Author: jennifertam

Final Paper Reflection- My Ideal College

 

As many other classmates have also posted a reflection of their final paper, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to do so myself. I copied and pasted my mission statement and final notes below, along with my final reflections.

Mission Statement

Shanqu College serves to provide equal opportunity for all, regardless of geography or cultural background, through a comprehensive liberal arts education.

As an innovative addition to the Greater New York area, we hope to break boundaries by adopting a flexible system that will support our students in their academic endeavors. As a nonconventional higher education institution situated in the City of New York, the city is our campus, that is, the College is able to draw upon the architectural and multicultural resources of the city. Moreover, we welcome students from all walks of life, and inspire them to develop their potential beyond what they imagined when the first enter. Understanding our students’ different circumstances, we seek to provide a flexible style of learning by allowing them to take classes either online, or in one of our many access points throughout the city. Drawing inspiration from the underdeveloped mountainous regions of Mainland China, our founder Ms. Jennifer Tam hopes to provide a quality education for all disadvantaged and underserved individuals, who otherwise would not have this opportunity.

Through its dedicated faculty and staff, Shanqu College provides students with a personal touch to their educational experience, in hopes of promoting academic excellence while stimulating their personal development.

 

Final Notes

I drew inspiration from my wish to serve underprivileged children in the mountainous regions of Mainland China. As an aspiring teacher, I believe that every child deserves to have an education, but this is unfortunately not the case for children living in poverty. In the mountainous and rural regions of China, few have this privilege. However, there are some impressive individuals who hope to better these children’s lives by setting up a small school that comprises children of all ages. The teacher as well the children typically walk two hours to and from school each day on rocky, unpaved roads of China’s mountain ranges. They may not have the privilege that children and teacher living in urban areas may have, but they definitely have more willpower and motivation to thrive and improve their conditions. The name of my college, Shanqu, is the English Romanization for the Chinese term 山区, meaning mountainous regions.

While working on my final paper, I struggled with taking such an idealistic and somewhat impractical approach and make it seem achievable. Although this WAS supposed to be the blueprint for an ideal college, I had hoped that I could design an institution that would be able to thrive despite the social and financial aggressions of New York City. I designed my college with good intentions, and hope that such a model could be adopted in the future because I strongly believe education (elementary, secondary, or higher) shouldn’t be solely about profit.

 

Destigmatizing Mental Heath Struggles on the College Campus

President Santa J. Ono’s disclosure about his past suicide attempts has taken social media and college campuses across the nation by storm- for very good reasons. It isn’t everyday a public figure courageously confesses to their struggles, let alone a higher education administrator, let alone an Asian American one. With an increasing acceptance in speaking up about traditionally taboo issues, many public speakers are stepping up to the plate as advocates raising awareness, and as role models encouraging transparency.

There are many people who are afraid of speaking up about their struggles or seeking help due to stigmas placed on mental health issues. This pertains even more so to Asian Americans, who due to cultural reasons are even more reluctant to share their stories. Moreover, many mental health disorders, especially Major Depressive Disorder (or what we commonly refer to as depression), have age of onset during early to late adolescence. MDD is also a leading reason for college dropouts. When faced with such a seemingly alarming and permeating issue, wouldn’t it be logical to address these issues by presenting a safe environment for open discussion? However, this is hardly the case. Instead, everything is kept “hush-hush” and swept under the table.

Mr. Ono’s confession is commendable for a variety of reasons, but most importantly, it presents us with solution; the college campus is a place that many regard as a safe haven for respectful, mature, and comfortable discussions, and we should make every effort to ensure every student has a place and/or trusted individual to confide to, or to simply seek help from. Lessen stigma, and by doing so, we can truly cultivate healthier, happier individuals with immeasurable potential.

