I heard this on National Public Radio's Marketplace program this morning- (this is an excerpt from the transcript of the audio) an interview with a researcher who is studying "Generation R"- young people who are trying to find jobs in our current economy...
Hobson: Education in this country has often been touted as a ticket out of the social class you're born into. After having gone through college, do you think these kids feel some kind of faith still in the education system in the country?
Kefalas: Working class kids said to us, "Listen, we're going to be the first generation of Americans to do worse than our parents." One young woman said, "I just feel burned. My friends who didn't go to college, they don't have debt and they're making more an hour than I am."
Hobson: She actually wanted to have not gone to college?
Kefalas: She actually said, "I don't even know why I spent the money." The middle class kids were saying, "It's very tough, I am filled with anxiety. I can't sleep at night, but I still believe in a college degree. I'm just going to have to work harder and it's going to take longer." And those ellite kids said, "Is there really a recession? It's more like -- it's just harder for me to get a job." And they're sitting out this recession in a lot of ways.
Caused me to think about some of the conversations (like Rebecca Vinzant's comment in the post below ) We've all likely had regarding the role of "post secondary" education plays in our world today...
In one of his first speeches about education, President Obama asked all Americans to commit to pursing some form of education, training, etc. past high school. As we look at the reauthorization of NCLB and the implementation of the Common Core Standards as well as the messages coming from the Federal Dept of Education, business and industry, etc. How is theory aligning with practice? Preferred state with actual reality?
So, as educators, how are we helping students and their families make wise choices informed by what we know about the student, their abilities, their interests, potential based on their performance so far? Is it only the responsibility of the guidance counselor when a kid is a senior in high school?
What do "high expectations" really mean? Are we pushing kids towards a definition of "being successful" based on OUR life experiences or what THEY will face in the world we do and will live in after they leave us?
I'm not suggesting that we should ever tell a kid that they aren't "college material" or that we as humans lack the capacity to continue to learn and grow after we leave high school but, are we preparing kids for a "differentiated" life experience?
Why do I keep hearing the words of Ken Robinson in the back of my mind?
Here's a link to the whole interview-
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/01/06/am-recession-gives-rise-to-generation-r/
I think I'm finding through our discussions on the mountain that we are striving to address these very issues, but we're the trail blazers in so many ways. It's going to take a paradigm shift in so many directions--how educators approach education, how parents and general citizens (non-educators) adjust to the economy, and the idea that not every child should win a trophy just for participating in an event. We must learn to celebrate achievements in all areas. Standing on a stage and singing a solo in a school or community performance deserves as much recognition as the kid hitting a home run. Too often, though we forgo those celebrations and when they are celebrated they are much too quite. I guess what I'm getting at is that "a prize for all" generation *would* be bummed to leave college and not start making a lot of money if that;s how we're going to value success. I worry about my own kids and their rate of growth as consumers rather than producers. Makes me want to force them to grow a garden and eat their own damn vegetables or something. Maybe I'm just pissed at myself for spending too much money on them at Christmas--that's my fault. But I see a parallel nonetheless. We, as the adults, are creating an environment that makes kids feel unsuccessful if they can't pop out of college, degree in hand, and have a house and a car and eat out all the time. Maybe that's something the adult generation ought to be looking at more closely.
ReplyDeleteThis is from later in the interview- sort of addresses what you're saying, I think...
ReplyDeleteOr at least lets hope so :)
Hobson: Generation R knows what it's like to be in terrible economic times, but they probably also remember the great times of the '90s or at least the early and mid-2000s, economically. What do they think of the difference?
Kefalas: I think they look at the pop culture icons like Paris Hilton and they're sort of cringing in embarrassment.
Hobson: Right.
Kefalas: They now talk a great deal about not wasting money; conspicuous consumption they say has gone out of fashion. And they don't want to be seen as throwing money around when their families are eating into their resources to keep them afloat, etc.
