Magdalen’s Career Narrative
Owusu, C. (2014, November 25). Never get bad grades in an african home. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc7J8CKfzaI
I chose this video because it portrays many of the messages and advice that I heard from my parents and loved ones while growing up. This messages and advice were what influenced my decision to choose school counseling. There are five messages from this video that I want to discuss and further explain to describe how my parents and loved one influenced my decision to become a school counselor. First, the video highlighted the expectation from African parents that you will spend all your time dedicated to your education. This expectation was set at a very early age for me, I started school when I was six months old. From that age till today, that expectation still continues to exist. Growing up with
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a teacher as a mother, that expectation was set at a higher tone because my mother was very aware of what I was studying in the classroom. Thus, there were many conversations around my school subject areas to ensure that I was grasping everything that I was supposed to. If I wasn’t, that might that I would have to spend more of my time studying. I still spend the majority of my adult life dedicating most of my time to my education. Secondly, the video mentioned the pressure that African parents put on their children by reminding them of why they came to America. I have yet to meet an African parent that will tell you that they gave into this country for their own profit or gain. They will tell you the same thing, I came into this country and left my good job or good life so that my child can receive the best education in the world. African parents believe that getting an education from the most valued country in the world is essential and crucial for the success of their child. This is why they go to great lengths to make sure that their children have this opportunity. Since it is harder for degrees from Africa to transfer over into the United States, our parents have to work the same jobs as people who don’t have an education. This leads to constant reminders about them not having the same opportunities that we have available to us. In my parent's mind, because I am getting an education in America, it equivalent to me being handed a silver platter at life to obtain anything I could possibly want on this earth. Therefore, African parents, constantly remind you that they are in a foreign land struggling to help you get an education for your benefit. Thirdly, the video emphasized how important grades are to an African parent. There is constant pressure from African parents for their child to attend school and do well. Anything apart from the best is unacceptable in their eyes. Since they are expecting you to dedicate all your time to your studies, there is no excuses or reasons why as a student you shouldn’t be performing at the highest level possible. There is a lot of stress on the child to bring home straight A’s, and nothing else. Anything apart from those straight A’s is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Therefore, I grew up knowing how much effort I had to put into my school work to get the desired grades I needed to make my parents happy. The fourth point that was mention was the expectation that you will go to school and choose a career in a top salaried field like doctor, lawyer or engineer. I grew up wanting to be a lawyer not because of the salary. However, knowing that a lawyer is on the list of the approved list of careers gave me a piece of mind that I was not only doing the right thing but that i was also making my parents proud along the way. Therefore, it was quite a shock to my family when I mentioned that I didn’t want to become that field anymore. It was a huge let down to my family. Choosing school counseling as a field of study became problematic also because that is not considered to be a career in a top salaried field. I am still on the journey to prove not only to myself but to my family that choosing school counseling is a field where I can succeed and also make a huge difference. Therefore, even though I am pursuing a graduate degree, I still know and understand that there are family and loved ones who disapproved of my career choice. why did I choose school counseling?
As I explained above, I have spent all my life in school and I value education because of the messages that I received while growing up. If it was possible to spend my whole life going to school I would. When I realized that I had a passion for education, I started to consider the possible career choices and found school counseling to align with my goals. I noticed that I enjoyed working with youth but I didn’t really have the passion to teach in front of a classroom all day. As I began to look into how I could work with youths in an educational setting, I learned that school counselors have a huge impact on the educational success of a student. I saw how much impact outside factors contributed to a child desire to learn and excel in school. Therefore, I wanted to work closely with children to help them deal with the factors that stand in their way of them being able to truly learn and do well in school. If I can help a student remove barriers that stands in their way, then I will be able to give that child an opportunity to enjoy school and eventually love it as much as I
