styles.

Quinn

Middle class white female

Sabrina

Chinese-American woman

Has your identity (race, gender, class, background, disabilities, etc…) impacted your education, if at all?

I was bullied a lot in 4th/5th grade when I attended a Baptist, exclusively Chinese school. I always felt as if I needed to play catch up with the other students who were much smarter than me, and I know I was disappointing my mom who had to witness my horrible report card results. Then in middle school, I attended a private Catholic school, a majority of whom were Irish Americans. Very white.

I never had this exposure growing up and being the only Chinese American student made it difficult to fit it. Now, I was seen as the smart girl, the quiet Asian who was good at math--their expectations made me want to live up to my stereotypes and I did do better in school, but I wasn’t happy. Come high school was when I really got to explore my identity. Again, I was the only Chinese American student in my graduating class of 72 seniors. But I was engaged in school and didn’t feel pressure to mold myself--I was student body president and I started a Taiko club with some of my friends. I was able to form a relationship with the staff and faculty as well as my entire class; I felt comfortable not knowing what an answer was to a calculus problem but I also knew that I wanted to do better for my mom and for myself.

I finally accepted this confusing world of being Chinese American and embraced my culture.

Did your education reflect the diversity of the students?

Of course, most of the education system in America is seen through a white, male gaze. There are still issues with history books and their focus on white colonialism etc. Fix that!

Have you had to unlearn anything throughout your education?

Unlearning the history that I’ve been taught about America is one of the most gradual processes of Unlearn ing that I’ve had to do. In order to do that, it’s more about expanding your knowledge rather than trying to amend sonething.

What do you wish your education offered you? Is there anything missing?

Perhaps subjects/classes you would add to core curriculum?

Personally, I wish we had engaged with the environment around us more.

Utilizing the city and urban growth as a way to learn hands on, I think, is valuable.

Louisa

White, female, middle class, Jewish

Has your identity (race, gender, class, background, disabilities, etc…) impacted your education, if at all?

Yeah, there was a lot of Christian bias in my elementary school, though it was public, that I didn’t realize I was internalizing until later on. Also I learned a lot about the history of my people because I have ancestors who came over on the Mayflower, so I got opportunity to trace my past. I was disciplined both for speaking out and moving around too much as well, but it was usually related to arguing with a teacher’s point.

Do you think the curriculum and learning styles allowed for you to think critically of the material? If so, please elaborate.

In college, absolutely. Both Lang and Marlboro have programs which promote critical reading and discussion which has been very useful. In high school, it was dependent on the teacher and how dedicated they were and committed to their students’ learning more than anything else.

Did your education reflect the diversity of the students?

No in elementary school. There were very few people of color in my community and most teachers taught that racism ended with the Civil Rights Movement. In high school, we learned about the eugenics program in Vermont and also Ferguson happened toward the end of while I was in school and we talked a lot about it.

Did you feel the material you learned in school reflect you personally?

Yes, but I had to find it. When there were no more classes I wanted to take I left, and that was technically before high school was scheduled to end. I had a lot of math that I opted to take because I thought I should, but it turned out that I had a really hard time, but I still learned from the experience.

Have you had to unlearn anything throughout your education?

Yeah, there’s a lot I internalized about how students behaved in the classroom and how discipline was dealt. I also had to unlearn that movement is problematic which was a theme throughout my education.

Yamiles

Talia

Female, multiracial, middle class

“Standardized testing is a joke. I wish I could delete that process out of my past education. I wasn’t the best standardized test taker and the tests always made me feel so stupid. But, I knew I wasn’t because I did well in school and graduated in the top 2% of my class. The whole process is so narrow-minded and really only shows if you’re good at taking the specific test, because it didn’t correlate with what you were learning in school. For instance, the SAT is all a money maker, you buy the prep books and get tutored to do well on the specific test, that has nothing to do with what you were learning in class at the time. The process was also extremely competitive.

Everyone would want to compare scores, but frankly nobody needed to know how well I did.”

Joshua Queer, Latino

What do you wish your education offered you? Is there anything missing?

Perhaps subjects/classes you would add to core curriculum?

I love classes that are guided by our own participation and open dialogues led by personal experience, and this is what I miss in fields like philosophy and psychology and even queer theory. If I am a queer person and I am telling you about my queerness, why would you invalidate that?

“Don’t let anyone tell you your queerness or identity is wrongdon’t let a book tell you that your experience is not valid. You are just as capable of critical thinking and participating in discussion as anyone else.”

Has your identity (race, gender, class, background, disabilities, etc…) impacted your education, if at all?

Anonymous

Tai

Yes - as a white person I’ve experienced no discomfort or persecution based on my race. However, as a female, there have been times where I’ve felt talked over or outright ignored because I’m a girl.

Yes. At my private high school, there were 5 white kids at the entire school.

Every other student was either Korean, Japanese or Chinese. It was limiting sometimes, especially in a classroom environment.

Eric It’s impacted the way that some teachers have treated me.

Ivan

Quinn

My identity has not really impacted my education thus far.. but the identities of many (most) of my friends have impacted my education. They have encouraged me to essentially avoid the conservatism that pervades institutions .. even institutions that exploit a guise of unyielding progressivism. That encouragement doesn’t manifest in pragmatic action, it manifests in personal thought which makes its way into a creative endeavor I may be developing. It could be an enigmatic lyric, an overarching theme of a song, or a sonic interpretation, but I have become far more inclined to explore the perspectives of my friends who live and breathe about the fringe of society’s harrowing normalcy, and it is truly exciting.

I wouldn’t say that my identify (race, gender, etc) has impacted my education enough for me to remember but I’ve always had a problem with my personality and emotions impacting my education. I have frequently experienced teachers disliking me because I was not what they expected or acted as they expected. maybe that can be related to my gender, because I’m far more comfortable with myself than women are expected to be, but I have always felt my education has been impacted by my outgoing nature.

Jessica I don’t believe so. I think in the classroom, you commonly hear the narrative of females being overshadowed by their male counterparts, but aside from that I don’t believe so.

Stephen Education has set high and achievable standards for Asians, but Asians do not necessarily reap the benefits of the high standards, thus creating academic disadvantages and social pressures.

Crystal Not really. But my Asian mother used to say that it was okay if I scored lower than an A on a test that it was okay because I was a girl. She also said I could go to art school because girls don’t have to “raise the family,” but it never stopped me from wanting to excel at my studies.

Rose

Connie

No real impact from my race or gender but background, yes. I am from working class I go to a rich ass school where all they care about is putting a fabulous facade and their branding instead of the actual programs. The students in my experience majority of them are no different in their personalities and attitude.

I tried to juggle 2 jobs, freelance internship and six classes I was basically trying to pick myself up from a shitty semester and worsening financial situation but I was doing poorly at school.

I think being Asian and being surrounded by other Asian students places an expectation by others, as well as from myself, that we’re supposed to be taking more advanced classes or doing well at the subjects Asians are stereotypically “good” at (at least in high school). At Parsons though I haven’t had any impacts like that.

Gilbert Class has impacted me a lot with school because I dont always have the finances to fund projects I do for class or for books I need for certain classes. Aside from that everything is pretty much leveled.

Anonymous, low income, white, girl Yes. I have been encouraged to pursue higher education as a white person, regardless of my class.

Megan

Being white and middle class I don’t feel it has negatively impacted my education.

I have an eye disease that renders me legally blind and I’ve basically found little to no support at the new school for this. every semester I have to go over the same things with different professors, most assignments and class setups aren’t adjusted for me, things don’t get handed out in bigger fonts for me, basically everything is harder.

Sophia, Female and a boss

Liam

Not to my knowledge.

I think it would have if people knew that I was queer in high school, but since I kept it hidden, it did not have an effect.

Juliana

Anonymous No — the perception of my identity by white and or male “teachers” has though.

Frank

Je’Jae

My identity has very much impacted the way in which I engage with art. I often use my identity as a place for reference and inspiration. Additionally I use my art practice as a way of dealing with difficulties in my life, especially in the case of the issues I have dealt with in relation to my identity.

