Education Controversy and Change: Save Our Schools
The first honors seminar I was ever recommended to take was Education Controversy and Change: Save Our Schools with Professor Sarah Stitzlein and it was finally available Spring of 2020. While we missed out on meeting the guest speakers in person and having the final class at professor Stitzlein’s home with one of her famous dinners, the hours spent on Microsoft teams felt more worth it than ever. Our class not only learned about the structure of education in the United States but about the controversies and changes the entire schooling system currently faces. Each class topic analyzed and reflected on the influences government, wealth, poverty, social justice, and so many more factors have on different aspects of education from the preschool to college level. I always assumed my interest in equal opportunity for academic success was because I was in a public school myself, but I am no longer a high school student and still feel the need to continue voicing concerns and learning about new issues. To encourage this determination of continued action the class learned how to best introduce ideas for lasting, positive change through “Agent of Change Letters” and we all took the opportunity to present a group Education Reform Proposal to current political leaders and education board members. I feel so grateful for the opportunity Save Our Schools provided me to develop my understanding of what my role in advocating for equal and inclusive education can look like as I continue in life, at a public university and as a proud product of the public school system.