do. Talks, T. (2018, January 2). Get comfortable with being uncomfortable: Luvvie Ajayi. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QijH4UAqGD8&t=2s The video describes what I hope to be able to accomplish as a school counselor. I want to be comfortable being uncomfortable so that I can stand up and advocate for the needs of my students. There will be many obstacles that will stand in my ways such as teachers, administrators, parents, or anyone else who will not have the best interest of my students. But if I am willing to become uncomfortable and stand up in cases when I am needed to, then I will be able to effectively do my job and advocate for my students. I want to be able to leave this world better than I found it by impacting the educational lives of children. If I can make a difference in the life of one student, then I believe that the student will also go on to impact someone else’s life. Therefore, this is the domino effect, in touching the life of one student, the lives of other people that come ahead will also be touched. All it takes is one person to cause a change to happen so if I can be the person to start the change in the lives of my students then I will ensure that a domino effect will take place. As the video mentioned, everyone well being is community business, therefore as a school counselor, it will be my responsibility to have the well being of each of my students on my mind as I plan lessons, groups, interventions or meetings. There are students who will need someone that cares about them to help them to succeed in school. I want to be that person for that student. Working with a team of professionals in a school, I will be able to make the well being of my school community a priority. As the speaker mentioned, in order to effect change, you have to be willing to speak up and do things that are difficult especially when they are needed. As a school counselor, there will be many times when this will be needed, therefore I need to be able to have that confidence and boldness when it is especially needed to do the tasks that will be before me. Being the domino will come down to being exactly who I am when I am a school counselor. I will be an advocate for students, parents, families, teachers and an advocate for my school. There will be times when people other professionals that I work with will hesitate to be the domino and take the fall for the well being of their students or school. This is when I will be there to make sure that things are done correctly so the needs of the students can be served. Like the speaker said: being quiet is comfortable, speak the hard truth when they are necessary by being comfortable being uncomfortable; this is my goal as a school counselor. John Holland’s theory of Person-Environment Fit (1973) states that a person who follows the basic personality types are more likely to choose a career where other people with similar characteristics work. This theory is true regarding my career choice because I chose a career that will require me to work in an educational setting with other employees who have the same goals that I do when it comes to helping children to succeed. According to Holland, the characteristics of someone who works in a school setting is social. This means that the person works in an environment that requires the ability to interpret and modify human behavior, an interest in caring for and dealing with others, frequent and prolonged personal relationships, emotionally laden interactions, and flexibility. I believe that every employee working directly with children in a school setting possess these characteristics and those employees are drawn to this career choice because of their shared interest regarding children’s success. No matter what capacity you work inside of a school setting, without the listed characteristics listed above it would be hard to continue in this career because this is something that the school environments demands from you every day. Therefore, I chose to work in a social setting with people who share the same characteristics as me when it comes to children’s education.
Although the !Kung San of southern Africa differ greatly from the people in the west African nation of Mali, both areas share similar problems. Both suffer from diseases, illnesses, malnutrition, and having to adapt to the ever changing and advancing cultures around them. What I found to be the most significant problem that is shared between both areas is that the people suffered from a lack of education. In the book Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa by Katherine A. Dettwyler, there is a lack of education in proper nutritional practices, taking care of children and newborns, and basic medical knowledge and practices. The Dobe Ju/’hoansi have recently started putting in schools to help children receive an education to help them have better success with the surrounding peoples and culture, but there is a lack of attendance in these schools. There are also many education issues in proper sexual practices that would help stop the spread of HIV and AIDS, in a place in the world were theses illnesses are at surprisingly high levels.
2 May 2014. Breidlid, Anders. " Culture, Indigenous Knowledge Systems And Sustainable Development: A Critical View Of Education In An African Context. " International Journal Of Educational Development 29.2 (2009): 140-148.
Many individuals, teachers or not, only do what they are asked or expected to do. However, going above and beyond and being able to have greater influence on a child’s life is my goal. I know I will love my job and in this position, children and families will be going through difficult and not normative life events. It is essential to extend further assistance to make each individual feel important. Being someone who can help families understand and make their lives a little bit easier by providing support and encouraging optimal development, I can hopefully make a meaningful impact on a child and/or family. The child and family satisfaction would bring happiness in itself and be worth more than
The compressive school programs are driven by student data and are based on academic, career, and personal/ social development. The programs are collaborating between the counselor, parents, and many other educators to create an environment that promotes student excellences (ASCA, 2016). A productive school counselor will focus on their skills, time and energy on direct and indirect services to all students. Therefore, to achieve those goals, the ASCA recommends that a school counselor should not have more than 250 students and that 80 percent or more of a counselor’s time in direct and indirect services. As a result, we will focus on the delivery of those services.