My race displaces me because this country supports white privilege and displaces me. My gender is discriminated because there is not enough financial, mental, emotional, and legal support for trans people, and trans people on average drop out of school because of discrimination, so I am part of the small percentage in school. My class limits me to the schools, resources, internships, and study abroad programs I have or have not access too. Education is a privilege and those with money aka Whites go to better schools and get better jobs. Capitalism has created a caste system which displaces people of color like me. In addition I have several learning disabilities which makes it hard for me to adapt and capable of doing the work that is require of me, and the system not only stigmatizes people with LD but also perscribed medications if you don’t fit the traditional learning mold.

Hiromi Yes, but not in a typical way. I believe my background (family drug/alcohol abuse, physical abuse, “single parent” at times) made me grow up quicker and realize it’s my job to take a lot of things in my own hands.

Rajan As a minority.. Never!! (I hope everyone heard the sarcasm) Brian Makes it hard. Im expected to achieve awards and be great since I am going to the most expensive school out of my whole family.

Cassandra Most definitely. I think the entirety of my educational experience has ridden on my weaknesses (and strong suits for that matter.)

Anonymous

Naajia

It’s pretty difficult to find a starting point from which to address the deepening of racially based inequities in America’s education system. The U.S. has painstakingly interwoven racism and white supremacy into the fabric of the educational experience. I find it painful that white American history is something that is embedded in the core curriculum, whereas for any other group, it’s an alternative course or elective (AsianAmerican studies, African-American studies, etc). People of color have to reside within predominately white suburban communities and are strongly persuaded to “worship” white supremacists, slaveholders, and murderers like George Washington, Andrew Jackson and Christopher Columbus - they learn to accept these white historical figures, regardless of the pain and damage they inflicted upon enslaved Africans and indigenous people. In my own experience, I have found it hard for my voice to be heard. I have found it even harder for the voices of my black peers to be heard; they are silenced time and time again.

I have physical, learning and psychological disabilities ( PTSD, Anxiety, Depression). I usually only refer to all of them as singular disability to avoid attracting intrusive questions. Physical disabilities are palatable to society My disabilities are invisible. Obstacles I’m challenged with includes seizures, stomach ulcers and bone pain. They are dismissed atTNS. Professors don’t want to accommodate me or demand that I disclose very personal things about my disabilities.

Morgan In particular, not seeing myself represented in instructors (race, class, gender/sexuality) has affected my education and what has been stressed as important information to retain. In particular, an AP US History teacher who was a cis straight white man referring to the main conflict of the US Civil War as a “states’ rights” issue and “not a slavery issue.”

Hannah Yes, due to religious observance. Getting assignments done, having to communicate with teachers.

Liam

Talia

Yes. Due to my Cerebral Palsy, I received a scholarship that covers everything outside of my tuition. My financial aid is also need based. I am also apt to believe that my race is contingent upon my admission.

Definitely. Growing up there weren’t many kids that looked like me, especially in my honors and AP classes. I always felt like a token black girl, but I wouldn’t let that stop me from doing my best. It also allowed me to share my perspective in a class where the majority of the students could not relate on a personal level. Gender also played a roll in my education. I felt like I was one of the only girls in my classes who would speak her mind. But, I kind of liked that. It became a competition between the guys and myself to see who could get the correct answer.

Anonymous Certainly. Being a gay male in a small town and the Coming to college in NYC I existed in quite a conundrum. I was systematically outside of the cultural norm in early education and then in college I was outside the social norm because I was misread as having experience that was systemically inside the cultural norm Joshua My identity has completely guided my educational pursuits and career path.

Eva Being a female has.

Vivyan Yes, there seemed to be a lot of concepts or ideas teachers assumed students knew, but I never could relate to because my parents are not American born. I felt stupid, when really I just had a different background and upbringing.

Karina I would say my class allowed me to attend private and catholic schools.

Although i’m thankful of my privilege the catholic school environment is very oppressive to females.

Asia Yes, thankfully I’ve been able to navigate comfortably through the education system due to my middle-class lifestyle and supportive (caucasian) parents.

I also had the privilege of attending a specialized design high school so my experience was very different from most. Creativity and critical thinking were always encouraged.

Jo Despite going to a women’s college, histories both important and personal to me, particularly that of queer AsianAmerican women, have rarely been a part of my education if at all. In queer theory, performance theory, literature-most of the scholars we examined were white women. I don’t see it as a malicious exclusion, but it is a neglection of voices and perspectives that do exist.

Yana Prior to teaching in college, I was a college student in the US. I faced numerous discriminations based on sex, background, or even as simple as my accent.

Asia

privileged, mixed race

Has your identity (race, gender, class, background, disabilities, etc…) impacted your education, if at all?

I think so. My mom was a first generation college student (and the only one in her whole family to get a bachelors degree).

My dad didn’t finish undergrad but has still done extremely well in terms of providing for us. Both of my parents have ingrained a push for academic excellence which has followed me in a lot of my pursuits. It was also weird because I grew up in school districts where I was competing with a predominately white student body. I simultaneously felt advantaged and disadvantaged because of it.

Do you think the curriculum and learning styles allowed for you to think critically of the material?

No no no! I immediately think of the poor sexual education curriculum that was implemented throughout Texas and the rest of the south ever since junior high.

We learned that abstinence was the best and primary method to a healthy “sex life”. They hardly ever talked about positive approaches to sexuality and the curriculum in general was very blinded and biased. Don’t even get me started on history lessons.

Did you feel the material you learned in school reflect you personally?

Not really. It was a lot of memorization without any analysis. It was hard to resonate with why anything actually mattered.

Have you had to unlearn anything throughout your education?

Since coming to college I’ve definitely become a lot more aware in terms of acknowledging privilege and understanding how it plays a role in literally everything. The experiences and lessons I’ve learned here have made me become much more passionate about the injustices and crazy shit that people have to go through. And it’s made me more mad honestly but with good reason.

Has there ever been a moment in the classroom that made you question your experience with education or question the validity of the material you were being taught?

Yes. All of the time. I think the moments where someone speaks from their own experiences are the most powerful.

Those moments where someone can flip my opinion 180 because i’m like “this person has such a point. why didn’t I think of that?”

Nico

Cis male, gay, hispanic, Taurus rising Libra

Eric

White, non-binary, middle class

Has there ever been a moment in the classroom that made you question your experience with education or question the validity of the material you were being taught?

Yes when my teacher misgendered a student in class once.

What do you wish your education offered you? Is there anything missing?

Perhaps subjects/classes you would add to core curriculum?

I wish my education offered me more and wish I enjoyed my experience at FIT What do you wish you could have changed about your education? Could change now?

I wish I could have appreciated it more than I did at the time

Have you had to unlearn anything throughout your education?

Sometimes with teachers they want things done out specifically even if there are multiple ways. So I guess in a way I had to unlearn certain things and learn to do them in a different way.

If you could give advice to yourself (past, present or future) regarding navigating the education system, what would you say?

I would say just push through it even though it’s hard in the moment it all works out.

Leo

Has your identity (race, gender, class, background, disabilities, etc) impacted your education, if at all?

Yes, there seemed to be a lot of concepts or ideas teachers assumed students knew, but I never could relate to because my parents are not American born. I felt stupid, when really I just had a different background and upbringing.

Vivyan

Chinese American, Female

Did your education reflect the diversity of the students?

Anonymous Yes - we read a diverse canon of texts from writers across the globe and spanning thousands of years.

Anonymous No, I do not believe that my educations reflects the diversity of the students. My education, for the most part, has been very Eurocentric.

Anonymous Not what we learned in the classroom.

Ivan Of course not, my education (K-12) was just as straightforward and uniform as the all white staff that gave the supposed education to me.

Jessica To a degree.. This question is very geared towards the social sciences. My high school experience was very hard science focused and hard to match up to this. In college, I’m an international studies major at a college that is 95% white.. So I’d say my education is more diverse than the students haha.

