Black surrogate parents raised me, so I spoke Black English/ AAE during most of my childhood. At age 12, I got a sponsor-an Engineer who fully paid for my boarding school for kids like me who lived in poverty. I had a hard time adjusting because I could not speak “standard English”. My family was not used to dropping “g” in words as that was regarded too whitish. My sponsor used to encourage me that I could learn “code-switch” and remain the same person. My parents noticed that my accent had changed; they would make fun of me that I was now talking with some class. My new experience in that school was very overwhelming. Whenever my aunties would drop by at our house, I would feel so embarrassed around them. Nevertheless, I was impressed by my progress. I would set aside 20 minutes daily to practice short lessons on learning English. Like Rodriguez, I was honestly in love with getting information and knowledge “what do I see in books?” says Rodriguez. I had the idea that English was necessary for my success” (Rodriguez 250).
As I transitioned to high school, my sponsor was my role model all through. Therefore, while in high school, I badly wanted to be an engineer. My science teacher, Mr Chapman, played a significant role. He guided me and even offered remedial lessons at a fee. I was not very good at science, but he tried his best to make me succeed. All my classmates felt like he was a person to confide in or ask for guidance. Later on, as I entered into senior year, he offered me a chance to help kindergarten students struggling with science in a neighbouring school. However, I had a problem with my parents. While I improved my science subjects, my parents were not amused by my determination to learn all these “new” things (Rodriguez 240).
Therefore, I strongly relate my education moments to Rodriguez because I have always been isolated from my family in some academic areas. My dad believes that women are not supposed to pursue science careers. Therefore, nobody in my family understood me because they could never perceive this from the context of gender equality. My mother specifically thought that majoring in science would make me lose my scholarship. My sister admitted that she planned to be a teacher sometime one day. My mother was very amused by that confession. I never tried to explain that her yearning for the teaching profession was as crucial as mine for engineering. The motivation that kept me going was seeing the kindergarten students comprehend a perceived complex concept. His passion for reading is because he knew it was his opportunity to succeed. Like Rodriquez, I had the idea that being successful in my career would pull me out of my family’s frustration. The main reason for not giving up on my goal was changing my parents’ perception that there are only jobs for girls and boys. Looking back, I could also have gotten my inspiration from Rich. She believed that women were starting to change society by exceeding men (Rich 23).
“..Women were making careers…and working to send their spouses to professional schools, then retiring to take care of their families”(Rich 20). As discussed by Adrienne Rich, the realization of double standards is a very motivational concept. I can attest that surpassing your standard satisfactions of sticking to your goals will bring you success. Like Rodriguez, everyone should push towards success despite their family’s misfortunes. Additionally, applause from parents should never be anyone’s motivation. I desire education’s current and future experiences to be based on gender equality. I hope that there will be improved gender equality in education, and participation achievement for both girls and boys, strengthened legal education structures, planning, and policy processes, and guarantee dedication to gender equity across the world in the future. Currently, there are many issues related to genders, such as early marriages and the outcomes from investing in female education and their development. Most importantly, I would encourage any student experiencing such a misunderstanding between school and home; education is a continuous step to gaining information and being equipped in life.
Works Cited
Adrienne Rich. “When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision.” Jstor, National Council of Teachers of English, 18-30.
Rodriguez, Richard. “The Achievement of Desire: Personal Reflections on Learning ‘Basics.’” Jstor, National Council of Teachers of English, 1978, 239-254.
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