Final Blog

Education is the framework for which society builds stable and happy people, generation after generation. It is important to remember that education is not for the sole purpose of jamming in as much information as possible, but it is important to make sure that students learn the essentials and in the long run, learn about what is important to them. The purpose of education is to make a productive, happy society where people are educated and able to voice their opinions with authority and pride. Education allows people to do what they want to do and also enables people to formulate thought and opinions that make the individual who they are today.

In order for students to be successful, it is essential for students to have a strong foundation. My educational metaphor is that Education is like building a house. Without a sturdy foundation, a house will not be sturdy and crumble, but with a strong foundation, a house will stand the test of time. Similarly, a student with a week foundation will not go on to build a sturdy education, there will be cracks and holes in it and the lack of education will lead to their demise. Here is the link to the full blog.

http://limetree10.blogspot.com/2008/11/education-is-like-building-house.html

On the topic of social justice, I wrote about teen mothers because of my friend and the difficulties females face with graduating high school. In my previous blog I spoke about the drop-out rates of teen mothers and the things that should be made available to keep them in school and educated. It is important to understand that though teen mothers did make their own bed, but they still need to be helped out in order to help them create a good life for their children. I suggested putting day cares in more high schools to allow students to get their diplomas. Here is the link to the full blog.

http://limetree10.blogspot.com/2008/11/gender-social-justice.html

My friend, we’ll just say her name in Kate, was lucky, both her parents and the father’s parents were willing to help raise the child and allow their children to not only graduate high school, but attend and eventually graduate college. Because she was my inspiration in my social justice blog, I chose to interview her.

How was being 15 and a high school athlete and find out you were pregnant?

It was really scary. The first thought that when through my head was when and how to tell the father. The second thought was how and when to tell my parents. I was so afraid. I didn’t know what they would do or say. I didn’t even know what I wanted to do. I feared that I would be forced one way or another to make a decision that I had not even made a decision about. After I got over what to tell my parents, I started to think about what school would be like as the only pregnant girl in my school. What would people say?

How did your peers react when they found out?

Well, I obviously told my close friends once I decided to keep him. They were shocked, but tried to be supportive. They were only 15 too, so they were freaking out as well. Once it got around school, many of my peers started acting differently towards me. Rumors started to fly and horrible things were said about me. I felt like an outcast, but i eventually got through it and I am a stronger person today for it.

How was your family through the experience?

They were really supportive and helpful. My mom took care of him while I was at school. My parents told me I had to get a job. I was not able to go out with my friends very often and I had to quit playing sports for a while. I basically went from school, to work, to home with my baby. My family was a great support system and I could never have graduated without all of their support and help. They have also helped me attend a nearby college and I will be graduating next semester.

As you can see, Kate had a lot of help and is doing really well. She was lucky though, because some teen mothers have no one to take care of their child during school and also cannot afford a sitter in order to go to work. Now I’m not saying that it is impossible to do, but we should want as many people to succeed as possible in our society.

The most important thing in todays education is to give all students a chance. It is important to encourage the future generations and help them succede. Like I said before, education is like building a house...make sure there is a sturdy foundation.

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