Deciding to become a Student Guidance Counselor was not a fly by night decision. I did a great deal of reading and research before making a decision. I knew once I started a graduate program in School Guidance Counseling, it would be both challenging and a commitment until the end. I am somewhat nervous about this new journey that I am about to partake; however, I am ready to accept the challenge and make the commitment. I am a newly licensed teacher and there will be areas and terminology which I am not familiar. But, what I have found out thus far is that a teacher and a student counselor have quite a few things in common. They both work with other teachers, parents, school administrators, and the community in an academic setting. The skills I have acquired as a preschool director and teacher will be integrated into my career as a guidance counselor. I will have the skills to guide and enhance the social, academic, and personal growth of my students by using a variety of strategies which will be my primary goal. I will be able t...
(e) Counselors and professionals should be actively engaged in encouraging career workshops, exploration events, (c) Counselors should connect their African American students with community with outreach efforts, mainly through internships, job shadowing, and service learning projects. (G) Counselors and Professionals discuss with their African American Student their long term career goals, (h) Counselors should provide their clients with information on different career options in combination with additional career options in combination with additional back up plans. (I) career counselors and professionals should be knowledgeable about and build relationships with college extended African American, (J) Career counselors must totally understand that each client lives in a unique sociocultural context, (k) career professionals must be alert of the impact of discrimination and oppression and how they affect the worldview of culturally different clients. (L) It is vital that counselors and professionals remain updated on the most
Individuals’ perceptions of their life/worth have the power to control the goals that they can carry out and meet. Every day we are learning new things and everyone has his/her own unique ways of learning. My strong desire to help students with their academic, personal, and social needs make me a strong candidate as a school counselor. While completing my undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Program Administration I learned a great deal about myself. I have a passion for learning and want to share and express that love for learning with students. I feel that the Master of School Counseling program provides a direct path to my career goals of helping students to comprehend subject matter while learning to love learning as I do. Not only will
I was raised in an encouraging household where both of my parents greatly valued education. Although they were high school graduates, neither could afford to attend college; a combination of family and financial woes ultimately halted their path. As a result, my parents frequently reminded me that getting a good education meant better opportunities for my future. To my parents, that seemed to be the overarching goal: a better life for me than the one they had. My parents wanted me to excel and supported me financially and emotionally of which the former was something their parents were not able to provide. Their desire to facilitate a change in my destiny is one of many essential events that contributed to my world view.
I cannot recall a more rewarding experience than helping facilitate a child’s education while enabling parent participation alike. These experiences have drawn me to my current position as an Educational Assistant where I am constantly interacting and establishing relationships with students, learning about their goals and aspirations. It is that same desire to empower our future students that has steered me towards a career as a school counselor. By enrolling in the Masters in counseling program, I aspire to develop methods and experience to become an effective, experienced, and adaptable school counselor that promotes self-awareness, allowing students to realize their full potential and impetus them towards a promising future. I want to learn skills that facilitate personal and career development, ensuring that our students grow accomplishing their goals and ambitions. To discover techniques that help students improve in all areas of academic achievement, establishing relationships with students and parents alike. By becoming a school counselor, I am determined to become an advocate for underserved youth. I aim to become an effective agent educational reform, providing support for students in the various institutions that may disempower
The choices we make early in life have an enormous impact on our future. I have always known that I wanted to directly impact people’s lives and my personal experiences have set me on the school-counseling path. In the future, I would love to influence another generation of students to soar for their dreams.
Many years back, a young woman named Ann Young noticed the change in a number of her students work ethic and motivation began to decline, thus causing her as a guidance counselor to investigate. She found that many children under her watch and supervision in the school, were either homeless, living with friends, family or hopping from couch to couch. Flash forward to 2016, the efforts that one woman had now helps with more than one thousand students every year.
Nairobi: Heinemann Educational Books Ltd, 1978. _____________. African Religions and Philosophy. New York: Anchor Books, 1970. Shorter, Aylward.
Dei S., Schooling and Difference in Africa: Democratic Challenges in a Contemporary context. Toronto, University of Toronto Press: 2006. Print.
I chose education as my career path because I hope to be able to make a small difference in a child’s life. Time and time again I have seen children being educated poorly and/or not having appropriate role models in their life. I feel that an educator must not only be able to convey to the student the classroom material, but also be a counselor, coach, mentor, and a parent. Failing to fulfill these roles gives a child the chance to slip through the educational system without having the opportunity to influence them to some degree.
Nobles, Dr. Wade. Seeking the Sakhu: Foundational Writings for An African Psychology. 1st. Third World Press, 2006. Print.