The worst thing that I can think of in a high school is "College Day". This is the day, that all the Seniors and Staff member wear the shirt of the college that they are committed to, or for the teachers, what college they attended. On that glorious College Day, where the teacher and administration can beam with pride about what a wonderful job they have done to move these bright individuals onto bigger, better, (and more expensive) schools. There is a large group of students not committed to their lifelong careers at the young age of 18. Do you see all those "smart kids" wearing their $65 Northwestern, or University of Illinois sweatshirts, and I bet there is even some kids wearing their $65 Elgin Community College sweatshirt too? When you walk into the Special Ed class, do those kids have on their college sweatshirts? What about that kid that is the smartest in the bunch, but their parents can't afford to send them to college at all, so they are "going to work for awhile and see what happens"? What about that girl walking in the hallway 3 months pregnant that certainly doesn't know where she will be even in a year, but it probably won't be doing keg stands at the College Frat party. What about that kid that freckin hates school because they were never really motivated with “school”. Do you think they are going to college?
For me, I always wanted to be a teacher. When I was in 4th grade, I knew what I wanted to do. It was rare that at 10 years old, I continued my commitment to that profession. My parents had vocational school and some community college, so they never pushed me either way. I was not the smartest kid in class, but I was a hard worker, B's and some C's were my comfort zone. I was personally motivated, and if going to college was the way to becoming a teacher, then so be it. For MANY, 17 to 18 years old is WAY too early to commit to your forever life long dreams.. How in the world are you suppose to know at that young age what you want to be...forever! It's almost impossible.
A young man at 18 years old was the smartest of the bunch. He was in the Academically Talented Math program all the way from elementary school, he took all of the AT classes, he got all A's and was one of the top students in the graduating class. He committed to University of Illinois for engineering and was rewarded so many scholarships, that the Senior Recognition assembly was laughable because he was constantly called up. He and his fellow U of I friends sat at lunch with the rest, and picked out dorm assignments and dressed occasionally in the U of I attire, while the rest rolled their eyes. His family and friends were so proud of him. He went to College that fall and guess what...he wasn't the smartest in the class anymore. He had to do something new...study. Why was the smartest in the bunch surprised by this? Maybe it was because he was never truly challenged in high school? Maybe he didn't want to be an engineer and wanted to be a policeman instead? Maybe he wanted to have fun more than study? Maybe he spent too much time with his High School girlfriend? Maybe because he was "smart" and liked numbers, that being an engineer was a logical push for a kid like that. I don't know. He did end up getting about a semester away from graduating from U of I with a degree in Engineering, but never finished and never went back to school.
My husband works damn hard, we take care of our family, we have nice things, we are happy. Sometimes we talk about "what if he had graduated and gotten an engineering job?" Maybe we would have nicer cars, and a bigger house, and more kids. But maybe we would also be unhappy. Who knows? A constant cringe worthy moment that happens often is when someone asks him or I, "What do you/your husband do for a living?" We refrain from saying "He works for Best Buy." We now say "He/I am a manager at Best Buy." It has a certain distinguishable twang to it, so people don't think that he is ringing up 18 year old kids buying the lastest and greatest Halo game, although he does that sometime too. The problem is that he, and I, are not always "proud" of saying his job; even though he makes more money than I do, even with two degrees that I am still paying for. My question is, why are people sometimes made to feel less worthy because of the way that they provide for their families? Just because someone does not go, or graduate, from college does not mean that they are stupid, or lazy, or unmotivated. My husband is none of these.
Do not get me wrong, there are so many benefits of going to college. I think the biggest one was of going out and being on my own. I had to find a way to eat, to make money, to be on time, to study, to get decent grades, to find a way home for Christmas, to meet others that don't think like I do, to problem solve, to find money for drinks on Saturday nights. All of these things, except for the drinks, has made me a better teacher. College certainly had it benefits. Being a teachers, it does makes sense that if I was going to educated others, that I needed to be as fully educated as possible.
We have many friends/family that own their own businesses, work for amazing companies, or have/had long term careers; and they never went to college. They didn't have their "College Day" celebration in High School. Was it because the could not get into college, I am certain that was not the reason. I am sure they all had different motivations for not choosing to go to college. Maybe it was even just " I didn't want to go." Does that make their teachers proud of them? Is there a box that they check off “Check... they went to college, success!” Cause as far as I can tell they are all taxpaying, productive members of society, isn't that all we want out of our fellow citizens right?
So, I can bitch and moan about education's faults, and their lack of empathy, but that is not helpful to anyone. What can I do right now at a 5th grade teacher in suburban Chicago? Maybe, I can tell kids that I am proud of their growth, no matter where they started; I can tell them that they worked hard today; I can encourage creativeness in hands-on projects, and building, and art, and cooking, and caring for others. I can tell their parents about the skills that I notice from them, and give them ideas about ways that they can encourage these skills at home. I can encourage them to problem solve, to think independently, to look me in the eye when they talk to me, to say "Good Morning, and Have a nice day". I will remind them about not putting their heads on their desk, and to be proud of the work that they turn in. Most importantly, I will tell them that no matter where they go, hard work does not go unnoticed. I will remind them of these things, because these are not questions on the final exam for graduating college. They are life skills that EVERYONE needs to be able to get a job, and keep it...any job.
I can also refrain from telling them that they can "All go to College" because that's a bunch of damn garbage. Just because you CAN go to college, that does not mean that you should. Every job in the world has a purpose, and not everyone is going to be the CEO. We need mail clerks, and garbage collectors, and snow plowers, and roofers, and hairdressers, and plumbers, and electricians, and painters, and Best Buy managers. These are all amazing jobs, that take hard work and commitment. So...what can middle and high schools do to encourage these vocational jobs into their classes, along with the engineering, science, and math? After all, we are educating all, remember? What are companies doing to recruit students out of high school that don't need to go to college, because their careers requires experience and training. Also, are we doing a good enough job with critical thinking skills in High School to provide the non-college students a strong enough base of thinking that can take them throughout life.
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