Sociology of Education (SOC-320) was a course that I was a bit unsure of at first. Having been going to school for pretty much my entire life, I was honestly not sure that there would be much to take away from the course. I was sure that I understood the education system in America, but I was very wrong. This course not only taught me much more about how the educational system in America works, but about the history of the education system and how education varies between cultures. As most people are aware, there are so many factors that effect a child’s education, such as: socioeconomic status, race, religion, gender, location, etc. Knowing that these factors matter is just a small piece; the real takeaway from this course is understanding just how these factors effect a child’s education, and to what degree each one does. I was shocked to see the major disparities of levels of education schools can offer, even between two neighboring counties. Some of the best schools in Virginia are a short distance from some of the worst schools, and without having taken this course, I would not have understood why this happens or how it is even possible. Taking this course during the times of the Covid-19 pandemic was especially useful, because Covid turned the world upside down, including the educational system.
During the course, our major project was to research the impact that Covid-19 had on parents of public school system. As a society, we rely heavily on parents to assist in their children’s education, but with Covid it was a much harder task for them than previously. Here is my reflection of that project.