Observation of 1st Meeting - Tuesday, April 4, 2017

1st Dialogue Meeting followed by 1st reflection activity

The first meeting occurred on Tuesday, April 4, 2017 from 5:15 pm to 6:15 pm at the Stone Education Center where Pierce College at JBLM operates. The meeting occurred in our testing room on the second floor of the education center.

The participants were tired and one was fighting a cold. Still, there were more than engaged in the conversations. I started the session by recapping what we would be discussing and the goal of this first meeting. I also recapped the ground rules and offered an opportunity for questions before we started. I informed the group that I would like to record the session. I asked if I had their permission. Each participant gave their verbal permission for me to begin recording.

Once the recorder was on and recording, I asked each participant (including me) to discuss: personal connections to higher education; career goals and aspirations within higher education; and perceived barriers to achieving those goals. I began the dialogue by discussing my personal connection to educations. I discussed how my mother was a driving force. I gave my familial truth about my parents lack of education and I discussed how it impacted my view of education over the years. I also discussed how my mother demanded that I figured out a way to go to college and how her motivation was driven by her life and the effects of hard labor on the mind and body. I also discussed, how my parents did the best the could up until I was in second grade. Particularly, I discussed how my father had taught me to syllabize words rather than teach me to read. I explained how the journey of becoming educating on your own effected my view. Next, I discussed my goals and aspirations in higher education. Specifically, I talked about my desire to pursue the higher levels of administration within higher education. Finally, I discussed the perceived barriers to my growth within the profession and the organization. From an overall professional standpoint, I talked about being a person of color seeking higher level positions and biases that still exist with regard to persons of color and higher level administrative positions within higher education. I also the disconnect that exists between Pierce College at JBLM and the larger district. I detailed how this disconnection has negatively impacted our connections within the college community and the services to our students.

After my truth, each participant discussed their answers to the three questions posed at the beginning of the session. Charlotte (pseudonym) discussed how her parents had both been educated and how they were both the first in their families to achieve a higher education. Her mother had studied to be a dancer but due to life's demands, she was unable to complete the program. Her father had been a lawyer and had achieved his education from a prestigious institution. She discussed how she and her siblings were not given a choice. They had to go to college. From her mother's perspective, an education could not be taken away and a person with a higher education would be armed with what they need to pursue an occupation beyond hard labor work. She has an aspiration of becoming a program manager. Specifically, she would like to fill role her supervisor holds once she's ready and the position is available. She did not discuss the potential for moving on to another institution to pursue the same of a similar role. For her barriers, she felt that the disconnect from the main campus presented a significant barrier. However, she did acknowledge improvement in that circumstance.

Jennifer (pseudonym) discussed how her parents were an indirect source of motivation. Her mother had come from a well-to-do family but she was anti education. Meanwhile her father, had come from education system in Europe where had had not be given an option in his educational or professional pursuits. He was relegated to construction and he has been relatively successful. Still, Jennifer's parents encouraged her and her siblings to pursue what they loved. Jennifer would like to become an advisor. She was effected by her pursuit of education and she would like to support new students in figuring out what they want to more efficiently. She believes the her greatest barrier is experience. She is new to education and she feels that she needs more growth in the field to overcome her challenges.

Camille (pseudonym) discussed how her mother had been a CNA and her father had attended college but did not finish. She also discussed being raised on public assistance. She described coming from a blended family and how the "stepfather" "stepmother" or "stepbrother" or "stepsister" were not acceptable terms in their familial dynamic. Rather, they were one family. She also discussed how her father had been strict with them and abhorred poor grades. She discussed her long journey to gaining higher education. She detailed completing her Associate degree and then completing her Bachelor degree. She stated that her desire is to become a dean. She went on to talk about how challenges within the current context in years passed lead her to discard this aspiration for a time. According to Camille, only recently has she began to rekindle her passion for that dream. She discussed her barriers within higher education as the following: being a person of color, being a person who is heavy, and being a woman. She also discussed her challenges at Pierce College were at JBLM. She felt that her work has been largely looked over and under appreciated. She stated that she was a bit jaded for a time and that that feeling still remains somewhat.

I recapped what each of us had said to that point and I asked each of the participants which of these three questions they would like to unpack a bit further. They all decided that the parental influence was significant. We were nearing the end of our time at this point. I asked if they were willing to stay to discuss the parental factor further. They agreed to stay. Once again I started. I detailed how my parents had been cheerleaders and coaches but they could not adequately help with homework and projects. I discussed how I relied heavily on my teachers. Charlotte discussed how her parents were adamant about their children attending college and they were not willing to consider any alternatives. Going to college was not an option. She discussed how her mother had regretted not completing her dance program and she did not want that regret for her children. Charlotte admitted that her Bachelor degree took a long time but she is glad that she completed it and she understood her mother's adamance. Jennifer discussed how her mother had ben anti education and how it stemmed from her break from her parents when she was younger. Jennifer wished that her parents had been a little more involved their education. She wanted some structure and some anger about not reaching academic goals. Her parents were not parents who would come down on their children for poor grades. Rather, their focus was to encourage their children to do what they loved. She also discussed the winding road in her education and how having a guide would have helped her save time in figuring out what she wants to do next. She would like to become an advisor to help students overcome the winding road and make their decisions faster. Camille detailed the example her older siblings set for her. She has multiple older siblings who are college graduates and who occupy executive level positions. She discussed how seeing them be successful provided motivation for her drive to complete her education and her drive in her chosen profession. She also elaborated on Jennfier's point and detailed how it took her a significant time to complete her Associate and Bachelor degrees. She stated that she is currently preparing to enter a Master's program.

Each participant hinted at the "winding road" in education. I asked them to included that thought and any other thoughts they had about the session in their reflective journals. Specifically, I asked them to journal about the strengths and challenges of discussing their personal and professional thoughts as they relate to education in this format. I also let them know that we would pick up on this idea of the "winding road" in education in our next session. I let them know that their reflective journals would be due to me on Monday, April 10, 2017. I did not clarify how to submit the reflective journals or whether they should write them on paper or complete them in some word processing program. I will correct this in future sessions.