Vanessa Jae Paradis

I am an independent researcher specializing in the application of the late Joe Kincheloe’s new empirical phenomenological research processes, critical complex epistemology and multidimensional critical complex bricolage with a focus on the study of consciousness. 

As an author who is breaking paradigms for research, writing, publishing, learning, teaching, education, psychology, and the sciences, I am working toward changing things most educators seem to have been unable or unwilling to change—on the ground and at the front lines.

Having lived in poverty my entire life, my mission is to continue to work toward changes that lead to social justice and equal educational opportunities for all. Encompassing that mission is the task of exposing the growing number of ways those who hold power continue to keep those who are already in poverty forever entrenched in poverty through policies and promises that are deceptive. Pretending that there are paths to a better life, such as through expensive student loan-financed corporatized education entrenches those who can least afford it deeper in debt, reducing their chances for not only their own future, but also their children’s futures and on down the line. Instead of providing hope, far too often, dreams and hope become permanently extinguished.

Wishing to disassociate myself from the university I had been attending for my doctorate due to their unjust treatment of “nontraditional students,” their low standards and their political, military, and economic alliances, I abandoned my quest for the PhD “piece of paper” despite having completed all of the requirements with a 4.0 grade point average, a 649 page dissertation that had been approved to the highest level (but apparently  not at the elite level), and exceeding expectations for not only one specialization--but two. Thus, I specialize in both higher education with a focus on science research and instructional design for online learning. I also hold a Masters degree from Oregon State University in Education Technology and have completed undergraduate work in art, engineering technology, psychology, and environmental sciences.

The moral of this story is that it is clear that those of us who are disadvantaged and disempowered by the system cannot expect formal public education to provide an education that will break glass ceilings or lead to a better life. We must seek beyond the curriculum (and beyond the curtain) and take actions that will hopefully pave the way for future generations. Update for 2024: I advocate for the complete demolishing of the Department of Education. It is so corrupt that there is no possibility of repairing it to serve the people. The decisions for education must be made individually and locally at the community and state levels. If the COVID debacle has taught people anything, it should be that it is obvious by now that the power brokers have no interest whatsoever in ensuring a good education for children. Follow the money.

I owe my deepest and most heartfelt gratitude—and my eternal love—to Joe Lyons Kincheloe for leading the way. 

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