Scholarships
I’m just about done with the two scholarships I am working on. It’s been a valuable experience in reflection, improving my writing skills, and has helped me identify professional allies.
I realize now that it is surprising how much I have done at BTC this year. I have also identified my weaknesses. I don’t have working medical experience. I haven’t done any organized volunteer activity. I plan to rectify these things by volunteering for WAHA, a local health non-profit. I am struggling to get a driver license. I didn’t mention how I am trying to make friends and get acquainted with Bellingham. I have reflected on how my experiences will help me in nursing, which is giving me a greater conviction to the career. I have a more positive view of the government after receiving the Pell Grant. I learned valuable lessons in communication in Japan.
I realize my english needs improvement. I want to improve my writing skills, as recommended my Dad and lei. I am planning on attending Toastmasters clubs, including one that is held on the Lummi reservation. There are writing groups at the bookstore I will attend. I will keep up this blog more frequently. I will start this process earlier, little by little. It was hard to do this scholarship when I was so busy with school. Studying for the english part of the ATI-TEAS test, the placement test into the Nursing program will help me improve my english skills.
I had my scholarship reviewed by the Writing Center, dad, lei, my advisor twice, coach, a worksource staff member, and a classmate, most recently. I invited a classmate to get some coffee with me at Black Drop, a local coffeehouse. We talked about a range of issues from the brain to DNA to evolution, to nursing, to me casually asking for his advice about my scholarship. It was really helpful.
I’m supposed to be on a school break. I was at school yesterday, and the PTK adviser tells me, Kai, schools over. This scholarship was my main project during this break. I’ve read two books, one on Male Nursing, another on Nursing Assistant Care. I also went to the Stommish festival. It is strange to have nothing planned, like I would every moment during school. I reached out to do gardening work, but that position was taken. I want to work in the call center, but it’s changing administration. I want to work as a CNA, but I have to wait until I get my license. I want to volunteer, but I don’t know what my schedule will be like.
WSPTA announced that funding is better but falls short of goals
http://wsptagrassroots.blogspot.com/2015/03/mccleary-funding-better-but-still-falls.html
I have to learn more about the McCleary case and the proposed changes to
exemptions and taxes. This is the first time I heard about the McCleary
case which seems to be a great win for the people but unfortunately is
not getting enough funding.
Of course I strongly support the fund for basic education K-12 and a win
for education is a win for all which provides for the basis for our
modern society..
In Hawaii teachers didn't show up, there were daily fights against each other, and homeschoolers were not supported. I am considering
not continuing with Cascadia and to pursue ftacademy and working at
various farming jobs. As for high school, I went to a moderately competitive one which let many students through the cracks. A lot of what I've learned is from working different jobs, using free educational medium on free software (wikipedia on trisquel).
Preschool and Higher ed is also important too. I believe it was
something like David vs Goliath reported on a story by Malcolm Gladwell
that was arguing that a lower class size doesn't actually mean it would
be a better school. Also it is stunning how much is spent on textbooks
when there are free and open learning materials like FTAcademy.org or
openstax. My school spent a lot of resources on preparing students to go
to higher ed but not providing hardly any information on alternative
pathways.
And in higher ed, we discriminated for using free software, failing
computer classes. I won't be studying cs at Cascadia, because I fought for
free software, but some teachers would not give in. I am considering public
protests if I meet more people and the consciousness is higher about
free software because I WILL NOT go to a school that gets millions of
dollars of Gates money to force microsoft on it's users. It would be
better that students don't have any of this technology at all - we are
turned into spies for the company and many don't even realize this.
Another thing - almost every two weeks a veteran comes to tell people
they will got 30k and get their school paid for by killing the evil
"arabs" ("fighting for the country...right?"). I realize that society
has these problems as well, and I don't know what the best thing to do
is. I hope I can learn to be a better campaigner in the future and to
learn from my mistakes. I hope the college can do the same.
It does seem that Washington has a better educational system than Hawaii
and I am learning more about it. The higher budget funding I'm sure will
be better spent on education in general then some military or police policy.
In one way maybe the schools can be reformed, but sometimes history
shows that a revolution or building a new system may be better.
Sorry if this was a rant or anything, and obviously mine was a personal
story compared to the obvious effect education has to societies. But we
have to be sure this is not mis-education.