My name is Fidel Tavarez and I am currently working towards my Social Sciences and Humanities degree at LaGuardia. I am originally from the Dominican Republic, but have been residing in the United States since 2001. Oddly enough, 9/11 took place just a week after I arrived in New York; my first week of high school in the United States. An interesting aspect of my story is the fact that I have already been to four colleges and am currently planning to transfer once again. Private liberal arts colleges, Jesuit Colleges, public colleges, community colleges, you name it, I’ve been there. Nevertheless, to say the least, it has been an eye-opening experience; most importantly it has exposed me to the discrepancies that exist in the American educational system. For instance, I recall my first week at a private liberal arts institution. Sitting, in my introductory English class I found myself perhaps just looking at the professor. How was I to understand when 50% of the words coming out of his mouth were unknown to me? I simply sat and occasionally listened to the replying students whose vocabulary I could sometimes make out. An American Childhood by Annie Dillard, was one of the books assigned to us. I was Happy. Maybe through the books at least I would get something out of the class. “It can’t be so bad,” I thought to my self. After all, it was just an autobiography; who would use the word “cantankerous” in an autobiography as the professor had in the class. And besides, presumably college was a little harder than high school and considering the fact that Catcher in the Rye was one of the toughest books I read in high school, An American Childhood couldn’t be so terrible. Maybe the professor’s ego was the cause of his pedantic vocabulary. However, to my disappointment An American Childhood was probably worse. I found myself merely pronouncing or rather trying to pronounce words and sentences that meant nothing to me. I was confused. I had always done everything well in high school, everything I was asked for. Why couldn’t I understand? That is when I decided that maybe that school was not for me. Maybe “I am not smart enough” I thought.
As I reminisce, I realize that there was nothing wrong with me. Mediocrity of the New York public school system was responsible for my failure. How was I ever to compete with these boarding school students, when over the course of a semester in my high school we read maybe one book, if we were lucky, while those other students read four or five? How was I ever to compete with them, if my limited vocabulary was considered outstanding by my teachers? How was I ever to compete with them if they wrote two or three essays a week when we only wrote two a semester? I must say, it is not impossible but tremendously difficult. We like to think that people who work hard enough can succeed regardless. However, we never consider the fact that working hard is relative. Under the standards of my high school I was a hard worker. I pushed myself even beyond the school curriculum. Yet, my hard-working trait fell short to the standards of others. Therefore, if the public school system is to prepare students for attending rigorous colleges, they must raise their standards; they must expose students to what attending these schools entails. Not to say, that I am placing the blame entirely on the education system, because the students self-motivation is also huge aspect of it. But, we the victims of the New York public high school system need to see what is out there.
That is who I am. A struggling student who has encountered many obstacles but has; nevertheless, continued pushing himself. Here I am after four years of high school graduation, and still to complete my Associates degree. But I do not regret it. I have grown tremendously and expect to keep on growing. I am a student and musician who values learning for its own sake. I no longer care to compete with the “other America”; the elitist academia. I now care to grow at my own pace and to the best of my ability. That is the essence of me. I wish that some day the public school system be up to par with affluent schools of America. Until then I encourage the public school student to do his or her best. Yes, if given the opportunity to attend these snobby schools do so. But, also realize that our background is different from theirs; I urge my fellow students not to compare themselves with the others, because otherwise your experience will be very bad just as mine was. Realize, that years of inequality cannot be made up in a short-time; realize that it is a process well worth pursuing.
As I reminisce, I realize that there was nothing wrong with me. Mediocrity of the New York public school system was responsible for my failure. How was I ever to compete with these boarding school students, when over the course of a semester in my high school we read maybe one book, if we were lucky, while those other students read four or five? How was I ever to compete with them, if my limited vocabulary was considered outstanding by my teachers? How was I ever to compete with them if they wrote two or three essays a week when we only wrote two a semester? I must say, it is not impossible but tremendously difficult. We like to think that people who work hard enough can succeed regardless. However, we never consider the fact that working hard is relative. Under the standards of my high school I was a hard worker. I pushed myself even beyond the school curriculum. Yet, my hard-working trait fell short to the standards of others. Therefore, if the public school system is to prepare students for attending rigorous colleges, they must raise their standards; they must expose students to what attending these schools entails. Not to say, that I am placing the blame entirely on the education system, because the students self-motivation is also huge aspect of it. But, we the victims of the New York public high school system need to see what is out there.
That is who I am. A struggling student who has encountered many obstacles but has; nevertheless, continued pushing himself. Here I am after four years of high school graduation, and still to complete my Associates degree. But I do not regret it. I have grown tremendously and expect to keep on growing. I am a student and musician who values learning for its own sake. I no longer care to compete with the “other America”; the elitist academia. I now care to grow at my own pace and to the best of my ability. That is the essence of me. I wish that some day the public school system be up to par with affluent schools of America. Until then I encourage the public school student to do his or her best. Yes, if given the opportunity to attend these snobby schools do so. But, also realize that our background is different from theirs; I urge my fellow students not to compare themselves with the others, because otherwise your experience will be very bad just as mine was. Realize, that years of inequality cannot be made up in a short-time; realize that it is a process well worth pursuing.
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