Stephen Somewhat. A supportive/open-minded community has been extremely beneficial for diversity. My education has also not reflected diversity due to radical individualism and radical egalitarianism.

Crystal Not exactly - we were primarily Asian.

Rose Not really most of them are international asian/european or american white kids so the only “diversity” is the asian americans, few african americans and other foreign minorities.

Rohitava No, more could done to learn about other cultures and histories so that people can grow up to be more empathetic to those they feel are different instead of xenophobic at the sight of a variable.

Raheem No. No no. My New School education does its best, but it’s largely dependent on what classes you take.

Anonymous Nah there are only rich people here.

Lots of international students though.

Megan Kinda. I’m a psych major though so most of my learning revolves around rich white men.

Frank No. There are hardly any people of color in this department.

Hiromi No. When I reflect on my time in high school, there were so many different races and ethnicities and I do not think teachers were prepared for that at times. I do know some of them tried; my American Democracy teacher senior year, Steve Schmidt, had minored in Latin and Chicano Studies, knowing he would be teaching in California and wanted to be more cultured/”there” as a teacher/mentor. However, our high school had one of the lowest rates of Latino students in the entire district.

In college, I see rally after rally about how fucked our system is. At UCSD, our chancellor introduced curriculum called, “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.” The TL;DR is every student must take at least one class in this category in their time at university to understand the community better.

The black and latino community here thinks it is a bullshit effort, they see the university just trying to appease the Regents and anyone looking at our accomplishments. They see the truth, and the manipulation of administration by using people of color for their marketing materials and shit.

Yet, when people go and spray paint “TRUMP 2016” and “SEND ILLEGALS HOME” all over campus PARTICULARLY IN FRONT OF THE RAZA RESOURCE CENTER and on the main walkways of campus (this was the day before our Triton Day where incoming students and their families visit the university, many for the first time), administration goes and gets it covered up quickly, and think they have solved the problem by stationing police officers there so incoming families don’t see the remnants of it.

They do not see the state of emergency, the fact that there are people on campus purposely making students feel unsafe and this “DEI” program is not changing the minds of certain members in our community.

Rajan Ha, no! White supremacy at its finest, especially in elementary, middle, and high school. Seeing the difference from then to now, at the New School, I now understand that different types of people truly exist in this world and that their experiences and struggles that they have felt, in accordance of their race, gender, and orientation are just as important as the White Americans in our society.

Sabrina Of course, most of the education system in America is seen through a white, male gaze. There are still issues with history books and their focus on white colonialism etc. Fix that!!

Ella

Campbell

Occasionally, but not consistently.

No, everywhere I’ve been to school, there has been one majority race that dominates. Other races often seem to be forgotten about.

Elena My school was not very diverse, so for the most part, yes, but my school was an exception.

Naajia Not really. I am the only black and/or dark skin every where I go 90% of the time.

Cassandra Not as far as disability is concerned but most definitely regarding matters of gender, race and class. Every institution which I’ve gone to has been wonderfully knowledgeable about these matters.

(Elementary through college.)

Morgan

Irene

Not really. Great teachers I remember from high school were usually teachers of color and the ones I argued with were white teachers who didn’t live in the same side of the county as me.

Preschool-5th grade: mostly AsianAmericans due to the fact that the school was in a neighborhood with a high concentration of them. Mostly lower class to middle class students.

Liam

Middle - High school: Mix of lower class and middle class, a few upper class students here and there. A TON of diversity race-wise.. which is why I loved the school so much as well. Everyone was different and accepted.

Somewhat. I wish it was more equitable for others of different races.

Asia Yes and no. Trends definitely emerged amongst my peers and there were unspoken value judgements of the “best” and “worst” students. This judgement was often in correlation to the economic standing of the student.

Jo It did for me, because I actively pursued courses and material that would require me to engage with diverse scholarship, but many students can easily avoid such scholarship even within the mandates of the core curriculum.

Yana Not at all. All art history in a university level was strictly Anglo-European Centric.

Parsons: A LOT of international/white students. I see a lack of some minorities.

A lot of upper class students (a lot of international ones because they have to be able to pay full tuition since financial aid is not available to them), a good chunk of middle class students, and a few lower class students that are hidden amongst the sea of students, many whom are supporting themselves (as far as I am aware).

Joshua Not really, much of my education has been rather normative in terms of race and gender and been very centric to American ideals I do not understand.

“Don’t worry about it too much because no one knows what the hell is going on unless you’re lucky.”

- Morgan Black, queer

Did you feel the material you learned in school reflect you personally?

Louisa

Stephen

Yes, but I had to find it. When there were no more classes I wanted to take I left, and that was technically before high school was scheduled to end. I had a lot of math that I opted to take because I thought I should, but it turned out that I had a really hard time, but I still learned from the experience.

Not all the time, but I do not feel the system is faulty. School in my mind has reached ideal efficiency, providing minds of all kinds direction and a solid infrastructure to mold themselves into a variety of careers.

Quinn Sometimes? there were some materials that I cherished and loved whereas there was other stuff that I absolutely hated. but both have shaped me to who I am so I can’t hate what I didn’t like too much (if that makes sense).

Jessica College more than high school. Probably because of choice.

Ivan Nope, most likely why I quickly gravitated towards an apathy for structured education - it is difficult and disagreeable if you cannot place yourself anywhere in the prevailing curriculum... so you make your own because it’s so much better.

Crystal Yes, they broadened my horizons and allowed me to decide how it influenced my thinking.

Crystal Yes, they broadened my horizons and allowed me to decide how it influenced my thinking.

Rose Very few times. I hardly enjoyed anything after my sophomore year because there was a creative block as well as hardly any motivating professors.

Rohitava Some subjects like the humanities (history, government, art history, literature) and the fine arts.

Gilbert It helped me express myself better but the education itself was not a reflection of who I am.

Frank Some of it has, especially in the electives I chose that go towards my gender studies minor.

Ella Not particularly, but I didn’t really consider it.

Naajia Materials need more diversity. Professor need diversity.

Brian No. Not 100%. About like 40%.

Anonymous Many times no. School is usually to academic and not artistic or creative enough. Other classes like history are also biased towards white people.

Cassandra In college it completely does because there is so much collaborative and project based learning. When I was younger, not so much because it was entirely about testing.

Morgan Not really. Now it does because I can choose topics that are relevant to me and my artistic practice.

Babs Sometimes, but very rarely.

Anonymous Never. Especially in terms of queer lifestyles, and representation of such.

Irene I have been forced to learn some materials a certain way in some classes.

I definitely feel like some classes were a waste of my time and did not express my own style in creation. However, that may be because my style is constantly evolving and that I am still in an experimental stage. It’s definitely different for art students opposed to academic students.

Asia Yes and no. Thankfully I was able to engage in a wide variety of art practices and design studies, which I identity with strongly. However, my academic work always seemed secondary and irrelevant.

Joshua Much of the material did reflect me when it was open to adaptation or interpretation, but much of it did not at all speak to my experience or the experience of my peers.

Nico Not really. it was a lot of memorization without any analysis. it was hard to resonate with why anything actually mattered

“When I was in every single math class and the teacher would never be able to answer the question: How will I use this in the real world? I have literally never used any of the algebraic equations that many students were made to feel bad about if they didn’t understand. I know the y=mx+b but I have no idea how to do my taxes or how to buy a house.”

Liam

White, queer, middle class

Have you had to unlearn anything throughout your education?

Anonymous Yes, the tendency to bottle up emotion.

Ivan There have been many many things I have had to unlearn. That in itself is indicative of a problem within education... Having to tear down years worth of “education” to replace it with more authentic, truthful, knowledge is not something that should have to happen at all - but it does because a traditional education system breeds uniformity, not individualism and mental autonomy.

Mika White male dominance / “Discovery” of America / Plight of Indigenous peoples with the deception of White men

Quinn It’s super minute but one thing I remember having to unlearn was how to write my 8’s. in 5th grade my teacher yelled at me for writing and eight with two O’s instead of a upwards infinity sign. I’m sure there were other things I had to unlearn (like doodling on my papers) but it’s the little things that I remember the most.