 

http://chronicle.com/article/Discussing-Past-Suicide/236573

The “Real” K-12 Challenge

            In an interview with SUNY’s chancellor, Nancy L. Zimpher, Ian Wilhelm attempts to get to the root of the problem with unprepared college students. Students who enter college straight out of high school are typically lacking in motivation and adaptive skills necessary to a successful undergraduate career. However, this interview also mentions students who are simply not as exceptional as schools in the SUNY system prefer. Rather than pointing finger at the K-12 system and demanding better students, Zimpher hopes to collaborate with them by training teachers to become better educators and advisors. Excuse me? Isn’t that simply sugarcoating their previous allegations? True, there may be educators who are not dedicated or qualified enough to prepare their students for college, but the exact problem lies in the overall education system, not simply in incompetent teachers.

            I draw upon Nel Noddings’ “An Ethic of Caring and Its Implication for Instructional Arrangements” that I read for one of my education courses to argue my stance:

“If it is not already obvious, let me say explicitly that I think university educators and researchers are part of the problem. Our endless focus on narrow achievement goals, our obsession with sophisticated schemes of evaluation and measurement directed naturally enough) at things that are relatively easy to measure, our reinforcement of the mad desire to be number one- to compete, to win awards, to acquire more and more of whatever is currently valued- in all these ways to contribute to the proliferation of problems and malaise” (Noddings, 226).

         Many blame teachers when children do not do well on tests, or when they seem to not be learning or on par with their classmates and others their age. However, teachers are only following the curriculum. If the system dictates that teachers must meet a quota, then this places teachers in a difficult situation. As a prospective educator, this is also my concern. I want to teach my students to be motivated, caring, and hard-working future leaders, but the system tells me that this is not enough, and this is not the way to cultivate the American mind. Instead, they say our children should fight to be at top, but these administrators and politicians do not realize this is only harming the children and placing the future of America in peril. Rather than stressing school readiness in preschool and academic excellence in elementary school, the K-12 system should promote an encouraging learning environment by placing emphasis on creative thinking and personal growth. Children who are exposed to an environment that values abstract and critical thinking earlier on will have the capacity to succeed in college, which is more or less a forum for active discussion and debate. Remove the adherence to standardized tests and rules, and focus on discovering the child’s potential instead.

http://chronicle.com/article/Video-Owning-the-K-12/236400

Is There A Way to Stop Anti-Asian Bias?

To answer my own question, no, but I do hope there is. This ties into the long-held belief of the “Asian Advantage”, a myth with racial implications. Asian Americans as a population have long been underrepresented in the United States’ social justice system; only recently did individuals begin to take a more active role in raising and spreading awareness of the micro-aggression that Asian Americans experience on a daily basis. Part of this micro-aggression happens right on the college campus, and sometimes even before getting to college. Admissions offices across the nation hope to diversify their respective campuses by accepting students of various backgrounds. However, Asian American students are often thrown under the bus for the generalized misconception that the entire population is high-achieving and therefore, must become exceptional in order to be considered, much less secure a seat in the prospective college.

I believe strongly in equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, and in an era when racial tensions continue rising, this should apply to college admissions as well. Asian Americans should be subjected to equal treatment, and not have to rely on an inflated average or the excess of extracurricular activities to put them on a level playing field. This also ties into the model minority myth, which is debilitating to the Asian Americans who are not as “outstanding” as they are perceived by the general public. There is no one single type of Asian American; we are different in the same way members other racial groups are unique. I am proud of my culture and heritage, not of someone’s wrongly held belief of my race.

As Hrishikesh Joshi says about the Fisher v. University of Texas case, “it is hard to see how giving a boost to white applicants relative to Asians is defensible in light of America’s historical and cultural context.” As a member of a historically underrepresented race, I too find it difficult to support Fisher’s claims. Using the argument of social justice to justify her case is simply hypocritical, considering her privileged background. True, I may be biased towards my own race, but I do believe affirmative action is fair and necessary in every way; what it does is simply take reality and apply it to the college campus. American whites are not the only ones walking the streets of American cities, so why should they be the only ones walking across the campuses of American schools?

