Tiffany, UCSC College Student, CA
I think schools should teach critical thought and a conscious awareness of what's going on in society... it should teach how to think politically and to assess information in an unbiased way.
Tiffany is a college student at UCSC in California, focusing on education. She volunteers at a local high school and was interviewed by a student, Emily, as part of a #schoolpartnership #studentvoice project with REENVISIONED, in which students interview each other and adults in their lives, and reflect together on school and what makes a good life.
Take a moment and think about a child you care about. When you're ready, tell me about that child. What is your relationship to them? What makes them unique and special?
My niece, I'm her aunt. She's very smart, and she's only eight and has a huge vocabulary. She's also very observant.
Do you think they're happy?
I'd like to think so.
Ideally what role do you think schooling should play in achieving a good life?
I think schooling should teach critical thought and conscious awareness of what's going on in society. I don't think it teaches that, but it should teach us how to think politically and to assess information in an unbiased way.
Will school's play the role you think they should for your child?
I don't think they will, at least not in this country. Maybe if I moved to Japan, where they have one of the top education systems it would. I don't think in this country it will play the role it should, because our education system is failing.
Is there anything you worry about getting in the way of your niece having a good life, anything that keeps you up at night?
Yes, I think in general in our society - the way we're leaning politically - a lot of people aren't thinking about what's going on. The people who are in office right now, what are these people going to do for us? I do worry about those things because I don't see it getting better. There are a lot of things that control the way we think too, like propaganda and mass media, that manipulates the masses to think a certain way. I don't think the way that we're all thinking will benefit us long term.
Do you think that people agree with you on each of those levels?
Some people think the way I think, but it's not the way everybody thinks. These are thoughts i'm kind of growing into. Being in college, I’ve been able to learn about different concepts that have helped me develop these ideas, but I don't think everybody thinks this way.
Tell me about your favorite teacher in school, why were they your favorite?
My favorite high school teacher was Mister Tucker, he was like a grandfather, just like an old man. He was cool because he acted like he didn't care that much but he really did care at the same time. I think he trusted us and treated us like young adults, with our class work too, so I think I appreciated that.
10,000 Stories. One Shared Vision.
REENVISIONED is a national movement to redefine the purpose of school. We believe schools should foster flourishing individuals and a thriving democratic society. But what does it mean to thrive or flourish?
To answer this, we're building the world's largest collection of stories about what it means to live good lives and the role schools should play in helping create them: 10,000 stories from people across the country. We'll use the stories to learn about our shared values and dreams and to create a new vision for why we send our children to school.
We work with people like YOU across the country: Catalysts - individuals, classrooms, schools, and community organizations - who interview people in their communities and foster empathy nationwide by sharing the stories on our website and social media: Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook (@reenvisioned).