Stephen No. Education has helped me learn more, not necessarily to unlearn information stored in my brain, but to build off of the information and develop new theories and philosophies.

Djali Of course. It’s taught me to question what I learn in textbooks.

Rohitava

Anonymous

Only things that really were wrong with a right answer.

Everything.

Juliana Yes, I have had teachers contradict previous grammatical rules I had learned Sophia I had to take away anything I’v learned related to my personal aesthetic and work with this “blanket” concept and a style told to me by my teacher (boohoo).

Anonymous Of course. The biggest — nationalism.

Connie How to write an essay lol..from 5 paragraph essay structure to basically just making sure my ideas are clear and are ordered logically.

Raheem Yes, some of the world history I was taught in high school was a little “whitewashed.” But, I wouldn’t really say I unlearned it, I just learned that history is much more malicious than what teachers present it to be.

Megan I had to unlearn the notion that there’s a wrong way to do school or that I have to do 100% of my work all the time or else I’m a failure. I had to instead teach myself that it’s okay to get 75% of a reading done instead, if that is truly all I can muster.

Anonymous YES. The idea of “standardized” is absolutely ridiculous. EVERYONE is different. How can you try to wash out all of the diversity of learning styles and student experience? What, because you don’t want to do the work of treating everyone with respect? There is no arts funding. There is no emphasis on the arts in any way. Which is funny, because all I am doing in New York is art and I feel like I am doing it more successfully than some of my peers who took the traditional route (I hope that is not coming across arrogant.)

Rose I had to unlearn my hands on love for art because lot of times we were just doing “assignments”.

“I’ve had an incredibly privileged educational experience. Growing in middle class, predominantly white suburban Westchester, New York, I had access to all kinds of programs, classes, and extracurricular activities, especially in the arts. Without my upbringing in Westchester, I would not have the passion for the arts and the tools that carry my passion forward today. To this day, I continue to thrive in an incredibly privileged university in which I have access to creative and career-related opportunities, as well as to insightful professors and staff. Nevertheless, one aspect about my education that I continue to think about is the grading system that is still used and implemented to this day. I wonder the origins of the letter grading system and why we still use them. I feel that the letter grading system is one of hierarchy, categorization and demarcation. The stakes of this system are high in terms of generating and producing self-worth/-concept, intelligence-judgment, and attaining employment. I still continue to think about the ways my self-worth was impacted by my grades in high school, having graduated with a B+ average while my sister, who now attends Princeton, graduated with an A.

The grading system clearly does play a role in generating self-worth and intelligence concepts, and I believe has a tremendous capacity in terms of lowering or inflating our self-concept.

It’s of course inevitably wrapped up in larger systems of class, race, gender etc. that serve to reinforce it. Folks who grow up in poor households in which schoolchildren are not as supported in their work inevitably are not able to rank as high within the grading system. I am interested in unpacking this system more, discussing its deep implications, and investigating alternative systems.”

- Aliyah Black femme (magical dragon)

Frank

Rajan

Yes. I have had to unlearn a lot of history. The way that I learned history of art and of the world is ultimately super colonialist, westernized and leaves out so much history in relation to people of color, slavery in the united states, global warming, and trans and queer histories.

Honestly, not all people have good in them in this world. It sucks to say, but hey, that’s the sad truth!

Hiromi Luckily, no! I don’t recall any teacher trying to tell me slavery wasn’t the reason of the Civil War, or that evolution doesn’t exist. Thank goodness. I did have one professor, who many students admired, he didn’t believe in global warming. That was concerning.

Je’Jae What is considered good art. How to be a good writer. What is considered an educated/intellegent person,l. The grade system makes young people conditioned to believe that if you ace in the system you are smart or you internalize you are not. I have internalized for a long time I am slow, stupid, a degenerate becaus my learning disabilities doesn’t allow me to process. I have learned later on how much I am capable and how there are many forms of intellegience that isn’t valued in the U.S education system.

Naajia I had to learn intersectional justice.

Sabrina Unlearning the history that I’ve been taught about America is one of the most gradual processes of Unlearn ing that I’ve had to do. In order to do that, it’s more about expanding your knowledge rather than trying to amend something.

Cassandra Repeatedly. Every year there would be a better way to do math and I would always be still trying to adjust to the previous year’s method.

Morgan Almost everything/imbedded racism and ableism.

Liam Internalized conceptions of privilege and gender.

Babs Yes, that my cultural history is american history and should not be treated as other.

Anonymous Unlearning isn’t possible. So yes, I have wished I could unlearn things from my education!

Karina Everything i learned in my religion classes.

Joshua In regards to gender and ethnicity, I have had to unlearn many things, especially in queer theory and gender studies classes where material was presented to me that still adhered to a binary I do not personally fit into.

Vivyan The idea of doing something simply because it is an assignment. I have learned to invest more effort into properly readings now because before it felt forced. I started a research paper I was interested in and then became more inspired by our readings because it forced me to search for answers rather than identify ideas just to show I read.

Mika

Female/Hispanic

Has there ever been a moment in the classroom that made you question your experience with education or question the validity of the material you were being taught?

I presented a piece in a studio class that reflected the wealth/hunger strife in Cuba (my mother is Cuban, my grandmother was there during the time of revolution and fought alongside the rebels , later exiled herself after she saw the horrors committed by the new regime and can never come back because she is considered a political criminal) and upon presentation no one in my class could even recognize the collaged image of Fidel Castro. Not only did this shock me because I literally cut it out from the front page of The Village Voice, but it opened my eyes to the ignorance of most *ehem white privileged* kids to such an important event in immigrant history, especially considering that America had/ has such a serious involvement with the island nation (embargo, red scare + communism, etc.).

Dominique

Do you think the curriculum and learning styles allowed for you to think critically of the material?

If so, please elaborate.

Anonymous

Anonymous

Yes, all of my classes are discussion based so discourse and critical analysis is imperative.

Up until college, no. Teachers were very cut and dry with the curriculum with no wiggle room for ANYTHING.

Eric

Stephen

No the way the curriculum was run at FIT made me not think critically at all. I didn’t like the way the curriculum was at all it didn’t help me learn much.

No, but it provided a solid foundation for developing critical thought. I believe any learning material is a platform for critical thought.

Josie

Ivan

In High School not so much. In High School I believe it was more about getting good grades not so much on gaining knowledge. However in college I believe that the learning is different.

While the system still relies on grades the grades aren’t the main focus. The focus is the knowledge. In my experience of college professors take their time with the material, making sure everyone understands. They unpack the readings and go in depth with the material.

I think each individual has their own learning style, the problem tends to be that their style is rendered incompatible with the prevailing curriculum because the prevailing curriculum is meant for a particular group. Personally, I’ve never really felt like the curriculum was taxing and causing me great distress, (it was just terrible) but that is because once I became old enough to develop my own sensibilities and dispositions I realized that I did not care about grades or satisfying the curriculum. I was far more interested in taking in what was organically interesting to me, rather than forcing myself to learn some trivial information just because it was going to be on the test next week. Typically I learn because I want to know, not because a person with the nebulous title of “teacher” and a select group of old men in suits want me to know.

Rose We are like lab rats they continuously change the programs and sometimes it’s complete failure we learn nothing and the faculty sucks shit and sometimes it can be beneficial for the students coming in after us. Art is subjective so this is hard to answer.

Rohitava At times, a good teacher always makes the difference in terms of inspiring me to actually learn what they want to teach me.

Djali Not necessarily, since faculty of color as so sparse here. I’m tired of being taught my culture by white straight men.

Gilbert Yes. Most times, projects I’m assigned to do are new to me and open ended to where they push me to think outside the box and do something more than my initial thought.

Juliana

Megan

Definitely not, I am a really poor testtaker and it causes me great anxiety and I do poorly.

