1. MY SCHOOL EXPERIENCES 0
My School Experiences
Ms. Vicki Spears
ECI 611: Advanced Studies in Child Development
MY SCHOOL EXPERIENCES
Fall 2013 – Dr. Juanita Linton

2. MY SCHOOL EXPERIENCES 1
Being born black, reared poor, and moderately educated in a rural south eastern North
Carolina community in the 1970s was an intimidating yet worthwhile experience. Although each
element of training and conditioning received prepared me for the different developmental stages
in my life, the educational component was pertinent to my awareness as an adult. That is, my
educational journey empowered me to function competently in a diverse yet complex society.
Fortunately, education has evolved over the years and recent changes have enabled educators to
reach more, teach more, and adapt to the needs of a revolutionizing society.
My educational journey began in the black church, long after the integration of public
schools, and progressed to my participating in Head Start, “a federal program that promotes the
school readiness of children ages birth to 5 from low-income families by enhancing their
cognitive, social and emotional development. Head Start agencies provide a learning
environment that supports children's growth in language and literacy, cognition and general
knowledge, physical development and health, social and emotional development, and approaches
to learning” (Office of Head Start). I was fortunate to get this advanced training at such an early
age because Head Start trained me to be socially, mentally, and emotionally prepared for
kindergarten; I matured and became more independent while attending Head Start.
Nowadays, initiatives have been introduced, such as Smart Start, and more Pre-K
programs, such as More at Four, are offered. More at Four is “a state-funded, community-based
pre-kindergarten program that provides 4-year-old children, who may not otherwise be served,
with a valuable educational experience to enhance their school readiness. The program’s
standards are built on the premise that in order to be successful academically in school, children
need to be prepared in all five of the major domains of development: health and physical

3. MY SCHOOL EXPERIENCES 2
development, social and emotional development, language development and communication,
cognition and general knowledge, and approaches toward learning.”
Upon my entering grade school, traditional school calendars were followed and students
attended school August through June with a two month summer break. Currently, school
districts offer several calendar options to accommodate families. For, example, in Wake County,
modified and multi-track year-round calendars are additional options for families (Wake County
Public School System). Students who follow the multi-track year-round and modified calendars
have more flexibility in their schedules and are not confined by the restraints imposed by the
traditional calendar.
Even more innovative approaches in education have been introduced over the years such
as the use of technology and distance education. Distance education is “type of education where
students work on their own at home or at the office and communicate with faculty and other
students via e-mail, electronic forums, videoconferencing, chat rooms, bulletin boards, instant
messaging and other forms of computer-based communication.” (Webopedia) I was first
introduced to distance education during my studies at the local community college. However,
during my undergraduate studies at an HBCU, distance education had evolved and I was able to
take a few classes solely online.
Also, during my studies at an HBCU, I became aware just how restricted my education
had been in Black History. During grade school, I was exposed to Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Harriett Tubman, Rosa Parks, etc. (the typical African American household heroes). However,
during my tenor at an HBCU, hidden truths were revealed to me that sparked a hunger for
justice, equality, and knowledge. My life’s perspective had changed. I learned about the Harlem
Renaissance period and talented black authors and scholars such as James Baldwin, Cornel West,

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and most notably one of the founders of the NAACP, W. E. B. Du Bois., “an American civil
rights activist, leader, sociologist, educator, historian, writer, and scholar” (NAACP). The life
and works of W. E. B Du Bois inspired me to pursue a life of service (i.e., a career in education).
In an article published online and written by Robert W. Williams, a political science
professor at Bennett College whose research was inspired by the W.E.B. Du Bois, a textual
reference to “The Individual and Social Conscience” was cited Du Bois as follows:
To induce, then, in men a consciousness of the humanity of all men, of the sacred unity in
all the diversity, is not merely to lay down a pious postulate, but it is the active and
animate heart-to-heart knowledge of your neighbors, high and low, black and white,
employer and employed; it means a firm planting of human ideals; the training of
children to be through their doing, and not simply to do through their being; the setting of
our faces like flint against the modern heresy that money makes the man, and a reverent
listening, not simply to the first line but to the last line of Emerson’s quatrain:
“There is no great, no small,
To the Soul that maketh all;
Where it cometh, all things are—
And it cometh everywhere.” (Du Bois, 190, paragraph 7)
This passage reveals the depth of Du Bois’ philosophy and his concern for his fellow
man. I, too, share Du Bois’ concerns for social responsibility and equality and have elected to
model Du Bois’ theoretical leadership. His influence has steered many of my predecessors to
take action in the past and to this day the legacy continues.

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REFERENCES
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families,
Office of Head Start. Retrieved from
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs/about/head-start
Smart Start Initiative
http://www.smartstart.org/category/smart-start-information/about-smart-start
More at Four
http://www.fortbraggmwr.com/CYS/moreatfour.pdf
Wake County Public Schools.
http://www.wcpss.net/parents/calendars/
Webopedia
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/D/distance_learning.html
NAACP
http://www.naacp.org/pages/naacp-history-w.e.b.-dubois
Williams, R.W., (2012). About Robert Williams. Retrieved from
http://www.webdubois.org/wdb-rw.html
Williams, R.W., Du Bois, W.E.B., (2011). “The Sacred Unity in All the Diversity”: the Text and
a Thematic Analysis of W.E.B. Du Bois’ “The Individual and Social Conscience” (1905).
Journal of African American Studies, Retrieved from
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12111-011-9171-4/fulltext.html