Purpose

I am a firm believer that college is not for everyone. I am also a firm believer that college is the place where you find out what your purpose is in life. Now that my sound like I am playing two sides but it's just how I feel. Even though I became a college student later in life, college has gave me a chance to shape and mold my purpose in life. Since I have decided to continue my education and enter the Master's program for school counseling I am truly excited. Being a school counselor hopefully will open doors for me in a way that I can't imagine. Let me be clear, I want to help young minorities see there full potential. I can remember being in high school and my counselor judging me. Instead of understanding my situation and guiding me, he looked at my situation and used it against me.
It took years for me to see and understand that him judging me was not something that i should have internalized. It was something that he needed to deal with, it was his problem. From that point I made it my vow to get a higher education so that I can go back to my community and help young men and women like myself. Now, the path on becoming a school counselor is not a easy one. Each school that I would like to apply to all want different things, San Francisco State University wants three psychology classes and you have to pass the CBEST before APPLYING!!! and Cal State East Bay wants five psychology classes, CBEST,GRE and a counseling class. O MY! did i pick the right career! I have to laugh and say YES I DID! Something that is going to be great is worth the process.

Testing In Our Schools

I was reading an article in the NY Times that talked about the number of African American and Latino children that are being accepted to these great High Schools is at an all time low. The article focused on the eight grade standardized test, claiming that these kids are not prepared to pass it and also that the parents aren't involved enough. Tell me what you think? http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/top-public-high-schools-admit-fewer-blacks-and-hispanics/?scp=1&sq=discipline%20in%20urban%20schools&st=cse

Our Kids Are Unique

Over the years I have changed my major back and forth from nursing to social worker and back to nursing, now I have decided what it is I really what to do. Only after taking my last microbiology class. I want to be a High School Academic Counselor! I  know I sound like I'm going on the MTV show called "MADE" but  I'm not, I'm doing it the old school way by hard work and lots of counseling classes. I knew as a young girl that I wanted to help my community some kind of way. I guessed that since everyone else in my family was in the medical field that nursing just fit. Well, sorry, I feel that to do your work correctly and with passion one will have to love what they do. That is why I quit my job as a professional business sales person and ran back to school. I didn't want to work anymore! I wanted a career, something that I truly loved to do! something that I didn't mind getting up for.

I feel high school counseling fit's me best, I see myself begin very passionate about the injustice in our school system such as Oakland Unified School District. I see so many talented young women and men that just wonder around UN-inspired. It's sad. I do believe that our school system is failing our children by not allowing them to honestly grow. They push discipline down there throats, but not fully understanding that each child is unique and has to be taught different.

I can remember teaching my oldest son to spell him name by bouncing a basketball, I taught my daughter how to spell her name by writing in a check book, I taught my youngest how to spell his name by buying a amp and a micro phone and we made a rap " A_N_T_H_O_N_Y that' my name, that's my name!"  As I said before, each child is different and if I can catch them in high school a time when the world looks so black and white I feel that I can give them some hope that things can be the way they want it to be.  This blog will chronicle my journey toward a career in high school counseling. Along the way, I’ll be writing about the issues in education that I feel must be addressed, and I’ll be writing about how counselors are uniquely positioned to help solve these issues.

Introduction

Hello Blogger's, 

                       My name is Layloni Marshall. I can begin this blog by telling you about me and the many hats I wear, such as being a mother, student, and being employed full time! But I won't! Oh wait, I just did..... Moving along, my blog will focus on my journey of becoming a High  School Academic Counselor. I feel like I have always been a full time counselor since I  became a mother. Yes, I am the proud mother of three beautiful kids to whom I have always feed the idea that education is the key to success. I can say that they actually listened; my oldest D'Marco Jimmerson is in college and pursing his career in becoming a professional football player. My daughter Tanzania Jimmerson is my academic scholar, who holds down a 4.0 and will be attending Spellman University in about 3yrs, and last but not least  is Anthony Linzie III, he's my musician, and proud of it. With that being said, they each understand that getting their education is important. I have seen young African Americans in my community,especially African American males, fall through the crack of our education system. That has to STOP!! If I can just help one child understand that if he/she stay focused, their dreams will come to pass. I hope you follow me on this journey of becoming a High School Academic Counselor. As I come across certain issues that needs to be addressed, I will be blogging. If at any point you will like to "bloggersate",I am ready! BRING IT!