Yes. I think that the deeper discussions that take place regarding whichever subjects allow me to really evaluate things on my own.

Connie Before college, somewhat; however, it was still quite structured overall so one could get by without thinking critically and still pass. Right now I think it’s hard to say because classes are much more open, but I think the material I’m faced with right now challenges me to think more for myself and what I want to express, rather than learning a set of concepts already planned out.

Raheem At the New School, I feel this is the everyday encouragement. In high school, one literary teacher I had taught with theatricality and always added personal testimony to her lectures, she was one of few who encouraged her students to challenge what’s been put in front of them regardless of who places it there.

She included herself as well.

Anonymous If I had not already come to school with strong critical thinking skills, I would never learn them.

Gilbert Yes. Most times, projects I’m assigned to do are new to me and open ended to where they push me to think outside the box and do something more than my initial thought.

Anonymous Critically? No. It was all busy work at the end of the day. Worksheets, mundane questions. I think we would all benefit more from discussion based classes because those were the really life changed ones that I have taken in college.

Ella I had a few great teachers that definitely inspired this and worked within the framework to create open and critical learning environments. But the framework did not lend itself to this type of inquiry.

Frank

Elena

The curriculum in fine arts allows to think very critically about art, politics, sociology, psychoanalysis and philosophy in relation to identity. In this way I feel like fine arts is a program that is very open to discussing and addressing identity politics and issues relating to gender, trans issues, queer issues and race in a critical way.

No, it was usually multiple choice tests or open-ended questions that focused solely on the material provided by textbooks. I only remember having lengthy discussions about the material in one social studies class and some English classes.

Je’Jae No. I believe people learn best from having many experiences like internships, field work, interactions outside of class.

Sitting in a classroom and reading a required text and following a structure/ guide with a very biased professor doesn’t open the minds of the students.

It makes them try to follow a formula.

Rajan I believe seminar style classes are the most effective way of teaching, most definitely.

Campbell No, I feel as if school is more about being right/getting good grades rather than genuinely learning.

Naajia Nope. Inaddition to shorter degree completion. Undergrad should have only 2-3 classes. It’s hard to divide my attention amongst 5-7 classes. I feel like I’m not learning as fully as I can or creating as well as I can.

Cassandra Not in the public school system, but by the time I got to college yes.

Morgan In certain schools where external funding is determined by the performance of students rather than the performance of teachers, I’ve noticed that efficiency in pushing out curriculum (worksheets, little interaction) has been the main focus and doesn’t leave much room for critical thinking in the way that dialogue and discussions do.

Liam

Joshua

In my particular college setting, yes, because it is a seminar, where we move away from rote memorization and instead discuss and learn from one another.

I think thinking critically comes in the processes of following and learning curriculum but also in learning when to put curriculum aside and ignore whatever the material has established.

The curriculum and learning styles allow me to think critically when I’m allowed to question the material, but when it is treated as the end all be all, there is often no room for thought.

Hannah I think the education in high school was hard when it came to math and science.

You have no choice, and the only way to learn was through private tutoring if you couldn’t learn the material in class.

Asia Yes, most definitely. My school, Design and Architecture Senior High, encouraged us so be open to new concepts. There was also an emphasis on creative problem solving. If we could find a unique and unconventional way to complete an assignment we were free to do so.

Has your identity (race, gender, class, background, disabilities, etc‌) impacted your education, if at all?

Yes, yes yes. Being a middle class first generation Asian-American has taught me so many things that I would have never learned in a different setting.

First of all, my parents came to America in their late teens and met here, with barely any money. After marriage, they opened up their own restaurant and eventually moved on to starting their own construction company and buying real estate. Today, they are doing well and although they are not famous or anything, they are well known in the Asian-American community within the area of Chicago. Their hardships and accomplishments have always taught me to be an opportunist and to not waste precious time and/or resources.

I understand how hard it is to make money (especially when I started working in high school), and have taken the action to excel in the things that are important to me. My family was lower middle class before the construction company, and we were lucky enough to move on to a more comfortable lifestyle around the time I was 8. This transition taught me the importance of hard work, and I applied this notion to my education.

I always had a mindset to make the best of what I have in any situation because that was what my parents taught me. Perhaps that is why I have a mostly positive viewpoint on my public school education, that although it was not supposedly the best education available compared to private schools, it had enough resources that I realized that I could utilize in my time there.

At Parsons, because I am now paying for my education, it makes me notice a lot more negative things opposed to positive ones, because any negative aspect automatically equates to wasting my time and money, and that is something that I have learned to avoid. Many of my friends at Parsons are within the same class as me (lower to upper middle class), and I find that they put in a lot of work in making sure they get as much as they can out of their education because they understand how difficult it is to pay for a college education. I am not saying that middle class people work harder, not at all, but that has just been what I have observed in my time at Parsons.

Irene

Asian-American, Non-binary, Middle Class, First Generation

Has there ever been a moment in the classroom that made you question your experience with education or question the validity of the material you were being taught?

Anonymous

Crystal

Yes, I have had teachers in university who did not understand the diverse backgrounds of all students and made racist and sexist comments often.

I have had racist professors at Parsons that made me feel like there was bias in the classroom.

Louisa Yes. I’ve had classes with teachers who I felt the class was smarter than. Also I’ve spent so much time learning to test, which seems useless.

Ivan (K-12) Quinn Every day. That sounds like something every college student would say but it’s the truth. I sit in classes and wonder why I’m learning something that I have no interest in. a lot of the time it’s the way teachers interact with the students or display the work. It makes me lose the original enthusiasm I had for obtaining knowledge which in turn makes me question why the education system is the way it is. Especially because I’m learning stuff that will have no prominence in my life, yet I have no idea how to file my own taxes.

Tai Yes. Every fucking day of HS.

Rose When classtime is useless? Yes, we often sat around listening to pointless lecture or literally doing our work but having to still be in class.

Rohitava Yes, more often than not.

Gilbert Sometimes when critiquing someones work, sometimes it isnt about the work itself so much as the teachers own personal opinions.

Juliana When my AP US History textbook talked about slavery likes the slave owners were doing a great service and treating their slaves humanely. I have been to Gorée Island Senegal and visited the slave house. What we’re taught about slavery in American schools is a travesty of justice.

Anonymous

Hiromi

Junior year when a white male AfricanAmerican Literature teacher said it was OK for whites to say the N word in some contexts. Boy bye.

^^ The professor I just mentioned previously... He teaches a class about ethics and how to make decisions using a 7 step decision model where you gather the facts, see who this effects, possible consequences etc. He also was C-level in 7 different industries, so you sorta gotta think he knows his shit.

Connie I think most clearly I remember not really seeing why I was learning chemistry or calculus, but it’s probably mostly a personal reason seeing as how I knew I would probably never use those concepts in what I wanted to do in the future.

Anonymous When I was in every single math class and the teacher would never be able to answer the question: How will I use this in the real world? I have literally never used any of the algebraic equations that many students were made to feel bad about if they didn’t understand. I know the y=mx+b but I have no idea how to do my taxes or how to buy a house.

Frank Yes. I often see in my seminar classes that there is material that is kind of outdated.

Yet, he would every once in a while spout something like, “if global warming exists, why is the average temperature still the same?” and I’m like, uhhh dude, it’s cause there are more extremes on BOTH sides.

Je’Jae Yes, when the system doesn’t fufill me or interest me because education becomes like work, that your doing it to survive not because you want too.

Naajia Yes. This is too much to type. I have finals. I can explain in person.

Brian Yes! This semester. With my entire studio project. Questions what was the point of learning what we were learning when we were supposed to able to choose what to learn.

Ella

Anonymous

In my 8th grade Social Studies class we were learning about the difference between free-market economies and command economies. My teacher taught us about how Wal-Mart is able to innovate within a free-market economy in order to provide cheap goods. I would consistently try to bring up points about the negative attributes of capitalism, and my teacher would refuse to engage and say that we weren’t discussing whether the system was good or bad, but whether or not it “worked”. To me, to talk about a corporation of Wal-Mart and pretend to take a neutral view of it is to covertly advocate for it.

