Page 5 - 2020OctoberKCPSMagazine02g

Senior Spotlight
Deaihra Washington has
been a Southeast Knight for
the past four years. She is
currently studying to earn her
LPN as part of career and
technical education program
at KCPS. She plans to attend
college after graduation to
study to become a neonatal
nurse.
“ Sometimes students want to be accepted,
I know now that
I’m not going to
get anywhere in
life if I hold
back and don’t
ask questions,
making my
voice heard.
” experienced a bit of a struggle in math
DEAIHRA WASHINGTON, Southeast High School Senior
Ask questions. That’s the biggest wasn’t heard in the interaction and it
piece of advice I want to offer both the affected my trust in the process. I felt
students and the adults in Kansas City jaded.
Public Schools. It’s easy to say it but a
lot harder to actually do it. And I know We have to understand that students and
from experience how important it is. teachers have good days and bad days.
But we also have to understand that ask-
Don’t feel ashamed if you don’t get it ing questions and seeking to understand
and you need more help understanding each other resolves many issues. This,
something a teacher talks about in again, is something I’m working on.
class. It needs to be said because this
would sometimes happen to me. I As students, we need adults and
would feel like my question was dumb classmates who we can depend on
or uninformed. I was a kid that never to help us when we don’t understand
asked questions and I never fully things. Having that trust and that support
understood things. It started hindering system is so important. It helps us build
me. I stood back by myself and tried our school culture and continue our
to figure it out for myself and it didn’t upward progress. We need to be able to
work. Some of my teachers thought I turn to our parents, teachers and friends
didn’t care. I did care, I was just afraid for advice and guidance. And we need to
have a friend who’s slacking, push them.
to ask.
offer that same support in return. If you
Are you here just because your parents
so they sit back and don’t ask questions
push you? Go beyond that; think beyond
because they feel ashamed, thinking that. Do something big from your own
their question is dumb or doesn’t make
internal motivation.
sense. If you don’t understand it, I can
guarantee other students don’t either. I’m going to do big things in my life. I’m
I know now that I’m not going to get studying to become a neonatal nurse. I
anywhere in life if I hold back and don’t want to be a neonatal nurse because I
ask questions, making my voice heard. love babies, and part of being a neonatal
Asking questions is how we can really nurse is taking care of babies who need
engage in our classes. I know now that extra care. I want to help others love
I need to ask questions, even if I feel babies how I love them. I also plan to
embarrassed. It’s something I’m start a hair salon and clothing boutique
on the side. I want to help make people
working on.
Math is one of my favorite courses. I feel better about themselves – inside and
out. I might not know how to do all that
yet, but I will, because I’ve learned to ask
questions.
at one point because of an interaction I
had with a teacher. I felt like my voice
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