Constructing Kasun, Educator

I want to be part of a revolution in education, one that brings students out of the doldrums of mechanized learning to one where children learn how to question,how to understand the world around them in a compassionate way, how to analyze, how to connect to unlimited data and people around the world.  That might mean starting a foundation or organization where researchers work to understand effective models of instruction that currently attempt to meet these needs for students; it might mean teaching courses at the university level to inspire teachers and teachers in training to consider these objectives and implement them in their instruction.  I might also help develop curriculum that will make this more possible.  I am open to all of these possibilities.

I am passionate about educating children and about connecting people through helping them understand each other.  I grew up in an isolated town in West Virginia where I observed firsthand the disparity between haves and have-nots, and I was deeply curious about issues of justice and equity as a result.  I wanted to know why some families didn’t have potable water and access to decent education in my home state.  I found these problems weren’t unique to West Virginia, but are circumstances the majority of people in the world face.  I studied global political economy at the University of Denver just one year after finishing my undergraduate in international studies and Spanish because I wanted to understand the way the world was connected and how I might make an impact on that world.  I then went to teach at university and secondary levels in Mexico.  After living there for five years, working, researching poverty through ethnography, and completing a master’s in educational leadership, I decided to return to the US, where I felt I belonged if I wanted to make a larger contribution.

Upon return, I began teaching ESOL at a diverse high school in Fairfax County Public Schools where I spent the next five years.  About thirty pecent of the students received free and reduced lunch; over fifty percent were minority students.  As an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher, I worked with students from parts of the world that were new for me–the Middle East, Africa, Central Europe, Asia.  I was challenged and thrilled by the possibiliies of seeing students from the five continents and all the world’s major religions working together in class through conflict, discussion, and community.  Last year, I applied Alfie Kohn’s approach to building community as opposed to imposing punishments.  I observed that when my students were provided a supportive environment, they broke down barriers of understanding with each other.  When we studied immigration and offered a seminar for hundreds of non-immigrant students, my students cooperatively rose to the challenge and presented informative pieces they wrote as well as a debate and a play, all written by the students. 

During my last two years at West Potomac, I became Department Chair and began working more closely with administrators in my building.  I was frustrated with structural problems I observed in the school, and I wanted to help ameliorate those problems.  Students who weren’t of a particular social class were largely misunderstood by their teachers and many of their classmates.  They were expected to leave their home culture at the front door and magically assimilate to the demands of the culture of school in the US without instruction in how to do so or questioning whether that assimilation was appropriate.  I advocated that the school follow a theme-based curriculum, patterned after successful programs already researched and documented in other places, including Educational Leadership, which I read regularly.  Not surprisingly, the principal of my school said that the culture of the staff at my school wasn’t ready for such a change.  I then took smaller steps and advocated that the school develop schoolwide objectives we could work on as a team.  Last year, we implemented a literacy campaign which included staff development and department-wide objectives.  I also helped the school become a more positive learning place by leading a schoolwide initiative to improve the positive expectations of both students and employees. 

Yet, I was still frustrated.  Students from lower socio-economic backgrounds were still at a disadvantage, as evidenced in their test scores as well as their high levels of discipline referrals and suspensions.  And that is what leads me to shift away from working inside schools and wanting to help create change from the outside.  I have experienced the ability for students to understand each other, despite their vast differences.  My insular, US perspective has changed to one that is more internationalist, thanks to my determination to be open to new experiences and cultures. I believe the PhD in education, with a specializaton in multilingual/multicultural education and a concentration in international education, at George Mason will help me develop my passions and research interests.  I have met with Dr. Osterling and Dr. Shaklee, who share some similar passions and research interests, and I embrace the school’s philosophy of wanting to create a more equitable society through education.  Dr. Osterling’s passion for empowering individuals who are often underrepresented resonated deeply with me, as I have also worked in community organization in Mexico from the grassroots level.  I have seen how empowering people with education helps create a more positive world, and that is the project I am interested in advancing. The original question:  In 750 to 1,000 words, state your professional plans and career objectives. Please include your personal qualities and development and how they have influenced your career choice; your reasons for this particular degree in relation to your academic background, professional work experience, and career goals; and your reason for selecting your program at George Mason University.

Somehow I wrote this post yesterday and saw it on-line (anyone else?), but now it’s gone.  Nonetheless, I’ll try to put the magic back into the piece.

I’ve been AWOL because I’ve been transitioning.  It’s time for a new life in education, and I’ve found a new position in my district which suits my career path better.  I’ll be working with a highly talented group of teachers who teach ESOL in a one-on-one basis for students in alternative programs.  Those are programs for students who didn’t make it in general education settings.  I’ll work with those students and their classroom teachers to try and help get them back on track. 

Additionally, I’m going to be pursuing a PhD.  I had a mini-epiphany in April, and now I’m getting all the materials together for the application as well as entrance to some courses next semester on a conditional basis.  I want to study multicultural/ multilingual education and international education.  As you might have gathered from my posts, I’m a little frustrated with the situation in public education.  I would like to see a greater emphasis on understanding why the world is the way it is (not just Western Europe and the US).  I want students to be able to make connections about how their choices impact people in China, Latin America, and how those folks’ choices affect my students.  Cliche as it is, globalization affects us all now, so why aren’t we including this life-altering phenomenon in our curriculum?  If I have any say (however small it may be), I want to change that.  I also want students to understand issues of fairness and to consider ways we can live in a world of peace.  Sound idealistic?  Maybe.  I can’t and don’t want to shake it.

The last transition is temporary…  I’ll be in the Middle East, starting Monday, as part of a group of educators on a Fulbright Hays Seminar to learn about culture, history, politics, and people.  I’ll be in Egypt for three weeks and then Israel for another three.  I’ll round out the trip by meeting up with my husband in Jordan for some rest and relaxation.

So most of this summer, I’ll be posting about my observations from the Middle East.  I hope you’ll tune in.