Frequently. I think this most often happens when a teachers credentials come into question. When a teacher seems incredible-- it is often hard to trust that their material is in any way credible.

Which can often cause the questioning of curriculum.

Morgan Literally having an art teacher in high school tell me about the struggles of her Italian grandparents immigrating to the United States and then yelling at me about how I am not black, I’m “American” was a moment.

Liam Yes. Often from white, cis male professors with tenure.

Babs Yes, when professors are incompetent.

Like why the hell am I paying $68,000

Irene Yes--- in those 1/3 classes I did not enjoy. Those were poorly taught “sustainable” classes and lecture/recitation classes that I did not enjoy. Many of the things taught in class contained material that was either general knowledge or something that could be learned from the internet or a book. But I guess that only matters if you’re the type of person who would take the initiative to look that material up yourself.

Asia My U.S. History teacher was extremely unorthodox and would often tell anecdotes of unknown historical occurrences.

After hearing them it really made me start to question what else was being excluded from the “normal” curriculum.

Yana

Vivyan

Absolutely, in several occasions from an instructor/lecturer stand point. Being an instructor at public high schools, teaching mural making, I have noticed how students were never taught who the Black Panthers are, or Lenin, or what Communism represents ?

ALL OF THE BULLSHIT REQUIREMENTS. LIKE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENTS? Why am I being taught something I already know. I think it should be taught in practice not by the book! Also, a professor just repeating what they know to you doesn’t help. I wish there were more hands on activities to teach students. I remember in high school, I had a history teacher who completely changed my hate for learning history because of all the hands on activities and projects we were given. At the time it was tedious, but I still remember what we learned!

Joshua I had a professor in a philosophy class completely shut me down when I was making a point about some of the material using my own experience. He couldn’t even be bothered to consider that I am an individual with an individual identity who might think of things differently than he does. He never had a problem hearing out the white American cis heterosexual men in the class though, so...

Sophia My teacher goes on the same rant over and over again about herself and its dumb and a huge waist of time.

Karina To be honest I never payed attention and bullshitted my entire high school career.

Elena Yes, multiple times. Especially when we learn about Native American history.

Elena

female , caucasian, upper middle class

I realize I am extremely priviledged because of my identity, therefore if it has impacted my education, it’s not as extreme as it is in many other cases. I have, however, definitely felt out of place in a classroom on more than one occasion, especially when the boys in my class would be treated differently.

I distinctly remember not speaking up as much in grade school because it was ingrained in my head that boys were smarter and were meant to speak up and contribute more and girls were meant more to laugh at their jokes or whatever.

Yana

Bulgarian, East European

What do you wish your education offered you? Is there anything missing? Perhaps subjects/classes you would add to core curriculum?

More non-colonial history ( and art history)! Critical thinking courses, creative practices in learning - theatre, role play, collaboration should be employed in all subjects. Allowing for explorations of new and innovative tools of empowerment - giving opportunity for critical reflection of the material taught, available and encouraged for every single student.

Making sure ever student is an active learner, with possibilities for their own voice to shape their own future, helping to step away from falling in the trap of the passive followers of (failed systems) trends and commercial stereotypes. Giving true role model examples of actual non-white non- all -male role models, who may be vital examples of real fighters for equity, freedom and advocates for civic engagement. We need to bring some of the visionary rhetoric from other parts of the world that have proved successful in education, looking at non west european education systems as well. Identifying ways to treat young students as people of value, knowledge and valid experiences, regardless of background, race or anything, not treating them as empty containers that the authority(ed system) will fill up with information. Bringing Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”, where he has elaborated on numerous teaching techniques on how to shape an empowered nation of visionaries...and more more more!

Connie

Chinese, Female, Teenager What do you wish you could have changed about your education? Could change now?

I wish I could have changed how the education I experienced was framed, because it was framed in a way that places a lot of pressure on students to learn specific things but not for the joy of learning them. At Parsons I think I would change the letter grade system, because the material students and teachers are faced with is so subjective that a letter can’t possibly accurately reflect a student’s work..so I’d rather it be more a credit/no credit or pass/fail type of system.

“The education system up until college is a lot of BS and grades aren’t as valuable as you think them to be.”

If you could give advice to yourself (past, present or future) regarding navigating the education system, what would you say?

“I would tell myself to be more proactive and driven in my unique passions, despite the education system telling me that these interests aren’t the most practical or smart.”

Have you had to unlearn anything throughout your education?

Yes. I’m now unlearning valuing completing an assignment over quality of work.

What do you wish you could have changed about your education?

Could change now?

I wish I would have more freedom to be creative in school and develop my own voice/style in my pursuits, rather than just learning what is expected.

Campbell Hapa Cis Female

“Decolonize the curriculum.�

Liam

Lower class white male

Karina “To be honest I never payed attention and bullshitted my entire high school career.�

What do you wish your education offered you? Is there anything missing?

Perhaps subjects/classes you would add to core curriculum?

Anonymous

Josie

I wish my education provided me with more opportunities to think outside of the box instead of always encouraging memorization.

I wish my education offered more diverse subjects. Instead of learning only about American History I would have like to learn about Latin History or African American History in High School. This why I love college because college offers a wide variety of classes. I just wish I could’ve had this experience in High School so I could’ve known more and be prepared.

Anonymous Support, any reason to feel motivated to continue.

Louisa

Crystal

More self help. More support on how to do taxes. How to take care of myself.

I wish I could take more science and math classes at parsons. I miss receiving a holistic education

Ivan There isn’t really anything that I want this education to offer me, because if I want something badly enough there are certainly alternative ways of getting it.

Quinn MUNDANE THINGS. I never learned how to vote or taxes or how to fix some house hold things myself. But yet I’ve done like 3,000 research papers about topics I don’t even remember. I wish it offered more of a “here learn this thing that you’ll have to pay someone a ton of money for but in reality you can do it yourself in 30 minutes”.

Mica Immigrant history. Indigenous histories.

Stephen I do not wish education offered me anything more. I do not expect education to necessarily “give” me anything. I believe all the necessary tools are present in schools that place a lot of effort into the development of education.

Rose Some more field related courses and BETTER professors. What’s missing is we pay so much there’s so little supplied: printers, broken elevators, horrible wifi, terrible food cafeteria etc.

Rohitava More teachers who actually believed in what they taught. The subject matters in school always had great depth, but the teachers and teaching methods were almost consistently shallow.

Djali I would like to be taught by people who look like me. I wish we could talk about Latino/a identity in the grand scheme of things, not limiting racial conversations to the archaic, boring, “black-white” binary.

Gilbert More levels to the foreign languages they offer.

Juliana More interdisciplinary learning.

Sophia

Frank

Yes, more fashion elective that varied from lingerie, specialty fabric classes, and more sections of already existing classes so I don’t need to fight to get into a course i need to take.

I wish there were more visual studies classes that were in the fine arts curriculum. I also think that making it a required part of the curriculum to address pronouns at the beginning of each class alongside a brief overview of THE DEFINITION OF MICROAGRESSIONS both in and outside of the classroom.

Anonymous Recognition of the terrorism we more commonly call colonization and its consequences.

Raheem

Hiromi

Less authority given to teachers, more collective learning.

I miss my time at community college.

80% of the classes I took there were just about thinking critically and learning about the world. But now, I am at a research university, majoring in economics, listening to professors spew off about theory after theory that yes, sometimes make me think critically, but usually make me question what the damn point is.

Anonymous

Ella

MORE ARTS. More of what students will benefit from. Discussion classes about REAL WORLD topics and what is going on in current events. How to do taxes.

How to get a bank loan. What equity means. How insurance works.

I wish that my education offered me the opportunity to develop the skills and abilities that I have a natural inclination for and will serve me in the future.

Better sex ed, and I wish school started at 9 instead of 7:30. I’d also add classes about media literacy and cultural studies.

