Week 3: Michelle Prinzo

I am going to bend the photo journal rules a little bit for this post and combine my self and other post into one. In all honesty, I did not really approach the subject of stereotypes (nor did it come up) at all with my mentee. We did, however, talk a lot about school. Both my mentee and I love school and both of us do well in school. What does this have to do with stereotypes? In my mind a lot. I think that our public education system perpetuates a significant amount of stereotyping. Children from suburban schools will likely have hundreds more opportunities for extracurricular and enrichment activities than children from a urban school like AMIS. Academic achievement in my school was an expectation, while achievement in my mentee's school is an exception. Futhermore, it worries me to think about the difference social and peer pressure can present in these different school settings. 

As I moved into middle school and high school, it was never un-cool to do well in school. Popular kids, geeks, athletes, and regular kids at my school did well in school. I am not as familiar with the secondary schools in CPS, but I do not believe that high achievement is looked upon in the same way. Further more, I do not think it is fair that the opportunities I had as a student are far more than my mentee will likely have as she pursues her education. 

When we met last week, we did a lot of drawing. I asked her if she like art. I asked her what she does for art and she said that she draws at home. Then it hit me, she doesn't have art class at her school and likely does not have many art supplies at home. It is a simple thing, but as a student who was lucky enough to have art class all throughout my education it upsets me that my mentee will not have the same opportunities. I am not an artist, but I do believe art education enhanced and increased my academic learning. Not only was I able to express myself, but also practice patience, take risks, make decisions, and build focus and concentration. 

My hope is that my mentee will continue to make progress in school (with or without art class) and that education for her can be an equalizer, even if it is not for some of her peers.