How to implement success in school as a low-income student of color:



It's the beginning of the school year and a lot of things that are on the minds of many, are how to prepare for the upcoming school year. With the stress of homework, exams and just getting grades, it can be a lot for many to handle. For low-income students and students of color, however, the stress can be overwhelming and many students of color as well as their parents are not prepared in how to plan for high school, college, or careers. It's important especially for low-income parents and students to be able to take the beginning of the school year very seriously, as it can be a foundation for how they succeed for the rest of the year.

Being a former student of color myself, I have learned a lot from going through high school and university about the significance of what needs to be done in order to have the most success in college. College is one of the greatest eye openers for students of color because universities are funded much more substantially than public schools in low-income communities (where many students of color attend) and can give a glimpse of what a highly funded educational experience can look. Plus, the enrichment opportunities for students of color at a university are much more diverse than at a regular high school, and so it can be life-changing for many students.

Here is my opinion on how students of color can both utilize their hearts and minds during an upcoming year and plan properly to be prepared to navigate high school and college. This is assuming A-G requirements don't change dramatically in the next few months and years.


1. Pursue what you love.

First comes first, is pursuing a passion or a desired passion to explore. It may be asking young students too much to know what they love doing, as many young adults are often struggling with that question as well. But it's important to address this question at an early age and take it very seriously. Your heart will never stop desiring to try that thing you've been dying to try, and many young adults and older adults can attest to this. The yearning to follow your dreams never really goes away. I've always loved writing, and dancing, and have always wanted to learn how to swim and speak a new language... and though, I have never seriously tried those endeavors, I find that I'm always reminding myself that I can and will someday. Don't make your child or yourself wait. Take the steps to pursue those things that you desire to try soon, whether it be something as silly as hula hooping or something as structured as learning a sport or taking dance classes.

There's some really important and practical ways to make this benefit and to also make it work for students in a way that's gentle and non-critical. Many students, like most every human being,  will find that they will fail at something, and then, inevitably they will want to try it again, though they may be too ashamed to do so at some point. That is a process that can be very damaging to one's self-esteem if it doesn't get treated well. Especially because many students of color come from low-income backgrounds, the sensitivity to failure is very high and can lead to them giving up out of fear of more failure. Being supportive in your child's activities of learning is crucial to helping them learn affirmative ways of picking themselves up after failure. Be a beacon of encouragement for them. Let them know that once they practice they will be much more likely to be as good as they desire to be. Everyone wants to feel like they're good at something, and students can feel this pressure immensely.

Some tips to ask a student is what are the things that they consistently pursue in their spare time? Is it performing in front of family and friends and making them laugh? Is it playing athletic sports and utilizing their body to express themselves? Is it simply being a math genius and excelling at mathematical equations? It's important to realize that many of the skills that are appropriate for a typical school curriculum are not expressed in many people's passions and desires. Not many students secretly desire to be a mathmetician or historian and so not only is it somewhat irrelevant to force students to pursue one of those subjects as their passion, but it can often lead to depression and physical illness, which may follow them all throughout high school and beyond. The important thing for parents and community is to provide these opportunities for the many diverse sets of interest for young students of color, much of which is kept from them due to lack of funding and investment in their education.