Anonymous

Je’Jae

Cassandra

I wish I had more vocational classes, field trips, access to study abroad programs for low income students, having a career assessment tests, getting better tips to learn, study, research for papers, life skills, communication, job search etc.

Definitely more in the way of home economics. I would love to have learned how to apply academics to my life / more life skills. Things like sewing and doing tax returns, etc...

Elena Creativity, an open environment where discussion of material is encouraged, more critical thinking about current issues Brian What the program described.

More diverse classes. More diverse professors.

Sabrina Personally, I wish we had engaged with the environment around us more.

Utilizing the city and urban growth as a way to learn hands on, I think, is valuable.

Campbell I wish we could learn more about gender, sexuality, race relations, etc...

Anonymous I wish early education in some way reflected real life.

Morgan I really just wished we had an abundance of resources. TNS isn’t bad in terms of resources, but there’s room for improvement. I also think that public high schools could offer more general resources (better transportation, computers, etc.)

Liam My education has offered me a brilliant experience and a deconstructed view of the world. From the desk, I have learned so much, and mostly from the viewpoint of the students who have dealt with the class material firsthand.

Anonymous Broader spectrum of subject study that reflects my interests. I knew i wasnt going to pursue math or science but i had to take them anyway.

Karina

Vivyan

Maybe a class that can help you figure out what you want to do with your life.

I honestly would like a course on asian americans...I didn’t know any one related to how I felt in high school until I experienced meeting other people like me. Honestly, I felt isolated in high school because no one seemed to understand my family’s background and why I am/was the way I am/was.

Asia I specifically have a problem with the way history is taught. I wish my education hadn’t been so biased and Eurocentric. The subjects chosen gave the impression that all of history was a stepping stone to make way for the “great country of America” to be born.

I was often left wondering what was happening in other regions of the world.

Great accomplishments of the eastern hemisphere are almost always glazed over.

Joshua I love classes that are guided by our own participation and open dialogues led by personal experience, and this is what I miss in fields like philosophy and psychology and even queer theory- if I am a queer person and I am telling you about my queerness, why would you invalidate that?

Nico I wish The New School’s administration was more in touch with the progressive/socially conscious grounds that the school prides itself on.

“I wish school taught me that who I am is more important than what I do�

Eva

White, upper-middle class, female, straight.

“To my past self I would continue to reiterate that it will get better in the future.�

Gabi

Hispanic, 20, female, working class.

“I think the education in high school was hard when it came to math and science. You have no choice, and the only way to learn was through private tutoring if you couldn’t learn the material in class.”

Hannah Female, Jewish

“I never enjoyed the pressure, stress and anxiety that overwhelms the cultivated love of learning.�

-Annie Asian-American

Claudine

What do you wish you could have changed about your education?

Could change now?

Anonymous

Quinn

Taken a leave of absence.

Once again, support.

I wish there were more art classes throughout life as well as theory classes. everything was so specific to America too, I would’ve liked to have more about what’s going on outside of the USA. I also think it’s very important to have self discovery classes so people learn to just be themselves and explore what that is like as well.

Louisa

Tai

I wish I hadn’t pursued math because I thought the people around me wanted me to. I wish I had spoken up even more when teachers said things that were problematic and hurtful.

I didn’t like going to private school when I was in highschool, but looking back, I appreciate it now.

Eric I wish I could have appreciated it more than I did at the time Anonymous

Ivan To be frank, I wish the focus would have been allocated much differently. The grand question that everyone always asks is “did school prepare you for the real world?” Personally I think it does and does not. Spending a month playing floor hockey did not prepare me for shit, yet if you do not show up for floor hockey, you are penalized, because you know, you need floor hockey if you’re gonna be out in the real world. Aside from the fact that a nonsensical amount of attention and concern is directed towards injecting mind numbing information into students and forcing them to regurgitate that information on a test to measure their supposed competence, this system works in such a way that many students end up correlating their own value and self worth with their grades. A+ does not mean you’re a kind conscious individual, and D- does not mean you’re an assface. I find that often times the D- is given to the kid who could not care less about the law of modus tollens, and is more intrigued by the state of the world, a poignant piece of artwork, a beautiful film, or socially conscious lyrics in a song. School does not teach those things or revolve around them.

It teaches arid, fairly useless information and each year the arid information is more complex but just as useless and just as unhelpful in the development and ultimate formation of a compassionate, conscious, loving individual. For me, college (maybe just this college) has introduced a very refreshing ethos of unconventional approaches and teachings. Or maybe I just need to be at an art school.

Crystal Nothing. except I wish my school encouraged involvement in the arts more Rose I wish I knew what I sucked at before i jumped into it. I wish i went to a public school so they dont hoard ALL the $ or only care about maintaining their image through spending our $ Gilbert That I focused on what I liked doing rather than taking so many classes that didnt apply to one specific major.

Juliana I wish I had been in science and math classes that were solely filled with women.

Anonymous

Frank

No more white teachers delivering “knowledge” about culture. More POC more Queer more people from lower economic status bringing their narratives to the table.

I wish there was more of a diverse range of students from different social and economic backgrounds, more people of color and international faculty and students in this program.

Connie

Hiromi

I wish I could have changed how the education I experienced was framed, because it was framed in a way that places a lot of pressure on students to learn specific things but not for the joy of learning them. At Parsons I think I would change the letter grade system, because the material students and teachers are faced with is so subjective that a letter can’t possibly accurately reflect a student’s work..so I’d rather it be more a credit/no credit or pass/fail type of system.

Taken more and more “general education” style classes. Went to a liberal arts university. Learned in a more well rounded way.

Raheem

Recieve better accomadations at a young age, change the classroom system where I don’t have to learn, study for many hours and learn in other ways to love my education. Have more experiences outside of the classroom to explore my interests, skills, and build my character.

More classroom movement and icebreakers, students need to be encouraged to learn about their peers so their collaboration skills can develop.

Megan I wish I could have changed my inability to ask for help. I sill wish I could change this. not that great at it

Ella I don’t think I personally could’ve changed anything. Perhaps I could’ve taken a more individualized approach to assignments, but I don’t think I had the capacity at the time.

Je’Jae

Elena More diversity and a healthier learning environment.

Brian

Hannah

Nothing so far since it honestly just started.

Wish I had more exposure to arts.

Campbell I wish I would have more freedom to be creative in school and develop my own voice/style in my pursuits, rather than just learning what is expected.

Cassandra Just being given different opportunities to approach projects when I wasn’t understanding them. Receiving more patience from instructors. Feeling less alone and less scared.

Morgan I wished that someone would have stressed how false most high school educations are. Now I just wished it costed less.

Liam Decolonize the curriculum.

Babs Sometimes I wish I went to an Ivy league so I can get a full ride or I went to a state college instead of spending all dis money.

Karina I wish I didn’t go to catholic school.

Yana I may have answered all this above, but maybe having more possibilities for experiential learning which ultimately will give sense of empowerment. I just though of a quote by Emerson who said that you never know when you are learning and what you are learning, having all sense at all times active ..

Joshua I wish I knew what I was doing and where the safe spaces were from the beginning.

Vivyan I wish there were more passionate professors. I’ve had a few professors who have pushed me and motivated me to do my best work because they got me excited about the material. I can’t say the same for a lot of profs. who are just teaching on the side.

Nico I wish I would’ve read things other than textbooks in high school.

Gilbert

Male, Middle class

Figure out what you like to do and take classes that incorporate that. Dont worry about what your family says because in the end, you’re the one stuck with the decisions you make and the major you choose. Follow your dreams, take it easy and dont stress. It will all be ok. Be nice to others because what you send out comes back three-fold. Use spare time to chill if you need to.

Describe your experience or relationship with education.

Went to a public middle school, private high school and a private college. My experiences at the private institutions were much better than at the public ones. I went to a charter school for elementary school and that experience was actually wonderful.

If you could give advice to yourself (past, present or future) regarding navigating the education system, what would you say?

Have you had to unlearn anything throughout your education?

