In this series of WGVU Education Conversations, Education Intern Yasmin Alemayehu, will explore the different voices and perspectives within West Michigan. This series of blog posts will involve critical education stakeholders such as parents, educators, students, professors, and community members. This blog will open a dialogue on various education topics revolving around the purpose of education. As education is a broad and diverse field, the importance of recognizing and centering the diversity of education ecosystems contributes to our ability to engage in respectful discussion and action in support of inclusive, equitable classrooms.
What is the purpose of education?
I have spent most of my life hearing about the importance of education, and I remember thinking that school was a necessity that was never intended to be questioned. I specifically remember blankly staring at my 3rd grade homework assignments, and wondering: what was the point behind understanding what a dependent or independent clause was, and how would this information give me a better life than what my parents were living? I also remember telling my mother that I would love to stay home with her and help her around the house, in comparison to attending my 3rd grade classroom filled with unfamiliar concepts and ideas that I felt never mattered to me.
As a future educator, I am curious: why do we place so much importance on receiving an education? I wanted to know more about this complex puzzle that is our education system, so I decided to ask others about their thoughts on the purpose of education.
Perspective 1: Amira
Amira is a mother to six children and ten grandchildren. She is also a Somali Refugee, who came to the United States in 1991 during the war, in an effort to protect her children. Amira did not receive a formal education in Somalia, as she expressed that "there was no need for it" when, culturally, value was placed on girls and women as mothers and caregivers over attending school. Now as a grandmother living in West Michigan, Amira believes the purpose of education is to allow a chance for students to be successful. While she appreciates the life she has, she does wish that she had been given the opportunity to continue her education. "You have the choice to leave the house and serve a reason why you exist. My life starts and ends with being a mom and a wife, which is not a bad thing, but I wish I could have more." As Amira reflects, she sees education as a bridge to a new life, and in a way, a new identity. " I think people here have it good, they must go to school and they must graduate with at least a high school diploma. Back home, you can never step into a classroom, and no one will notice."
Amira's value of education is rooted in a sense of possibility and fortune: to have the opportunity to walk into a classroom as a student and connect with a renewed sense of purpose and identity that is part of the privilege of obtaining an education.
During my conversation with Amira, the complex relationship between education and identity really bubbled up - identity begins at home within our families, and then we further develop a sense of who we are within a school setting. The phrase “my life starts and ends with being a mom and a wife,” represents an identity some people from different cultural backgrounds may experience, and school provides them with the opportunity to be seen as more than their role within their family. It’s a privilege to be able to enter a classroom with the only expectations on a student being being that they are willing to learn. Amira speaks about the importance of her roles, but still wishes that, in some way, that she had the chance to be a student. Amira’s story shines a light on the privilege that accompanies sitting in a classroom in West Michigan, with the freedom to develop an identity as children learn and grow.
Perspective 2: Faith
Faith is an educator in West Michigan and spoke about how her experiences in education shaped her into becoming the teacher she is today. "As an educator, I believe that the purpose of education is to be able to have students connect themselves to the world around them." Faith spoke about the importance of having students be able to understand that they represent a larger society within this world, and that as a teacher, it is her job to make sure that students are aware of themselves, and who they are. As Faith is speaking about her experiences, she mentions that she really did not have any negative experiences. "I have a Masters in Education, and I feel like I went to a pretty well-off school. Of course, I had a few bad teachers here and there, but overall, I don't think there were any significant experiences that were negative."
Faith further acknowledges that she was often surrounded by people with similar identities to her own. When asked what she would change looking back, Faith stated that she wished she had more diverse experience and influences prior to teaching. "I think the big thing I wished I had back in school was meeting new people that actually looked different from myself. Now working here, I feel like I am continuously meeting people who I honestly never knew existed. It's weird, I think, that looking back, I never really met someone who was significantly different than me."
When speaking with Faith, I realized how much our early lived experiences can be influenced by the school environment we are placed in. We all had first day of school nerves, because we did not know what to expect as we walked in a classroom of unfamiliar faces, and yet we were able to spend the school year developing and navigating relationships while we develop our own identity. Faith's value of education revolves around students having the opportunity to shape an identity that allows them to find their value in the world, but part of that means educational experiences outside of a single community.
Conclusion
Reflecting on my conversations with Faith and Amira, I realized that one of the key purposes of education is to allow for spaces where students are learning more about themselves, their community, and society that is surrounding them. Although Amira and Faith both come from distinctly different backgrounds, being an individual, developing our sense of identity, and the influence education can have on how we see ourselves connected their stories. This often overlooked concept of individuality is a Western/US values, and yet both Amira's and Faith's experiences demonstrated classroom spaces as a powerful influence in their identities. And it is clear that one significant purpose of education is that school is the starting point of opportunity and individuality for students in West Michigan.
Talking with both Faith and Amira allowed me to realize that my parents understood the importance of individuality and opportunity. My parents understood that their roles within society were greatly limited due to the lack of education they received. I will never forget the days where my parents would sit with me at the dining room table, teaching themselves while they were teaching me. These consisted of long nights where I would hope they would simply give up- I remember the exhaustion and hardship that came with sitting at the dining table for hours trying to decode a language that was not meant for me or my parents to understand. Yet, even with this linguistic barrier there was not a single time where my parents allowed me to leave that dining room table without my homework assignment completed (even if the majority of it was absolutely wrong) and to be turned in the next day.
Looking back, I realize that my parents recognized that I had this important opportunity in attending school, and even if I wanted to stay home with my mom and spend the day cooking right beside her, they understood that my role within my family would always exist, but my individuality once I left my home was dependent on the education and opportunity I received within the classroom.