What's My Story?

The sideswipe of explosive blood and the visual effects of slow fragmented pieces of glass hit my face at 45 miles per hour. The excessive tremble over the machine that not a minute ago was containing me safe, was now the deathtrap leading me into a frantic panic. My eyes were shut tight, the soundtrack was one of a ringing bell and gravity was at its peak as it lifted me in mid air. All the veins in my body began shooting sharp pain to every muscle. The ordeal permanently branded itself in my mind, forcing me to endure the experience in my head over and over again. Adjusting to the changes left me searching for who the real Brenda Marte was and who she was going to be. In order to have true harmony all of the important elements in your life need to be in balance. Little did I know this car accident disarranged all that constructed my identity, family, and drive. To make matters worse it was my first year in high school. Now my mindset had to be entirely focused on my life at home. As this situation negatively affected my mom, it put more responsibilities on my plate. All of a sudden I felt responsible for my household, by making sure the house was clean, ensuring bills were paid on time, and securing my family’s emotional well being.

This event also had a trickledown effect across my personal and academic life. No longer were my day to day tasks as manageable as they once were, they had now converted into an infinite list of challenging errands. However, this obligation helped me develop a more organized and focused work ethic. It opened my eyes to understand all of the dedication and responsibility needed to succeed in life. Whether it was an after school job or having to wake up early to help my siblings get ready for school, can now look back three years and see how I have grown not only as a student but as an adult.

In many ways this tragic car accident was a blessing in disguise. While the aftermath was painful it definitely gave me a more focused perspective that contributed to my overall success. In retrospect, I now know how far my actions can prevail. At first glance I did not think I was going to be able to adapt to this new lifestyle. With time I learned how to juggle all of these components which have shaped my personality into a self motivated, stronger and more devoted me. The obstacles that challenge you an inch from defeat can only result in progression. Although my academic career did not go as planned, I have realized that there are many factors that not only change your agenda but have a positive influence. Through these experiences one can only take the good with the bad and understand that every challenge has a purpose. It is up to you to identify the areas where you can discover growth and develop yourself.

Having had my own bad hand of cards dealt towards my direction, I know how it feels to have surroundings that don't exactly push you forward but drag you down. I know the feelings of having no one to relate with you, and seeing nothing but failure surround you. Trying to succeed academically within this environment isn't easy. This life restricts a persons' ability to have inspiration or even a want to succeed. Education as a whole faces its own battle trying to please its students, but each individual student faces their own restrictions from reaching their aspirations. I believe what kept me moving forward towards a better future for me and my family was the struggles that had underwent previously. Although, not everyone views their life as a way to make the best out of any unfortunate situation. Films such as "Lean On Me" and "Dangerous Minds" acknowledges the struggles behind an education system and the efforts made by the instructors to still contribute to those students lives.

Even Paulo Freire, trying to pinpoint the problems within a corrupted education system, seeks to find the answer to actually penetrating a student with knowledge, through problem-posing. The attempts to finding an improvement whether useful or not shows that education is expanding and there will be progress among the environments that surround a students education and the way a student is introduced the knowledge provided to them.

I believe having a personal connection to the diversity within education as a whole, beyond just a method of instruction, and towards the neglect of the environment within that education system; can open the eyes to the idea of understanding what makes students refrain from succeeding.

This was my academic and emotional block from education -my "Lean On Me" (emotional) and my "Banking Concept of Education" (academic) forms of educational struggle.