In all facets of education...

This week's readings elaborated on some of the topics that we have touched on before. The idea that minorities feel marginalized in every position of higher education is the new twist that has been thrown into the tornado of challenges that minorities often face. The student who is a person of color is forced throughout their education to not only learn the history of the minority but also in the way that the people of the majority want students to learn it. This is characterized by tests, stringent schedules and often times solely regurgitating the information. Both students and teachers tire of the same old agenda that has been created for them. For students, the rebellion is sometimes apathy, especially for the underrepresented. For teachers, as bell hooks reflects- " ...inflict pain on their own students, the pain that comes from doing what never was, or no longer is, their true work" (p. 15). These tired participants of the education system work tirelessly to create a lesser gap in their own achievement, but sadly there is no more representation of people of color in education than existed 30 or so years ago. There are many situations that perpetuate the institutional racism, all of these have been mentioned before including such things as admissions , experiencing an unwelcoming campus, and mostly a small number of mentors or guides to help others that are underrepresented. When applying these to the academia workforce, the percentages take a larger hit. It is a question that we must ask ourselves- how are we supposed to support all students in pursuing a profession in a world that has increasing globalization if the places of learning do not reflect what they will encounter in the workplace? It is an issue in a different vein when asking this question about minorities. These students must circumvent, at times, incredible odds to create a better situation for themselves and then realize that not only is the campus climate appear to be cold and unwelcoming but there exists little representation like themselves among faculty and staff.

On the other end of the spectrum, this weeks readings tap into the challenges that the small number of underrepresented people must face when pursuing a career in academia. The written narratives were focused on women, who must learn how to balance several worlds, in order to achieve her goals. Because of the small amount of representation among the field- women of color face the discrimination of being a woman while clashing with the pressure of being a minority. Several new barriers appear in these instances such as lack of mentors to encourage faculty towards the tenure process, segregation or isolation of being the token minority, and undervalued research. The research that is produced by these women is often scrutinized and held to the highest of expectations. This is especially heart breaking because these are exactly the studies that need to be published to help produce a social and institutional change for these minorities to participate fully in the creation and implementation of diverse curriculum. The social movement theory states that it is not just the presence of minorities that will change the face of institutions but rather a social movement change. Research that is often completed to create this social change is vital to the future of our institutions. It is important to recognize the difficulties that not only students are facing, but also the faculty members that are their mentors. Another important fact to mention is that often times, the faculty or staff members of color, are not only token to their fields but also to their students. With the lack of representation, professors are often overloaded with being a mentor and faculty advisor. bell hooks mentions this type of service as a reason for her love of teaching, the students that come in bright and eager to learn what she has to offer. But being overloaded is often another factor that contributes to burnout- all teachers and students experience the burnout that is shared among those in education. But it is vital to acknowledge that white men and women experience a burnout that is vastly different than the burnout of men and women of color. These realizations each week attempt to remind me to stay grounded with my head towards the future. Although, I know there is little that I am able to personally do about these situations- it is as a classmate mentioned a couple of weeks ago- it is what you are able to do with your position that creates a difference. I know that I should not only work for myself, towards my own goals and ambitions, but work towards continuing to educate myself on social justice so that I am in the position to create a significant difference.