In this seminar, I learned a great deal about the workings of the current American education system: the politics, the successes, the failures, and the issues it faces right now. We studied all different kinds of perspectives, the history of American schooling, current and former legislation and education policy, as well as the roles of community, administration, teachers, politicians, and students within the system. Dr. Stitzlein also had us participate in the Pay It Forward Student Philanthropy Initiative, for which we awarded grants to both MYCincinnati and UpSpring. To finalize the seminar, we hosted an Education Reform Symposium, at which we presented case arguments regarding equity in educational policies to Ohio Senators and Representatives. Overall, in this multi-faceted class I gained a rich experience being able to converse and debate with a group of very capable peers.

            Firstly, this experience enriched my mind with so much information, I am now greatly informed and feel capable of speaking about the inner workings of American education systems and systemic issues. Secondly, I felt greatly encouraged by being afforded direct agency through the Pay It Forward Student Philanthropy Initiative. Through observational analysis and a persuasive presentation my group was able to award MYCincinnati with a Pay It Forward Grant at our Symposium - we were able to act as real philanthropists, and engage in real-time non-profit work.

To recognize when I am being afforded agency is very important to me because much of my work and actions to this date have been influenced by the philosophies in various pedagogical models that promote agency and holistic/intersectional development. These are areas in which I hope to engage further and study more in depth. Through my time in Dr. Stitzlein’s seminar, I was also thinking critically about pedagogical practices that are socially aware and equitable. I read Paulo Freire and bell hooks alongside the readings for this seminar, and I plan to study these areas further. Not only have they influence how I think, they have also started to influence the work I am making as an artist.

I plan to study further who and what influences shape pedagogy and curriculum in American public education, as well as start to deconstruct the colonized western model of education that exists today. In these ways, I will be able to connect what I learned from this experience with the core objectives of my artistic practice.