I worked as a high school resource teacher and heard the "go to college" mantra from my students and their parents. I would ask my students, "Do you like to read and write?" and they would always say "NO!" I would explain that college requires lots of reading and writing, much more than high school, and ask them why they wanted to go. They would parrot "to get a good job" and we would then talk about what a "good job" is, working toward an understanding that a "good job" is one that provides a living wage but also satisfaction. My goal was to open their eyes to the idea that success and satisfaction can mean working in retail, learning a trade, working as a custodian, etc. One of the reasons Arkansas has such a poor college graduation rate (and very high percentage of students who need remedial classes once they get there) is due to our obsession with getting all kids to go to college. In my own family, college was a "given" and it was not whether you would go but where and I learned through my own son and my students that college is not the path for everyone. One of my students excelled in automotive arts in high school: he went to work at a luxury car dealership and was soon earning $80,000/year as a mechanic and he was very happy and successful.
ReplyDeleteThe school that I work in is 90% free/reduced lunch and many of the kids are living in borderline poverty. It's hard to discuss with 8th graders the fact that I grew up less-than-middle-class and that my husband and I had a plan from day one to save, save, save...and now we live a very comfortable lifestyle. All that my students see is the "rich, white lady" who lives in a "big" house. That being said, I seem to be on a one woman mission to help them see past initial perceptions to the reality that is my life. I want them to understand that success is not automatic, guaranteed, or defined necissarily by a college degree, and I want them to gain a work ethic in my class that perhaps did not exist upon arrival. Let's face it...if today's students aren't choosing college, then vocational training will be just as useless without them working their tails off. *Sidenote: Several former students are currently outearning this multi-degree'd educator as plumbers, welders, stylists, small business owners, etc. Interesting...
ReplyDeleteWhen are we going to change our mindset about how to prepare kids for the future. I feel like we are stuck in the past when going to college did get you a better paying job. This really does remind me of Ken Robinson's TED speech when he said it seems our goal is to create college professors.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that we are pushing students to fast. Their capacity to understand concepts that are increasingly complicated is great. I do think that students get more disillusioned with the importance of content earlier because they are introduced to the concepts early. The mental maturity issue is not about the concepts or content , it is about their acceptance of the importance of education at their individual level. "Why do I need to learn this." is the result of a student who is learning material that they are not using immediately or within a recalled period of time (which can be pretty small depending on the age of the student).
ReplyDeleteI try not to "push" college on my students. What they receive at home is something that I cannot determine from my limited knowledge of that environment for each student. I think that teachers should allow students and parents to be the ones who decide about such things and we should be an encourager no matter what that decision may be. If asked, we should give an honest evaluation of the student and an honest opinion about the direction that would be most advantageous to them. But we cannot be blind to certain facts. Individuals who attend college and ( I could be incorrect on this, but I think that this is right) graduate with a bachelors receive approx. 1 million dollars more in earnings over their lifetime. For students who want to have that aspect of "success", this can be very motivating. For others, they will make do with whatever they can.
Defining success for students can be dangerous for teachers. Parents and students can have a very different idea compared to educators or even each other. Parents that are the type to say, "Well, whatever Mr. Rachuy says…" can give a lot of power to someone who wants what is best for the student, but is also willing to push them beyond where they want to go, subverting their goals for the teachers. Other parents have a clear path of success on which they have put their child (or the child may have chosen this path) , be it below or above the students capabilities and interference of any kind is seen as hostile. I often say to my students, "…and you may need this information if or when you decide to go to college, or trade school, or whatever your plan is. That is for you and your parents to decide." Perhaps that is a cop out. I don't know.
The expectations that we have for our students should be high, as a general rule. But those expectations should not be the same for all students. Pushing students beyond what they accept as their limitations scholastically can show them that can and should surprise themselves with what they are capable of. But this is different for every student. One may be working on the specifics compounds and reactions of the citric acid cycle while another may just need to focus on the generalities and memorize the process. This may be success on equal levels depending on the students.