School Story - What was your experience in high school and beyond?
I was not thrilled with school. I grew up in a family of eleven children. Money was not something you spent on fun nights out with friends or school events. Most of my nights were spent babysitting other families children for 35 cents an hour and then during my high school years I worked across from West at Robby's flipping or serving burgers. After school my parents suggested getting a job that had health insurance which I did. I never saw school as a means to getting further ahead in life. Most days were doing the bare minimum or requirements to graduate. I didn't see the value of education so I didn't apply myself until later in life when I decided to get a Masters in the social sciences. If I could turn back the clock I would encourage girls in school now in areas of self esteem. Building each other up rather then tearing them down. Tell them to pursue something even if their friends don't like it. I tell everyone of my grandchildren to be kind to other children in school because not everyone goes home and has a good life.
My Masters of Science was Multicultural Studies
I did an independent study of which I am very proud of and can be used by other researchers in the field. My research is titled "Unreported sexual assualts due to alcohol intoxication". The book is located in MSU Mankato library.
As a teacher I gave students real life examples as assignments. Examples are counting how many times they heard racist remarks towards people of color. A fun assignment was they only had five dollars after paying their bills. Their assignment was to tell me how they survived a week on that five dollars. I also had assignments for them to imagine they were disabled and was what wasn't accessible to them if they needed it.
We talked about sterotyping, discrimination, ageism. racism, and all the other isms they could encounter in life. I let them watch films that dealt with some of the horrors in life such as Jews in concentration camps or the Japanese held in camps after pearl harbor.
My area of knowledge was American Indian, Blacks, Hispanic, and Asians. I would teach them sometimes you have to work with people you may not like or know with the game "minute to win it" and give them prizes for participating. I tried to make learning fun and interesting.
As well as my Masters of Science I hold two other certificates from MSU. A diversity training certificate which a company could hire me to train others in diversity in the work place as well as a non profit leadership certificate which I could use to help many non profits or if I wanted to start one of my own. My motto is persistence and determination will get you anything, but you have to want it first.