I learned more in First Year at Parsons than I did within four years at my highschool. I felt like I unlearned all of the rote memorization and SAT prep. And I’m glad I did.

What do you wish your education offered you? Is there anything missing?

Perhaps subjects/classes you would add to core curriculum?

More creativity in HS What do you wish you could have changed about your education? Could change now?

I didn’t like going to private school when I was in highschool, but looking back, I appreciate it now.

“I’d tell myself to calm down.

I freaked out a lot in HS.” Tai

caucasian, female

Has your identity (race, gender, class, background, disabilities, etc…) impacted your education, if at all?

Yes, I feel like because i am a BA/BFA student depending on what school i’m at i get different responses as a Black woman. At Lang i’m expected to be a super race warrior overwhelmed with fake white liberalism and at parsons when i do anything that has to do with my culture not even in the realm of politics/race theory i get no answers/ proper critiques on my work.

Did your education reflect the diversity of the students?

No, my education is limited and I have been reaching outside of the university for more indepth work. I feel my education is limited because we have limitations on majors/minors like race/ ethnicity, queer studies, gender studies when in reality our school is suppose to be ahead of our times. But even within in traditional curriculum we are stuck with whiteness as the normalization.

Do you think the curriculum and learning styles allowed for you to think critically of the material?

What do you wish your education offered you? Is there anything missing?

Perhaps subjects/classes you would add to core curriculum?

Yes I do but I wish the schools were more structure and enforced a university wide policy for under graduate students that they must take a socially justice centered class once a year. This class can come in the form of classes at parsons like “sustainable systems” or in lang’s “first year fellow” program but i think having actually classes that tackle social justice is important and teaching the ways systematic and individual oppression works.

We should have a whole office that is university wide dedicated to social justice that also includes spaces for POC, LGBTQ, and low-income students. There should be programs put into place to help low-income students as a sliding scale option and there also should be a requirement for a social justice centered class each year university wide under grad. As well as the curriculum cannot have more than 50% white writers/ authors and the same with gender.

Babs

Cis Black American Woman

If you could give advice to yourself (past, present or future) regarding navigating the education system, what would you say?

Anonymous

Anonymous

Slow down and enjoy yourself, it’s not a race.

To my past self I would continue to reiterate that it will get better in the future.

Eric

Tai

I would say just push through it even though it’s hard in the moment it all works out.

I’d tell myself to calm down. I freaked out a lot in HS.

Josie

Stephen

A grade/GPA is just a number.

Knowledge and intelligence isn’t determined by your grades. Don’t focus too much on getting the highest GPA and instead focus on gaining knowledge.

College is about learning new things.

Work hard.

Louisa

DONT GO TO NEW YORK, and follow your dreams so you don’t regret it your entire college years who cares about a bachelor’s you should be happy and happy gets you a job faster than a miserable 4 years failing at your other options.

Education should be in place to serve you. If you don’t think it’s doing that to the best ability, than it’s your job to figure out how you have to change the situation you’re in Ivan I would say create your own route and do everything possible to avoid the route that is suggested.

Quinn I would say learn to keep your mouth shut because that’s what usually gets me in trouble but at the same time that is what’s wrong with the education system as well. we’re all just humans and the fact that I can’t freely be myself and say something weird without getting in trouble is messed up. so I guess my advice would just me to not get so worked up or anxious about school.

Crystal Don’t sweat it.

Rose

Gilbert Figure out what you like to do and take classes that incorporate that. Dont worry about what your family says because in the end, you’re the one stuck with the decisions you make and the major you choose. Follow your dreams, take it easy and dont stress. It will all be ok. Be nice to others because what you send out comes back three-fold. Use spare time to chill if you need to.

Anonymous

Frank

Don’t let them tell you who you are, where you’ve come from, where you’re going. Look to the Walkers, the Hurstons, the Baldwins, X, hooks, Adichie and don’t worry about the rest.

“You are a woman. You cannot be contained.” Empowerment.

To present me: life is much easier when you have a degree. So get one but you don’t have to be happy about conforming to this system.

Connie The education system up until college is a lot of BS and grades aren’t as valuable as you think them to be.

Raheem I’d say comprehensive education (sex ed) needs to have unanimous guidelines and requirements across the country, more life-skills classes to improve financial literacy and responsibility, and curriculum and classroom malleability based on students’ needs.

Anonymous Grades are fucked up.

Megan Ask for help. Advocate for yourself.

Announcing to a classroom that you have an eye disease so you can’t read the text out loud if it’s not zoomed in on your own laptop is not going to make anyone think any less of you.

Hiromi If you like small classes, find a school that offers small classes. If you prefer one-on-ones with professors, don’t even attempt the UC system.

Ella Don’t take it so personally.

Je’Jae The system is the problem not you.

Rajan No matter how hard you work honey, there may (and always will) be a white person who may prosper more, just because of their skin color.

Campbell I would tell myself to be more proactive and driven in my unique passions, despite the education system telling me that these interests aren’t the most practical or smart.

Cassandra

Irene

Pace yourself and don’t feel rushed by anyone. The due date / time sensitivity matters less in the long run than your ability to learn these things. Don’t copy someone’s math homework answers because you know it will take you 6 hours to complete the worksheet and get full credit, learn something instead and do half.

I would tell myself to read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell earlier because it really opens your eyes in realizing that the outcome of your path comes from every influence in your life, a big one being education, and to make sure that your time, especially for a paid education, is not wasted.

Morgan Don’t worry about it too much because no one knows what the hell is going on unless you’re lucky.

Liam Don’t be so arrogant.

Babs Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself and that your knowledge is powerful.

Take the time to do your work and take the time to apply to scholarships.

Also community college is dope and i wouldn’t change that I had that experience.

Anonymous Learn as many trades outside of school as you can.

Karina Life experience is more valuable than anything learned at school.

Yana Lenin said once upon time: study, study study, and I will add- study both sides of all knowledge, from the lens of analytical discourse. I wish I always looked at all opposites in the material I was receiving: what i was told to read, and what i wasn’t told to read as part of a bigger problem/solution scenario . Who is speaking to me and what are they not mentioning, from what angle are they presenting the information and where is my place in this dialogue?

Joshua Don’t let anyone tell you your queerness or identity is wrong- don’t let a book tell you that your experience is not valid. You are just as capable of critical thinking and participating in discussion as anyone else.

Eva Criticizing your own academic experience is more scholarly than going through the motions completely blind.

Vivyan I would tell myself to remain curious.

View education as a gift and a privilege.

I wish(ed) I was more driven to explore and experiment in practice so utilize every resource available to you because the amount of access you have is temporary.

Nico Do not put a limit on the things that interest you.

Rohitava Doing what you love means that you’re willing to learn everything about it.

There is no greater motivator to gain knowledge than the passion in what you are pursuing.

Yu Ling First generation Asian American, Chinese, Comedian, Friend, Artist, Kid, Creator, Sister, Daughter.

Always be critical (in a productive way, of course). Be critical of everything you learn, of everything you know, think you know, and so on. Remember that there are different types of intelligence, and just because society favors one specific type, does not mean that you aren’t smart. You are capable, resilient, and gifted.

Sometimes it can be hard to confront truths because they make us uncomfortable, but I think those are the moments where we benefit the most.

The moments where we have to step back for a minute and question ourselves, our surroundings, and the way we have been taught to think.

Although our education system here in America is not hella fly like it should be, it’s part of our job to make sure it us. We are the teachers of the future, so let us rewrite our own curriculum, and teach the way we wish we were taught. Education is freedom.

Advice to oneself?

Remember that just because you have a degree and majored in something, does not always mean you have more knowledge. There are things that cannot be taught in a book, and just because you’ve read the required list does not mean you are now the expert. Never get to the point where you are too arrogant where you close off listening to real people and disregard their experiences.

Education is not a privilege, it is your birth right.

“Pimp the system before it pimps you.”

– Djali

Latina, Indigenous, Moroccan, Black, Female, Writer, Filmmaker, Sister, Lover, Friend, Girlfriend