These remarks are both general and specific, based on my own experiences. I will begin some flashbacks of my own.
When I was in school, I remember being terribly bored at times because I “got it” the first time around – the lesson, that is – yet, I had to listen to the teacher as he or she repeated himself/herself. I specifically remember that being true of high school Chemistry, and an Anthropology class I took at the university.
In the United States, we seem to think that a child is being hurt, if he or she does not attend college. “In my day,” everything was sorted out nicely on the basis of grades and test scores. If a male child seemed a little bit “dim,” by high school, he was shuffled off to take Industrial Arts classes in high school and spent a minimum of time in other classes (which he barely passed). If a high school girl was slow on the uptake, she was shifted off into Home Economics where she learned how to sew, cook, take care of a baby, and learn to keep a budget.
Now, there is nothing wrong with either Industrial Arts or Home Economics. You certainly would not want some untrained person tinkering with your car, and to be a viable society whose focus is safe haven in the home, it is not a bad idea to train both young men and women in the basic skills of planning and making nutritious meals, and maintaining relationships for the long term.
Somewhere along the line, “going to college” seemed like the better option to many folks, presumably an instant ticket to success. At the time I was going to high school, English teachers were at a premium and so many fellow students wanted to help fill that void … eventually. Today, you will find many out-of-work English teachers from that era, or people who decided to chose a different profession altogether.
The college education idea as a birth-given right in America is wrong. The kind of society that we have requires all kinds of workers, and many of the potential positions that will be and are currently available will have little to do with whether or not someone has a four-year or longer college education.
In schools, we have dropped our standards.
Teachers resent “teaching to the test.” Most of us who are or have been educators went into the field of education because of a certain passion we have for teaching others about our particular discipline, whatever that may be. Many of us have become disenchanted with Education, although still impassioned about our favorite subjects of study.
It is hard to envision a young person thinking about college, when it is difficult for that individual to even make change without reliance on a cash register. It’s like asking a Zebra to change its stripes.
In today’s society, only the most dedicated parents spend time asking their children about their school work or how they are doing socially or otherwise. Kids get into trouble, with a capital T, when they continuously go unsupervised.
I know of one child who shot himself in the neck and was D.O.A. He was 14 or 16 (?) at the time of his death, and for a long time had been involved with a Satanic group and in doing evil things. That is the worst case scenario, of course. We don’t expect our the misbehavior of children to result in death. We all want our children to live and thrive and assume that will be the case.
The questions of Education: how the school year should be arranged, who should pay for what, what the role of parents should take, and whether every child should be expected to go to college, are all complex.
I hope that the president will think long and hard about college as being an entitled state. I do not agree. The students who don’t belong there are disruptive in the classroom, impeding the progress of other students. Furthermore, they get into trouble on campus, oftentimes, and seem to be in attendance for the parties, the drinking, and the illicit sex that often accompanies their careers.
College attendance does not have to be an elite issue. Whether or not a youngster attends should depend on scholastic ability and clear cut reasons that are associated with a career goal. College is a privilege and should be regarded as such. Attendance should depend on how hard a student is willing to work.
Patricia Cummings