 

https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2016/05/13/elite-colleges-should-not-penalize-asian-applicants-essay

 

Week 2: Selingo, Chapter 5 A Personalized Education

Chapter 5 primarily discusses the steps that are being taken for higher education, especially on the undergraduate level, to be a more personalized experience. By digitalizing essential services such as applying to college and choosing classes, students across the U.S. can cut costs and save on time to make the most out of their education, and more importantly, the rising cost of a four-year experience.

  1. Arizona State is regarded as a leading pioneer in rolling out innovative learning technologies, with one such software, Knewton, described by Selingo as an “adaptive learning technology that watches a student’s every click and then adjusts on the fly what is delivers next” (74). Rather than taking remedial classes that end up being a waste of time, students are able to get real-time help on a certain question with the help of Knewton. This comes as a big money and time-saver as remedial classes (1) should have been offered and taken in high school, and (2) more often that not do not help as students never get out of these classes or fail their primary course. This is an issue that I see a lot with peers at Brooklyn College and at other CUNYs/SUNYs. They are forced to take classes that they could have taken in high school, or stuck taking classes that they have passed and could have been exempt from retaking. For those who aren’t as lucky and must pay out-of-pocket, this may be an extra hundred to thousands of dollars from their savings, or in loans.
  2. Arizona State and Harvard, the long-regarded model for higher education institutions, have experimented and found success in a technique called ”flipping the classroom” (77). The idea of flipping the classroom is simple: students amass information online and then spend class time discussing and processing this information with professors and fellow students. As Selingo puts it, professors leave the traditional role of lecturer and replace it with that of a coach. However, many professors habitually cling to tradition and fail to see the benefits that this method has on students. This is not only an issue with professors, but with students as well. Many may also be unaware of alternative options in which classes are administered. Students should be given the option to choose the method that best benefits them, whether it be in a traditional lecture setting or the flipping the classroom approach.
  3. Software like Naviance (79) and ConnectEDU (80) are test-driven and appealed to students as a college admissions measure. These applications narrow down choices that best fit each student’s interests, financial capabilities, and geographic preferences, and were meant to offset the limitations of uninformed college counselors. Furthermore, ConnectEDU can access students’ academic portfolios- of course with permission- to determine the most suitable major or area of study. As the information in the portfolios may date back to middle or even primary school, ConnectEDU may even reach out to prospective students as early as eighth grade. Selingo mentions that some students lose the opportunity to get into their perfect-fit school due to their counselor’s carelessness. This software shouldn’t be seen as an alternative, but as a complement since there are other areas of counseling that may be unable to be put into an algorithm.
  4. Once again, Arizona State sets an example with another alternative system they term eAdvisor (83). Much like high school/college counselors, college advisors are also limited by the knowledge they have and the information they can get. eAdvisor serves to offset these human errors to keep students as well as advisers on track by giving advisory warnings when students go off track. This way, the college can maintain a high retention and graduation rate. However, similar to the point I made with the third issue above, this should be used as a complement and not completely replace human advisers. Students’ performance isn’t only measured in their academics, but may be affected by other factors as well. For example, students may take a leave of absence  or a gap year due to personal reasons unrelated to their academic performance. A completely computerized system would not account for that personal touch associated with human advisors.
  5. Like Arizona State with eAdvisor, Tristan Denley at Austin Peay State University released Degree Compass, a data reader that helps keep students on track with major-related and general education courses (84). Degree Compass tracks through each student’s course history and uses this information to customize a list of recommended courses and even possible majors. If the student has already chosen a major but haven’t been faring well in the required classes, Degree Works will send a warning to the student, in time for him/her to switch majors if he or she so wishes and still be on track to graduate. Choosing majors is a hit or miss. Like Selingo mentions, college itself is an”experience good”; you do not know if it was good until after you experience it. Computer software may offset limited knowledge and advice from relatives or school faculty, but at the same time, they cannot determine the “perfect” major for everyone as well.